Jerry smiled. "You just took it from me. How'd you like the beat-down?"
Rafe growled, obviously about to launch himself at Jerry again.
"No!" I jumped between them. "I've got to get to the shop. Apparently Ray and I are an item again, according to the tabloids, and all hell has broken loose down there."
"Seems hell has broken loose up here too." Penny stared around the room in dismay. "You didn't bump into my computer, did you?" She picked her way to the kitchen table and anxiously checked the new setup there.
"See? See what you've done? Is this an example to set for a fledgling, Jerry?" I thumped him on his bruised chest and had the pleasure of seeing him wince. "And, Rafe, get that smile off your face. You threw the first punch and owe me for half. Make no mistake about that." I grabbed my purse, which, luckily, had been in a chair safely near Penny's computer. I stomped back to the bathroom door and held out my hand. Ray, having just ended a call, slapped the phone into it.
"Nate coming?"
"No. He's pissed at me. Says for me to stay here and dry out." Ray shook his head. "What the hell is the matter with him? Where's the loyalty?"
"I think you drank it, Ray. Right out of his veins." I clomped into my bedroom, picked up the bag of Blud-Lite that Ray had obviously unearthed from my hamper, and hefted it. "This is coming with me. Take Nate's advice and dry out. I'll check in on you later. You and I are a couple again." I brushed my hand on his cheek. "Sorry, sweetie. I know this is going to be rough. Please try to stick with it."
His answer was a lunge for the bag that made him stagger. "Glory, I need to leave and work on my research at the lab at school. My computer is okay now, but . . ." Penny glanced at Jerry and Rafe.
"Oh, they are both leaving. Immediately. Don't touch this mess. One or both of them will come back later and help me clean it up." I grabbed the doorknob and opened the door. "Am I right?"
Jerry nodded. "Of course I'll be back. Don't expect the shifter though."
"We still need to talk. I don't want her involved with these demons any more than you do, Blade. I told her that." Rafe glanced at Jerry, then me.
"Yes, well, I can't let them torture you when I . . ." I shook my head. Jerry didn't need to know the details of why Rafe had lost his cool and used his powers. "You're my friend. I don't abandon friends who need me. Get it, Jerry? Ray, you hear that?"
"Glory the good witch," Ray muttered as he staggered over to fall on the couch. "I hear you. Thanks, I guess."
"Gloriana, you need to think about this." Jerry glared at Rafe. "Valdez is letting you off the hook."
"I know. Not accepting that. Now I've got to get down to the shop." I shoved them both out to the hall. "I suggest you each go upstairs, shift and disappear that way. I have a feeling the paparazzi will be camped on my doorstep waiting for a Glory sighting. I really don't want to be seen with either one of you looking like you've been mugged. They'll assume Ray took you on and won."
"Hey, I like that." Ray grinned, but the effect was ruined when he lurched to his feet and ran into the bathroom. We could all hear him heaving into the toilet. Uh-oh.
I hurried to look in on him. "You okay?"
"Yeah, yeah. Get out of here. Clear everyone out. Guess it's what I deserve." He looked up at me, a towel in his hand, his face pale. "The fewer who see me like this, the better. You dig?"
I ran cool water on a washcloth and wiped his face. "I really will come up and check on you in a while. There's plenty of regular synthetic if you feel like it."
He grabbed my hand. "Thanks, babe. I know you and Nate mean well."
"Yeah, we both love you." I brushed his hair back from his face. "Need help getting back to bed?"
"No, think I'd better camp out here next to the john for a while. Go. I mean it." He leaned back against the bathtub, managing to flash me. Ray as usual noticed me looking and winked. "Or stay if you can get rid of the brawlers out there."
"Gloriana?" Jerry was suddenly behind me in the hallway.
"I'm coming. And you're leaving." I shook my head at Ray and pushed Jerry toward the door. When Jer leaned toward me as if he thought to kiss me good-bye, I held up my hand.
"No, not going to happen." I whipped out my compact, checked my lipstick and dabbed some translucent powder on my nose. "You're bloody and I'm mad at you. Penny, will there be mortals at the lab?"
"Uh, no. Too late for that. I'll be alone. I've got a key card and the security code. This won't be the first time I've gone in late to work." She picked up her laptop and stuffed it and some papers into a canvas bag. "And I drank two bottles of synthetic in case I run into anybody."
