Twice Bitten

  "I'd imagine she's more comfortable around older people," G.G. said as she drank. "She's spent very little time around young people. Instead, most of her life has been spent around the very old."

  Elspeth almost snorted at G.G.'s words. He wasn't kidding. Most everyone in her life was well over two or three hundred years old. Heck, she herself was twice as old as Wyatt's grandmother. In comparison, Merry was a youngster. Setting down the now empty glass, Elspeth slid it toward G.G. and wrapped her hand around the other glass he'd brought her.

  "Hmm," Wyatt murmured, and then, before she could lift the second glass, asked, "Is that why you rented from her? Because she was older and you were comfortable around her? No other reason?"

  Elspeth rolled her eyes at the question. "I didn't know your grandmother was the landlady when I rented the apartment. I didn't know who owned it at all. I found and applied for it online while still in England. I've always loved old Victorian houses, and there were pictures of the front of your grandmother's house with the listing on a rental website. It . . ." Elspeth grimaced. It had looked familiar to her, like home. But she couldn't even explain that to herself, so merely said, "It looked charming and homey."

  "She advertised on the internet?" Wyatt asked with surprise. "Gran doesn't have a computer."

  "Meredith uses a management company to rent the apartments," she explained. "They posted the pictures and a description on a rental website. They're who I dealt with."

  "So you didn't pick my grandmother?" he asked slowly. "That was just a coincidence?"

  Elspeth had no idea what he meant by coincidence, but assured him, "I didn't know about Merry owning or living there until the day I arrived, when she introduced herself and offered me a plate of cookies as a welcome gift." Glancing to G.G., she added, "Merry makes some killer cookies."

  "Yeah, she does," Wyatt said with a faint grin.

  "You're making me jealous," G.G. said with a sigh. "Mom used to make great cookies too, but she and Alfred travel so much now . . ." He shrugged, and then commented, "I was wondering why you hadn't bought instead of rented, but if you had to arrange it all from England . . ."

  Elspeth nodded. "I would never buy a house or condo without seeing it first. I planned to rent for a year or so while I checked out the city and where I might want to live, and then buy later," she said, which was true. But she also hadn't bought because she hadn't been at all sure her escape plan would work. There had always been the chance that her mother might have caught a stray thought of hers, realized what she was doing, and put an end to it.

  Fortunately, she hadn't. But now Martine was here, in her apartment, and planning to move to Toronto as well. There was a good possibility that Victoria was right and her mother would try to make her move into whatever house she and Father bought here.

  Elspeth lowered her glass and bit her lip at the thought, but then recalled how she'd been able to resist her mother's mind control efforts today. Martine had managed to make her stop, briefly, in her apartment, but hadn't been able to make her stay until she'd got close enough to touch her on the stairs, and then she hadn't been able to stop her at all during her second attempt to leave. The pain she'd been suffering had helped her to push past her mother's efforts to take control. At least, Elspeth thought that must be how she'd managed to escape. If it was, she might have to stab herself once a day to make sure she could have a life not controlled by her mother.

  Elspeth considered that as she downed the last of the blood. She'd have to keep a knife on her at all times, and maybe stab herself each morning before she left her room. That way, her mother couldn't sink her hooks into her mind and control her life. It didn't sound pleasant, but hopefully she wouldn't have to do it long before her mother gave up and stopped trying to control her.

  "Right. I'll just hit the bathroom and then I'll walk you to your car," Wyatt said when she finished and set down her glass. Glancing to G.G., he asked, "Where are the washrooms?"

  G.G. pointed toward the back, and Wyatt nodded and murmured "Thank you" before following the silent instructions.

  "Well?" G.G. said the minute Wyatt was out of hearing. "What are you going to do?"

  "I don't know. I understand why Mother acts the way she does, and I've tried to be patient, but . . ." Elspeth closed her eyes with frustration. "She doesn't realize what she's doing to us. And tonight I think she was actually trying to get me to break Council law so that I'd be banished and sent back to England."

  "That sounds whacked," G.G. said, his eyebrows climbing his forehead, and then he grimaced and added, "But I meant, what are you going to do about your friend?"

  "Wyatt?" she asked with surprise.

