Free 1 Dicey Grenor by Dicey Grenor

your
claim on me?”
    “It’s more like
one hundred now,” he said wistfully. “This anti-vampire sentiment has not been
good on my collection of beauties.”
    “You can always
replace them like you did the ones you exiled.”
    “I will not
dishonor them so. They were good, faithful brides who did not deserve such
human betrayal and cruelty. I am bidding my time…and then I will avenge them.”
    I turned towards
him, shocked. “I didn’t know you cared.”
    He was lying on
his side facing me, looking across the room. He’d added a black silk robe to
cover himself. The black accented his light blond hair elegantly, so much so
that I almost reached out to run my fingers through it.
    His emerald green
eyes lifted to mine in that moment.
    Shit, he’d read my
mind.
    He reached for my
face then dropped his hand when I flinched. “Of course, I care. What kind of
monster do you take me for?” He looked solemn. “I picked each woman personally,
indiscriminate of age, weight, height, race, class. I only required them to be
beautiful and I promised they would remain that way forever if they wedded me.
I was most honored when each agreed to join me in this undead life. Now they
are truly dead. Gone from this existence, from me.”
    This time I did
touch his hair, petting him lightly. Allowed his sweet
vanilla scent to permeate my senses. He leaned his head on my shoulder.
    “I’m sorry,” I
said. I really was. I’d never disliked the other brides.
    “You are the only
one of my brides who came to me, Willow. The only one who sought me out, who I
did not have to seduce, who begged to be turned. ”
    I tensed, suddenly
unhappy with the direction of this conversation. “That’s because I thought
being a vampire would cure me of narcolepsy.”
    “Yes. I know.
Still, you mesmerized me completely. How do you modernists say it? You knocked
my socks off. Not only beautiful,
but talented, independent, adventurous, strong-willed. The strong-willed
part is the hardest to deal with, but is nonetheless one of the things I find
attractive about you.”
    He grabbed my hand
before I could pull away and looked in my eyes. “I have summoned all my brides
and all the brothers of my lineage to come back to the clan. I need you all
near me so I can protect you. Besides, there is strength in numbers. Everyone
has returned…everyone but you. Come back to me, Willow. I don’t want to get word
of your final death as I have the others. It would hurt too much.”
    He kissed my
knuckles one at a time then held onto my hand a minute, admiring the contrast
of our skin complexions, mine caramel brown, his Celtic. About
as contrasting as zebra stripes. “I care too much,” he said.
    I’d be lying if I
said I wasn’t tempted. He could be so convincing, so persuasive…so sexy. But I
had a “life” here, and I was enjoying it. I enjoyed my independence, my
individuality, my job at Hades. And I think I enjoyed spending time with Remi .
    “I can’t,” I said,
turning away, too afraid of losing myself in him.
    “Just think about
it, Willow.” Then his voice hardened and he squeezed my hand so hard I thought
the bones would crack. “Don’t force me to go there and drag your ass back. I
will if I have to.”
    With that he was
gone.
    I held my hand
still until the last traces of his mental influence had waned and I could
wiggle my fingers again. Then I sighed and leaned over to cut off the
nightstand lamp. I wondered how long before he made good on his threat.
    “Oh, and Willow,”
his voice slammed inside my head, “stay away from that human. He’s nothing but
trouble.”
    Now wasn’t he the
pot calling the kettle black.

 
 
 
 
    Chapter 9

 
    Thanks to Max’s
thorough workout, I’d spent the rest of the day sleeping and dreaming. Which would hopefully keep my narcoleptic episodes at bay for a
good twelve hours or more. That was one thing he was good for.
    Unfortunately, my
dream had left me sad, confused, and wary. It