Destined for an Early Grave

Marie gave me another hooded look. “You live with a vampire. Your life is frequently in danger, and you are weaker as a half-breed, yet you haven’t chosen to change into a vampire. I’ve heard it’s because you want to combine your half-breed abilities with a ghoul’s power, making yourself the first ghoul-vampire hybrid.”

  What’s in the stuff she’s drinking? I wondered.

  “That thought never crossed my mind,” I said.

  “A vampire can’t turn into a ghoul. Only a human can. So no one but you, as a half-breed, could combine all the strength of a vampire with none of their aversion to silver. You might have unlimited power. But you’ve never thought of it?”

  Open challenge was in her words. I thought back to Fabian saying that there had been a recent influx of ghouls in New Orleans, whispering about a possible new threat to their species. Was this it? Did people actually believe I’d do such a thing out of a twisted lust for power?

  “After my father ripped my throat, Bones told me he would have brought me back as a ghoul, if I’d died before his blood healed me. That’s the only time I ever thought about being a ghoul. If one day I choose to cross over, Majestic, it’ll be into a vampire. So you can tell that to whoever’s spouting the rumor that I’m looking to be even more of a freak than I already am.”

  Jacques came back with another full glass, but Marie gave him that authoritative flick of her fingers again.

  “Our guest is leaving.”

  I stood, my mind running through a list of reprimands. Good one, Cat. Pissed her off in ten minutes. Guess you’ll be the one leaping up the stairs, yelling, “In the car! Quick!”

  “Always nice to meet a famed historical figure,” I said.

  Marie rose as well. She was tall, probably five-ten, and in those heels, over six feet. Her figure was statuesque, and she radiated an odd combination of menace and matronliness.

  “You are not what I thought you’d be.”

  She extended her hand, creamy mocha and soft. I clasped it and fought not to shake mine afterward to get out the numbness from her power.

  “Neither are you. I was so sure about the headless chicken.”

  Why not say it? When someone wanted to kill you, you really couldn’t make them angrier.

  She smiled. “Of all the things you’d first say to me, quoting a scene from my favorite movie was the last I expected. Go in peace, Cat.”

  Jacques held open the door to the tunnel for me. Those long, curved knives slid back into their settings with a hiss. I caught a hazy flash at the end of the tunnel. Fabian on sentry duty. He was gone before Jacques fell in step behind me.

  My escort didn’t talk the rest of the way. When we reached the door to the crypt, the upper covering groaned as it slid open. Jacques put his hands out to help me up, but I brushed him off.

  “Don’t bother, thanks. I’ll do it myself.”

  A quick bend of the knees and flash of concentration, and I cleared the twenty-foot space. With my increasing ability to jump, at least I was becoming more like my feline namesake. If I shed my pulse, I could do a hell of a lot more than jump high.

  Bones was waiting by the cemetery gates. When he smiled, leaning into the bars as the lock opened, I suddenly didn’t care about anything but the shape of his mouth. That smooth curve, lips palest pink. The strong jaw and deeply etched cheekbones. Dark brown eyes taking in the surroundings. His hands clasped over mine when the gate opened, vibrating with no less power than Marie’s, but they didn’t leave me feeling numb. I felt safe.

  “We might have to take some beignets to go,” I began.

  He squeezed my hands. “Don’t fret, I suspected the two of you wouldn’t get on. We’re packed. Liza’s waiting with the car.”

  Traffic whizzed by in a blur of red and white lights as we approached the Quarter. This was a city that woke up instead of sleeping after midnight. Jacques stayed behind, apparently not interested in following us back to Bones’s house.

  “What was the last thing Marie said to you?” Bones asked, before I could even question him about it.

  “Go in peace.’ Does this have a hidden meaning?”

  Bones stopped as we were midway in crossing a street. A horn blared at us. He gave the driver a fingered expression of his opinion, then tugged me to the other side.

  “You’re sure she said that?”

  “I’m not deaf.” Was it very bad?

  His smile turned into a full-throated laugh.