  "Is that his name?" G.G. asked innocently, and then pointed out, "You never introduced us."

  "Oh! I'm sorry, you're right," she said with amazement. She'd been so befuddled by her inability to read and control him that she'd--

  "You couldn't control him," G.G. said as if reading her mind.

  "How do you know that?" Elspeth asked with surprise.

  "Because you didn't control him and make him leave," G.G. said dryly. "Besides, I saw you look at him like you were trying to fry him with your eyes. I assume you were trying then to read or control him?"

  "Yes," she admitted solemnly.

  "And couldn't," he said with certainty and, when she nodded, added, "So . . . life mates?"

  Elspeth grimaced, but shook her head. "If we were life mates, we would have had shared dreams today while I slept. He's staying with his grandmother on the floor below my apartment," she pointed out. "We should have had shared dreams and didn't. Ergo, we are not life mates."

  "Or maybe he wasn't sleeping. He is mortal, after all, and was probably awake all day while you slept," G.G. pointed out. When Elspeth sighed, her shoulders sagging in defeat, he smiled and said, "So, Wyatt is your life mate."

  Elspeth glanced away unhappily. This was not something she wanted to have to deal with just now. She had enough on her plate. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she shrugged and said, "A possible life mate."

  G.G. tilted his head. "You don't want him for a life mate?"

  Elspeth avoided his gaze, her mind returning to that incredible kiss on Meredith's back porch. Finally, she said, "It's not that I don't want him. I just . . ." Closing her eyes briefly, she sighed and then admitted, "I want to have a life, G.G. You were right when you said I've led a sheltered life. I haven't been able to do anything. I've never dated, never been kissed properly until today, never had a girls' night--unless you count the pajama party we had for Lissianna's birthday when she met Greg. And even then our parents were all there," she added with a grimace. "I want to experience at least some stuff before I settle down to a life mate. I want to go on dates, go dancing, eat popcorn in movie theaters, have fun girls' nights, and . . ." She shook her head unhappily and then noticed the crooked smile on G.G.'s face and raised her eyebrows. "What?"

  "I was just thinking God must have an ironic sense of humor," he admitted with mild amusement.

  "How's that?" she asked with curiosity.

  "Well, most immortals are pining for their life mate, and probably on their knees praying every night to find them, but they don't," he said solemnly. "While you, who isn't at all interested in finding her life mate, and who just wants some freedom to experience life for a change, have your life mate thrown at you right out of the gates." He shook his head. "I sometimes think God, or the Fates, or whoever it is he puts in charge of this stuff, really needs a good slap up the side of the head."

  Elspeth smiled wryly, thinking he might be right. After all, she wasn't the only example of God's sense of humor. There was G.G. himself, a mortal whose mother had been widowed while he was still a boy, and then found herself a life mate to an immortal. She'd allowed the immortal to turn her, and then, when G.G. was eighteen, had offered to use her one turn to turn her son. But whereas most mortals would give a lot for such an opportunity, G.G. wasn't interested. Of course, that had crushed his
mother. She didn't want to have to watch her son grow old and die. So his stepfather had bought The Night Club and given it to G.G. on his eighteenth birthday with the hope that one day, an immortal would walk in that G.G. might be a life mate for, and he might yet agree to be turned.

  "Wow, this place is something special."

  Elspeth turned at that comment as Wyatt returned from the washroom.

  "The bathrooms are first class, and I spotted a room through a glass door on my way there that looks like a high-class New York dance club."

  "If this place is anything like The Night Club in London, there will be other rooms too, all with different themes," Elspeth said with a faint smile and then glanced to G.G. "Are there?"

  He nodded. "Lucern had it set up pretty good, but I did redecorate a couple of rooms to my own taste when I bought it."

  "You own this place?" Wyatt asked with amazement.

  G.G. nodded.

  "Wow," he breathed, and then said solemnly, "Well, you have a real classy place here. Nice job."

  "Thank you," G.G. said with dignity.

  "We should get going," Elspeth said, standing up. "My mother and sisters are probably still with Merry, and I wouldn't want to inflict them on your grandmother for any longer than necessary. Besides, I do have to get to work eventually."

  "Yeah." Wyatt got up and pulled out his wallet. "I've got our drinks."

