Kissing with Fangs

Chapter 15

Anthony welcomed each person or para as they arrived for the meeting at the tea shop. Fortunately, it wouldn’t open for another two and a half hours, so they had time to talk privately.

Sadie brought two pots of hot tea to the table where Anthony had already set out cups and some cookies he’d found in the kitchen. Nick and Brandee, Sly and Morgaine, Sadie and himself just fit around the two square tables he’d pushed together.

“Thanks for coming, everyone. I hope that by putting all our heads together this morning, we can come up with a way to locate Claudia and bring her safely home.”

“Before we begin,” Nick said, “I have to ask the obvious. How are you here? The sun has been up for a few hours.”

Anthony nodded to Sly and Morgaine. “Through the generosity of friends. Again, I can’t thank you two enough for sharing your cure with me.”

“It’s only temporary,” Morgaine reminded him.

“Still, I’m humbled and grateful that you trusted me with it.”

Sly smiled. “I can’t think of anyone more trustworthy. Look what you’ve done here.” He made a sweeping gesture to include the whole tea room. “You had a dream of creating a safe place for paranormals, and you’ve done it.”

“I love the idea of a tea shop,” Morgaine said. “It feels so much safer than a bar. I’m going to make it my goal to come here by myself in the future.”

“That would be wonderful,” Sadie said. “Good for you and good for us. If you’d like to do some tea-leaf readings, let me know. I can’t keep up with the demand some days. Perhaps if you had appointments…” Apparently the other psychic knew about Morgaine’s challenge with agoraphobia, but didn’t know if others were aware.

Morgaine smiled. “I’d like that.”

Anthony cleared his throat. “And now for the matter at hand. Morgaine did her locator spell and discovered that Claudia is somewhere far off the East Coast. Has that changed, Morgaine?”

“No. I double-checked it a few minutes ago. She’s still somewhere between forty and fifty degrees longitude, and forty-two to forty-three degrees latitude.”

Sadie’s brow wrinkled. “I’m afraid I don’t know much about nautical terms. Can you show me on a map?”

“Yes.” Morgaine dug a map out of her purple satchel and spread it across the table. “Here,” she said and pointed to an area, tracing her finger in a circle about an inch in diameter.

“I’ll bet it’s a lot more territory to cover than it looks like,” Nick said.

Brandee piped up. “If you can pinpoint her location, I can bring her back.”

Anthony’s heart leaped. “You can?”

“Yes. I’m not supposed to tell you how but I will, if I can trust all of you to keep this in the strictest confidence…”

“Absolutely,” Anthony said, and the others added their resolute affirmations.

“I’m a muse,” Brandee said. “The powers-that-be needed a new one to handle some of the modern technologies that have come into existence since ancient times. I can zap myself to an exact location if someone calls out for help.”

Anthony scratched his head. “Zap?”

“For lack of a better word.” Brandee shrugged.

“Has Claudia called out for help?” Sly asked.

Brandee’s brows knit. “Unfortunately, no. I haven’t heard any pleas from the middle of the Atlantic.”

Sadie sighed. “So, it’s up to me to find her with astral projection. But how do I relate the exact location to you?”

Nick rubbed the stubble on his chin. “It sounds like she might be on a ship. Can you interact with the captain if you’re in astral form?”

“No. Unless there’s a spirit on board, I won’t be able to communicate with anyone.”

“If you can get to the bridge, you may be able to spot the location with their instruments,” Anthony said hopefully.

“I can certainly try,” Sadie said.

Anthony didn’t want to push her, but he couldn’t wait much longer. “When can you go?”

“Well, I need total peace and quiet. May I use your office?”

“Please do,” Anthony said.

Claudia had given up on communicating with anyone onboard. No one could ignore a damsel in distress so completely. She had to conclude that they couldn’t see or hear her. Well, okay, she wasn’t exactly a damsel. She’d even kicked the captain, and he rubbed the sore spot but blamed the ache on his “old bones.”

