Colel Read online

  She was? Zac jumped from the bed. “Minky! Where have you been? Why have you not answered my calls?”

  Of course, there was no reply. “And this is how you treat me? I thought we were friends.” They had mourned together after Tula died. Minky had comforted him when Cimil had taken everything.

  “She says that she’s really tired,” Tula replied.

  “From doing what? Being invisible?” Zac spat out.

  “No. She says…she found Cimil. She went and retrieved the barrel from thirty-six thousand feet underwater.”

  “What?” Zac’s heart hammered with excitement against his chest.

  Tula nodded. “Minky says that as much as she hates Cimil’s behavior sometimes, she is the only one who understands her.” Tula blinked and looked at Zac. “I guess she felt lonely. She is a unicorn, after all.”

  “Fine. Whatever. You did what you had to do, Minky. Do the mermen know?” If they didn’t, then there would be no agreement needed with Roen. They weren’t going to start a war over something they weren’t aware of.

  “Minky says no. They don’t know Cimil’s free.”

  Phew. “Good. This is good. Where is Cimil now?” he asked. “We need to see her. Unless you can tell us how to put Tula back together?”

  Tula listened. “Minky says she doesn’t. She was only following Cimil’s orders. She also says she didn’t want to eat my body because she only drinks blood. Preferably from very nice people or magic faeries. Sometimes clowns but only on Tuesdays.”

  “Okay. Don’t care. Eat the entire planet for all I care. Just tell us where Cimil is. It’s urgent.”

  Whatever Minky said must’ve been bad. Really bad. Because Tula’s face turned ghost white, a very unsettling sight on a real ghost.

  “What did she say?” Zac commanded.

  “You can’t do this to me, Minky. You can’t. I’m begging you.” Tula covered her face.

  “What the hell is going on?” Zac’s stomach churned. “Tell me, Tula.”

  “She says…she says…” Tula began to sob. “Minky won’t tell you where she’s hidden Cimil. Not unless you…” Tula’s voice became inaudible as she started to hiccup and blubber.

  “What? What, godsdammit, because whatever she wants, she can have it!”

  “No. No. Don’t say that,” Tula protested.

  “Why? I mean it. There is nothing I won’t do for you, Tula. Nothing.” He turned to the space Minky occupied. “I swear on my existence that you can have it. Just show me where Cimil is.”

  He didn’t hear a reply, so he turned back to Tula. “Well, what did she say? Do we have a deal?”

  Tula continued crying hysterically, but nodded.

  “Good. Now tell me what you want and then take me to Cimil.”

  “No. No!” Tula barked at Minky. “If you want it so badly, you tell him yourself! You evil, disgusting beast.”

  Zac figured Minky wanted her very own merman to torture. Or perhaps a day at Six Flags. The unicorn were hedonists, all about having fun.

  Suddenly, the hazy outline of an enormous animal began to appear like a wisp of steam floating in the air.

  Damn, she’s huge.

  “Well.” Zac crossed his arms over his chest. “Spit it out, old girl.”

  Suddenly, two red eyes, like orbs of fire, began glowing from the top of the shape. Crimson droplets fell from two dark holes that appeared to be nostrils. Blood dripped from the tip of its barely visible horn, down the sides of its face, like a red melting candle.

  “Jesus, Minky. You really are fucking scary.” He shrugged. “I get why you don’t like showing yourself.”

  Flames shot from its mouth, followed by a sound that resembled the word ewe.

  “Sorry, what’s that? You want sheep? How many?” Minky probably had trouble sleeping lately. They all did.

  “You, stupid! She said you!” Tula wailed.

  “Me?” Zac pointed at his chest. “I’m sure that’s not what you meant.” He looked up at the creature, who raised a bloodied hoof and placed it smack in the center of his chest.

  “You…” it growled.

  Oh gods.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Oh dear. I can’t believe I’m on my third body in one week. What were the odds? And why hadn’t Colel’s human form been able to hang on just a few more seconds so she could hear whatever it was that Rys had to say?

