Accidentally Married to…a Vampire?(Accidentally Yours #2)(31)
Author: Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

Had he just tried to sift her away?

“Ma’am?” the young woman came around the corner just as Niccolo disappeared.

Helena placed her palm on her flushed cheek. “Um—no. I’m good. If you don’t mind, I’m going to…” She paused, realizing how strange her words were about to sound, but she hadn’t had time to put her own garments back on. “Wear the t-shirt and bra now. They’re really comfy.” She handed the rest of the new clothes to the clerk and tried to pull herself together.

***

Helena chucked her overflowing shopping bags in the backseat and then slammed the door shut.

Andrus turned the engine and gave her a suspicious look. “You smell like…” He shifted into drive.

“What?”

“Nothing, but—did something happen inside?”

Could he really smell…that?

He crinkled his nose. “Your face is red and your scent is…”

Oh, God. He can! Kill me now! Giant bomb, falling tree, spontaneous combustion…anything!

Even worse than her embarrassment was the fact that she herself couldn’t understand what happened. Her soon to be ex-accidental-vampire-husband just appeared in the fitting room. They went nuts, dry-humped like a couple of wild, horny bunnies, he tried to sift her away, and then she told him to pound sand.

Yes, a proud, proud moment in my life. If only that could go on my Facebook timeline!

She had to find a way to undo this, this…thing between them before his emotional grip tightened further. With Niccolo she was exposed, vulnerable. She’d fallen for him hard and taken an enormous leap of faith. But like everything in her life, it hadn’t turned out. No father, no husband…no true love.

Going back to the pity party again, are you? You should be grateful. Life gave her some very wonderful people—her mother, her friends—and a great education with a bright future.

But that man…he just gave you a taste of something more. Are you forgetting the connection you felt? Could she really live her life without experiencing it just one more time? She craved it. She craved him.

She brought her fingertips to her lips and savored the memory of his delicious.

He doesn’t love you. He’ll hurt you, she reminded herself. He’s controlling, arrogant, and too closed off. Not what you want from a man.

“Niccolo tried to take me,” she finally confessed after a few seconds of stewing.

Andrus slammed on the breaks and reached for something below the seat. Helena threw out her arms to avoid slamming into the dash.

“He was here? Now?” Andrus screamed.

Helena grumbled and slid back into her seat. “Yes! But he’s gone. Okay? And did you have to do that? I’m mortal, remember?” She pulled the seat belt strap across her chest and buckled in.

“What did he say?” He released his hand from whatever was under his seat.

“Nothing. He wants me back. I said ‘no.’ It’s over.” But it wasn’t. She knew it. He was not the sort of creature to give up. Bonds forged by the universe…

She sighed loudly. Andrus needed to drive a whole hell of a lot faster to that archive if she was going to find a way to undo this bond.

“And he tried to sift me, but it didn’t work for some reason.”

Andrus’ cold demeanor returned, and he went back to driving. Several moments passed before he finally said, “The ring. I gave it an upgrade.”

Helena looked at her grandmother’s gold, filigree ring on her hand. “Sorry?”

“I’ve…” he seemed to be searching for the correct word, “treated the ring. You cannot be sifted while you wear it.”

“How?”

“Trade secret,” he replied curtly.

“Thought you were going to share your secrets.”

“I said I would teach you how to evade him and how to not be sifted. Lesson number one: wear the ring.”

He was going to be that way, was he? Great. Just what I wanted; out of the secretive-man frying pan…

“And the evading part?” she asked.

He scratched his stubble covered chin. “I’m working on it.”

“Care to elaborate?” Helena asked.

“Bonded vampires, or vampires and their makers, can sense each other’s presence. It’s like a compass and there only a few ways to ‘go dark’ so to speak. Being asleep or unconscious, for example. They probably evolved that way since a sleeping vampire who can be found is vulnerable. But you’re human so I don’t think that applies to you.”

“Great. So, he’s got Helena-GPS, even when I sleep. What am I going to do?”

“We could still give it a try. I can knock you out.”

Helena huffed. “Don’t even think about it. And if you try anything, I promise Niccolo will find out. I doubt that was the last time I’ll see him.”

The corner of Andrus’ mouth curled for a quick moment. “So then, we keep moving. Get off the main roads and make it harder to be followed.”

“Wait! I know this really great invention that can get us to San Francisco quickly. It’s called an airplane.”

Andrus shot her a warning with his eyes. “No airplanes.”

“Fine.” She crossed her arms. “But I don’t get it. I’ll still answer all your questions. You’ll get everything you want from me.”

“Everything?” Andrus flashed a smile her way then turned his focus back to the road.

Had he just flirted with her again?

Helena was up to here with wicked men; she chose to ignore the comment. “That man is downright determined.”

“So am I,” Andrus stated coldly.

Helena rolled her eyes. “Do you really think we’ll make it all the way to the coast before he finds a way to nab me?”

“Yes,” he said starkly. “I never fail.”

“Nice to see you’re confident, but it’s my life you’re gambling with.”

He blinked multiple times in rapid succession, which struck her oddly. “No airplanes,” he said again.

Helena suddenly felt exhausted. Being around stubborn men was like rolling a giant boulder up a never-ending hill, or in this case, rolling a giant domineering man up a hill.

Wait. She didn’t have to stay with this guy. He hadn’t guaranteed she’d find the answers in his archives. She was smart, independent; she could figure this out on her own. “Pull over. I’ve changed my mind about our little deal.”