Real Vampires Don't Wear Size Six (Glory St. Clair #7)

Real Vampires Don't Wear Size Six (Glory St. Clair #7) Page 2

"Excuse me?" I hadn't heard correctly. Couldn't have.

"I said you have to help me kill my sister. I have a twin." Penny jumped up and pulled a picture from the side pocket of her backpack. "This is Jenny."

"Whoa. Never would have guessed - " I shut up. Penny had probably grown up hating to be compared to the blond angel in the cheerleading outfit who smiled into the camera.

"We're fraternal twins. Obviously." Penny smiled down at the picture. "I got the brains, she got the beauty."

I waited for the snark. Teenagers. Sisters, at that. I'd watched those reality shows on TV. There was bound to be some sibling rivalry, bitterness.

"So now you want to break in your fangs by killing her? Isn't that a little radical?" I was ready for the explosion. Some kind of meltdown. What I got was Penny looking at me with a shimmer of tears.

"No, you don't get it. Look at her. She's beautiful, perfect. She's smart too, just not the phenom I was. How can I let her grow old when I never will? We can turn her, Glory, and she'll be like that forever." Penny rushed me and grabbed my hands. "You've got to help me do this. Jenny's my best friend. I can't just leave her to be human when I'm" - big sniff - "not."

"Are you kidding me? Did you hear what Damian was saying when you were standing in the hall?" I knew she had vamp hearing and was sure she'd eavesdropped. Who wouldn't?

"He was persuading you to take me on. Obviously he got the job done." Penny sat on the couch. She laid the picture on my cluttered coffee table, right on top of my copy of InStyle magazine. I bet it was Jenny's bible. Penny probably used it as a coaster.

"Yes, he talked me into it, because I'm about to be kicked out of Austin. I'm hanging by a thread here." I sat across from her. "You also heard him say the guy who made you vampire isn't around anymore. You know what he meant by that?"

"Guess he was asked to leave too. That bastard deserved to have his nuts cracked." Penny heaved a sigh and stared at her sister's picture again. "I didn't ask for this, though the living forever thing has me stoked."

I leaped over the table and landed beside her. That finally got her full attention. "Listen to me, Penny. That bastard may have gotten his nuts cracked, but it was right before he got a stake through his heart. He's dead, girl, dead for what he did to you. The Austin council doesn't want anyone turned vampire around here. It's rogue behavior. Only tolerated when it's done to save a mortal's life. A last-ditch effort."

"They killed him?" Penny bit her bottom lip and I glimpsed her new fangs. "Wow. That's so Gothic."

"Yeah, well, vampires like to keep a low profile, not easy with all the vamp books, movies and TV shows out there now. People pay attention when weird things happen."

"Would it be so bad for vampires to come out of the closet? I think this is kind of cool. So will Jenny." Penny was fixated on the picture of her sister again and I wanted to shake her.

"Really? Will Jenny like missing cheerleading practice in the mornings? Or hitting the drive-thru at McDonald's?"

Penny frowned. "The cheerleading, sure. But she gave up Big Macs years ago. Way too busy counting calories. Not like me." Her eyes filled. "No more of those fries? Ever?" She bit her lip again, then gasped when her new fangs popped through her skin. "Ouch!"

"At least you got to taste one." I made a face. "I drive by those places, inhale, and just fantasize." We both sighed. "Anyway, face facts, Penny. And for every vamp groupie, there will be a vamp hunter who sees you as a demon from hell and is eager to exterminate you." I shook my head. Was I getting through to her? Didn't think so. She was obviously still figuring out how to convince her sister that the trade-offs for immortality were worth it.

"Maybe we could arrange some kind of accident." Penny smiled at me. "Then we would have to turn Jenny. The council couldn't object to that."

"You think they wouldn't see through that? The council is fairly new and trying to establish control. To prove that zero tolerance means exactly that. It's bad enough that Austin has a Bat Festival every year and puts 'Keep Austin Weird' on T-shirts. We don't need to become known as the vampire capital of Texas." I put my hand on hers. "I'm sorry about your sister, but running her over with your car might not be her idea of a good time." I squeezed her fingers. "You haven't told her what happened to you, have you?"

"No, not yet. I wasn't sure how." Penny's eyes filled again. "Jenny's just a sophomore, in a sorority and doing all the normal college things that I never did." Penny sighed. "I figured my news would just bring her down."

I let her go. "Yes, finding out your twin's a vampire might put a damper on date night."