  Wet and tired, Colel dragged her new, completely formed body from the cenote and carefully climbed the steep limestone walls. It was a warm, but drizzly day in the Mexican jungle, making the rocks extra slippery.

  Almost to the top, her foot gave way. “Sonofa…!” She fell backwards into the pool, landing twenty feet down with a splash. She swam back to the surface and gasped for air.

  “Dammit!” How the heck am I going to get out of here? She spun in the water, inspecting the circular cliff surrounding the water. This particular cenote was very ancient, once used by the Mayans as a sacrificial pool. Animals, pottery, jewelry, and even virgins were thrown in as offerings to the gods. Back in the Mayans’ heyday, sometimes she’d pop in and have to swim through a heap of garbage.

  Or body parts. Yuck! The weird thing was that as much as the gods tried to convince the Mayan priests that nobody they knew wanted virgin hearts, they just kept on doing it. Pretty much until they ran out of hearts.

  In any case, some of these cenotes were over a thousand years old, which made the walls slicker.

  “Colel, so nice to see you once again.” Rys appeared at the top of the cenote, staring down at her with his signature snarl. He wore a plain white tee and faded jeans that hugged every muscled inch of him.

  “Ohmygods. What are you doing here? How did you find me?” she asked, treading water.

  “The same as before. I can sense you, smell you.”

  “Over two thousand miles away?” If so, she might have underestimated their connection.

  “Kinich pointed me in the right direction. He’s a good man, by the way. He’s been helping my grandmother to really love her new body—hasn’t left her side.”

  “That’s wonderful,” she said. “So how did you get here?”

  “I got on a plane.”

  “No. I mean, how did you know which portal I’d used? Did Brutus tell you?”

  “Yes. Then I waited for three days.”

  His answer disappointed her a little. She’d kind of hoped he’d sensed her on his own. Maybe when he’d found her on the mountain, that had been all about his vampire nose. They were like bloodhounds. “Did you happen to bring a rope?”

  “First, we need to talk.”

  She spit out a mouthful of water. “All right. But could you make it quick? I know I’m immortal, but that doesn’t make drowning any more fun.”

  “What I have to say won’t take long. Before you ran out on me back on the mountain—”

  “I died. Froze. I did not run out on you, but I am sorry about that.”

  “It’s fine. Gave me a chance to really think things through before I made a mistake.”

  Mistake? Why did his tone sound like he was about to deliver some very bad news? “Okay…”

  “I wasn’t completely honest with you, Colel. I didn’t feel I could be until I understood more about the rules of your world.”

  “Which rules?” There were so many even she couldn’t remember them all.

  “About vampires. And what might happen to ones who are created against their will.” He paused and drew a breath. “My parents were attacked, and they did die, but what I didn’t tell you is that they came back.”

  Oh… “Vampires. They turned into vampires.”

  “Yes. And at first my brother, grandmother, and myself were in shock. We didn’t know such creatures existed or if there were territories or rules about making new ones. We didn’t know if this monster who created them would return and start making demands. We only knew what we’d seen in movies. And that they were thirsty. Especially the first few nights. It was difficult to wat
ch them change into animals, but they were my parents. I couldn’t turn my back. Not after they had their humanity stolen away.”

  “Oh, I’m so sorry.” She could only imagine what he went through.

  “We did everything we could to help them: we gave blood and we bought more from a local clinic—from a friend we have. During those first few weeks, while they got better at controlling themselves, I quietly started searching for the man who did this to them, hoping I might find answers. Or a cure. Perhaps even revenge.”

  “But?” Colel asked.

  He continued, “After a few months of coming up empty-handed, we all decided it was time to get back to some sort of normalcy. Life needed to move on, and our businesses needed attention. That’s when I proposed to Darla. We’d been dating for two years, and she said yes.”

  He’d been engaged? “Did she know about your parents?”

  “We all agreed to tell her. She couldn’t be part of my family and not know what she was getting into.”

  “She ran, didn’t she?” Colel was so wrapped up in the story and finally finding out what event had made him so bitter, that she hardly noticed the cramp in her toe as she kept herself afloat in the water.

