“It’s those damned high heels.” He switched feet.
“Yes, but they’re sexy, aren’t they?” I wiggled my toes.
“Yes, but so are your bare feet.” He dropped my foot and stood. “Are you seeing MacDonald tonight?”
So much for the niceties. “No, just his mortal. She should be here in”—I glanced at my watch—“about half an hour.”
“Are you still drinking MacDonald’s swill?” Jerry paced around the piano, then walked over to pull open the drapes.
“I drank the bedtime stuff, but not the new one he gave me for when I wake up. I was thinking of drinking it now.”
He turned around and looked at me. “Don’t. Brittany gave Flo that syringe that Ian tried to use on you last night. Richard’s having it analyzed.”
“I’m sure it’s fine, Jerry.” I slipped on my shoes and stood.
“You are? Why? Because everything he’s given you has made you feel so fine?” Jerry frowned at me. “Richard took it to the Council here. They have excellent facilities on call and they’re very interested now in MacDonald’s operation.”
“Just because he’s a MacDonald ...”
“He might have killed you, Glory. You have no idea what the syringe might have held.”
“Are you listening to yourself, Jerry? If Ian wanted me dead, I’d be dead. Valdez knocked it out of his hand but, FYI, I wasn’t going to let him give me a shot anyway.” I sat down and stared at my bodyguard. “Appreciated the gesture, though.”
“I should have killed him when I had the chance. All these reactions you’ve been having to his shit, it’s only going one way, Glory. Maybe MacDonald wants your death to look like an accident. You’re heading for suicide by sunlight, lady. You know it and I know it.” Valdez looked up at me.
“What the hell do you mean?” Jerry sat beside me.
“Yes, I’d like to know the answer to that.” Ray stood inside the hall door. “Brittany told me you’ve been waking up during the day. How is that happening, Glory?”
I looked from Jerry to Ray and back again. Obviously I was going to have to tell them both about my sleepwalking or whatever you wanted to call it. One of them was going to start his “Kill Ian” campaign and the other would rush out there and pay Ian a fortune for a chance at his own suicide by sunlight.
Oh, God, if ever there was a lose-lose situation, this was it.
Thirteen
“It has to do with the bedtime supplement I take, I guess.” I looked everywhere but at the men in my life. I was tired and my feet still ached. Jerry and Ray had opened bottles of synthetic blood. I’d turned it down. Trina was coming. The fact that she’d been my only source for the last few days made me feel rotten. I normally didn’t drink from mortals, even willing ones. And I still had the problem of saving her from Ian. Treating mortals as disposable commodities didn’t necessarily make Ian any worse than most vampires, though. Unfortunately.
“Glory, are you going to talk or do you want me to just go on out there and see what MacDonald’s selling?” Ray was practically jumping out of his skin. Of course he was desperate to see the sun again. He’d only been a vampire for a few months. Jerry and I had had centuries to get used to life after dark.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Caine.” Jerry sounded like he was talking to an unruly schoolboy.
“I don’t follow your orders, Blade.” Ray pulled me up to stand beside him. “And neither does Glory.” He squeezed my hand. “Look at her. Ian’s formula works. She’s lost the weight she wanted in record time. I’d say he delivers on his promises.”
Jerry gave Ray a condescending look. “There’s a hell of a lot of difference between losing weight and walking into daylight. Valdez, tell us what Glory did yesterday afternoon.”
Valdez risked his job by looking at me before he answered.
“Go ahead, V, tell him. Tell him all the stuff I did when I was supposed to be dead to the world.” I held Ray’s hand because Jerry looked as approachable as a thorny hedge.
“You know she was having those nightmares. They led to sleepwalking. The first night I caught her as she was heading into the living room, eyes closed, obviously out of it. I shifted and carried her back to bed. She didn’t wake up until her head hit the pillow.”
“You shifted.” Jerry frowned.
“How else was he going to carry me, Jerry?” This pissed me off. “It’s about time you got over this dog fetish you’ve had for centuries. If you don’t trust me around hot guys, then tough.” I smiled at Valdez. “Yes, my friend, you’re hot. Don’t pretend you don’t know that, the way Brittany hangs around you.”
“Can we get back to this sleepwalking?” Jerry looked like he wanted to smash the bottle he’d just drained over someone’s head—there were several likely candidates, me included. Instead he set it on the bar, demonstrating admirable self-control.
“Yeah. I want to hear about yesterday. When Brittany saw you wide-awake after sunrise.” Ray dropped my hand.
