Throw it in his face? Yeah, right. Ever read “The Girl’s Guide to Immortality”? A book I really should write someday. Rule number one: Never return gifts, especially expensive jewelry. A woman who may have to support herself forever needs all the help she can get. Okay, so I’d turned down that Mercedes Blade kept dangling in front of me. For purely practical reasons. Do you know what the insurance and upkeep would have cost me?

I smiled at Flo. “You should definitely keep it. Or sell it and keep the money if looking at it creeps you out.”

Flo slipped it off her finger and put it in my hand. “Sell it. I don’t want anything to remind me of that gut-sucking bastard. And I’ll use the money to buy something completely different.”

I jammed the ring into my pocket. “How are you feeling, Flo? Still in VV withdrawal?”

She nodded. “I’m really, really weak, like I want to just lie down and die. And yet when I lie down, I crave —” She looked at Richard again. “I hope this gets out of my system soon. I can’t stand feeling so out of control.”

“We’ll help you, Florence. Won’t we, Glory?” Richard turned the car onto a paved road. “We’ll be home in about an hour, with a few minutes to spare before sunrise. Lie back and close your eyes. Rest. You too, Glory.”

I was glad to close my eyes. Shape-shifting had really taken it out of me. Like I was drained, energy wise. Well, that was a good thing. Vow or not, it was okay to be too powerless for Simon to want me. I heard a soft snore. Valdez? I grinned. No, it was Flo. And wouldn’t she be mortified to know that? I closed my eyes and dreamed of Blade waiting for me at home. It had been a hell of a day.

Twenty-four

"I think Kelly must have had an EV lover.” Flo lay on the couch, a soft throw over her.

“Kelly?” Blade looked at me.

I nodded toward the stereo. “Kelly Clarkson, American Idol Season One.”

“Listen to this CD. The lyrics. ‘You’re like a drug . . .’ Not to mention ‘Beautiful Disaster.’ Simon. She must know Simon.” Flo picked up a bottle of Fangtastic, frowned, then put it back on the coffee table without tasting it. “Where’s Richard?”

“He’s googling.”

“What?” Flo sat up.

“He bought a new laptop, Flo. He took it home to do research on that building where the EVs are headquartered.” I picked up a map. “He’s found out a lot so far. It used to be a compound. A maharishi something or other built it. His group pulled out of Texas after the disaster at Waco.”

“Pah! This is a disaster. Ricardo should be here. Comforting me.” Flo laid a dramatic hand on her forehead. “I don’t want to think about Simon or the EVs. Maybe they will go back to Brazil where they belong.”

“Argentina.” Blade grinned. “You want a cold cloth for your forehead, Florence?”

I frowned at him. I knew good and well who’d have to soak the wash cloth in ice water. Again.

“Flo, honey, don’t you think it’s time you got off the couch? It’s been three days. Time to move on.”

“Three days?” Flo sighed. “It seems like three centuries. How did I ever let myself get so caught up—” She shuddered. “Thank God the withdrawal is over.”

I nodded. “We’re all glad it’s over. We hated seeing you suffer that way.”

Valdez bumped Flo’s arm with his nose. “You tore up your room pretty bad. I think I saw one of your fancy silver sandals under the bed.”

“My God!” Flo sat up. “I really was out of my head.”

“Listen. I’ve got to go down to the shop tonight. The art student’s coming back to study the mural for his dissertation. He would love to meet the artist.” I was perched on the arm of Jerry’s chair, leaning against him. His hand landed on my thigh. “It’s an amazing mural. He really admires your technique.”

“I’m a mess.” Flo touched her hair, then sniffed and wrinkled her nose. “It will take me at least an hour to pull myself together.”

“I’m sure he’ll wait.”

“Then I’ll do it.” Flo tossed the throw on the floor and hurried toward her bedroom, muttering something about her shoe collection.

I picked up the remote and turned off the stereo.

“That’s a relief. Flo’s played that same CD over and over again ever since we got back.” Valdez jumped up on the couch and settled into her place.

“Where’s Will, Gloriana?” Blade grabbed the bottle of Fangtastic, sniffed it, then took a swallow. “I’m sorry he hasn’t worked out better.”

“He’s across the hall. He and Lacy are whipping up a Thanksgiving dinner. Can’t you smell it?” Not working out? He’d made it to the EV showdown, but that was about all I could say he’d done right. Will was a persistent source of irritation with his shapeshifting and cooking. Producing delicious smells for foods that I couldn ’t taste. I’d even tried the virtual eating with him. No luck yet. He’d taste, I’d probe his brain and yet I couldn’t quite pull it off.