  “No.” Rys shook his head remorsefully. “She became obsessed. She started reading every book she could get her hands on, hoping to help find a cure, to learn what powers they might have. She got caught up in the fantasy of it all. Not the truth, but the fantasy. I knew our relationship was in trouble when I caught her reading one of those vampire romance novels, some Fanged Love series. That’s when she started asking if I had considered having my parents change me.”

  Why do I feel like this story is about to turn into a bad B movie? And she completely agreed with him about those vampire romance books. In real life, vampires were dangerous, complicated creatures. Not for amateurs, the weak of heart, or squishy love fantasies. Well, except for that one I read about the librarian with the vampire assistant. That one was hilarious.

  He continued, “It was less than a week before our wedding, and that’s when my twin brother, Ryan, was stung by a bee. He was alone, loading flowers from the truck. Flowers for my own wedding. I arrived sometime after and found him lying on the ground.” Rys ran a hand through his dark hair. Clearly, the memories were still raw. “I gave him the EpiPen and tried CPR, but I knew there was nothing I or any doctor could do. He was already gone. No heartbeat. No breathing. Nothing. So I decided to take him to my parents, and I asked them to save him.” Rys bobbed his head and looked down at his feet. “It worked. And the moment Darla saw him—the spitting image of me, only a vampire, it was over for us.”

  Oh, wow. Now it all made so much sense. Rys’s hatred and fear of bees. His disdain for vampires. His raging case of the crankies.

  “Darla left you for Ryan,” Colel concluded.

  He nodded, but didn’t speak.

  “I’m so sorry, Rys.”

  “Not as sorry as I was. Shortly after that, my parents began feeling strange and acting out. Violently. Almost like they were during those first few nights as vampires. But this time, no amount of blood changed their mood—my poor grandmother was already terrified of them, and this didn’t help. Finally, we decided to lock them up before they harmed anyone.”

  Oh boy. I feel it coming. Brace yourself, Colel, for a horrible reveal. She cringed. “Your parents are locked up in the basement, aren’t they? That’s why you live in that smaller house instead of the mansion.” His rental home didn’t have a basement.

  He nodded yes. “It’s a nice basement though. I finished it myself—bathroom, fridge, cable TV—really more like a man cave.”

  Good to know they weren’t living in a cobweb-covered dungeon, but it was still a sad, sad story. For starters, he’d had to watch his parents turn evil. Second, it meant that his parents were not soul mates. If they had been, they would not have flipped. Three, he still had to take care of them.

  I hate this kind of drama. It’s no fun at all. It only made her sad.

  “And your brother, is he down in the basement, too?” she asked.

  “He and my ex-fiancée, who’s still human since he enjoys having a fresh supply of blood handy, are fine. He wasn’t affected by this disease you mentioned.”

  That could either mean that Ryan, his brother, and Rys’s ex, Darla, were meant to be—i.e., immune to the plague because they were soul mates—or the plague hadn’t reached Ryan yet.

  He added, “They live just outside town now and come by once a week to deliver supplies to my parents when my grandmother is out at one of her church meetings. She just can’t get used to seeing any of them like that.

  “I manage the family businesses since Ryan claims the sunlight bothers him too much, and someone needs to keep the flower shop and ski resort afloat. Darla is a painter, but doesn’t bring in much, so it’s just me supporting everyone.”

  Ah, so Zac was right. Darla is an artist. “So you own the ski resort, too?”

  “My brother and I own it, but he ran it until he couldn’t—or didn’t feel like it because he’s too into himself. My father was retired for the most part and only worked part-time with my mother at the shop unless he was plowing snow in the winter—more of a service to the community. I was in construction—built that house you were staying in with my own two hands. I’d planned to live there with my wife someday. Haven’t built much lately, though.”

  No wonder Rys didn’t spend much time smiling. “So every week, you have to stand there and watch your twin brother coming into your house, hand in hand with the woman you loved, the woman who chose him over you because she’s a dumbass who’s into vampires, while you work and support everyone. Or something like that.”

  “Yes.”