“I can tell this part. I was awake, you know.” I cleared my throat, wishing I could drink something. No, couldn’t do it, calories. So I faced the men, Jerry looking disapproving and Ray, eager, like I was about to launch into the tale of the century.
“I watched you lie down, Ray, then I headed into the bathroom to brush my teeth. I took my time until I noticed some light coming in around the curtains in the bathroom. I checked and saw you conked out per usual.” I glanced at Valdez. “Rafe’s right. When we’re asleep during the day, we’re as good as dead. First time I’ve seen that. Guess I never stuck around to watch you sleep before you made me vampire, Jerry.” I shook my head. Stupid of me, to make the decision to become vamp without full disclosure. Hindsight. Not worth anything, was it?
“No, I wouldn’t let you. We’re too vulnerable then. And in those days I still slept in a coffin behind a locked door in a hidden room in the basement of our town house or a cave in the country. I didn’t want to scare you away.” He frowned when Ray made a noise. “You have something to say, Caine?”
“Sure, but not right now. I want to hear about Glory’s experience.” Ray sat on the opposite end of the couch from Jerry and leaned forward, his eyes on me. “So then what happened?”
“I realized I was wide-awake and the sun had already come up. That’s when I signaled to Valdez in the living room.”
“Why?” Jerry frowned at my bodyguard.
“To talk it over, I guess. Who else am I going to call? You?” I toed off my shoes again, stalked over to the club chair on the opposite side of the room and sat. “All my other friends are vampires. They’d be dead that time of day. Rafe wasn’t. Of course neither was Brittany.”
“Shape-shifters. Lucky bastards.” Ray frowned at Valdez. “Glory, I’m thinking whatever Ian’s giving you at bedtime must be like what he’s developed to get vampires out during the day.”
“That’s not all that happened, though.” Valdez settled next to my chair. Like we’d drawn up sides. “She eventually got drowsy and fell asleep. I waited a minute to be sure she was out, then went to talk to Brittany.” He nodded toward Ray. “I knew Glory didn’t want Caine to know about this daylight thing and tried to talk Brit out of telling him about it until we knew more. I was coming in from the hall when I heard Glory scream.”
“What?” Ray and Blade were both on their feet.
“Calm down. I’m here. I’m okay. Crisis averted. See?” I leaned back and crossed my legs, refusing to let them upset me.
“What crisis?” Jerry didn’t sit down. Ray paced the carpet again, kicking my high heels out of the way.
“Hey! Watch the shoes!”
“Sorry. So what happened, Glory?” Ray finally stopped.
“I’ll tell it.” Valdez moved away from me. Like he wasn’t going to use me for protection. “She apparently had another nightmare right away and walked back into the living room. We’d shut the drapes when she stuck her head out the first time, but there was a sliver of sunlight. She stepped into it and burned her cheek.”
“Son of a bitch!” Jerry slammed a fist into the palm of his other hand. I had a feeling he was imagining Ian’s face there.
Ray came up and put his hand under my chin to inspect my cheek. “Looks fine now. Makeup or did you heal?”
“I healed. Though Rafe put some mortal cream on my face too, as a precaution.” I frowned at Ray. “Listen to me, Ray. I was burned by the sun. Do you see what this means?”
“Yeah. You can be awake, but you can’t go out in it. He told me that when I went out to his place last night.” Ray pulled me to my feet. “Did you see the video he has?”
“You went out there without backup?” I wanted to scream. He’d left both paranormal guards with me.
“I’m fine. I’m here, right?” He sneered at Jerry. “Blade’s the one who’s demonized MacDonald. The guy’s not stupid; he’s into this to make some cash. Killing off clients, especially someone high profile like me, would mean the end of his business.” Ray smiled at me. “I told Nate where I was going. In case something did happen out there. But I didn’t tell you, because I know you don’t approve of this daylight deal. Imagine, Glory. I saw Ian on the beach in front of his house.” Ray’s eyes lit up and he hugged me. “I tell you, if I could do that, I could deal with this vampire thing.”
“Get real, Caine. You’re going to have to deal with this vampire thing anyway.” Jerry stalked over to the window and stared out at the night sky. “Seeing daylight is a foolish dream. You think all of us haven’t had it at one time or another? I lost a good friend who tried for it. The Energy Vampires have been working on it for years and failed. It’s a fairy tale that’s cost more than one vampire his fortune and his life.”