(Glory St Clair 11) Real Vampires Say Read My Hips (34 page)

Damn it, was I the only one worried about being overheard? Luckily no one on the street seemed interested in us so I just took off. I kept imagining Charis getting mad and shooting fire at someone before I could catch up with her. Sixth Street was famous for its late night bar action and the girl did love her alcohol. Would I have to mesmerize a crowd of strangers to forget whatever the hell stunt she pulled? It made me tired just thinking about it. As I strode toward the bright lights of the clubs, I kept looking for her. Rafe’s nightclub was one of the busiest and I had a feeling Charis would notice and want to get in. The bouncer at the door surely would turn her away, looking like she did without I.D.

“Hey, Glory. Long time, no see.” The bouncer, Ed, hugged me and waved me in. “We’ve missed you. Afraid you missed Rafe. Boss is gone for the night.”

“I know. I saw him earlier. I’m looking for someone else. A little blond. She’s my sister, actually.”

“You must mean Charis. She’s inside. Once she told me who she was, I let her in. I know how it is. Can’t tell age by looking.” Ed winked. “Not with our kind of crowd.”

“Sure.” Ed was a shifter and looked thirty but had a few hundred years under his belt. He was almost seven feet tall and just the kind of intimidating presence that Rafe liked to have man the door. He and I both knew vampires that would forever look like teenagers because of when they were turned. Obviously Charis had implied that she had the same excuse and weaseled her way inside. But what was she using for money? I thanked Ed and moved into the club.

No worries about money for my beautiful sister. She had two men buying her drinks at the bar. As I walked toward her, she spotted me and pulled one guy onto the dance floor. Obviously she wasn’t ready to leave. I decided one dance couldn’t hurt her and sagged onto her empty bar stool.

“Dance?” The man she’d left at the bar held out his hand.

“Thanks, but I’ll wait here.” I flashed my engagement ring at him so he’d know why I wasn’t interested. “That’s my sister dancing with your friend. She needs to come home now. Our father is arriving for a visit and she needs to be there.”

“Too bad. We were having fun.” He looked out to where Charis was showing that she knew how to make her body rock. The way her butt moved suggestively, it didn’t take a mind reader to know any male seeing her would want to tap that.

“I’m sure she’ll be back.” I was glad when the song ended. I waved Charis down. She shook her head. When I slid off the bar stool like I was going to come drag her off the floor, she shrugged and walked toward me.

“Already? We just got acquainted.” She smiled up at her dance partner. “This is Tony and I guess you met Lance.”

“Not formally.” I smiled at both of them. “We have to go. Dad is going to meet us at the apartment.”

“Why?” She got a mulish expression and picked up her martini, throwing it back in a long swallow. “I just got down here and now…”

“I’m calling him and it’s not about you. So come on. We haven’t had time to go over some rules.” I smiled. “She’s under age. Did she tell you that?” I waved at the bartender, an old friend. “I need to have a talk with all the people here. But you two had better be careful. Wouldn’t want you to get in trouble buying alcohol for a minor.”

“Glory, just shut the hell up.” Charis stomped her foot when the two men backed away, hands up in surrender. “No, she’s lying. I’m way older than I look. I’ll be back tomorrow night and I’ll have documents to prove it.” She turned so fast she broke one of her high heels. “Shit. Look what you made me do.”

I did look her over. Somewhere between the shop and the bar she’d snapped on a low-cut top and a mini skirt that barely covered her butt. With the high-heeled shoes she seemed closer to twenty-five than sixteen. She’d added makeup too—smoky eyes and red lips. I just hoped she’d stepped into an alley to do it. Now she snapped and her heel was back on. Had anyone noticed? I pulled on her arm and got the hell out of there.

“Charis, you must stop doing that. The snap thing when mortals are around.” I was hissing like a furious cat but what could I do? She kept bumping into me and trying to jerk out of my grasp. I wasn’t about to let go and was glad I had my vamp strength back.

“And
you
must stop treating me like a child. Under age? What the fuck is the right age? Can you tell me that? I’m over a hundred, Glory. Want me to start telling people that?” She knocked me against a brick wall and I finally stopped.

“Okay. Thanks for not sharing that with the men and the bouncer at the club.” I leaned against the cool brick and took a breath. Vampire. I looked around and saw Jerry grinning at me from a few feet away.