“Fuck it,” she said. She located “the head,” which was what they were calling the bathroom, and used it. “Finally. Ah…”

If only the thing flushed like a regular toilet, one of the four guys onboard might investigate the noise. Fat lot of good that would do. Everything I’ve tried to get their attention is just spooking them into thinking they have a ghost onboard…and we’re still bobbing out in the middle of nowhere. If only I could figure out how to use the radio and send out an SOS or a Mayday or whatever…

She finally had her “sea legs” and managed to get to the cockpit of the boat—or whatever it was called—without her stomach roiling. Inspecting the instruments, she grew even more frustrated. She saw rectangles labeled GPS, Horn, Anchor Light, DC Outlet, Trim Tabs, Spreader Light, Spotlight, Overhead Light, Navigation Lights, Bilge 1, Bilge 2, Bilge 3, CB, and Radio—which she tried to use without success. Also VHF, Deck Light, Wipers, Depthfinder, Radar, Fishfinder, Windless, Fresh Water, Transom Light, Downriggers, Livewell 1, Livewell 2, Livewell 3, Cockpit Light, Baitwell, Salt Water, Washdown, Accessory, AMP, Spare, Toilet, Underwater Lights, and four dials that were labeled RPM, MPH, Volt, and Fuel, which looked as empty as her hopes.

Maybe an old-fashioned fishing boat would have had low-tech equipment she could figure out, but the instrument panel on this boat looked as confusing as any airplane cockpit she’d seen in movies.

Shit.

From out of nowhere a stray thought surprised her. She wondered if one of the guys had a bottle of rum stashed somewhere.

Anthony watched as Sadie lay on the thick Oriental rug in his office. Brandee said she’d stay with her but promised not to interfere. The others waited in the tea room. He didn’t know where he should be. Here, in case Sadie needed him? Or in the tea room, out of the way? Just then, the phone rang.

Anthony grabbed it and said, “I’ll take this in the other room.” Closing the door behind him, he answered.

“Anthony, it’s Kurt. Are Nick, Sly, and Morgaine there?”

“Yes. Should I put you on speaker?”

“Yeah. I think I found the place.”

Anthony halted. “You found the lab?”

Nick shot to his feet and demanded, “Where?”

“Hang on.” Anthony pushed the speakerphone button and let everyone in on the conversation.

“It’s here in Central Square. We walked right past it a dozen times.”

“Jesus.” Nick breathed. “Which building? How do you know it’s the right one?”

“Well, I’m not positive it’s the right place yet, but I’d bet a thousand bucks on it. I’ve watched a couple geeky types come and go in shifts. They carried some equipment into a white van a few minutes ago. The basement windows of the building are covered in newspapers from the inside and a corner of one came loose. I could see a couple cages but nothing in them.”

“I remember that place. I tried shifting and sniffing those windows with my heightened sense of smell. I even waited across the street in my other form, but there was nothing suspicious that I could see or sniff out.”

“If that paper hadn’t come loose, I’d never have had a clue. The place looked abandoned.”

“Yeah, it did. Someone obviously went to a lot of trouble to make it look that way.”

“Anthony, I should go,” Nick said.

“Of course. Can you two wait until I can join you before you rush in there?”

“The more backup, the better,” Nick said. “But tomorrow night is the full moon. If they have wolves, as we suspect they do, we’ve gotta get to them tonight. Kurt? What do you think?”

“I figured we’d do the bust during the night. There’s apt to be less staff on, and we can include Ruxandra. So, tonight it is.”

Nick gasped. “Ruxandra? Psycho, unpredictable, homicidal Ruxandra? Uh…no offense, Anthony.”

“None taken. Every word is the truth. Kurt, are you sure you want her along?”

There was a long pause on the other end.

Suddenly a loud thump and cheers sounded from Anthony’s office. “Excuse me, everyone,” he said. “I think I should look into—”

The door burst open and Sadie shouted, “Come quick. Claudia’s back!”

Anthony forgot all about Kurt, Nick, and the lab. He charged into his office and saw a damp, confused Claudia, wide eyed and open mouthed, gaping at her surroundings.

“Darling!” he shouted out and rushed over to her. He grasped her and hugged her hard, yet she didn’t react as he would have expected. She went stiff and didn’t embrace him back.

She must be in shock.

When Claudia could speak again, she said. “I know this is a dream, because a moment ago it was broad daylight and Anthony’s here. Also, a moment ago I was on a fishing boat stranded in the middle of the ocean. But I don’t remember falling asleep.”

Brandee hit the side of her head. “Jeez! The guys on the ship need rescuing too. I’ll be right back.” And she disappeared before everyone’s eyes.

