How Knot to Marry a Vampire Page 6

  Luka: Don't feel you have to use my sister if you don't want to.

  Me: She showed me some of her work and drew a few sketches. I'm sure I'll love the sign she creates.

  Luka: I gave her the strictest instructions to give you the friends and family discount, otherwise I’m throwing her out on the street with the riff-raff.

  Me: Such a mean brother.

  Luka: What are boyfriends for if they can't get their girlfriends a good deal?

  Me: I didn’t realize we were dating.

  Luka: I'm pretty sure that's what it's called.

  Me: Please refer back to your earlier text about overconfident men.

  Luka: I deleted it.

  Me: Figures.

  Luka: Sweet dreams. XO

  Me: You 2. That is, when I go to bed later. X

  Me: (I’m not ready for the O)

  Luka: I’m terribly sorry to hear that.

  Me: OMG I just realized what that sounded like.

  Luka: I can definitely help with it, though.

  Me: I meant hugs and kisses. That’s all.

  Luka: What’s the big deal? We’ve already hugged and kissed.

  Me: Go back 2 sleep.

  Me: OMG u were right.

  Luka: Yes, but about what exactly…

  Me: Aunt Sylvia had her friend, a witch, check for spells at the shop. Sure enough, there was one.

  Luka: And?

  Me: Just as you’d suspected. Anyone who hadn’t been to the shop b4 couldn’t see it. Her friend removed the spell and foot traffic immediately improved.

  Luka: Any idea who placed it?

  Me: Aunt Sylvia has a pretty good idea. Some jerk wanted to buy the building last year, but she refused to sell to him.

  Luka: So he thought she’d have no choice but to sell if business fell away.

  Me: Exactly.

  Luka: Does Julian know about this? He’ll be furious.

  Me: Aunt Sylvia is meeting with him now.

  Luka: Good. I have no doubt he’ll run the guy out of town.

  Me: I hope so.

  Luka: Sweet dreams. XO

  Me: You too. X

  Luka: Turns out I’m flying back early. Can I see you tomorrow night?

  Me: I have to check my social calendar.

  Luka: I’ll wait.

  Me: Hmmmm. You’re in luck. I seem to be free.

  Luka: Great. I’ll pick you up at 7pm. Will you be at the shop?

  Me: Yes, but the shop closes at 8.

  Luka: Then I’ll pick you up at 8. Dress warmly and wear comfortable shoes.

  Me: Where are we going?

  Luka: You’ll see.

  Me: Sooooo mysterious.

  Luka: Sweet dreams. XO

  Me: You too. XO

  Luka: Love that O.

  Me: Shocking.

  7

  Luka

  * * *

  Banging on the door to my sister’s quarters, I entered without waiting for her to let me in and looked around. The place was surprisingly spotless. She’d recently read a book about tidying up and clearly hadn’t fallen off the wagon yet. “Helen, where’s my stuff?”

  My sister came out of her art studio, a sour expression on her pretty face, marched into the kitchen, grabbed a picnic basket from the counter, and shoved it at me. “For Pete’s sake! You’re lucky I even did this for you, given that demanding attitude. Some of us work, you know.”

  I took the basket from her and kissed her cheek. “Thanks. I owe you one.”

  Her scowl was fading. She was never mad at me for long. “So, where are you taking Penelope?”

  “There's a secluded picnic area overlooking one of the waterfalls just outside of town. Have you and Walter been there?”

  “Not yet, but I've heard it's beautiful. The mist from the falls combined with moonlight will often make an iridescent moonbow.” She rubbed her hands on her paint-stained smock. “Thanks for referring me to her. She hired me to make the new sign for Charming Yarns. I was working on it just now.”

  “Yes, she told me. She loves your work and is very excited.”

  Helen picked at an old paint spot on her smock. “She's really nice, you know.”

  “I’ve noticed.”

  She huffed out a sigh as if I were the most obtuse person in the world. Which I could be at times. “What I mean is, I think she could be really good for you.”

  I raised a brow. “Like a dose of medicine? Or a pet?”