  Colel sighed. And now I see. So clearly it was like the Universe had shoved a telescope right up her ass. “You want to get her back. You want to win her now that you’re a vampire, don’t you?” Otherwise, he wouldn’t be standing here, sounding like he was about to let Colel down easy. Rys was taking his time to really explain his actions—an indication of feeling guilty.

  Rys looked away.

  Fuck. I’m right. The irony was that she’d created this situation. Had she never played all of the shenanigans with Rys, he wouldn’t have become a vampire. He wouldn’t be thinking about taking back his ex. “Can I come out now? I think I’ve heard all you have to say, and my toes are getting pruny.”

  “You said you could make me stronger, Colel. You said you could make me more powerful and in control.”

  Whatthewhat? Another goddess lightbulb flickered on. It burned bright and hot, scorching her all the way down to her very soul.

  Rys didn’t want to win this woman back as a vampire, he wanted to play a game of sibling one-upmanship. He wants to become a demilord to impress her.

  “Jesus, Rys. Really?” Of course, Rys had no clue what he was asking of her. He didn’t know she could only give him the light of the gods by breaking the law. Nor did he know she wouldn’t be able to keep it a secret. Her brethren would know the moment he entered her realm and joined their little community. Energy could not be created or destroyed. Only transformed. And when some of it transformed into Rys’s pieces, some of the gods would sense the shift. She would be exposed for her crime and punished.

  Colel sighed. What choice did she have? She’d told Rys she would do whatever it took to make things right. On the other hand, how could she feel like this, so filled with deep, soul-clenching attraction to Rys, if his heart belonged to another? How could he not feel it, too?

  Because, idiot, you were right. He’s attracted to you, just like you’re attracted to him, but he is not your mate. He’s just some guy you really like. And this was proof. He wanted to win back this Darla woman. That backstabbing, heartless, unfaithful bitch.

  But how can he possibly want her after all that? She’d betrayed him, which meant he was either dumb as a bucket of petrified turds, or his love for her was so powerful, it superseded his sense of
self-preservation.

  Well, Rys is not a stupid man, so…

  He continued, “Thanks to you, Colel, I have a chance to set things right. And now I know what’s happened to my parents. They will be okay once you gods fix this plague.”

  Colel was only half listening at this point. Now she was wrestling with the truth, trying to make sense of it all. During the kiss they’d shared on the mountain, he’d had her believing again that he might be the one.

  I mean, hello. I kissed a vampire and I liked it!

  Now, she not only had to give him up, but she had to assist him in his ultimate romantic victory? It was too much for her to take.

  “So. Are we doing this or not?” Rys asked sharply. “Because my damned stomach is eating away at my insides, and I don’t know how much longer I can hold off on killing someone. The bagged snack your brother gave me before I left wasn’t much.”

  Colel nodded her head of wet hair, but couldn’t look at him. I can’t believe I’m going to go to prison for him while he’s off making some vampire groupie happy. “Jump in. Let’s get this over with.”

  Rys removed his T-shirt, exposing his chest and abs. A circular tribal tattoo covered one pec and merged with another intricate design that covered his shoulder and muscular bicep.

  Colel sucked in a sharp breath. Dear gods, he’s magnificent. The hard mounds of his pectorals headlined for two rows of ridges etched deeply into his abdomen. A light dusting of dark hair started at his navel and disappeared beneath the—

  He shed his pants.

  “Disappearing no more,” she muttered, feeling unable to breathe right. Rys stood high above her at the edge of the pool, completely nude, allowing her a glimpse of the entire package. And his package.

  He’s beautiful.

  For as long as she lived, she would be unable to forget the man standing before her. His strong body ripped with muscles, the swells of his biceps, the long thick cock hanging between two powerful legs. He was not a man, but a creature to worship.

  All at once, Colel felt the cruel pain of loss and the fuel of desire playing tug-o’-war with her body and soul. She had never wanted anything as much as him. She had never wanted to fight for anything as much as this. But her heart kept telling her the same thing: If she cared, truly cared for this man, she would not behave selfishly any longer. It was her self-centered immaturity that had created this mess to begin with.