Penny frowned at me. "You don't get it, Glory. I think it's great that Jenny's having fun. I was always too busy studying, being the whiz kid, to do the things Jen does. So I'm getting a vicarious thrill from her life now." She glanced down. "And then there's the way I look. I'm not exactly cheerleading material."

"Don't put yourself down. I've seen those competitions on TV. Cheerleaders come in all shapes and sizes. With the right hair, makeup and wardrobe, you could fit in with that crowd, pre-fangs of course. And the way those people hop around, you would have trimmed down in no time." I wondered why Jenny hadn't helped her sister do just that.

"It's no big deal. Jen and I don't compete." Penny still blocked her thoughts and I wondered if her relationship with her sister was as easy as she claimed.

"Obviously, who could with your three degrees? I guess you proved that whiz kid thing." I patted her shoulder.

"Yeah, well. I enjoy the academic stuff." She shrugged. "Sue me, I'm an unrepentant egghead. That's what Jen calls me." A tear ran down her cheek. "God, how can I just show her my f-f-fangs and tell her what happened? She's so happy now. She just made the cheerleading squad for next fall and even has a new boyfriend. This will just bring her down."

"You're a good sister." I was getting a little misty-eyed myself. I don't know if I could have been so generous. Screw vicarious. There's no substitute for doing things yourself. I made up my mind then and there that Penny would have a great start as a vampire. Adventures. Rafe could help me there. I wished for my buddy Florence too. How long before she got back from her honeymoon?

"Jen and I don't always agree on things. In fact, we had a giant fight the night I ended up a vampire." Penny grimaced. "Turns out I should have listened to her. But just once I wanted to see . . . Never mind." She tried for a shrug but I could see her hands plucking nervously at her gray sweatpants. "I've texted her a few times since then. Let her know I was okay, just snowed under with school stuff. But I bet she's wondering what's up. We usually talk or see each other at least once a day." Penny sniffled. "We'll never do the morning coffee-and-donut run again now, will we?"

I pulled her against me when she finally broke down and sobbed. Who wouldn't? The realization that you can never eat or drink like a human again is hard to take. Hey, I still mourned my hot chocolate and the Cheetos I'd impulsively tasted once, to my regret. I gulped back sympathetic tears.

"Enough of this." Penny pulled back and dug a tissue out of her pocket. "What now, Glory?"

"You can't tell your sister you're a vampire." There, I'd said it and I got the reaction I knew I would. Penny was up and at the door in a blur.

"Try to stop me. We don't keep secrets from each other." She snarled at me - me! - showing fangs when I grabbed her shoulders. "Damn it, Glory, I have to tell her. I'll put a positive spin on it."

"Chill and put your fangs away, fledgling. A positive spin?" I leaned against the door, making damned sure Penny wasn't getting past me. "I can hear that conversation now. 'Hey, sis, I was killed the other night but, not to worry, a vampire gave me my own pair of fangs and now I'm here to take you down too. Say bye-bye, pom-poms, and hello, blood bank.'"

Penny huffed and puffed and even did a few moves that looked like martial arts. I wanted to trot out that cliche and growl, "Go ahead and make my day." But in the end she slouched back to the couch without making a serious move.

"I've got to tell her sometime. She can read me too well. Even without the vampire tricks." Penny sighed when I sat across from her again. "She'll know something's off with me."

"Then avoid her. Text, tweet, e-mail - whatever the hell you two do - but let her know you're too busy to meet. You're not telling her, Penny. Not yet anyway." I hardened my heart when it looked like she was going to tear up again. Why me? Even a rock star had been easier to handle than this. No crying from Ray; he'd been more about colorful adjectives and mourning his Black Label Scotch.

"For how long? And when we do get together, am I supposed to just arrange to see her at night and hide my fangs?" Penny kicked her backpack. "Which I realize I'm not exactly in control of yet."

"No, you're not. Glad you've figured that out." I reached down and slid the backpack out of range. "Concentrate. Mind over matter. But be aware that your emotions affect your fangs. You're upset and down they came."

"Yeah, well, this whole thing has me crazed." Penny's eyes widened. "Seriously, controlling any of this seems impossible right now. I was around a human at Damian's. Just the smell of that blood, pumping through her veins, and I wanted to jump all over her and take a bite. Which is skeezy. You know?"

"Not skeezy at all. It's your new nature. It'll settle down after you've done this awhile." I leaned forward. "But, whoa. Mortals at Damian's? Are you telling me he has pets there? I thought the council didn't like that kind of action."

