Blood, Smoke and Mirrors

Chapter Seventeen

The spell proved powerful enough that it kept out maintenance men as well as vampires, which made me wonder what sort of people Harrison hired to maintain his building. It didn’t help their cause that the hinges were on my side of the door. As far as I could tell, no one with an impure heart was getting through the door thanks to my improvised spell, and a magical locksmith with a pure soul is something you just don’t find advertised in the yellow pages.

I’d made a good choice by picking the bathroom to barricade myself in. I had water, a toilet, plenty of fluffy towels, and my toothbrush. My fat ass could use a day or two of starvation, so I was all set. After arranging a nest of towels into a makeshift bed, I fell asleep on the floor. Insistent knocking woke me from a deep and dreamless sleep, and I mumbled several unkind suggestions in the direction of the noise. Blearily I glanced at my watch and noted that I’d been left in peace for several hours, a pleasant surprise.

“Cat, honey? You okay?” a familiar voice drawled from the other side of the door.

“Lex?” I squeaked.

“Yeah it’s me. You gonna let me in?”

I fought back the urge to leap to my feet and throw the door open. Was this a trick? A sneaky ploy by one of Harrison ’s minions to get me to open the door? Wouldn’t surprise me. I approached the door and sniffed it-the air was still so thick with vampire magic it triggered a sneezing fit. “How do I know it’s really you?”

“Should I slip my driver’s license under the door?” he asked.

“No. How’d you get here?”

“Drove.”

“That’s not what I meant.” The man was irritating enough to be Lex, that much was sure. “How’d you get past Dracula and his thugs?” Images of Lex opening up a can of whup-ass inspired by the many blockbuster action movies I’d seen zoomed through my thoughts. Maybe it was my lucky day and Lovely Laura had lost her head, literally.

A chuckle sounded on the other side of the door, and I pictured him smiling and shaking his head. “They had to let me in to check on the health of the Titania. Kinda like havin’ a search warrant. Now are you goin’ to open the door or am I goin’ to have to pick the lock?”

“I want proof you’re really you.”

“Thought you might say that. I have chocolate chip pancakes for you.”

I unlocked the door.

Lex grinned at me as he leaned against the dressing table, looking out of place surrounded by the girly glass perfume bottles and the lighted mirror. Of course I did the sensible, composed thing, and threw my arms around him and kissed him as though I was afraid he’d disappear when I stopped.

“It’s okay, honey, you’re all right,” he murmured once he pulled away. With an enormous amount of effort I swallowed the urge to burst into tears and buried my face into his chest. Lex continued to murmur to me for a few more moments as he held me close, until he finally turned his head and spoke to someone standing in the doorway to the bedroom.

“She’s leaving with me.” There was a steely, almost frightening tone in his voice. It was so different from his normal easygoing drawl that if I hadn’t been pressed against him I wouldn’t have known it was Lex talking. I turned to see who was the intended target of the scary voice, and a rush of anger sizzled through me as I spotted Harrison. The vampire was dressed in a new expensive suit, and he watched us with an intrigued expression. Said expression turned to surprise when I moved with speed that shocked even me, snatched up the nearest perfume bottle, and hurled it at him. The delicate glass cylinder shattered upon impact and splattered the front of his suit with a strong, obnoxious floral scent.

“You son of a-”

Lex grabbed hold of me and prevented me from showering the head vamp with more perfume retribution. That didn’t stop me from cussing Dracula out though, and two light bulbs exploded over the dressing table, victims of my fury.

“You said you wouldn’t bite me,” I snapped.

“No, I said I wouldn’t harm you, and I haven’t.” Harrison made a great show of slowly brushing away the remnants of the bottle, refusing to let his calm be ruffled. Turning me toward him, Lex peered at my bloodstained clothes and the twin bruises on my neck, and then he ran his fingers over the marks to better gauge how bad they were. I resisted the urge to flinch, but honestly it didn’t hurt a great deal. Harrison’s bite had been fairly neat and the holes had healed shut. Normally a wound that small would’ve been completely healed by now, but I had a feeling that because magic was involved it interfered with the healing process.

“This looks like harm to me,” Lex accused.