  Elspeth exchanged a glance with G.G. and then quickly rolled up the money she'd taken out earlier and passed it to G.G. in a handshake as she murmured, "Thank you."

  "My pleasure," G.G. said solemnly, but held on to her hand. "You're going to have to confront her, Elspeth. I know there's a reason for her behavior, but this isn't healthy for any of you. Not only is she making you and your sisters' lives miserable, she's hampering your development. The twins are like a couple of sixteen-year-olds, and you . . ." He shook his head. "This has to end. You have to find a way to end it."

  "Yes," she said on a sigh, and withdrew her hand when he released it. Noting the curiosity on Wyatt's face, she forced a smile. "Shall we go?"

  Nodding, Wyatt held a fifty out toward G.G. for what he thought were a Coke and four power drinks. "Will this cover it?"

  "It's all good," G.G said, waving the money away and walking around the bar. "I'll see you guys out and lock the door."

  Wyatt tried to protest, but fell silent, his eyes widening incredulously when the man reached them. Wyatt was probably an inch over six feet tall and well built, but G.G. was a giant in comparison, and twice as wide.

  Grinning, Elspeth took Wyatt's arm and urged him toward the door. "Come on. Let's get moving and let G.G. finish prepping for the rush."

  Five

  "Jesus, that guy's huge," Wyatt breathed as they stepped out onto the sidewalk and heard the door lock behind them.

  "That's why he's called G.G.," Elspeth said with amusement, and then explained, "It's short for Green Giant."

  "Green Giant?" Wyatt asked with surprise. "You were calling him G.G.? The whole time we were in there I thought you were saying Gigi, like the girl's name, and couldn't figure out who would be stupid enough to name him that."

  Elspeth chuckled as they wound their way toward the curb, maneuvering around the pedestrians walking past. "His real name is Joshua. But someone nicknamed him Green Giant because of the green Mohawk and his size, and then it was shortened to G.G. and it stuck."

  "Hmm," Wyatt murmured and then grinned and asked, "Did he kill the guy who called him Green Giant?"

  "Not that I know of," she said with a laugh as they reached the curb.

  Wyatt smiled. He liked her laugh. He'd forgotten how musical and sweet it was. He was glad he'd followed her this evening. He still hadn't got the answers to a lot of his questions, but at least he knew she hadn't rushed off to drink or pick up men at The Night Club tonight. Also, he believed what she'd said. Her renting from his grandmother was nothing more than coincidence, and--

  A startled yelp and Elspeth suddenly falling out into the road in front of him brought Wyatt's thoughts to an abrupt halt, and then horror crashed through him as she disappeared under the wheels of a car. It all happened so fast he was left gaping briefly, his heart and lungs coming to a full stop, and then slamming back to work as the car skidded to a halt and alarmed shouts and concerned cries rose up around him.

  Wyatt hurried to the back end of the car, but Elspeth wasn't there. Dropping to his knees, he peered under the vehicle, his heart stuttering in his chest when he saw her pinned under the back tires.

  "I'll lift the car. You're going to have to pull her out."

  Wyatt glanced around with a start and found G.G. kneeling beside him. Obviously, he'd seen what had happened and come out of the club to help, Wyatt thought as the man got to his feet and bent to grab the back bumper.

  "I won't be able to hold it up long, so you have to be quick," G.G. warned. "Are you ready?"

  Shaking off his shock, Wyatt nodded and dropped onto his stomach on the pavement. He then reached for Elspeth's hand. She was lying on her back with the car tire on her lower leg, but her arms were free and the one on this side was lying thrown out toward him, as if she were reaching for him. Her eyes, though, were closed, and her face . . .

  Wyatt ground his teeth together, and turned his gaze determinedly away from her battered face. He didn't know if it was road burn, or from the bottom of the car, but Elspeth would never be the same. Reaching for her hand, he clasped it firmly, and then glanced up at G.G. and said, "I've got her. Go ahead."