Penny frowned. "Maybe I wasn't supposed to say anything. I never saw a vampire bite anyone." She sagged, like she was tired of the whole thing. "Which is weird. But Damian is hot, don't you think? The women were all over him. My guess is he could do whatever he wanted with them, once they were in his bedroom."

"Forget Damian and think about how you reacted to being around those mortals, Penny." I waited until she looked up at me. "To the blood. You craved it. Couldn't think of much else when you heard that sound. The pumping. Smelled that fresh-in-the-pipes juice. That's bloodlust, fledgling. And you've got about as much control over it as you did when you used to drive past McDonald's and smelled those fries."

"Which means zero." Penny looked at me in horror. "So you mean that, while she's still human, I could be a danger to Jenny? My own sister?"

"True enough." I nodded. At least this would buy me some time to work with Penny and keep her from spreading the word that, hey, vampires were in town.

"You're right. What if I go postal when I smell Jenny's blood and attack her?" Penny clapped her hand over her mouth, smearing her black lipstick.

"Entirely possible." I watched her tear up again and searched for reassurances. Facts were, though, fledglings were notoriously hard to control when they were thirsty. I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of synthetic out of the fridge.

"Drink this. When you're well fed, you're less likely to get out of control when you're around a mortal - we call them mortals, Penny." I smiled and patted her shoulder. "Come on. I still consider myself a human, don't you?"

"Y-y-yes, I guess. When I can think at all." She twisted off the cap and took a swallow, made a face, then looked at the label. "This isn't as good as what Damian gave me. Must be cheaper. And I don't think I'm crazy about A positive."

"Sorry. We'll figure out your faves later and make sure the council springs for it." I opened a bottle for myself.

Penny took a deep swallow. "Any other tips about being around mortals besides filling up first?"

"Not yet, but you don't go see Jenny without me. I can always intervene if it looks like you're losing control." I smiled. "I know you're smart and think you can figure all this out for yourself." Penny flushed and I knew I had her. "But give me credit for having been there, done that, a time or two. Okay?"

"I get that you're ancient." Penny looked me over. "Incredible to imagine. That you've been around since before airplanes, telephones" - she tipped her cold bottle at me - "microwaves!"

"Yes, a lot's changed. But some things never do." I gave her a stern look. "New vampires need guidance. And primal urges are what get you in trouble. Things you can't rationalize, Einstein."

Penny at least looked thoughtful as she sipped her synthetic. "Still, I can't imagine attacking my own sister. I haven't even tried taking blood from a, uh, mortal yet, just been drinking the bottled stuff. Wouldn't have a clue how to even go about feeding, as Damian called it, except for what I've seen on TV or movies and that looks pretty messy. What do you do about your blood supply?"

"I stick to the bottled stuff. That's why I have a fridge full. And I drink it cold because I spent a few years in Las Vegas and decided I liked it cold on a hot day. Plenty of those in Texas too." I smiled. "Feel free to nuke yours if that floats your boat. And help yourself whenever you feel the slightest bit hungry. Promise me that."

"Sure. But obviously not all vampires stick to the bottle." She brushed her neck. "The guy who took me down used me for his breakfast, lunch and dinner."

"I'm wondering why he didn't just drain you and leave you for dead. Turning you vampire is serious stuff. A responsibility for the sire and obviously a mistake in Austin." I leaned forward. "Did Damian tell you anything about that?" Gossip, I loved it. What can I say? It's one of my minor vices.

"He said this guy was starting his own little family. I remember the man, he said his name was Vince, calling me 'Daughter' when he dragged me to the shack where that other vampire found me." Penny shuddered and drained her bottle of synthetic. "He was deranged, dirty and touched me in a way that my dad would never . . ." Penny shuddered again. "Sick bastard. Anyway, Damian said the council didn't tolerate that kind of thing, the turning part. Guess I know now it earned him the death penalty. Earned me one too." She set down the bottle on my magazine and wiped her wet cheeks.

I wanted to hug her again, but I could see she had decided to try to move on. I had to admire her for that.

"And immortality, Penny. Like you said before, that's the cool part." I sighed when I saw her dig into her bag and pull out a compact.

"Damn, I keep forgetting, we really can't see our reflection. Jenny will hate that." She snapped the compact shut with a frown.