“Today was Thanksgiving. I guess the holiday doesn’t mean much to me.” Blade rubbed my arm. I threw up a block and remembered a certain Thanksgiving Day parade . . . Wrong man, wrong time. I hadn’t even bothered to tape the parade this year, like I’d done every year for decades so I could watch it when I woke up. Now that I knew why I’d been so hooked on it, I was over it. No withdrawal necessary.

“What it means to me is a big shopping day. The day after Thanksgiving. That’s why I’m opening at midnight. The holiday’s late this year, close to Christmas. We’re going to have a big after-Thanksgiving sale.”

“You’ve become quite a businesswoman, Gloriana.” Blade pulled me down to his lap and sent Valdez a mental message because he jumped off the couch and disappeared into my bedroom.

“Any word from Mara? Is she any closer to taking out Westwood?”

“No. And I’ve told her she’d be wise to give up for now. It ’s become an obsession with her. I’m afraid it will make her careless.” Blade ran his hand up under my short plaid skirt and rubbed my knee through my tights.

“You’re not going after her, are you?” I wished we had more time and I had on fewer clothes. I could feel Blade’s need for me against my hip. Our juicy reunion had been postponed because of Flo’s illness, some intense meetings with Frederick and CiCi and Blade’s own business interests, which had needed some attention after his long absence.

“No. She’ll probably visit her family in Scotland when she gets tired of stalking Westwood. Which should be soon. The man ’s impossible to get to.”

“Any word on Simon and the EVs?”

“You’ve made a powerful enemy there, Gloriana. I’m worried about you. You humiliated him and Simon’s obviously a proud man.” Jerry’s hand wandered even higher. “Frederick and Richard believe Simon will keep his word for now. Seems swearing on Honoria’s bible means more than you’d think. He breaks that vow and the EVs will be looking for a new leader.” Jerry frowned.

“But he left a loophole, the way he worded it. It didn’t hit me until after we had cleared out of there. He said ‘I’ not ‘We’ when he was swearing, like maybe he could send a hit squad out after you anyway.”

“Will we ever just get to live peacefully? No threats, no problems?” I deliberately put my fear on the back burner. Loophole. Of course. Simon hadn’t risen to king by being stupid. But I was not about to let EV worries ruin my reunion with Jerry. I ran my hand over his chest.

“We can dream.” He held me close and I felt the slow thud of his heart under my hand.

“Speaking of dreams, Will is upset. Seems he and Lacy didn ’t win the lottery last night. Did you really saddle me with an addicted gambler?”

“He’s a good fighter. And in a way, I was desperate. Hard to find a man who’ll play dog these days. And Rafael only has a few more months on his contract. I was hoping Will would work out. He has some serious debt and needs the money.”

My stomach churned. I was going to lose my latest Valdez? Do you have any idea how hard it is to break in a new bodyguard?

Not to mention that I’d grown really, really fond of my current furry friend.

“Well, my next Valdez will not be William Kilpatrick. For one thing, he won’t stay in dog form.”

Jerry frowned. “Yes, I noticed that. And have docked his pay accordingly.”

“And I also don’t fancy having Mara’s brother underfoot. He’s a wild card. Unpredictable. I need a Valdez I can bond with. I don’t see that happening with a man I’ve seen . . . as a man. Valdez, I mean Rafael . . .” I still had trouble with that name, but it did seem to fit. “Rafael’s just a dog with attitude to me because I’ve never seen him in any other form. I can deal with that.” I looked up at Blade. “Of course now that I’ve demonstrated my own awesome powers, maybe you’ll accept that I can take care of myself. No bodyguard necessary.”

Jerry shifted me until I sat facing him. “This body should always be guarded carefully.” He ran his hands up my hips and around my waist.

“When I think I could have been stuck as a pterodactyl . . .” I shuddered. “Those things are damned ugly. Good defense or not, shape-shifting is still not anything I want to do on a regular basis. Not unless there’s a dire need for it.”

“But you made an awesome winged dinosaur. Everyone who was there has talked of nothing but your magnificence when you dangled Simon over the dome. I know I’ll never forget the sight.”

“And I’m afraid Simon will never forget it either, you’re right about that.” I pushed myself off Jerry’s lap and held out my hand.

“But that’s something to worry about another night.” I glanced at the clock. “Valdez, get your furry butt out here.”