Real Vampires Don't Wear Size Six(34)

"I'm sober. What else do you need?" Ray glared at me as he pulled on his other boot.
"Proof you can stay that way. Damn, I wish we had vampire rehab." I stood in front of him, ready to knock him down again if he tried to get past me. Yes, I could call Nate to keep an eye on him, but a mortal didn't stand a chance in that situation.
"Maybe we do. Have rehab. Call Ian. He can set something up. He's a doctor and he's coming here anyway. Would that satisfy your urge to watch over me?" Ray stomped into his boots, then leaned back. "Hand me your phone and I'll put in his number, let you talk to him."
Ian was a medical doctor. And could be relentless. Maybe this would work. I dug in my purse and handed Ray my phone. "Do it. Dial his number."
"Shit. You really don't trust me." Ray obviously hadn't expected me to call his bluff.
"History tells me I'd be an idiot if I did." I smiled as he frowned and punched in numbers.
"Ian? Glory St. Clair here. I've got Ray Caine with me and he's in need of your help." I listened to the Scottish accent and ignored Ray's muttered curses as I described Ray's recent behavior and meltdown. "When will you be here?"
"That soon? Excellent. Oh, I'll tell him. Thanks so much." I ended the call, then smiled at Ray.
"He's flying out tomorrow at sunset. Seems he wants to help you. And needs you clean and sober if you're to be his lab rat for the daylight drug." I punched in another number. "Nate, can you have two shifters in the alley in five minutes? Ray's going home. He's sober now, and if you can keep him like that for twenty-four hours, Ian MacDonald will take over after that." I listened for a minute, smiled, then dropped my phone in my bag and pulled out a set of keys. "All set, Ray. Guess it's safe to give you these."
"What the hell?" Ray shook his head, then glanced at Rafe. "You hear a train whistle? I think I've just been railroaded."
"When Glory gets a notion, don't stand in her way. It's a done deal." Rafe grinned, obviously glad to see Ray headed out the door.
"Your car is in back. Your wallet is locked in the console." I tossed him the keys. "I'm also calling Damian. No more booze deliveries."
"Gee, Mom. What about my diaper change?" Ray got up and strolled over to face me.
"You're welcome." I knew Ray was mad, didn't blame him. And treating him like a child right now didn't sit well with me either. I reached out to touch his cheek. "I'm sorry if this seems unnecessarily rough, Ray. If I didn't care about you, I wouldn't bother."
He tried for a smile and failed. "Yeah, I get that. Don't think I don't appreciate what you've done. I hit a low. Falling off the stage may have knocked some sense into me." He glanced at Rafe, then pulled me into his arms. "Thanks, Glory girl, for everything." He gave me one of his "you can have all I've got" kisses and my knees buckled. He grinned, settled me into Penny's computer chair, and saluted Rafe as he walked to the door.
I watched him go, not sure it wasn't to his doom. God, if Caryon or Spyte decided to approach him themselves and offered a trade-soul for sunlight-what would happen? I didn't want to think about it. And then there was his drinking. He closed the door and I tore my gaze from it to Rafe. How many times had he watched a scene like that and felt left out of the mix?
I shoved myself to my feet and stumbled over to him. I collapsed on the couch and leaned against him.
"Rafe, hold me a minute? I swear I didn't feel a thing just then."
"You know, you could go to hell for lies like that."
                       
       
           



       Eleven

 