I gritted my teeth against the urge to argue about Jenny again. "We all hate it. But I have a computer setup in my bedroom that works like a mirror. Help yourself. You've got mascara and lipstick everywhere." I wondered what this sudden urge to tidy up was about. Was she still thinking to make a break for it? Just because she felt full of synthetic . . . I'd definitely keep a close eye on her.

"Seriously?" Penny darted into my bedroom and came out with the white laptop with the mini-cam. "This is neat."

"It was a gift from Ian MacDonald. He's a California vampire and a techno-genius. He invented it and a lot more cool things to help make the vamp lifestyle more livable. You'd love him. He's a very clever guy."

"Sounds interesting." Penny quickly fixed her face, which unfortunately included adding a new coat of black lipstick, then closed the computer. "Makes me think, though. I need my stuff. From my apartment. How do I explain to my family and Jenny that I'm moving here?" She swept her gaze around my admittedly tired-looking digs.

"What's wrong with here?" I'm not much for housekeeping and spend most of my time downstairs in my shop, but the mix of secondhand treasures and Ikea bookshelves wasn't that bad. Especially when compared to dorm rooms and college apartments.

"Nothing, really. I like the location. Sixth Street is cool, though a little farther from campus than where I'm living now. Guess we can make this work. It's near the end of a semester. Logical time to move, if I'd been thinking about it." Penny sighed. "Didn't mean to come off as critical. This place is nice, much nicer than my digs. Blame my attitude on the vampire thing. I'm still reeling. Who knew you guys even existed?"

"That's because we're careful, Penny. Your sire's behavior could have put a spotlight on us." I had been through quite a few near misses in my time. Rogues made life uncomfortable for all of us. "It sounds harsh, but the council did the right thing, taking him out."

"Yeah, would hate to think he was still running loose out there, making more daughters." Penny shuddered. "So I'll move in here, learn the drill. But I need my stuff - research books, my big-ass computer and my cat. Damian said he arranged for someone to feed him every day, but I have to go get Booger."

"You named your cat Booger?" I shuddered. "That's cruel and unusual."

Penny smiled for a moment. "What can I say? He's fifteen and Jen and I have had him since he was a kitten. We liked the sound of the word and my mom hated it. So of course we kept saying it." Her lips trembled. "My parents! God, I can't just let them get old and die when I could turn them too. And Gram!" She grabbed me again.

"Oh, no, we are not turning your entire family into vampires, Penny. Just get that idea right out of your enormous brain. Sit, I mean it." I could actually see her mind working this out as she slouched over to the couch again. Thinking about how the process might work. Hell, by the time an unleashed Penny got through, there would be a whole colony of vampires populated by her family, friends of her family, anyone her family thought deserved to live forever. It was worse than a freaking cell phone network. Dozens, hundreds, thousands of vampires could be made from this one brainiac teenaged vamp.

I sat on the sofa, tempted to pick up my own cell phone. It would be nice to call for help. No, that was the old Glory. I was going to handle this by myself. I'd just decided that when there was a knock on the door. I jumped up and ran my fingers through my hair. Why now? I knew who'd dropped by, and wished for a few minutes with my makeup bag and, good grief, a hairbrush.

"What's up, Glory? You're freaking." Penny looked interested as there was another, louder knock.

"My boyfriend. Well, maybe we're on break. Not sure. Anyway, he's also my sire." I glanced down at my well-worn robe. "Look at me."

Penny grinned. "He's not going away."

"Gloriana, I can hear you in there. Open up before I knock this door down. I need to talk to you."

"I'm coming, Jerry." I sighed and opened the door. "I'm not dressed and I have company." I gestured for him to come in.

"I certainly have no problem seeing you undressed." He grinned, then came to a halt as he saw my visitor on the couch. "Who's this?"

"Penny, this is Jeremy Blade, my sire. He turned me vampire in 1604."

"Seriously?" Penny gazed at Jerry with a look I recognized. Yep, the girl was checking him out and liking what she saw. Who wouldn't? Jerry was forever tanned and forever hard bodied with the broad shoulders and lean waist of a warrior who'd earned his physique in battle. He smiled with a slash of white teeth and stepped forward to offer his hand.

"Seriously. Jerry, Penny Patterson, a fledgling that I'm mentoring for the council."

Penny had snapped out of her initial lust fog to jump to her feet. Jerry did that to people, made them come to attention. He was good at intimidating, though this time it wasn't intentional.

"Hi." Penny took his outstretched hand and shook it. "Glory just got stuck with me tonight. We're still working out our arrangements."

