The Accidental Vampire(65)

"Oh." Elvi bit her lip. So much for being able to avoid him.

"Feed," Victor ordered, gesturing to the bag she still held in her hand.

Relieved at the distraction, Elvi allowed her teeth to slip out and popped the bag into

her mouth, then avoided Victor's eyes as she tried to sort out what to do. It was her

gaze sliding over the fireplace in the living room that did it. It was a very ornate

fireplace with ceramic tiles up each side and a carved wooden mantel. There was also

a mirror in a beautifully carved framed that belonged above it, but it had been

removed and stored in the garage five years ago. Now the empty space gave Elvi an

idea.

She waited until she'd finished a second bag of blood, then grabbed her purse and

announced, "Well, that's fine, but we'll have to talk while shopping."

"What?" Victor asked with surprise.

"I need to go shopping," Elvi said patiently as she moved toward the garage door.

"Mabel and DJ took the car," Victor announced, bringing her to a halt, and then added,

"we'll have to take my car. I had the men move theirs so I could park at the back in

case we need it."

Relieved he wasn't arguing, Elvi smiled and continued out of the house.

"So, what are we shopping for this time?" Victor asked as he parked in the local Wal‐

Mart parking lot several minutes later.

"A mirror," Elvi said. "I haven't been able to use one in five years. It would be nice to

be able to see that my hair isn't standing on end, and to do my makeup."

They fell silent as they entered the store and sought out the section they needed. Elvi

wanted a full‐length mirror. Actually, eventually she wanted a proper bathroom mirror

too, as well as to have the mirror in the garage put back over the mantel and so on.

But for the moment, a full‐length mirror seemed the more sensible buy. Reaching the

aisle where the mirrors were displayed, Elvi approached slowly, almost afraid at what

she would find, but then she steeled herself and forced herself to walk in front of the

first one, only to pause with amazement.

She was staring at a woman with long, vibrant red hair that fell around a lovely face in

soft waves. Her complexion was perfect, and so was her figure.

Damn, she was a fox, Elvi realized with amazement. She looked like Casey. How had

she never noticed that her daughter had taken so much after her?

Movement in the mirror caught her eye and Elvi managed to tear her gaze from herself

to focus on Victor as he stepped up behind her so they stood framed in the mirror, a

handsome couple. They seemed to compliment each other.

"So," she murmured, forcing her eyes away from him and continuing along the

selection of mirrors. "What about these laws?"

Victor frowned at her question. "I don't know if Wal‐Mart is quite the right place to be

discussing—"

"Why not?" Elvi interrupted with amusement as she peered over the various mirrors

offered. "Everyone in town knows about me, and these are laws you're going to tell

me, not the facts of life."

"Yes, but what if someone from out of town is shopping here?" he said grimly.

Elvi shrugged. "Then talk quietly. We're alone in this aisle right now. If someone joins

us, stop."

Victor hesitated, then she heard him let out a breath before he said, "Very well." Still,

he paused for a moment to glance around before saying uncomfortably, "Well, you

know the most important one."

"No biting mortals," Elvi recited, amused by his discomfort. She supposed he was used

to keeping everything secret and clandestine and thought she was probably lucky she

hadn't had to. When Victor remained silent, she murmured, "So far I like the laws. At

least that one, it gives me an excuse to put an end to the Birthday Bite celebrations.

They've always been more trouble than anything else, but they were expected and I

didn't want to disappoint."

She saw Victor's mouth tighten as he moved past her and wondered what she'd said to

upset him. Before she could ask, he was stopping at a mirror. He ran one hand down

the dark wood frame, his fingers gliding over intricate carving. "This one would suit the

house."

"Yes." Elvi paused to examine the mirror. The carving was very similar to the

woodwork in her house. It would suit very well indeed.

Victor watched her walk around the standing mirror, and then continued with the

lesson. "One of the other more important laws to you as a woman is that you're

allowed to have only one child every hundred years."

Elvi froze, her gaze searching out his face in the mirror. "What?"

Victor's reflection grimaced. "I know it seems harsh, but we need to keep the