Lynsay Sands - The Reluctant Vampire

Grimacing at the thought, Katricia continued checking out the rooms. She found the one with Teddy’s suitcase and smiled faintly, thinking it was the room she would have picked too. It was the last on the left with the window overlooking the driveway, where he could easily look out to see who was approaching should anyone come up the driveway.

It was a good defensive position and his cop instincts were showing in the choice, she thought with a smile, before pulling the door closed and moving back up the hall. Her eyes widened slightly when she found Teddy kneeling by the fireplace, situating a couple of pots at the edge of the fire.

“What are you doing?” she asked curiously, moving up behind him to peer over his shoulder, but inching back a bit when she sensed him stiffening.

“Experimenting,” he said gruffly, straightening and stepping around her to get back into the kitchen. “Boiling water to make drip coffee and heating chicken soup. It’s not the usual breakfast fare, I know, but beggars can’t be choosers.”

“Clever,” Katricia murmured, watching from the fireplace as he walked into the kitchen and began to measure coffee into a filter.

“Hardly clever,” Teddy said with amusement, setting his coffee fixings aside and rifling through the box. “More like desperate. I’m useless without my java.”

“Java?” Katricia asked, warming her hands at the fire.

“Coffee,” he explained, and then said, “Since you’re over there, keep an eye on the soup for me, will you?”

“Sure,” Katricia said, watching him cross to the table to put on his hat and scarf.

“I’m going to go see if I can get my truck door open and the engine started so I can charge my phone,” he explained as he moved to the door. “If I can get the phone hooked up, I can call Marguerite and see if we can’t get the power back on.”

“Marguerite?”

Teddy paused to glance her way in surprise. Probably because she’d barked the word in her surprise, she thought, and grimaced to herself. Clearing her throat, she asked more calmly, “Who’s Marguerite?”

“Marguerite Argeneau, a friend. She arranged for me to rent this cottage. I want to call and find out who I should report the power problem to,” he said slowly, still eyeing her a little oddly. But then he shook his head and turned to walk out into the vestibule to put on his boots. He pulled the door closed behind him and Katricia stared at it, biting her lip.

She had a cell phone. It was in her pocket and had been since she awoke, and yet she hadn’t once thought of using it. . not even to check on her blood delivery. That more than anything told her just how upset she’d been since finding she couldn’t read Teddy.

Muttering under her breath, she pulled out the phone, but then paused and simply stood there listening until Teddy finished donning his boots and stomped out of the cottage.

Katricia then turned to give the soup a quick stir before moving into the kitchen to peer out the window. Spotting Teddy by the door of his pickup fiddling with the lock, she quickly pulled up contacts on her phone and found her aunt’s listing. Marguerite answered on the second ring, her voice cheerful and happy as she said, “Hello Tricia, dear, how is your vacation going?”

“I can’t read Teddy,” Katricia blurted, not bothering with niceties.

“Oh, how lovely!” Marguerite didn’t sound at all surprised. “I hoped the two of you would meet. Isn’t he a handsome man?”

“Yes,” Katricia breathed. Teddy Brunswick was the most beautiful man she’d ever met. Of course she might be biased since she couldn’t read him and suspected he was her life mate. It tended to color things. Still, he was handsome.

“He’s so dignified-looking and such a gentleman. I’ve seen pictures of him when he was younger and I promise you he’ll be even more gorgeous after he’s turned. He-”

“Does he know about us?” Katricia interrupted, zeroing in on what was most important to her. If he knew about them, she could just tell him she couldn’t read him, then jump his bones and find out for sure whether he was her life mate or not.

“Yes, he does, dear. He’s the police chief in Port Henry, a nice little town where your Uncle Victor now lives with his Elvi. Many people know about us there. You can let him know what you are. He won’t be horrified.”

“How much does he know exactly?” Katricia asked. “I mean, does he know about life mates and such?”

Marguerite hesitated briefly, and Katricia was sure she was about to say no, but instead, her aunt said, “Well. . yes, he does know about that, dear. However, it might be a good idea if you don’t blurt out that you can’t read him until he’s gotten a chance to get to know you a little better.”

“What?” Katricia asked with alarm and then almost whined, “But why?”

Marguerite chuckled softly, “I know it’s tempting to just tell him that he’s your life mate and so on right away, but-”

“Is he?” Katricia interrupted eagerly.

“Is he what? Your life mate?” Marguerite asked with surprise. “I thought you said you couldn’t read him?”

“Well, I can’t, but sometimes mortals can’t be read because- ”

“Teddy is very readable,” Marguerite interrupted soothingly. “In fact, you’re the first immortal I’ve heard of who can’t read him. Even Elvi and Mabel are beginning to be able to read him, and they’re still quite new to this business.”

“Oh,” Katricia breathed and bit her lip. “But then why shouldn’t I tell him-”

“He’s mortal, dear,” Marguerite interjected gently. “It might be a little much for him to handle so soon. Maybe just let him get to know you a little better first. You don’t want him jumping in his truck and heading back to Port Henry in a panic.”

“He can’t,” Katricia assured her, and then quickly told her about the tree blocking the road and the power outage.

“Oh dear,” Marguerite breathed when she finished. “I’ll call Lucian and have him send some men to clear the road and-”

“Oh, no, don’t do that,” Katricia said at once, and then explained, “If the road’s cleared he might leave. Besides, right now I’m staying at his cottage and sharing Decker’s food with him. If you clear the road-”

“There won’t be any need for you to both be at his cottage,” Marguerite finished for her with understanding, and then paused briefly before asking, “So you have heat and food?”

“Yes.”

“I suppose there’s no real urgency to clear the road and get the power back on then,” Marguerite murmured. “But call at once if the situation changes and you need things fixed quickly.”

“I will.”

“I’ll call Bastien about the blood delivery though,” Marguerite went on. “They can bring it in by snowmobile. Perhaps they can even arrange for a snowmobile to be brought for the two of you to use. That way you can still share the cottage but also leave to get provisions if you need them, or even just get out for a meal so you don’t get cabin fever.”

“That would be nice,” Katricia said, a smile curving her lips as she imagined Teddy sitting behind her on a snowmobile, his arms wrapped around her as they roared off into town for groceries or dinner. Or even herself on the back holding onto him as he drove them back. In her experience, men tended to prefer to drive and she was willing to share. . especially if it meant getting to ride with her arms around him and her chest pressed to his back and-

Dear God, I’m pathetic , Katricia thought with a shake of the head. “Are you sure I can’t just tell him? He might be all right with it if he knew.”

“He might,” Marguerite agreed uncertainly. “I just think it’s better to err on the side of caution. This life-mate business is such a delicate thing. I’m just suggesting you maybe wait a day or two. Right now you’re a stranger to him, dear.”