Claudia took a step back and shivered.

Anthony gently rested his hands against her arms and rubbed to warm her. “You’re not dreaming.”

“Then how…”

Sadie said to Anthony, “Claudia used the radio and sent out a Mayday.” Then she faced Claudia. “That’s how Brandee located you.”

“But I couldn’t make the radio work.”

Sadie smiled, but a look of concern crossed her face. She turned to Anthony and asked, “Is it all right to tell her about Brandee?”

Anthony nodded. “I think Claudia deserves the truth.” He tucked her damp hair behind her ear. “And I want the truth about how you got on that ship in the first place.”

“Ruxandra found a way around Kurt’s spell, using physics. She surrounded me with her arms and flew. I don’t know how she flew, but…well, I figured it must be another vampire thing.”

Sadie glanced up at Anthony. “So, she knows?”

“Yes,” he said. “She’s been incredibly understanding.”

Claudia pushed at his chest until he reluctantly let her go. “I’m not feeling quite as understanding as I did before I was locked up in a windowless room and then transported to a ship whose crew was hypnotized into thinking we should sail to France.”

Anthony balled his fists. “That’s it. Ruxandra will never bother you again.”

He didn’t know if the murderous rage he was feeling showed in his eyes or not, but Claudia backed up another step.

“What are you going to do?” she asked.

“What I should have done a long time ago.” He grabbed the office phone, hit the speed-dial number for Kurt, and waited a few seconds for him to answer. Then he simply barked, “Where’s Ruxandra’s lair?”

Kurt hesitated, then asked, “Why? What’s going on?”

“She almost killed Claudia—despite your protection. Now she’s going to pay.”

“I’m sorry, buddy. I can’t be part of that.”

“Kurt…” he growled. His friend didn’t answer. “Kurt? Dammit, talk to me.”

When there was still no response, Anthony realized his good friend was switching allegiances and had hung up on him. He slammed the phone back in its cradle. “Fuck!”

Claudia winced. “I—uh…I need to call my sponsor.”

Anthony took in a deep breath and nodded. “Of course.”

Claudia edged around him until she reached the phone. “Um…alone, please?”

Anthony couldn’t help feeling a little hurt. She’d rather talk to someone over the phone than take comfort from him. Yes, he was probably a little frightening when he was angry, and she’d never seen him lose his cool like this, but of all people, she should understand why.

“We’ll be right outside the door,” he said.

“No. I need complete privacy and you can hear through doors.”

He sighed out the breath he’d sucked in earlier.

“You know what?” she said. “I’ll just call her from my apartment. I—I want to change into some dry clothes first.”

“Of course. You must be chilled to the bone.” He removed his suit jacket and draped it around her shoulders. She tried to refuse it, but he insisted. He also insisted on walking her to her door.

“You know you can’t tell your sponsor about any of this.”

She simply stood on the sidewalk and stared straight ahead.

“I mean it,” Anthony said a little more forcefully than he should have.

Claudia tipped up her set jaw and gave him what looked like a defiant glare. “She wouldn’t believe me anyway.”

Claudia paced across her living room, hoping her sponsor hadn’t missed her for a couple days. Fat chance.

“Hi, Gaye.”

“Where have you been?”

Claudia hoped she could deflect all the obvious questions and avoid lying, but it was going to be difficult. “Um. It’s good to hear your voice too. I’m fine, by the way.”

“Oh. Yes, I guess I skipped the pleasantries, but I’ve been worried about you. I tried to call several times, and it went straight to voice mail.”

“Sorry. It couldn’t be helped.” Truth.

“Why not?”

“I didn’t have my cell phone with me.” Truth.

“All right. But why didn’t you tell me you were going…where did you say you went?”

“I didn’t, and I can’t.”

Gaye muttered something under her breath. “Are you sober?”

Claudia gritted her teeth. It was a miracle she was sober right now. Part of her really wished she could escape into the bottle, but all the craziness would still be there when she sobered up—plus she’d have a hangover.

“Yes, I’m sober. I’m just tired, but I wanted to call so you wouldn’t worry. And I need to ask you something too.”

“Well, it’s too late to avoid the worry thing, but what’s your question?”

Claudia took a deep breath and hoped she wouldn’t set off Gaye’s alarm bells. “I need a place to go to think. Just for a night. Someplace where no one will disturb me.”