“Would you hate me if I said that was pretty funny?” He stepped closer and put his arm around me. “Glory? Are we going to have a house guest?”

“If it’s okay with you.” I gave Charis a warning look. “She’d like to stay until the wedding. Be my Maid of Honor. Or at least that was the plan until she started making me crazy.”

“Glory, I--” Charis stopped when I held up my hand.

Jerry examined Charis and didn’t seem impressed. “You heard her, Charis. You want to stay, you’re going to have to do what your sister says. Can you handle that?”

“Blade.” Charis nodded, as close to a bow as she’d get to a mere vampire. “Thank you for allowing me into your home. I know it is yours too.”

“Yes, it is. But this is Gloriana’s decision.” He looked down at me and smiled. “She has always wanted a family. I wish she’d found one that was more… loving.”

“Jerry.” I kissed his cheek. How well he understood me. “Charis, he’s right. I
have
always wanted a family. Jerry is my family, of course. And my friends are also part of it. You and Mars can be a big part of it, but not if all you do is cause me grief. It will hurt me to have to send you back. I will miss the chance to know a true sister. But I do have to live here. Austin is our home. We can’t be constantly looking over our shoulders, worrying about what stunt you might pull or trouble you might bring down on us.”

“I get it. You pretend to be mortal here.” Charis sighed. “It’s a drag to have to hide my powers. I’m proud of them, you know. But I can do it if those are the terms. I want a sister too.”

“Okay, then. Please go on upstairs and wait for us there. I need to talk to Jerry for a minute. See if you can get Mars to come down. I do need to talk to him and not about you. Do you remember the security code?”

“I remember.” She smiled at Jerry. “I’m sorry about the fight with Kratos. You should have won. But my best friend loved Kratos and has him now so it all worked out.” She waved a hand and started down the sidewalk.

“Interesting woman.” Jerry watched her walk away. “That’s a very short skirt.”

I pinched his side. “You’re not supposed to notice.”

“I’d have to be dead not to notice.” He grinned. “You’d look good in a skirt that short. No underwear. And when you bent over I’d…” He whispered the rest in my ear.

I was sure my face went pink. But I liked the idea and planned to surprise him one night in our bedroom with an outfit just like that.

“Now let me tell you what’s coming upstairs.” I leaned against him. “Miguel is waiting for us.”

“Cisneros? Why?” Jerry wasn’t a fan. He couldn’t forget that Miguel had spent a long time killing for a living.

“He has many of the same powers that I have. We think he’s related to someone in Olympus, Jer. And, it’s crazy, but it may be Mars too.” I leaned back to look at Jerry’s face.

“He might be your brother?” Yes, Jer was incredulous. “After all these years alone, you could have even more family?”

“I know. Seems impossible but I noticed a similarity when I saw them together Halloween. Mars was part of the Mayan religion back in the day and that’s Miguel’s background. Let’s go up and find out.” I took Jerry’s hand and headed for the apartment.

“You can just call Mars and he’ll come?” Jerry punched in the security code for the building when we got there.

“He promised he would.” I trudged up the stairs in front of Jerry, sure he was watching my butt. When he squeezed it, I wasn’t surprised. I turned around at the top and threw my arms around his neck. “I love you. Have I said that lately?”

“Can’t remember.” He kissed me deeply, making me want to drag him into a storage closet somewhere and take advantage of him. He pulled back and smiled. “I love you too, just not all of your family. Your mother--”

“Can we table that discussion for later? I really do need to deal with this Miguel thing now.” I pressed a finger over his lips, not unhappy when he dragged a fang over it.

“But we
will
have that discussion, Gloriana.” He reached past me, frowning when he realized the door was unlocked. “So much for security.”

“When I am here, there is no need for any other security, Blade.” Miguel stood on the other side of the door, ready to take on whoever had pushed the door open.

“So you say.” Jerry shouldered past him. “But these women need to get in the habit of coming in and arming the system.”

“You are right.” Miguel nodded. “It is the wise thing to do.”

“Is he here?” I stepped between them. “Where’s Charis?”

“In what you call the man cave, Glory.” Alesha had changed clothes and was in the blue shirt and jeans. She looked beautiful and I noticed Miguel watching her. “She is looking at that bride’s show again.”

“Oh, good grief. Please go get her. I’m calling Dad myself. He promised to come if I needed him.” I gestured to the living room. “Miguel, please have a seat. Jerry, you want to be in on this?”