  “Exactly what did you say to her, luv? I’ve known Marie a hundred years, and all I got was a ‘Be guarded on your journey,’ which is a nice way of saying, ‘Watch your arse, mate!’ ‘Go in peace’ means she’s backing you. You were only down there thirty minutes. What on earth were you talking about?”

  Relief washed over me. “Movies. Drinks. Headless chickens. You know, girl stuff.”

  Up went his brows. “Indeed?”

  We rounded the corner. Four more blocks until his house.

  “Good thing for us, she’s a Matrix fan…”

  My voice trailed off and I froze in midstride. Bones stopped as well, glancing at me in concern before he became absolutely rigid. He must have felt him, even though I’d barely glimpsed the man three blocks ahead. I wouldn’t know him if I hit him with my car…

  But I did know Gregor. At a glance. And I wasn’t dreaming.

  EIGHT

  GREGOR’S EYES SEEMED TO BURN INTO MINE. Even though I couldn’t see their color from this far away, I knew they’d be grayish-green. His golden hair had darker strands in it, giving it an ash-blond color. It was as if Gregor had been too bright and someone had sprinkled him to tone him down.

  “Hopscotch, Band-Aid. To me, at once.”

  Bones didn’t raise his voice, so the two vampires must not have been far. They came out from the crowd, taking up position, one on either side of us. Bones jerked his head toward that immobile figure and muttered a low curse.

  “He’s almost right outside my home, filthy sod. Did he think he’d bloody ring the door for you?”

  His hand tightened on mine. I gave a small yelp. Bones loosened his grip, but not by much. Even with the distance, I saw Gregor’s eyes narrow, flash green, then he started walking toward us.

  Bones let go of me. He rolled his head around on his shoulders and cracked his knuckles while advancing with deadly purpose. I would have followed, but Hopscotch and Band-Aid grabbed me.

  “Bones!”

  He ignored me and kept moving. So did Gregor. It was clear neither one had talking on his mind. I was seized with a sick fear even as I struggled with the two men holding me. They’d gotten a good grip when I wasn’t paying attention.

  When Bones and Gregor were less than twenty feet from each other, Jacques stepped between them, holding out his arms.

  “Both of you, go no farther.”

  They ignored him. Jacques probably would have been shoved to the side, but then another voice cracked through the air.

  “You shall not fight in my city!”

  Bones stopped. Gregor slowed, pausing within touching distance of Jacques’s still-spread arms.

  Marie didn’t walk up so much as glide. Bones gave her what could only be described as a frustrated look.

  “For Christ’s sake, Majestic, if you didn’t want us to fight, then why did you tell him we were here?”

  While they were focused on the drama, I managed to throw an elbow into Band-Aid’s eye before slipping under Hopscotch’s loosened hold.

  “Don’t do that again,” I warned them as I dashed away.

  “I didn’t tell him,” Marie replied. “Nor did any of my people.”

  A flicker of arrogance passed over Gregor’s face. In person, he was even more imposing than in my dreams. There was something about him I found unnerving, even though he stared at me without hostility. If anything, there was a longing in his expression that made me stop where I was. Little pinpricks of pain began going off in my brain.

  …I’m from a farm as well. In the south of France, but
there were no cherries to be found there…

  My hands flew to my temples. Gregor’s nostrils flared. He took in a long, provoking, audible breath.

  “Catherine.”

  “Take your eyes off my wife.”

  Bones growled it with barely restrained fury. The power seething off him struck me even several feet away. Gregor let out an equally venomous snarl and took a single step forward.

  “That’s my wife I’m looking at.”

  When Gregor uncurled his power like a peacock displaying its magnificent feathers, I sucked in a gasp.

  Gregor had felt strong in my dreams, but that must have been the watered-down version. With the energy spilling from him in ever-increasing waves, he could have fueled the French Quarter’s electricity needs. Oh, shit. He’s at least as strong as Bones, if not stronger…

  Brakes screeched close by, but neither man took his eyes off the other. I looked, and saw Liza roll down the window of a van. Her eyes bugged, and she made a hasty gesture with her hand.

  “Please, Cat, get in.”

  “Not without Bones.”