“What you need is a meeting.”

“Gaye, I can’t. Not tonight. I’m exhausted.”

Gaye didn’t say anything for several seconds. Finally her voice gentled. “What’s going on, Claudia? You don’t sound like yourself at all.”

“I know.” She felt herself choking up and took a deep breath, hoping to keep the tears at bay. “But I can’t tell you. At least not yet. I really need to get away and be by myself for a night or two.”

“That’s the last thing you need. Trust me.”

“I do trust you, but—”

“No buts. Either you trust me to know what’s best for you or you don’t.”

Oh God. Now what could she say? She trusted Gaye, but she really couldn’t divulge what was bothering her. Ever. She was nearly lying when she said she couldn’t tell her “yet.”

“Claudia, there’s a saying that you’re only as sick as your secrets.”

Oh, great. Another saying. Another tidbit of wisdom. “I’m sorry. I swore I’d never tell another human being.” Truth.

Another long silence followed. “Is it legal trouble?”

“No. I’m not covering for anyone so they won’t get arrested. It’s not that kind of thing at all. Can you please stop guessing?”

“Why? Are you afraid I might guess right?”

Claudia almost burst out laughing. Who would ever guess she’d been dropped onto a fishing boat by a vampire and set adrift.

“I’m sorry. I really shouldn’t have called. I’ll go to a hotel or something.”

“Please don’t. I’ll respect your privacy, but you really shouldn’t be alone. My sister is in the program. She has a guest room and her home is alcohol free. Let me give her a call, and I’ll see if she can give you a safe place to stay.”

“Thank you. I’d really appreciate it.”

“I’ll call her right now and get back to you in a few minutes. You’ll answer when I call back, right?”

Claudia let out a sigh. “Yes. Of course.”

“Okay. Talk to you in a few.”

Claudia went straight to her bedroom and packed an overnight bag. She had to get going before the tea room opened and Anthony came looking for her. She’d call him as soon as she was on her way. Worrying people who cared about her never seemed to work out well. On the other hand, she realized, people did care about her. A mixed blessing, at best.

No sooner had Anthony entered his office and closed the door, than he found himself on top of a frozen mountain surrounded by many more snowy peaks.

“Oh, fuck.”

Mother Nature appeared in front of him with her arms crossed. “Well, you really screwed the goat this time.”

“Goddess, please understand—”

She pointed at him and roared, “No. You understand. Humans are not supposed to know about paranormals. Now, thanks to you and your rogue ex, your current girlfriend knows about vampires and muses. Magic and powers. What’s next? Are you going to introduce her to the whole Supernatural Council?”

“Of course not.”

“I might.”

“What?”

“I might take her to headquarters and explain the whole thing to her…then transport her to a loony bin and watch her tell them how she got there. They’ll keep her forever.”

Anthony had never felt so powerless and panicked. “Gaia, please. I need your help. I believe you can do anything. You can reset the world to right before I met Ruxandra—”

The goddess reared back and laughed. The eerie echo mocked him.

“Of course I could do that, but why would I? Just to accommodate you? How important do you think you are?”

“I…” Anthony sighed. There was nothing he could say to that. He supposed that even one minor change like letting Ruxandra die would affect hundreds or thousands of other incidents, like a ripple in a pond.

Gaia must have taken pity on him, because the next thing he knew, they were sitting in his office.

“I will help you, but not the way you want me to. That would be too easy and you’d never learn. Now, go to your girlfriend and make sure she tells no one what she knows. I want your personal guarantee.”

“But how can I promise that when it depends on her choices and behavior? I can’t mesmerize her, or I’d have done it already.

Mother Nature smirked. “I’m sure you’ll think of something.”

Claudia opened her apartment door and walked straight into a solid wall…named Anthony Cross.

“Going somewhere?” he asked.

“Please, Anthony, let me go. I won’t divulge your precious secret.”

“I didn’t say you would.”

They stood toe to toe, staring at each other. Finally, Claudia said, “I was going to call you from the road. I really can’t work today. I need a day to get my head on straight.”

“I was here to tell you the same thing. Don’t worry about the tea shop. Sadie and Morgaine said they’d help Chris and Angie handle it.”

“Who’s Morgaine?”

“A friend of Nick’s. You may have met her husband a while ago. His name is Sly Flores.”