  With incredibly impeccable timing, Claude appeared from somewhere down the hall and rubbed against my legs. I set down the picnic basket and picked up the scrappy little cat. “How're you doing, mister? No more fights, I hope.” Claude purred loudly, rubbing his face against mine as I scratched his ears, and then, as expected, he promptly bit my hand. “I miss you too,” I said, setting him down again. With his tail held straight in the air, he strutted over to Helen and sidled up to her.

  “Oh no, you don’t,” she said, giving him one little pat before brushing him away with her slippered foot. “I’m not a fool like your master is.”

  “Technically, I’m also your master.”

  She pretended to examine the fingers of one hand while rubbing her cheek with just the middle finger of her other hand.

  I laughed. “So unladylike.”

  “As I was saying,” Helen continued. “I meant that Penelope seems really nice. I think you two could be good together. She’s smart, funny, beautiful. I hope you give her a chance.”

  I glanced at my sister, more than a little surprised. Helen was not normally very generous with her praise about the women I dated. “What are you talking about? I’ve dated smart, fun, and beautiful women before.”

  “Human women, who didn’t know you were a vampire, who were dazzled by your money and power. Penelope is none of those things.”

  “What about Jasmine? I dated her and she’s not human. Besides, how do you know they weren’t dazzled by my charm, my good looks, or my rapier wit?”

  “You know what I mean, Luka. I like Jasmine, but she’s not your type any more than I am. Those human women were in love with the facade you chose to show them, not what was actually underneath.”

  “I couldn’t exactly tell them I was a vampire, could I?”

  “You’re missing the point. Penelope is a supernatural. You don’t need to construct those same barriers with her. I hope you let her in and see where that takes you.”

  I picked up the picnic basket. “What do you think I’m doing?”

  Helen gave me a dubious look. “So you’re not planning to amuse yourself with her for awhile, then send her on her way if she gets too close?”

  I turned toward the door. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Playing with fire can be dangerous.”

  “For her or for you?”

  I hesitated. “Both.” And that was the truth.

  8

  Penelope

  * * *

  Luka arrived at Charming Yarns a few minutes before eight. Poor guy hadn’t even fully crossed the sidewalk before I ran into his arms.

  “Wow,” he said, laughing.

  As the momentum spun us around, I buried my nose in his shirt collar, feeling the rasp of his short beard on my cheek. Holy moly, did he smell good. Soap and warm, masculine skin. I’d bottle it up and sell it if I could. Every woman deserved to have her man smell like this.

  His strong hands cupped my thighs, which were now wrapped around his waist. “This is quite a welcome. I'll have to leave on business trips more often.”

  To be honest, I hadn't planned to be so impulsive. Or so familiar with him like this. I was going to wait for him to come into the shop, call out to him that I’d be right there, then calmly walk over and give him a warm, chaste hug. But those best-laid plans were scrapped the moment I looked through the window and saw his car pull up.

  He wore faded jeans, lug-soled boots, a flannel shirt open at the neck, and a beanie that made the ends of his dark hair curl up. He looked like an adventure. One t
hat I was about to take.

  Earlier, I’d gone through the closing routine as fast as I could, closing out the till, vacuuming the floors, and making sure everything was locked up and in ship-shape. Aunt Sylvia was playing bunco at the home of one of the Knotty Knitters, so I was on my own.

  “Did you have a good time on your business trip?” I asked.

  “No, because all I could think about was you.”

  I held his bearded face between my hands and pressed my mouth to his, needing to drink him in. With a low groan, he took a few steps until I was caged between him and his car, his lips hot and demanding against mine.

  Someone walked past us on the sidewalk. “Get a room.”

  With a smirk, Luka let me go.

  A half hour later, we arrived at the Nocturne Falls trailhead. Luka's hand was warm in mine as we trekked through the woods. Cool night air blew through the branches above us, and an owl screeched. You could hear the roar of the falls in the distance.

  “I suppose you’ve been here before,” he said, helping me over a downed log across the path.