  I said it to Gregor as well as her. It didn’t matter that the memory of Gregor’s voice had sliced through my subconscious like a knife. Didn’t matter that for a split second, as his gaze bored into mine, I’d felt a flicker of yearning. Awake, or asleep, I belonged to Bones, no one else.

  “You see? She’s made her choice.”

  Bones said it with luxuriant hatred in every syllable. Even with his back to me, I could just imagine his taunting half smile. Judging from Gregor’s livid expression, I was right.

  “Despicable whoreson, her choice has been erased by Mencheres. He dragged her screaming from me only an hour after our binding!”

  “I don’t give a rot if Mencheres yanked her off your throbbing, rigid cock,” Bones snarled. “Go dream a little dream, you sod!”

  Marie wasn’t going to be able to keep them from brawling much longer. Lethal danger to Bones aside, there were also way too many bystanders. People would get hurt or killed if the two of them went at it. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Fabian streak into the van.

  “Bones.” I made my voice calm. Don’t startle the rabid beast. “If he knows we’re here, others do, too. We need to leave.”

  “You’re only in danger because of his blind arrogance,” Gregor said. “Come to me, Catherine. I’ll keep you safe.”

  “Insolent bastard,” Bones spat. “I reckon nothing’s beneath a man who’d try to steal another man’s wife before they even met.”

  “Bones, leave.” Although Marie didn’t raise her voice, her tone was dangerous. “Gregor, you will stay here until the following dawn. You came to my city without invitation to provoke violence. No matter our history, you know better.”

  “Marie—”

  “You’re in my Quarter.” She cut Gregor off. “You of all people know better.”

  Gregor flexed his hands. For a second, I thought he might hit Marie. Don’t do it, buddy. She’ll be burying you under her porch in no time!

  “As you insist,” Gregor said tightly.

  Bones inclined his head without turning around. “Get in the van, Kitten. Hopscotch, Band-Aid, you, too. Majestic, I hope more of Gregor’s ignorant ramblings won’t sway your judgment in the future.”

  I climbed inside the vehicle, avoiding that smoky green gaze.

  “And farewell to you, Dreamsnatcher,” Bones went on as he got into the van. “I hope you enjoyed tonight, because it’s the last you’ll see of her.”

  “Catherine.” Even without looking at Gregor, I felt his stare. “Your memories lie in my blood. They’re waiting for you, ma bien-aimée, and I will keep my oath—”

  The door slamming cut off the rest of Gregor’s statement. So did Liza’s peeling out of the narrow street like a drunken Tony Stewart. I closed my eyes so I wouldn’t be tempted to look back.

  “How do you think he found us?”

  I didn’t ask the question until much later. Truth be told, I hadn’t felt like talking after seeing Gregor. Neither had Bones, from his grim silence. The sun was up. Liza still drove. Ghouls weren’t as susceptible to morning tiredness as vampires were. Hopscotch and Band-Aid slept, dark sunglasses fixed over their eyes.

  In this new SUV, at least there was more room than the last two cars. In case we were being followed, we’d switched vehicles three times. Bones glared the unknowing other drivers into submission while we hijacked their ride. It was done so quickly, a tail would have to have been right on top of us to catch it. There had been no sign of Gregor yet, and we were almost to Fort Worth.

  Bones made an irritable noise. “Unless one of Marie’s people went behind her back—and that’s unlikely—or one of mine did, I’m at a loss.” His fingers drummed on his leg. “Perhaps Don had a hand in it. What name did he use to have those pills delivered to my home, Kitten?”

  “Kathleen Smith.” I scoffed at the thought that my uncle would be so stupid as to use my real name. “And if you factor in the time frame, just a day from me telling him where we were, it doesn’t fit. We know Gregor was in Paris and London when we were there, so he’d have to have left soon after we did to make it here. That rules out Don.”

  Bones stared at me. “You’re right. Only Charles knew where we were bound to when we left his house. I don’t reckon he ran an ad about it. Marie knew after we arrived. That leaves few people who could have informed Gregor, and they’re all in this car.”