“Miss Baker suffered no permanent damage. She is not leaving with you, because she agreed to stay here until the full moon. You are only here to observe her condition, as was agreed. Though I must admit after tasting her blood I’m considering keeping her as a pet,” the vampire commented, his tone as casual as if he were remarking about the weather.

“Oh hell no.” There was no way I was allowing myself to be signed up as a permanent menu addition. Ever.

“Catherine is Titania for the Midwest. She serves Faerie, not you. You can’t keep her here once the agreed upon time is over.”

“Miss Baker has not been officially appointed Titania as of yet. That makes her fair game. Besides, she may very well wish to stay once the time is over.”

“I’m not anybody’s game,” I growled. Harrison ignored me, and it made me long for my lighter. I bet he’d respect me more after I lit his undead ass on fire. Temper sizzled through me and the rest of the bulbs around the mirror began to flicker and buzz ominously.

Before I could continue destroying innocent lighting fixtures, Lex drew me against him and gave my arms a squeeze to remind me to control myself. “This isn’t a fight you want to pick, Harrison. You already put her clan on the warpath, and they can wipe out every vampire from here to Miami if you give them reason to.”

“But they won’t, not for a cousin, and someone who hasn’t yet been crowned Titania.” The vampire smiled, a sly expression that made my stomach roil and my fists clench. “Miss Baker stays here for now.”

“For now,” Lex replied. “But Catherine is my soul mate, and when your agreement is over, she’ll be leaving with me. If I hear that you laid a hand on her during her stay, I’m gonna take it personal.”

“Is this true?” Harrison raised an eyebrow at me.

“Yes,” I answered. The vampire looked royally annoyed by my statement, and I had absolutely no sympathy for him.

We glared at each other in strained silence, but then he shrugged nonchalantly at the idea. “Very well. Catherine will continue to enjoy my hospitality for now, after which I will return her to you.”

“Your hospitality hasn’t been up to par, Harrison,” Lex warned, cutting me off before I could launch into a hailstorm of expletives.

“A lapse in judgment, for which I apologize. You have my word that Miss Baker will not be harmed or bitten against her will.” It wasn’t much, but it was something. I turned my attention back to Lex and stared up at him.

“You’ll be okay, sugar. I’ll see you soon, I promise,” he said softly. Something in his eyes made me want to burst into tears, and I choked the feeling down. All I could manage was a nod and a weak smile. Lex turned toward Harrison, looking grim and determined. “Don’t cross me, Harrison. You don’t want to pick this fight.”

“Duly noted. Now if you would be so kind…” The vampire extended an arm toward the exit.

After a long parting kiss Lex walked away from me, and for a tense moment it looked as though he was going to take a swing at Harrison. Instead he kept his temper in check and glared at the vampire. “If you put your hands on her again, I will end you,” he said, his voice so low I could barely hear it across the room.

Without waiting for a reply Lex turned and disappeared from my sight. Harrison followed, leaving me alone and unsure of just what to do with myself. Since I was already in the closet I decided now was as good a time as any to grab a new change of clothes, as the sensible blue suit I’d chosen for dinner last night was a tad bit on the rumpled and bloodstained side. Yet another outfit I’d been extra hard on-guess I wasn’t a friend to fashion anymore. Not that I had ever been in the first place, but until recently my previous clothing destruction experiences had all been of the tragic waitressing-accident variety.

There was still not a pair of blue jeans in sight and it was downright un-American. If I was going to be trapped in the tower, I needed comfortable pants. I stood with my hands on my hips and surveyed the selection. Eventually I heard a soft step in the doorway. Harrison had returned.

“I’m not talking to you,” I informed him.

“Catherine, I apologize for my behavior last night, it was inexcusable.”

Pausing in my search, I glanced over at him. His expression seemed sincere but there was no way I was going to buy that. Vampires don’t apologize for being predators-it’s like a lion feeling remorse for the gazelle it just brought down. He must have realized from my less-than-pleased reaction that putting the bite on me wasn’t going to endear me to him, and now he was doing damage control. Right, good luck with that one, fang-face.

“Please, hear me out,” he said. Emphasizing my displeasure, I ignored him and concentrated on rummaging through hanger after hanger of endless blouses. “I’m not leaving until you’ve heard what I have to say.” Apparently Harrison was still not entirely clear on the concept of “no”, and I wouldn’t be rid of him until he’d spouted whatever apologetic speech he’d prepared.

