Vampires Need Not…Apply? (Accidentally Yours #4)(28)
Author: Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

“Honey,” Julie said. “What are you talking about?”

“Antonio. He got away. I looked everywhere for him, but—”

“Ixtab, he’s out on the balcony with Fate,” said Julie.

“He’s here?”

Viktor smiled, then nodded. “Yes. And aside from not being hungry—pretty damned strange for a new vampire—he’s fine. We’ve spent the night getting him up to speed on our world.”

Ixtab pointed toward the open French double doors that led outside. “You mean—he’s there? Now? With my sister Fate?”

Again they nodded and exchanged glances. “She came to check up on you and the tablet.”

“Oh.” Well, that was just peachy. Yeaaah. Fate was probably digging her perfect paws into Antonio, no doubt wiggling her sweet, little tanned behind at him and showing him her bows and arrows, too.

Not that I care.

Right on cue, one of Fate’s infamous giggles seeped into the room from the outside terrace.

Ixtab dug her pink nails into her palms. That was Fate’s seduction giggle. No, she’d never taken a lover, but she collected admirers like insomniacs collected tchotchkes from the Home Shopping Network. She had over a million likes on Facebook and double that amount of followers on Twitter.

Bitch.

Julie stepped toward Ixtab only to be jerked back by Viktor.

Julie sighed impatiently. “Honey, she’s not a rabid dog. She’s one of His divine creations.” Julie looked at Ixtab. “One of His beautiful creations.”

Ixtab shrugged. “Only on the outside.”

“Someone’s got the pouties today, huh?” Julie said.

“Maybe.”

“Oh, honey, I’ve seen your face and looked into your eyes. You’re about as beautiful as they come. Don’t ever doubt that.”

Darn angels. Always so nice and uplifting. Phooey. “I’m going to get some rest.”

“Antonio says you are to meet him at eight a.m. sharp in his lab,” added Julie. “He needs an assistant that can work around the clock and won’t die if he makes a mistake.”

“I’m sure Fate will happily volunteer for the job.”

Julie made a little wiggle with her brows. “No. His explicit instructions were to have you help him.”

He wanted her help? Why? He’d called her a demon. He’d blamed her for turning him into a vampire, and then ran away, all of which left her feeling absurdly wounded.

“Should I tell him you’ll be there?” Julie asked.

“Yes. I’ll be there.” Because the truth was, she wouldn’t be able to stay away even if she wanted to.

* * *

January 17. Time: 8:00 a.m.

After a very long, hot shower and three failed meditation attempts, Ixtab had finally given up any notions of this meeting with Antonio going smoothly. Simply thinking of being in the same room turned her into a nervous Nellie. Or was that giddy goddess?

Sigh. Why would a vampire have such an impact on her? She had no clue, but one thing she knew for certain was that she couldn’t wait to see him again.

Ixtab raised her hand and knocked lightly.

“Come in.” Antonio’s voice filtered through the thick wooden door.

Ixtab peered inside his small but bright and clean lab with two small mad-scientist workstations—beakers, rats, terrarium, some computer equipment—in each corner, and a large stainless steel table in the center of the room.

“The front door was open,” she said.

She spotted Antonio sitting on a stool at the corner of the table wearing only a plain white tee and faded jeans. With his short, dark, skillfully mussed hair and five o’clock shadow, he was, he was… Sigh.

When human, he looked like perfection, but now he looked like a refined, heavenly treat, like he’d been worked over with supernatural man enhancers that took his already too perfect body—broad chest and strong, lean everything—and filled him out in all the right places. His spine now held a perfect posture that would never, ever, ever deteriorate with time and made him appear taller, more imposing. Yes, before he’d been the most exquisite mortal she had ever laid eyes on. But now? Now he was the most exquisite male—mortal or otherwise—to exist.

Reason number whatever… Ugh! Not fair. Stupid, gorgeous, icky vampire!

“Come in and close the door.” His angry eyes flashed her way, then back to his notebook, and for that instant, Ixtab felt like a pathetic, needy creature craving his attention.

She carefully shut the door.

“First,” he said, looking at the scribbles on his pages, “what the diablo is the story with the Morticia getup? Get rid of it—it’s a distraction. Second, no more secrets and lies. I know what and who you are; your sister told me everything.”

If he knew who she was, then why did he speak to her like that? Perhaps ass kickings were his thing. And how had he adjusted so quickly to his new state? Most mortals took years to accept what they’d become and to reach their full a-hole vampire potential. Not this guy. He looked like he’d settled right the hell in.

“Anything else?” She parked her fist on her hip.

He looked up from the notebook, and though he could not see her eyes, she felt as if he were looking right through her.

“Yes,” he replied. “If you ever cross me, I’ll quit. I don’t like you. I don’t care if I save the world. I’m not a deity, and I hope to f**k I never become one. You will do what I say, when I say, and you’ll like it. You’ll sleep—if your kind ever f**king sleeps—and eat—if your kind ever f**king eats—when I say. Then, when this is all over, you will give me the gift of never letting me lay eyes on your disgusting, veiled face again.”

Ixtab felt like she’d been pummeled by a torpedo. “Whoa there, Sparky. First, what’s with you and the swearing? And second, what did I ever do to you?”

“Didn’t you hear a word I said on the street?” he asked.

He’d said a lot of things. Most of them not very nice, which meant she’d already compartmentalized them in that vacuous place inside her brain where she put everything she would prefer to forget. “Not really.”

Her reply visibly sent him over the edge.

“I’m a vampire because of you.” He jumped from his seat and punched the wall, sending half of it crumbling into the other room. Uh-oh. Helena would be pissed. More repairs. “You! God f**king dammit. You have no idea what you’ve done.”