  That woke up Band-Aid and Hopscotch. Liza gave a widened glance into the rearview mirror. I tensed, wondering if one of the two vampires would abruptly attack.

  Neither did. They looked back at Bones, and he met their gaze, his expression cold and hooded. Without saying it, I knew he was weighing the option of killing them.

  “Sire,” Band-Aid began.

  “Save it.” Shortly. “After Rattler, I don’t put betrayal past anyone but three people, and you’re not one of them. Still, no need to be hasty. Neither of you will leave my sight until we’ve arrived, and then you’re going to be secluded. If Gregor still finds us, we’ll know it wasn’t you.”

  Each of them had a slightly stunned look to his face. Hopscotch recovered the fastest and nodded.

  “I wouldn’t betray you. I welcome the opportunity to prove it.”

  “As do I.” Band-Aid seconded, giving a furtive glance to Liza.

  “Whatever you need me to do,” she said softly.

  “I won’t force you.” Bones almost sighed. “Yet I would ask, Liza.”

  She smiled in such a sad way, it even hurt me to see it. “You’ll feel safer. It’s such a small thing to do for you.”

  It sucked giving the people around you a suspicious eye. Big dark cave. It was sounding better and better.

  “I know I only just met her, but somehow, I don’t think it was Marie,” I said.

  Bones raised a brow. “Why not?”

  “Well…she told me a weird story about poisoning her husband. At first I thought it was just to scare me, but it was after she said if I was married to Gregor, she’d back his side, since vampires can’t divorce.”

  “Really?” Bones mulled it. “That’s interesting. Oh, everyone knows Marie killed her husband when she was human. What I’ve never heard before is how she did it.”

  “I thought she hit him with an ax,” was Liza’s response. “That’s the story I was told.”

  “Interesting,” Bones repeated. “Why do you believe this makes her sympathetic to our side, luv? Seems she stated whom she’d support.”

  I’d rather not say.

  I shifted on the seat, wishing I’d shut up before.

  “You’re blocking me.” His eyes flashed green.

  Yeah, I was keeping him out of my mind with all the mental armor I could muster. Big mouth. Why can’t you just leave well enough alone?

  It wasn’t directed to him; I was berating myself. There were a few things I’d wanted to discuss privately with Bones after meeting Majestic. This wasn??
?t private by anyone’s standards.

  “We agreed not to do this,” Bones went on. “Hide any knowledge or speculation. Whatever it is, Kitten, tell me.”

  I blew out a deep breath. He wasn’t going to like this.

  “Marie told me Gregor could return my memories, and that you and Mencheres knew it. She wondered why you didn’t want me to remember what happened. On the street back there, she had the chance to demand I get my memories back. We were in her backyard, outnumbered; she could have insisted. But she let us go. I think she did it…because she believes I am bound to Gregor, and she knows she’d have to back him if it was proven.”

  Bones went absolutely still. His glare intensified until it felt like I was being hit with emerald lasers.

  “Do you want to remember your time with him?”

  I took another deep breath, longer than the first one.

  “It bothers me that there’s over a month of my life I don’t know about. You should have told me, Bones. You promised you weren’t going to hide things from me anymore, either, but I had to find this out from Marie.”

  “I didn’t tell you because I wasn’t certain. In any event, I wasn’t going to let that filthy cur put his hands on you, have your mouth on him—”

  “Are you serious?” I interrupted. “Where in all of this did you think I’d kiss him?”

  Bones shot me a harsh glance. “The power to open your mind is in Gregor’s blood, as he said. You’d have to bite him.”

  “I didn’t know how it worked.”

  “Right, but you’d do it if you could,” Bones said with such accusation that I clenched my hands to keep from shaking him.

  “If someone ripped over a month of memory from your life, you’d want to know what it contained, too.” Spoken without shouting. Good for me.

  “No, I wouldn’t.”

  His tone wasn’t calm. It was almost a snarl.

  “If someone took from my memory an event that might unravel our marriage, I wouldn’t want to remember it under any circumstances, but perhaps our marriage means more to me than it does to you.”

  There went my Zen moment of tranquil chi. Blackout rage, aisle five!