  “Once or twice. It's popular with…uh…teenagers.”

  “So you’re telling me this is a make-out spot?”

  “And party spot.”

  “Who did you come with?”

  “You...uh...remember Grant, don’t you?”

  Luka stopped and turned to look at me. In the shadows, his eyes looked dark and menacing. “You came here with Grant Gibson? That dog?”

  I gave him a playful shove with the palm of my hand. His chest was all hard lines and rigid muscle. “He’s not a dog, he’s a werewolf. But yes, I had my first kiss here.”

  “And….” His voice was gruffer than normal.

  “Easy there, Brutus. It was just a kiss,” I said, clearing my throat. “The sex didn’t come till later.”

  Giving an audible groan, he started back down the path again. “I really didn’t need to know that.”

  “Don’t ask questions if you don’t want to know the answers.”

  “Fair enough.”

  With stars sparkling in the ink-black sky, we found a flat spot overlooking the falls and smoothed out a blanket.

  Luka wrapped an arm around my shoulders as he scanned our surroundings. “No teenagers, I see. Or anyone else for that matter. We have this place all to ourselves.”

  I liked the sound of that. We sat on the blanket and kicked off our boots. As I grabbed the second blanket and draped it over our legs, he opened the picnic basket.

  “What's in there?” I asked, trying to peek in.

  “You’ll see.” He pulled out a bottle of peach champagne and two glasses, followed by a meat and cheese tray with crackers and lightly salted nuts.

  “Impressive,” I said. “Looks like you thought of everything.”

  He gave me a sheepish smile. “I’ll be honest. This is Helen's doing. I asked her to throw something together for me.”

  I selected a cube of cheese and popped it in my mouth. Mmmm. It had a buttery, creamy texture. “Then I'll thank her the next time I see her.”

  Luka popped the champagne cork and filled our glasses. “To a beautiful night,” he said, holding up his glass.

  I clinked mine to his. “To the moon, the falls, and us.”

  We nibbled on the finger food and sipped champagne. It was nice. Very comfortable and relaxing. I could get used to this.

  He twisted a piece of my hair around his finger. “How is the Yarnapalooza planning?”

  “It’s chugging right along.” He was genuinely interested, so I told him about the latest store that had signed on to participate in the hop and of all the support I’d gotten from various Nocturne Falls businesses.

  “Any store would be nuts to decline,” he said. “It’s going to be a monumental success.”

  His show of support for this project, which was fast becoming very important to me, sent a flush of warmth over my skin. I was thrilled he cared so much. “What about your art buys? Did you have any luck at all?” I remembered how frustrated he’d seemed when we were texting.

  “It actually turned out very well,” he said. “You know that difficult art collector I was telling you about? I talked her into selling the piece after all. My buyer is ecstatic.”

  “That’s fantastic, Luka! I’m so thrilled for you.” Behind him, I could see that the moon was starting to rise. “But I’m not the least bit surprised.”

  He lifted a brow. “Oh?”

  “You’re very good at what you do.” Seeing the amusement on his face, I added, “I watched you singlehandedly charm a roomful of women. One stubborn lady didn’t stand a chance.”

  He looked smugly satisfied. “They were drunk ladies and I was half naked. Hardly a challenge.”

  “You’re very persuasive in person, Luka…with or without clothes.”

  He gave a low chuckle. “Is that so? Would you like to put it to a test?” The moon behind him framed his head like a halo, but the look in his eye was no angel’s.

  My heart thumped loudly in my chest at where this was leading. “Do I pass the test if I succumb to your charms? Or would that be considered losing because I couldn’t resist?”

  “That’s a win-win in my book.”

  Tossing my head back and nearly losing my glasses in the process, I snorted with laughter.

  “You dare to mock me, Penelope?”

  I couldn’t stop laughing as he pushed me onto my back. I tried to wriggle away, but he caged me beneath his body.

  “Don’t you use your vampire charms on me, mister,” I teased. “That’s against the rules.”