I didn't bother arguing with Rafe. When he was right, he was right. I just headed down the hall and scooped up a frantic Boogie who'd started clawing at Penny's bedroom door.
"I have fifty-three white rats in my apartment. I think I'm already in hell." I sat on the couch again and kept a firm grip on the cat, trying to soothe him.
"You're kidding." Rafe laughed. "I thought it reeked in here."
I punched his arm. "Penny related to the little things after the hilltop encounter with our demons. Now she's rescued the batch in her lab. Jerry's gone with her to get more cages." I sighed when Boogie finally relaxed and began to purr.
"I've been thinking about getting Simon away from his EV goddess. I sure hope he knows of a way to take her out, because gods and goddesses are notoriously hard to kill." Rafe tried to pet Boogie and was rewarded with a paw swipe that drew blood.
"But if anyone knows how it can be done, it would be the king himself. That's Simon. If he decides he wants to be free, maybe he can take Honoria out himself." I fought back my fangs as I inhaled the rich scent of Rafe's blood.
Rafe grinned and waved his bleeding hand close to my lips. "Go ahead, taste. I can see you're dying to."
"No, we're having a serious discussion."
"Which you can't concentrate on because you're staring at my blood." Rafe shook his head. "Go for it."
"What can I say? It's my thing. Thanks." I pulled his warm hand to my mouth and licked off the too few drops. "Now where were we?"
"I think this all hinges on whether Simon is willing to leave the EVs to have a relationship with his son." Rafe leaned back into his corner of the couch like feeling my tongue on his hand was no big deal. Oh, yeah? Fine. I stayed in my corner and kept Boogie happy rubbing his ears.
"Who wouldn't want to be close to a man like Freddy? He's smart, successful and handsome. Any father would be proud to call him son. Simon even offered him the post as his second in command." I realized that was a huge deal. There were others in the EV ranks who would have squawked about that if Freddy had accepted.
"All right then. But clearly the demons aren't going to be satisfied with just one soul. Shutting down that goddess should give Lucifer a shot at all the Energy Vampires."
"I get the heebie-jeebies just thinking about that hole in the ground with the strange noises."
"Yeah, well, I was hooked up to the legendary energy vacuum pump once. Not that I actually remember it. Just woke up with an empty stomach, what looked like a burn there, and Simon gloating over the fact that he'd just about drained me." Rafe glanced down at his hand. "Sorry it already quit bleeding. But if you want more, you can always bite me. Anytime, anywhere." He leaned closer and the cat hissed.
"I think the cat senses your former dog persona." I smiled, tired of worrying about Simon, demons, all of it. "Usually when someone says ‘Bite me,' it's not a come-on." I shook my head. "Let's stick to business, Rafe. I'm with Jerry now. End of story."
"Your story has many chapters, Glory. No end in sight." He ignored the cat and ran his thumb along the side of my neck. "I'm patient and here for you. If the Scotsman lets you down, keep that in mind."
"Rafe, you're going to get hurt and very tired of waiting." His warm touch disturbed me just like it always did. Then there were his dark eyes on mine, reading me, trying to see if I was tempted and seeking ways to take advantage if I was. If I was? It took everything I had to shift my body away from his.
"I'm going to call Simon and ask him to come to the shop. Freddy says Simon was turned down by the goddess when he asked to invite a female Energy Vampire, but Simon doesn't know I know that. I'll use that as my opener. But what if he just tells me over the phone to forget it?" I threw out the question in a desperate attempt to get this conversation back where it belonged.
"Before all this came up, CiCi called me about a surprise birthday party for Freddy. She wants to hold it at the club. I'm sure she didn't plan to invite Simon but you can mention it and tell him you have the perfect gift for Freddy. Claim you can pressure CiCi to include him on the guest list. That should bring him around." Rafe relaxed at his end of the couch. Apparently he'd seen enough of my confusion to be content.
"Yes, that should do it. Not looking forward to this." I shuddered and finally let Boogie jump down and run back to Penny's door.
"I can be there with you." Rafe moved close again and picked up my hand. "I'm allowed to use my own demonic stuff in this case without worrying about payback."
"I want to do this on my own." I slipped my fingers from his; this constant touching was not a good idea. "But we've got to have something to offer Simon in return besides this relationship with his son. He seems to have everything he wants as head of the EVs. What else would Lucifer have to offer him?"
"I thought you'd never ask." A man shimmered into view in front of us and I wished for my sunglasses. He glowed with a white light, almost blinding me. Finally he settled into a mortal form. But beautiful, so beautiful I wanted to reach out and touch.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Rafe held my hand again. "This is Lucifer, Glory. Just stay put. No sudden moves."
"Good advice, Rafael. You do the same." Lucifer smiled and his perfect teeth were a dazzling white. He had shiny blond hair, pale skin and brilliant turquoise eyes.
I licked my lips. I've known a lot of good-looking men, though my taste runs to muscular types who know how to fight. This guy was glorious, long and lean with hands that looked like they had never touched a sword or a plow. He was as pale as a vampire but without the fangs. While I watched, he added more muscles and stronger hands. Hmm. Perfect. I realized I'd leaned forward, straining against Rafe's hold on me.