I stared at her, pretty sure she was up to something, but just didn't have the time to deal with her right now. "Okay, take off and make it soon. Ray would like some privacy. Just don't mess with any mortals. Remember the council's termination policy."
That got her attention. "Yeah, sure. Just need to do something in the lab. Not thirsty at all." Penny glanced at the bathroom. "Will he be all right?"
"Hopefully. Try to ignore him and just go." I wasn't sure I trusted Ray not to try to talk her out of her cell phone to get some alcoholic brew delivered. I didn't say it, just got both men out the door, slammed it, then waved my hand at a frowning Rafe and Jerry. "See you both later. Don't call me, I'll call you."
I strutted down the stairs, the effect ruined when I had to drag my bag of Blud-Lite behind me. Did you think I was going to toss it down the garbage chute? Are you kidding? That stuff costs the earth. I'd just stash it in the fridge in the back room of my shop. I braced myself, then opened the door to the outside. Sure enough, there was a gaggle of cameramen lying in wait for me.
"Glory! Is it true you and Israel Caine are back together again?"
"Glory! Where's Caine? How is he? What hospital did you take him to?"
"Glory! Look this way! Tell us about Caine!"
I held up my hand. "When Ray was hurt, I couldn't just stand by, not knowing how he was, whether he was seriously hurt. Naturally, I rushed to his side." I put on a stricken face and it was funny how silent these creeps got, the only sound the clicks of their cameras.
"Imagine how horrified I was to see the blood under his head as he lay on that hard concrete, so still, looking almost"-I took a shuddering breath-"dead." I dabbed at my eyes, careful of those temporary lashes and trying not to drop my sack or my purse. "But head wounds do bleed profusely, even when they're not serious." I sighed. "Thank God Ray's injury wasn't." I smiled. "He's fine now. Just resting after a concert and, admittedly, a rough fall." I waved and stepped toward the door of the shop.
"Glory! Are you two back together? Did this tragedy spark a new romance?"
I stopped in my tracks. "I will always love Israel Caine. Who doesn't? His music speaks to me. And"-I looked down at my feet and that damned heavy bag of booze I'd finally had to set down-"he's so very charming." I looked up again. "But we'll just have to see how things work out. Ray and I agreed to go our separate ways a while back. It was for the best then and it's probably still for the best. I'm just a simple shopkeeper. The life of a rock star is pretty intense. I'm afraid his lifestyle isn't for me."
"But, Glory, he did move to Austin. Don't you think that meant something? That he wanted to put things back together with you?" This from a local reporter who'd been pretty good about promoting Ray's music and was definitely a fan. I didn't mind answering him.
I smiled. "Ray's a complicated man. And Austin has a great music scene and good studios. He likes Austin. And we'll always be good friends. Now I've got to go to work. You want to help me? Spell the name of the shop right. Vintage Vamp's Emporium on Austin's Sixth Street. Bring me more business." With that I shoved my way through the crowd and made it into the store.
Wow. And the place was full. Nothing like being a rock star's main squeeze to pull in business. I stashed my booze and my purse in the back room and went to work. It was great therapy. I could almost forget for a while all the stuff going on in my life. Yeah, right. That is until CiCi, the Countess Cecilia von Repsdorf, dropped by to pay me a visit. Talk about perfect timing. CiCi was Simon Destiny's ex-lover and the mother of his son. She could give me the lowdown on how things were between the EV leader and Freddy, his son.
"Cheri, you are radiant. I guess the rumors are true then? You are with this sexy rock star?" CiCi looked me over.
I had to admit I'd picked a dress in Jerry's favorite blue, a color that brought out my eyes, and in a style that hugged my waist. Of course the deep V-neck got attention where it needed to be and not on my hips. I was still dodging those full-length mirrors but had known I wouldn't be able to dodge those cameras.
I looked around and realized we were in a lull. "Come in the back with me and I'll tell you all about it." Since my best bud Florence was still out of town, CiCi was a good shoulder to cry on. I led the way to the back room.
"Gossip, I live and breathe for it. Tell me all." CiCi sat on the only chair, happily accepting one of my bottles of booze while I stuck to the straight stuff.