car. Of course, he'd spotted her.
"I was, just checking for… er… aphid damage," she answered lamely.
"Oh" He looked uncertain, and then glanced toward the house when the door opened
and Edward, the blonde with the British accent, came out.
Elvi shifted as he approached. She really had no wish to meet him yet.
"Well," she said cheerfully, taking a step back. "I have to check the plants at the side of
the house. See you later, Teddy."
Turning abruptly, she hurried around the side of the garage, and then stopped. The
street was empty. There was no sign of any of the men anymore. It seemed she
wouldn't be following anyone.
"Damn," Elvi muttered as she continued on around the house to the entrance to the
lower sun porch and passed through the room to reach the back deck again A glance
toward the driveway showed Teddy and Edward pulling out onto the street.
"Oh, there you are!" Mabel stepped out of the kitchen and smiled. "I wondered where
you'd got to. Are you feeling any better?"
"Yes," she lied. The truth was she had a bit of a headache, probably caused by
frustration, she thought on a sigh.
Mabel nodded, then glanced upward, taking in the starry night. Her gaze then swung
to the yard beyond the large deck and she commented, "I was thinking of having a
fire."
"The guests would probably enjoy that," Elvi murmured.
"They're all out, I think," Mabel announced. "Getting their cars."
Elvi was sure the bearded friend of Victor's was still in the house, but didn't say
anything and simply followed Mabel to the woodpile to help collect wood.
"Why don't you go get us some drinks while I get the fire started?" Mabel suggested
once they'd moved a small pile over to the fire pit.
Elvi turned away and headed to the house. Mabel was better at starting fires anyway.
She had finished pouring the drinks and was just trying to open the kitchen door
without spilling them when an arm reached past her and pushed the screen door
open.
"'Allow me."
Elvi paused and turned to glance at the man who'd helped her, the bearded friend of
Victor's.
"DJ," he introduced himself with a grin. "And you're Elvi."
.. She nodded, unable to resist smiling in return despite tie blush that rose up on her
cheeks. The man's grin was infectious. "What is DJ short for?"
"Dieudonne Jules," he answered promptly.
"Dieudonne?" She echoed thinking it a beautiful name. "You're the friend, not one of
the…er…"
"Suitors," he supplied gently.
She pulled a face, but nodded.
"Alas, yes, this is true. I'm just here to support a friend," he said, then sniffed delicately
and glanced down at the glasses she held.
"Wine?"
"For Mabel," she explained.
"It smells good."
"Yes." She inhaled the scent and sighed with regret that she couldn't have it. "It's the
house wine."
"House wine?" he queried.
"We make it ourselves," she explained.
"Really?" His eyebrows rose and he asked, "Am I allowed to have a glass?"
Elvi stared, caught by surprise. She'd thought he was a vampire too, but it seemed he
was just a mortal, supporting his vampire friend like Mabel.
She'd barely had that thought, when Elvi recalled that he'd been heading off to grab a
bag of blood when Victor had left for the car. Thoroughly confused, she opened her
mouth to ask what exactly he was when the door to the garage opened and Victor
entered.
Elvi's gaze slid first to his ear and neck, noting the bandage was gone and the wound
completely healed, and then her attention slid to the rest of him. She hadn't paid much
attention to his looks earlier; she'd been too upset by the iguana attack, and then
startled by his being a vampire. Now she took him in properly, and felt herself inhale
deeply. The man was gorgeous. Tall, with wide muscular shoulders and sexy as hell
with that longish hair and the tight dark jeans and T‐shirt he was wearing.
His most striking feature, however, was his eyes, a startling silver blue color she'd
never seen before. They were beautiful, big and framed by long lashes. Women would
kill to have his eyes.
"Breathe," DJ whispered by her ear as he took the glasses from her suddenly shaking
hands.
Elvi flushed and forced herself to look away from Victor. Reminded of DJ, she forced
herself to concentrate on him and asked, "You want wine?"
He'd said as much, of course, but she was asking again just to be certain she wasn't
misunderstanding anything.
"If it wouldn't be a bother," he said with a nod.
"I'll have one too, if you're offering," Victor announced, moving around the counter to