“Fine, what do you want?”

“A second chance.”

I barked a short, bitter laugh. “That’s nice.”

“We still have several days to spend together. It will be easier if you will at least listen to what I have to say.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Need I remind you that part of our agreement involves you listening to what I have to say? If you refuse to hold up your end of our bargain, I have no reason to uphold mine,” he informed me.

A chill ran down my spine-I had to listen to Harrison, Mac’s safety depended on it. “Okay, okay, I get it.” Checking the tag on a blouse, I sighed in disappointment when I couldn’t find the type of fabric listed anywhere, only some fancy designer name embroidered in a flowing script. “If I didn’t know you had more money than some countries, I’d suspect you of being a communist.”

“What makes you say that?”

“No jeans. Denim is the American way. They do make designer jeans, you know. Not that I own any,” I trailed off. “And exactly what do you have against white cotton socks?”

“My apologies, I did not choose the wardrobe.”

“Oh yeah? Who did?”

“Ms. Barrenheart.”

“Figures.” I snorted derisively. “So what’s her real name anyway? I bet it’s long, contains a ton of consonants, and ends in -ski.” Tossing the blouse over my shoulder onto the floor behind me, I looked for another candidate. If Lovely Laura had picked these clothes out, I was going to be extra mean to them. A couture bonfire might be in order.

Harrison changed the subject, wisely avoiding answering any Laura-related questions. “Catherine, I am truly sorry for my actions. I was surprised by your abilities and I let my curiosity get the better of me.”

“The old ‘curiosity killed the Cat’ story. Very original. Never heard that one before.”

“It’s the truth,” Harrison insisted. “I’ve never encountered anyone like you.”

I pitched another blouse onto the floor and glared at him. “You just aren’t used to people telling you no. I’m sure you have at least heard of the word before.”

“Well, yes.”

Chuckling ruefully, I shook my head at his confused expression. It was likely the sad truth, after all he had been raised a spoiled little rich boy who grew into a spoiled rich man. Zachary Harrison was the very definition of privileged. I doubted there were many people with enough spine to refuse him anything.

“Yeah, well, I’m sure all the girls just throw themselves at your feet and are more than eager to open a vein for you. Not this girl.”

“Which is what I don’t understand.”

“What don’t you understand?”

“How you can be immune.” Slowly Harrison stepped toward me, cautious not to spook me. I watched him like a bunny eyeing a snake, but I resisted the urge to bolt since just moments ago he had given his word to Lex that I wouldn’t be harmed, and I didn’t think he was going to go from businessman to oathbreaker in that short a time span.

“May I?” he asked.

“May you what?”

“A small touch, nothing more.”

With Mac’s continued safety in my thoughts, I nodded a grudging reply, and Harrison reached out and took my hand in his. I felt a sizzle of spell at the contact, but I was prepared for it and pushed his magic back and refused to let it affect me. The vampire seemed amazed by this and turned my hand over, peering at it as though my skin would reveal some vital clue as to why I hadn’t been reduced to a panting puddle of lust on the floor.

“Here’s a hint: magic,” I explained, drawing my hand away.

“I have encountered witches before. I also deal with sorceresses on a regular basis, in fact. Nothing like this has ever occurred.”

“How many of them hated vampires?”

“None, I suspect.”

“There you go.”

For a moment we sized each other up. I was surprised he wasn’t angry about it-I almost expected a frustrated temper tantrum, but Harrison seemed too polite for that. Instead he tilted his head to the side, looked me up and down, and then picked out a deep green silk blouse and held it out to me. It was the most acceptable shirt I’d seen thus far, but I tossed it over my shoulder and added it to the pile. I grabbed a white cotton shirt instead.

“I’m not buying the apology, Harrison. You wanted to butter me up and put the orgasmo bite on me so I’d be all about your fiendish master plan and get you the faerie hook-up. The bite backfired and now you’ve dug yourself into a pretty deep hole. I don’t think you can climb out of this one.”

“I’m willing to try,” he said, sounding awfully sincere. As if punctuating his good intention Harrison handed me a pair of plain black pants and loafers, exactly the sort of clothing I was looking for next.