“Might as well. Your family will become my family after the wedding.” He gave Miguel a look like he’d rather suck a rat dry.

“Do you think we might be related, Gloriana?” Miguel looked delighted. “Wouldn’t that be interesting? You and me brothers-in-law, Blade.” Miguel laughed, one of the few times I’d heard him do it. “Glory is more than you bargained for, isn’t she?”

“I can take it.” Jerry settled on the couch and pulled me down beside him.

“I don’t know, Miguel. Let’s wait and see what Mars says.” I was suddenly nervous.

Alesha came in with Charis on her heels. The housekeeper handed me the remote for the TV. “It was the only way I could get her to come.”

“The handmaiden has gotten completely out of control.” Charis flounced over to a chair and fell into it. “Can I have it back after this?”

“No.” Jerry took it from me. “There’s a TV in the spare bedroom, Charis. That’s yours. Leave my man cave to me and Gloriana. If we invite you to join us for a movie, then you can come. Otherwise, it’s off limits.” He smiled. “Got it?”

I waited while Charis swung a high heel from one foot and fidgeted with her hands. Yes, she could shoot fire with her fingers upstairs. Could she do it here? I had no idea. But it would get her a one-way ticket back to Olympus and she finally figured that out. Maybe she read my mind. I hoped not.

“Fine. Any other house rules, Blade?” She remembered to smile after she said that.

“I’ll let you know.” Jerry just kept smiling and toying with the remote. “And call me Jerry or Jeremy. Blade is too formal if we are to be family.”

“Thank you, Jerry.” She nodded but still looked like she wanted to grind a stiletto into someone’s instep.

I was proud of myself for not laughing as I looked at the ceiling. “Mars, can you come down here? We need you.”

Mars winked into view on the other side of the wooden coffee table. “Is this a surprise? Did you remember that October fifteenth is my fête day? In Rome they used to celebrate my day with chariot races.”

“No, um, sorry.” I gestured for him to have a seat in the remaining upholstered chair.

“Tell me you at least sacrificed a horse.” He plopped down with a frown, glancing back when Alesha gasped. “What? They picked one that was on its last legs. A good soldier doesn’t waste a decent steed.” Mars smiled at me and took note of everyone else in the room before frowning at Alesha again. She stood wringing her hands. If I knew my housekeeper she was trying to decide whether to offer my father refreshments or not. “Still there? Go clean something, girl. Or sit. Don’t just stand there gaping at me.”

“Alesha, why don’t you go outside and look around? This would be a good time to see what’s on Sixth Street.” I felt sorry for her. She didn’t even have a bedroom here. I was going to have to do something about that. Had I brought her to a life no better than slavery?

“Thank you, Glory.” She nervously smoothed down the front of her blouse.

Jerry got up and dug in his pocket. “Here. Take some money. There’s a convenience store a block down. Maybe you’d like to buy some personal items while you’re out. Take your time.”

“Thank you, Mr. Blade.” She flushed and stuck the money in her jeans pocket, then hurried to the door. We heard her set the alarm before she shut the front door.

“She’s learned about security anyway.” Jerry slung his arm across my shoulders.

“Can we get on with whatever brought me here?” Mars was eyeing Miguel. “Is it about him? I’ve seen him before. At that club. Last Halloween.”

“Yes. I remember. You were dressed much as you are now.” Miguel’s look was disapproving. “Don’t you have clothes more appropriate for a visit to Earth?”

“Yes. But I wasn’t planning to stroll the streets. And who the hell are you to ask me such a question?” Mars’ eyes were as hard as Miguel’s.

“I think we may be related.” Miguel stood and walked over to Mars’ chair. Of course the god wasn’t about to let someone stand over him so he got up to face Miguel. I couldn’t help noticing a resemblance again. Now, with them so close, it was like Miguel was a harder, sharper version of Mars, but with the darker coloring of his Mayan ancestors.

“Related? How is that?” Mars was looking Miguel over good.

“You ever spend any time with the Mayans?” Miguel leaned against the wall, which gave Mars enough space and he decided to sit down again.

“Of course. One of my titles was Kukulcan. Who do think has his picture in the center of that calendar the Mayans carved?”

“Kukulcan?” I leaned forward.

“The feathered serpent. The priestesses would make sacrifices to him.” Miguel straightened from the wall. “My mother was one of those priestesses.”