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“That makes me think twice about all the gargoyles I’ve ever seen on old buildings. How terrible,” I said.
“And I’ve already failed once,” he said softly.
I reached over and touched his hand. His skin was so warm. Since being turned, I’ve become increasingly aware of how cold my skin can be. Warmth is one of those things you take for granted, like your humanity. I realize there is more to “humanity” than actually being classified as a human being. But being as cold as death warmed over can take a toll psychologically. No one wants to feel like a corpse, right? After I’ve had some blood I am warm again, for a time. However, as my hunger returns my warmth gradually fades away. As I told Hugh, the cold won’t kill me, but I do feel it.
“How could you possibly see my mother’s death as your failure? Like you said, you had no idea you were living with this curse. Do you even know how you were cursed?”
“No, only that most of these type curses are tied to an object, normally an amulet of some kind. It likely wasn’t even me that was cursed, but a long dead relative and somehow the curse was passed down.”
“My mother had only recently started wearing this,” I said, touching the necklace again. “Maybe she had just found out and never got a chance to explain it to me.”
“I think we should both accept that we may never know how it all started. But I can help you find those responsible for your mother’s death.”
“Do you think it will ease the pain?” The vulnerability in my voice surprised me. It was a side I hadn’t shown anyone in a very long time. That realization was both freeing and terrifying. Why was I opening up to this man I barely knew? Maybe I was tired of being so damn strong all the time. Being the reigning boogeyman (or woman?) of vampire kind and not having anyone close to talk to can take a lot out of you.
His smile was kind as he reached out and softly touched my face. “Speaking from personal experience, there is no such thing as revenge for something like this. My sweet grandmother was torn to pieces by a werewolf. He wasn’t starving, or newly turned, and it wasn’t the full moon. He was just a psychopath who needed to feel powerful by hurting someone helpless.”
“I am so sorry.”
“It won’t make the pain any easier, but getting revenge is better than nothing.”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet. I’ll need some details to get started.”
“Right now?”
He took a step back and gestured toward my living room. “Now is as good a time as any, right? Or do you have other plans this evening?”
My loft is huge, with only a half-wall dividing the kitchen from the main living area. The only thing actually private is my bedroom and the connecting bathroom. Everything else is open.
As I followed him into the living room I said, “I walked right into another trap tonight. What chaps my ass most about that is, I’m not stupid. I’m also cautious, most of the time. So how the hell did this happen to me, twice?”
I watched him sit in my oversized recliner and smiled when he pulled his towel closed over an expanse of muscular thigh. Suddenly, the chair didn’t seem oversized anymore with him in it.
“How do you think that happened?” he asked.
“Magic was obviously at work.”
I explained how I hadn’t been able to sense the werewolf at the club until he revealed himself as a wolf.
“And why were you there?”
“I was following up on a lead about my mother’s killer.”
“How did you come by this lead?”
I hesitated a moment before admitting, “I tortured it out of a vampire last week.”
He raised an eyebrow, but didn’t comment.
“I still kill for hire,” I explained. “Only now, I don’t just work for humans looking to kill vampires. Sometimes, I even work for other vampires wanting to kill vampires.”
“You don’t have to explain your reasons,” he said softly. “I told you I’m not your judge and I meant it.”
I believed him and yet I couldn’t shut up. If this guardian business was for real, and I believed it was, shouldn’t he know me? If you’re going to protect someone, you should know who they are. At least, that was my reasoning. Either way I kept talking.
“I have standards,” I added quickly. “I’m not sure how much you’ve researched about me and my mother, but I don’t just kill anybody. I would never hunt someone down just for being a vampire. That’s something I never understood about my mother. She killed vamps on sight. I go after the ones who have killed or maimed people for no reason. Even though I’ve never killed a vampire simply because of what they are, I admit that before being turned I was a hardcore speciesist. I hated vampires with such a passion. I think most people would if they saw the things that I did. But that’s not what you asked me. Sorry. I’m getting ahead of myself. The reason I’m telling you this is because I came into contact with the vamp I tortured by accident. Well, I thought it was an accident at the time.”
As I stared into his icy blue eyes I realized something. “You’ve been meeting my gaze all night. Most people are afraid of being hypnotized.”
Not every vampire has the power of hypnotism, but enough do that as a rule people are told to not look into a vampire’s eyes.
His smile was slow, a subtle curl of his full lips. “I’m not most people. Besides, gargoyles cannot be hypnotized.”
“Oh. I didn’t know that.” He met my gaze for a moment longer before I said, “Anyway, back to the subject. A woman hired me to slay the vampire who killed her fiancé.”
“Hold on,” he said, running a hand through his still wet hair. “How is it that people can hire you to do things like this, but I had to find you almost by accident? And I should add that I’ve really looked for you.”
I laughed softly. “I use so many spells to stay hidden as much as possible. Precautions like these are something my grandmother started. If I didn’t hide, how would I keep vampires from burning my house to the ground? Or worse.”
“How does anyone hire you then?” he asked, looking puzzled.
“Only people who want to hire me can find me. During our meeting I will speak a few magic words. After hearing these words, they will not remember my face or how to contact me. I will contact them. Actually, since becoming a vampire that’s gotten a lot easier. Most of the time I just use my natural abilities now, rather than a spell.”
“So, even if their intent is to lead you into a trap, they can still find you?”
He paused to take a sip of wine and I found myself watching his lips. It wasn’t simply that I had been alone for years, there was something about him. I felt a spark of magic in his touch and it called to me like a siren’s song. The taut muscles of his stomach flexed as he shifted in the chair, watching me. He was more inviting to me than a warm fire on a cold night. It took me a moment to realize he had asked me a question.
“Yes,” I said at last. “If I get too selective with the wording of the spell, no one would ever find me. Like if I said ‘only those with good intentions’ would be able to locate me, I’d never have work.”