“Uh-huh. Well then we’re going to get one thing straight right now.” I scowled, placing my hands on my hips. “Since you’re obviously not familiar enough with it, let’s go over the meaning of the word no. No means stop. It means don’t. It means I’m not okay with what you’re doing, and you need to cease and desist said activity. No is not an invitation to try and change my mind to yes. No does not mean ply me with more alcohol until I’m too drunk to speak coherently or become unconscious. You were a frat boy in college, weren’t you?”

“It was expected as a family tradition.” Though he was listening to me, I had the impression my speech wasn’t really getting through to him, and I sighed in disappointment.

“Why am I not surprised. Look, I don’t want you to bite me. Period. Not under any circumstances.”

“I gave my word that you would remain unharmed.”

“Yeah, you also said you had no intention of harming me before you bit me, so I’m not real convinced by that.”

“I had no idea you would find it harmful, no one else has,” he reasoned.

“Well I do.”

“Now that I know that, I will make sure no one lays an unwelcome fang upon you, Catherine.” There was amusement in his expression, and I shook my head in annoyance. I didn’t find it funny at all.

“Okay. Now leave so I can change, please.”

With a polite bow he turned and left, shutting the door behind him. I wasted no time in shedding my clothes and donning the new ones. I considered taking the time to shower, but I wasn’t sure if I trusted my surroundings enough to be that vulnerable at the moment. Instead I searched the bathroom for something to clip my hair up with, and found some hair sticks that let me twist it up into a bun.

When I emerged into the sitting room the chocolate chip pancakes Lex had tempted me out of the bathroom with were waiting for me on the table. Unfortunately Harrison was also waiting for me, seated across from my plate as he had been at dinner the night before. Well, I wasn’t about to let him keep me from eating, so I took a seat and dropped the white linen napkin into my lap. I picked up a glass of orange juice and took a cautious sip.

“Is there anything I can get for you?”

“A cab ride home,” I quipped, and he smiled dryly.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that. Anything else?”

“You could leave,” I suggested, and he ignored the request. Hungrily I began slicing the pancakes as I considered his offer. There were a lot of things that came to mind, but many of them revolved around food in my famished state. I could use some email access. Lock picks. Maybe something to dig an escape tunnel with.

“I wanna have dinner with Mac. And not you,” I blurted after swallowing a mouthful of pancake.

“Pardon?”

“Tonight. I want to have dinner with Mac. Just me and Mac, so I can catch him up on the gossip. Oh, and I’ll need a Sears catalogue too, ’cause I’m not wearing Laura’s clothes.”

“Very well, I will arrange that. I must insist on dinner tomorrow evening, however. Oh, I would have appreciated being informed of the fact that Alexander is your soul mate before our dinner last evening. It’s a foolish man who allows himself to get on the bad side of a Duquesne. I was prepared for him to be involved professionally with your stay here, but his personal involvement is another matter entirely.”

“I thought you knew that, because they offered him Oberon.”

The vampire’s eyes widened, and I could’ve sworn his jaw dropped at my words. “The council offered him Oberon?”

“Yeah. You didn’t know that, oh great and powerful Lord of the Tower?” Harrison seemed to know everything else about my business, it seemed odd he hadn’t heard about that particular detail.

“No.”

“Huh. They announced that I agreed to be Titania though, right?” I questioned, and he nodded. “Maybe they didn’t say anything because Lex didn’t-”

“Didn’t agree to it?” Harrison finished.

“Yeah.”

“Interesting. Well, bon appétit.”

Harrison smiled as he rose from the table. I gave him a weak parting wave in reply as he left the room. I finished the pancakes in silence, enjoying the fang-free time. Unsure of what to do with myself when I was done eating, I decided to shower. After all, I might as well be neat and clean for whatever drama bomb exploded in my lap next.

I read for the rest of the day instead of parking myself in front of the TV again. Even my favorite book couldn’t lift my spirits. I found myself making snide remarks at the hero and heroine instead of enjoying the romance. My mind kept drifting back to Lex and I in the snowy courtyard of Silverleaf castle on the night of my celebration ball. It was my fault that you were attacked that night. I should’ve been there… Well if he’d been in my apartment when Faust showed up, I wouldn’t be here, either. Sure I was glad that he’d showed up to check on me today-I hadn’t expected it-but it would’ve been better if I’d hadn’t been lured to Vampire Central in the first place.

