Dana Bell - Blood of the Maple

“To be your Renfield. Who did they send?”

He blinked, shocked. “Brian Cunningham.”

“Did you like him?”

“Was I supposed to?”

Not quite the answer she’d hoped for, and his wary expression hadn’t changed. Maybe he was waiting to see if he’d bond with Brian? “He’ll take good care of you.”

“So you approve of him?” She nodded, and something in him seemed to ease. “Then I’ll learn to live with him.”

She was charmed her opinion carried such weight. “Have you been to MM Night yet?” She blushed. Of course he hadn’t been yet. He’d only moved in two weeks ago. His nearness had flustered her.

“What’s that?” He stepped forward and took her hand. She allowed it, surprised at how right it felt. The only other person who’d touched her so easily was Glinda. She hadn’t realized until now how much she missed that.

“MM Night is Monster Movie Night. The whole town gathers once a month and puts on an oldie-but-goodie. Then we ridicule it relentlessly and laugh our asses off at how much Hollywood got wrong.”

“Sounds like fun.”

“It is.”

“When is the next one?”

“Tomorrow night.”

“Excellent.” He lifted her hand and kissed the back of it. Butterflies danced through her at the touch of his lips. His faint British accent rolled through her, warming her from the inside out. “Then it’s a date.”

She blinked up at him, shocked. When had she agreed to go out with him? She wasn’t that dazzled by his voice. “Date?”

He bowed. “I look forward to seeing you. Good night, my sweet.”

She opened her mouth to argue, but he kissed the back of her hand again, effectively filling her stomach with those damn butterflies. What on earth was wrong with her? She never had trouble telling a man no.

She watched him walk away, drawn to his strong shoulders and sculpted ass. “Oh boy.” She drifted back into the house and curled up on top of the covers, barely remembering to kick off her shoes first. The memory of Parker’s touch lingered as she tried to drift off.

She had a date. With someone who didn’t have to be blackmailed first.

It shouldn’t have surprised her when she smiled, but it did.

“I have a date tonight.”

“The pretty next door? What did you do, use your freaky vampire powers and cloud her mind until she said yes?”

Parker ignored Brian’s choked-off chuckle. Already Brian and Greg had teamed up against him, damn them, and it had only been a day. “No, I did not use my freaky vampire powers. I used my freaky British powers. I speak, and women fall in droves.” He struck a dramatic pose and waited.

“Yeah, they do. Fall on their asses laughing.”

Brian looked up from the mail he was sorting. He’d taken over the kitchen table temporarily until Parker could get him a desk. No way was Brian taking over his. Parker had everything exactly the way he wanted it, so the Renfield would need his own workspace. “I’ve always been a sucker for an accent.” He shivered and waggled his brows. “There’s something about a man drawling naughty words in an Aussie accent while he—Ahem. Never mind.” Brian bit his lip and fingered the mail. Parker didn’t want to know what Brian was remembering. It might scar him for life.

Greg’s low snarl made Brian grin secretively. Brian buried himself back in the mail, but not before Parker caught his quickly hidden look of satisfaction.

Why Parker was getting mail all of a sudden was a mystery, since he’d had none since he moved in. Maybe the city council had held on to it until his lackey—er, Renfield— was properly in place. While Parker slept, Brian had quietly moved into the bedroom next to his office. When Parker had gotten up that evening and headed to the kitchen in nothing but a pair of boxers, Brian had already been sitting at his kitchen table and flirting with his ghost.

Parker smoothed his hair one last time, eager to begin his date. “How do I look?”

“Edible.”

Parker rolled his eyes as Brian once more choked off a laugh. “Thank you. I think.” Greg had never commented on his looks when he was alive. He wondered if Brian’s presence had anything to do with the change. “What time does MM Night start again?”

Brian looked at his watch. “You have half an hour. Do you need a bite before you go?”

“Might not be a bad idea. I wouldn’t want to try to munch a philodendron on the way. Might confuse my date.”

“Maybe. Maybe not.” Brian pulled out a bottle of maple syrup and poured it into the blender. The familiar routine sent a pang through Parker. He remembered Greg standing just so, smirking as he prepared Parker’s nightly meal. “Carnations or roses tonight?”

“Roses, I think.” Parker snipped some leaves and added them to the syrup.

Brian picked up the lancet pen and pricked his finger with practiced ease, then added a few drops of blood to the mixture. “Anything else?”

“That should do it.”

Brian put the lid on the blender. “Look, there’s something you need to know about Amara.”

Brian’s concern was worrisome. “What’s wrong?” Parker was ready to dash next store and check on her.

“She’s…different.” He sighed. “Look, not everyone in town likes her. She’s—damn it, how do I say this?”

“Please tell me she’s not crazy.”

Brian rolled his eyes. “No, far from it. But Glinda kept her kind of isolated, and she’s had a rough time because of it. She doesn’t have a lot of friends, despite being one of the sweetest women I know. I don’t claim to understand what Glinda was thinking, but I do know she adored Amara, so she was trying to protect her somehow.”

“Was Amara in danger?” Parker leaned against the countertop and stared out the window at the Victorian.

Brian tapped the top of the blender. “Glinda never married or had children of her own. She was pretty old when Amara came into her life, and she saw Amara as her daughter. It’s possible she was protecting her from a threat that wasn’t real. Of all the people I know, Amara is the one I trust most to take care of herself, but you’ve seen her. She looks like a stiff breeze would blow her away.”

“Has anyone laid a hand on her?” Parker’s beast rumbled, ready to shed blood for her.

Brian bit his lip. “Not that I’m aware of.” He sighed. “Look, I just thought you should know you might encounter some problems when you go out tonight.”

Parker smiled viciously. “No. I won’t.” He’d make sure Amara had the best time possible tonight, even if he had to bang a few heads together.

“If you say so.” Brian hit Liquefy, stifling any further conversation until the loud sounds of the blender died down. Brian poured the concoction into a mug and handed it to him with a flourish. “Drink up.”

Parker took the first sip. “It’s good.” He swallowed some more, enjoying the energy that raced through him. “Thank you.” Brian flushed with pleasure. “You’ve done something like this before.”

Brian smiled. “Usually they want my neck, not my blender skills. But yeah, I was a Renfield for another vamp, however he decided he’d rather have someone else.”

“Why?”

Brian cupped his hands in front of his chest. “My tits weren’t big enough.”

“Ah.” Parker finished off his drink and rinsed out the mug. “Will you be at MM Night?”

“I certainly will. I promised to show Greg around town afterward if you don’t need us.”

Parker blinked. “Really?”

Was Brian… blushing? “Really.”

“All right, then.” Parker hoped his astonishment wasn’t written all over his face. “I’m off to pick up Amara. Do me a favor and put the blender in the dishwasher before you go, and I’ll see you later.”