"Will you be living here or is Valdez still here?" Jerry turned to me.

"Oh, Rafe's gone. Has his own place. Penny will be staying in the extra bedroom." I sounded desperate to explain. Not cool. I made myself stroll to the couch and sit, pulling Penny down beside me like I didn't care what Jerry thought. "Anyway, Penny was recently turned against her will. She'll need a lot of guidance to work through the transition."

"Of course she will." Jerry sat in a chair. "Penny, I wonder if you'd mind giving Glory and me a few minutes alone together. Some personal business we need to discuss." He gave her one of his charming smiles and Penny grinned back.

"No problem. I was about to go out anyway." She glanced at me. "To pick up some of my stuff." She grabbed her purse and tried to look innocent.

"Forget it. Go unpack. Your bedroom is at the end of the hall." I grabbed her arm, marched her past her backpack and thrust it into her arms, then guided her toward her new room. "We'll arrange to get your things soon. I'll talk to Damian about it." I leaned down to hiss in her ear. "You think I'm an idiot? You'd run straight to your sister because you feel full of synthetic, am I right?"

Penny flashed me a defiant look. "I am full. I could handle it. I'm not a child."

"In this world you're an infant. We'll finish discussing your sister later." I was sure she was going to nag me about it endlessly. I kept my gaze stern.

"Geez, get physical, why don't you?" Penny rubbed her arm. "All right, I'll unpack. Nice to meet you, Mr. Blade."

"Call me Jeremy." Jerry was on his feet, ever the gentleman.

"Jeremy. So you're Glory's sire. Does that give you the power to tell her what to do?" Penny glared at me. "Glory didn't sire me, but she seems to think she did."

"I'd listen to her, if I were you." Jerry turned to look at me. "Gloriana's advice will help you survive." His eyes darkened as he studied me. "Our relationship is complicated. Much more than sire and fledgling. Gloriana can tell you about it if she wishes, but I've given up trying to tell her what to do."

"Interesting." Penny looked from Jerry to me and back again. "Well, guess I'll put on my iPod and earphones, otherwise it seems my new supersonic hearing picks up everything within a hundred yards." With a wave, she headed down the hall.

Jerry looked so yummy I wondered if I could drag him to my bedroom for that "private word" he wanted. He patted the seat beside him on the couch. Guess not.

"What's going on, Jerry?" I sat beside him, not worried when my robe opened over my knees.

"I've got to go back to Florida for business." He reached over and closed my robe. Closed it! Now I was worried.

"Still having management problems?" I scooted away to lean against the corner, putting several inches between us. He wanted to be distant? I could play that game.

"Yes, the new manager I hired needs training and I should have stayed longer when I was there before." Jerry stared at me. "The last time I left town, things happened here that I haven't forgotten."

Uh-oh. Those "things" had been my being unfaithful to Jerry with my former bodyguard. Jerry's thoughts were blocked, no surprise there. I sat up straight, trying to decide if I should grovel or not.

"You can trust me, Jerry. Rafe and I are just friends now." I didn't block my thoughts and let him see the truth there.

"I know you two are friends. But Valdez wants more than friendship. And once a man has been with you, Gloriana, you're damned hard to forget." Jerry eased closer, his gaze hot.

"I think I heard a compliment in there." I put my hand on his knee. "Jerry, I can't keep apologizing and I won't beg you to forgive me again. If you need more time . . ."

"I guess I do." He stared at my hand until I pulled it back into my lap. "I've been thinking about our relationship."

When a man admits he's been thinking about stuff like that, it can't be good. And I'd cheated. I was pretty sure having a demon inside me had made me weak enough to give into the urges I'd been feeling for my dear friend Rafe, but the urges had been there before the demon had come along and Jerry had figured that out. Well, actually, I'd burst out that info in a big confession. The whole fiasco had killed Jerry's pride, his trust in me and maybe his love. No wonder he'd been "thinking."

"Okay, spit it out, Jer. What's on your mind?" I was strangling on my breath, on my knotted insides that had worked their way up into my throat. I couldn't stand what he might say, but my imagination conjured up such horrible things, I hoped his words would be easier to take.

"I'm not over what you did. I keep seeing you and Valdez together." Jerry thumped his forehead hard with his fists and I gasped.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what else I can say." I wanted to reach out to him, but there was a wall between us as surely as if it had been bricks and mortar.