Claudia didn’t recall either name, but who these people were wasn’t important right now. “I need to go, Anthony.”

“We need to talk.”

Claudia sighed. “What about?”

“About us.”

From the severe expression on his face, she wondered if he’d decided this whole relationship was more trouble than it was worth. Having that on her mind for the next two days wouldn’t help matters. Maybe it was best to talk to Anthony first and then catch the commuter train to Gaye’s sister’s house out in the suburbs.

“May I come in?” he asked.

Claudia stepped aside and Anthony entered. He didn’t go much beyond the threshold, as if he might need to snatch her arm if she tried to run off. He took the overnight bag from her hand and placed it beside the sofa.

“If you still want to leave after we talk, I won’t stop you.”

She nodded and closed the door.

He wrapped her in a tight embrace. “I’m so relieved to know you’re all right.” When she didn’t respond, he took a step back and studied her. “You are all right, aren’t you?”

“Basically. No harm was done physically, but I don’t know how much more I can take psychologically.”

“I understand.” He took her hand and led her to the sofa. “Sit. Let me get you a cup of tea or coffee.”

“Don’t. I should just hear you out and get going before I fall asleep on my feet.”

Anthony sat and pulled her down onto his lap. “Claudia, I don’t know what I would have done if anything happened to you. I was half out of my mind while you were gone.”

He stroked her hair, which was now nearly dry, but she probably looked like she’d been in a windstorm. It didn’t seem to matter to him. He gazed at her with love in his chocolate eyes. Part of her resolve melted.

She really did love him, and yet things had to change. She couldn’t keep looking over her shoulder and wondering what Ruxandra was going to do next.

As if he’d heard her, he said, “I’ll make sure Ruxandra never bothers you again.”

“How? She seems really determined to get me out of the picture.” Suddenly a horrible thought struck her. He wouldn’t, would he? “Are you going to k-kill her?”

Anthony fell eerily silent. Finally, he said, “I’m responsible for this. All of this. I’ll take care of it. I promise.”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“Because I don’t know the answer.”

His jaw was set and his expression hardened.

“I can’t condone that. I certainly don’t want you to go to prison, and I’m against murder in any case…”

Anthony snorted. “My kind don’t go to prison.”

“But you do murder.”

He hung his head. “I won’t pretend it doesn’t happen. However, in order to live among humans, we try to be very careful. There are cameras everywhere now.”

“So, are you saying it’s an option as long as humans don’t find out about it?”

He cupped her cheek. “I’m not saying anything right now. You’re not the only one who needs to think. I just want us to face this together…as we’ve always done.”

As much as she appreciated being included in determining a more permanent solution to the Ruxandra problem, it implied a conspiracy. Having a hand in another’s demise—no matter how minor—would in all likelihood affect her sobriety.

She had to make Anthony understand. “I can’t do this.”

He grasped her hands and held them tight. “Please don’t give up on us. I’ll fix this. Just promise you won’t do anything rash.”

She sighed. It looked as if she didn’t have to add “mend a broken heart” to her to-do list, unless it was the only way to save her own life. “I’ll give it one more night. If she’s not…restrained in some lasting way, I’ll have to leave. How stupid would I feel if I just hung around and let her kill me next time?”

“Not as stupid as I’d feel devastated.” He flipped her onto her back and kissed her hard. Her head spun. She wanted to open herself and beg him to fill her.

When he lifted his head, he whispered, “I love you. So much. I won’t risk losing you again. I don’t care what I have to do.”

Claudia wished he’d stop insinuating that murder was still on the table. But what other permanent solution could there be?

She held his face in her hands. “I love you too, but the idea of being an accessory to murder isn’t sitting well. I mean, I blamed myself for my sister’s death, and I had no advance warning whatsoever. I feel like I have to protest, but even so, it’s hard to do.” She mimicked how she felt by speaking deadpan. “Oh, stop. Please don’t.”

A hint of a smile crossed his face. “I’m not talking about murder—yet, but don’t worry. I’ll think of something. I just want to be with you now. I want to hold you and make love to you.”

There was something he wasn’t telling her. It sounded as if he’d come to some kind of decision even though he hadn’t said anything. She was too tired to let this debate go round and round in her head, so when Anthony said he wanted to make love again, she pushed all other thoughts away and let him carry her to her bedroom.