  Nodding, the huge man took a deep breath, bent to the job, and began to pull up with all his might. For a moment, Wyatt was afraid G.G. wouldn't be able to manage it, but then the car began to rise. Still, he was relieved when a couple of passersby rushed to help hold the vehicle up. It made Wyatt a lot less nervous about the possibility of the car dropping on Elspeth while he worked to retrieve her, which he did now, pulling her toward him as far as he could, and then releasing her hand to catch her further up the arm, and then by the belt buckle to drag her out.

  The moment she was clear, the men released the car. It slammed down with a crash and Wyatt was glad they'd waited until he had Elspeth completely out. He was quite sure the rear end had bounced off the pavement when it landed.

  "Has someone called an ambulance?" he asked, peering over Elspeth's bloodied body with concern. Dear God, he'd seen a lot while in the army, but he'd never seen anything like this. She looked like she'd been chewed up and spat out.

  "I'm sure they have," G.G. said, but didn't sound happy at the thought.

  "G.G.? What's going on?"

  Wyatt glanced up to see a young woman pushing her way through the surrounding crowd to reach them. She had long white hair that was scraped back into a ponytail, but her face was youthful, as was her figure in the jeans and T-shirt she wore.

  "Sofia," G.G. said with relief. "We need some help here."

  The woman's gaze shifted speculatively to Elspeth. "Is she an imm--?"

  "An Argeneau," G.G. interrupted and stood up. Nodding to Wyatt, he added, "And he's her LM. Can you deal with the crowd while we take care of her?"

  "Of course," she said at once.

  "Thank you," G.G. said and then turned back to Wyatt. "Can you carry her? Or do you want me to?"

  Wyatt frowned. "Should we be moving her? I mean, we had to get her out from under the vehicle, but they say you shouldn't move--Hey!" Wyatt protested when G.G. suddenly bent and scooped Elspeth out of his arms.

  Leaping to his feet, Wyatt stepped in front of the big man, about to demand he put her back down until the EMTs arrived and could examine her. Elspeth might have a broken back or something else that movement could worsen.

  "Sofia," G.G. said, and Wyatt suddenly found himself stepping aside and letting the huge man by. He didn't want to, or he hadn't. Now he was a little muddled as to what he did want, but he was following G.G. through the gathered crowd to the entrance of The Night Club like a puppy following its owner. Again he wa
s feeling like a passenger in his own body, as if it were under someone else's control.

  "Get the door," G.G. ordered.

  Wyatt didn't hesitate. He opened the door for the larger man to carry Elspeth in and then continued to follow him. He expected G.G. to carry her to the nearest booth or table and lay her there so that they could see if there was anything they could do while they waited for the ambulance. Instead, he headed for the hallway at the back of the bar, and Wyatt followed silently.

  "Door," G.G. said a moment later as he paused in front of one that said Employees Only.

  Wyatt moved around him to push through the door and then held it open for the big man to enter. They were in a midsized kitchen full of stainless steel. It wasn't as large as he would have expected in an establishment of this size, but Wyatt supposed most people came for the power drinks. That thought was supported by the fact that the actual cooking area was small with a range, an oven, a microwave, and a long metal prep table. The rest of the room appeared to be taken up with huge industrial-size refrigerators.

  G.G. carried Elspeth to the stainless steel prep table and laid her gently on it. The moment he moved away, Wyatt stepped up to look her over. His heart sank as he got a good view of her under the bright lights of the kitchen. Elspeth really did look as if she'd been chewed up by the car and the road. There didn't appear to be a part of her that had got away unscathed. Her clothing was torn, as was the skin under it, nearly everywhere.

  "Step aside."

  Wyatt glanced around at that order. G.G. was back and was carrying half a dozen bags of what looked like blood.

  "What--?" Wyatt began with bewilderment as he was nudged out of the way.

  G.G. set the bags on the table next to Elspeth, but then turned to peer at him solemnly. "What you're about to see is going to freak you out. Do not panic. Everything is fine. You are in no danger. Elspeth's a lovely woman, and I'll explain everything, but I need to see to her first. All right?"

  Wyatt's eyebrows rose high on his forehead, but he nodded once.

  G.G. hesitated briefly, his expression suggesting he wasn't entirely convinced Wyatt would remain calm, but then he sighed and turned to Elspeth. Wyatt immediately moved closer to the table again and leaned over Elspeth's legs to see what G.G. was doing.