"I know. I heard your words, saw your tears. I know you love me." This time he squeezed his head between his hands until I was afraid his skull would crack. Jerry was being really hard on himself, trying to erase that image from his mind. If only that would work.

"I do love you. I have for over four hundred years." I couldn't stand it. I grasped his hand and pulled it away from his head.

"You and I have a pattern. This on-again, off-again love affair of ours. It ends when you become frustrated with my high-handed ways, as you call them, and you usually cut and run." Jerry opened his fist and gripped my hand. "You'd think I'd learn or you'd learn. That one of us would figure this thing out." He pulled my fingers to his lips, his tongue touching my knuckles lightly before he let them go. "But we never have."

"Yes, I run. I admit it. But we always agree that it's time for a break first." He blurred when my eyes filled with tears. "This time I stayed but . . ."

"Broke faith." The words were clipped, cold.

Had I finally pushed him too far? Wounded him too deeply for healing? I reached out to him, wanting to feel his arms around me. Needing his strength. He dragged me against him and laid my head against his chest.

"I'm so, so sorry, Jeremiah. What can I do to make this right?"

Jerry took a breath and I heard the slow beat of his heart. "What's done is done. If I can't get that picture of you and Valdez together out of my head?" His arms tightened almost painfully around me. "Then I suppose that's my problem."

"God." I held on to him, afraid to move or say another word. What could I say? He was right. This was for him to decide. I couldn't erase the past.

"Killing him might help."

I jerked out of his arms. "Don't even joke about such a thing!"

"Who's joking? Sending that demon dog to hell would go a long way to making me feel better."

I jumped up. "Well, it's not an option. Not if you're interested in ever getting together with me again."

He stood and faced me. "You're not helping matters, Gloriana, by defending him." He yanked me into his arms. "Forget him, damn it."

He kissed me then, the kind of soul-stirring kiss that never failed to weaken my knees and remind me of who'd made me. This time? I had his words ringing in my ears, damning Rafe. A man I did love. But Jerry? I grabbed his hair and felt his fangs scrape my tongue as he kept kissing me. I kissed him back, pushing my body against his.

He finally raised his head, his eyes narrowed. "Trying too hard, Gloriana. Yes, I still want you, stupid to deny it." He pushed his hips against me and it wasn't news that he was hard. "But I've always been a fool for you. I even thought we would be together forever."

"So did I." I brushed his cheek, wanting that. Why did I even hesitate? Was it because I still felt his disapproval? And why had I ever been tempted by Rafe? Was it because my relationship with Jerry didn't satisfy me on some level? Too many questions to just brush past this and pretend things were okay between us.

"I need to cool off." He frowned and put some space between us. "And you need to be sure you're ready to let go of Valdez as a lover."

"I am. I have. Rafe understands that we're done, Jerry!" I flushed and stared at his shirt, not wanting him to see how hard that decision had been for me. "The demon influenced me before or I never - "

"So you say." Jerry shook his head. "But you and Valdez are close. You share secrets and keep them from me. And you love each other. You've said that more than once."

"Yes, but as friends." I met his gaze this time, though it wasn't easy. Could I just be friends with a man I'd made love with? A man who could still make my heart race when his hungry eyes met mine? I'd have to, if I wanted to be with Jerry.

"Enough. We need to take a break." Jerry turned and walked to the door.

"Jerry, no!" I threw myself on him, gripping his shoulders and pressing my breasts against his back. I laid my cheek against the soft cotton of his shirt.

"I'm going, Gloriana. I've said all I need to say."

"I hate to see you leave like this, still so angry." His muscles tightened under my arms as I held on to him. "Please stay." My breath hitched. If I slid down to his feet and begged, dragged him to my bed, I might win the night, but not the battle. And we'd both hate me for it later.

"No, Gloriana. There is no point. You need to be around Valdez without that demon inside you and see where things stand between you." He turned and took my hands, holding them between us. "I need to know where things stand."

"I told you." I gasped when Jerry shoved me away and opened the door.

"Oh, yes, you told me." His face was set, his lips firm. He let me see his pain and I bit my lip.

"Next time block your thoughts, Gloriana, if you don't want me to hear them. I'll be back in two weeks. By then, I hope you know who you want. Because if it's the shifter, I'll be relocating. I can't stay around here and watch." With one last look that made my eyes fill, Jerry turned on his heel and left, shutting the door quietly behind him.

I leaned against it, my cheek against the wood. Sweet God in Heaven. What had I done?