  “Never,” he said in that oh-so-sexy voice of his. “But then, a vampire’s charms only work on people who, deep down, are open to it.” Then he kissed me.

  I couldn’t have resisted if I tried. I wrapped my arms around him, wanting to drink him in. If I wasn’t careful and the circumstances were different, I could seriously see myself falling for this man.

  He nuzzled my ear, sending delicious shivers down my spine. “I think you should stay in Nocturne Falls after the yarn hop is over.”

  This caught me off-guard. “You…you do?”

  “You could help your aunt with the shop. Free up her time so she can play bunco once in a while.”

  “How very considerate of you to be concerned with my aunt’s leisure time while you’re kissing me.”

  With a groan, he slid his hand down my body and gave the side of my bottom a little smack. “Smart-ass. I’m serious.”

  “Okay, okay,” I said. “She does work hard, but my cousin Bettina will be back soon.”

  “Unless, of course, there’s something better waiting for you elsewhere.”

  There wasn’t. But I wasn’t ready to call Nocturne Falls home yet. Or anywhere else for that matter. Not until the Others came for the scarab and it was out of my life.

  He leaned over and kissed me again, tender and slow this time, as if he were drinking me in. His lips slid over my skin to the sensitive spot just under my ear, igniting every nerve ending in my body, including ones that didn’t get ignited all that often.

  “I want you, Penelope,” he said, his hand stroking down the curve of my hip.

  I pulled off his knit cap and ran my hands through his hair, something I’d been dying to do since I first saw him tonight. “You must be a mind-reader, because I was thinking the same thing about you.”

  With a moonbow shimmering in the mist of the waterfall, we made love. And just for a little while, I forgot what I needed to be worrying about.

  What a wonderfully romantic night, I thought dreamily as Luka and I strolled back to his car. My body still tingled in places. He was skilled and quite knowledgeable about more than just art.

  When we got to the trailhead where the car was parked, I spotted an outhouse nestled in the trees nearby.

  “Can you hold this for a second?” I asked, handing Luka the two folded blankets I’d been carrying. Although using an outhouse wasn’t high on my list, neithe
r was squatting behind a tree.

  Gravel crunched under my feet as I headed to the little wooden building. Fortunately, it was fairly clean inside, with toilet paper and hand sanitizer. When I finished, I shut the door and turned to make my way back to the car.

  Something behind a tree moved.

  Something...turquoise.

  I clamped my hand over my mouth to keep from crying out.

  “Don’t be frightened, my dear. It’s just me.”

  “Reverend Wainwright,” I whispered, hoping Luka couldn’t hear this far. “What are you doing here?” I was also extremely relieved he hadn’t appeared thirty minutes earlier.

  “I came to warn you,” he said gruffly, which was very out of character for him. “You must go back to Nocturne Falls immediately. It’s too dangerous outside the city limits.”

  “Why? What’s wrong?” I quickly scanned the bushes and shadows for monsters.

  “The ones seeking the scarab have a hard time detecting your whereabouts inside a town filled with supernaturals and magic, but outside the city limits, they can.”

  I swallowed nervously, practically jumping out of my skin when a small animal rustled in a nearby bush. “Why haven’t the Others come yet? They should’ve by now. I’m tired of this, Reverend. I didn’t ask for this.”

  “I know, and I’m truly sorry. Unfortunately, no one was ready to take my place when I died so unexpectedly.”

  My throat tightened in horror. “Are you saying something happened to you at the WE? Like you were…poisoned?”

  Would Johnny, the cook, have done something like that? And why? If so, had his cohorts killed him to cover it up? Or had it been the work-release dishwasher in exchange for drugs? It could have been Lorraine. She’d shown up late without a reasonable explanation. Maybe she’d slipped into the kitchen when Johnny wasn’t looking and sabotaged the reverend’s Strawberry Supreme.

  Ghost Reverend’s expression, though grave, turned rather fatherly. “Natural causes, dear. No need for alarm.”

  I noticed that there was more blur around his form than the last time I’d seen him. It was probably hard for him to keep coming back like this.