Mac showed up promptly at six o’clock. He stood near the bar, glancing around the suite as a waiter set the table for our dinner. I wasn’t sure I could take another gourmet experience, but when the dishes were uncovered a simple meal of pasta was revealed. The waiter left, and Mac ducked around behind the bar.

“Nice place. What do I have to do to get my own bar?” he joked. Choosing a bottle of wine, he searched for a corkscrew.

“Let the head vampire molest you,” I replied.

“I’m fine with that, he’s gorgeous. I don’t think I’m his type though. Pity.” Tugging the cork free of the bottle, he crossed to the table and poured us each a glass of wine.

“He’s pretty, but he’s a jerk. Have they been treating you well since they nabbed you? Not using you for a blood donor?” Flopping down into the chair, I sipped at the wine. Not bad, but then again I knew Mac had better taste than I did.

“No. Most vampires aren’t interested in dining on librarian. I’ve heard we taste too dry for them.”

“So, what’ve you been doing?”

“Reading, mostly. They let me borrow some interesting texts about the history of a few of the Italian sorcerer families, which are completely sordid in a very daytime-television kind of way.” Mac sat across from me and dropped his napkin into his lap. “I have to say, the food’s not bad. I’m thinking of adding risotto to the dinner menu at the café.”

“I have to get us out of here soon. The café’s been closed. Your family’s not sure what to do with it.”

“We’re out of here on the full moon?” he asked, and I nodded. “Well, that’s good. I was a little concerned that they’d keep me here indefinitely. Congratulations on becoming Titania, by the way.”

“I’m not Titania yet. Soon-to-be-Titania. They offered Oberon to Lex, he turned it down.” I took a long drink of wine, emptying half the glass in one long gulp, and Mac stared at me.

“They did what? Is that even possible?”

“Apparently so. The council figured out that Lex and I are soul mates, so they offered to let him be Oberon to my Titania. Okay, technically he hasn’t turned it down yet, but he said he’d think about it, and I know he’s going to say no. He’s not going to do anything that would jeopardize his guardianship. Guardianness. Guardianocity. Whatever.”

Pausing with his fork halfway to his mouth, he slowly put it back down on his plate. “Soul mates?”

“I know. And he knew. He knew when I touched his magic spear thing and he didn’t tell me. Because he’s a big dumb jerk.”

Mac raised his eyebrows, surprised, but then he grinned. “You touched his magic spear? I’m assuming that’s not a euphemism for something lascivious.”

“Mac!” I gasped, and he laughed.

“Sorry, hon, I couldn’t resist. Well, it’s probably for the best. You knew he’d be moving on after this assignment anyway,” Mac assured me. Looking down at my plate, I pushed the pasta around aimlessly. Ravioli in some sort of cream sauce-it smelled delicious, but I was rapidly losing my appetite. “Okay, Cat, spill.”

“Lex and I…guess we kinda got back together for a bit. He started talking about plans for the future. Having me meet his family, get married in New Orleans, that sort of thing. Then they told him he’d have to give up being a guardian if he wanted to be Oberon. I’m sure you can guess how well that went over.”

“Like a lead balloon. Do you want me to have a talk with him?” Mac’s shoulders straightened as he sat up in his chair, sounding like an overprotective older brother. “Or maybe Tybalt should speak with him.”

At the mention of my cousin’s name I reached out, picked up my glass of wine, and drained the rest of its contents. “There was an attack on the castle, Tybalt was killed during it. By Dorian. Dorian really had a lot to answer for, I hope he’s rotting in hell.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. I liked Tybalt. Well, let’s drink to Dorian rotting in hell,” Mac suggested, refilling our glasses.

The rest of the evening was spent trading gossip and making plans. Words could barely describe how grateful I was just to spend time with Mac. It felt like a miracle that he was alive and well, like I’d been given a second chance to appreciate our friendship. We drank wine, watched trashy tabloid television, and did our best to pretend that we weren’t the unwilling guests of some of the most powerful vampires in the United States. When his escort showed up at ten to take Mac back to his room, I gave my friend a long hug and silently promised that I’d make sure we both got out alive and safe.