“Knowing Gorman, he’ll start screaming about his Second Amendment rights.”
Saber shrugged. “Tell him it’s that, or he’s out of the club, and that you’ll inform me that he is conspiring to commit murder.”
Reggie gulped. “You’d trump up charges against him?”
“I’ll do what I have to do to keep Cesca safe.”
Reggie jerked a nod. “All right, but let me ask you something. Gorman is riled up about this Jo-Jo fellow coming back to town, and about rumors that a whole lot of vampires are moving here. How much of that is true?”
I couldn’t help rolling my eyes. “Jo-Jo,” I said firmly, “is doing a benefit here Saturday night and leaving again on Sunday. As for the other, there are no masses of vampires moving to St. Augustine that I know of.”
“And if more vamps were to move here,” Saber said, “they have the right to live where they want so long as they comply with VPA regulations and obey the same laws all of us do.”
Reggie and Phil reluctantly agreed, then turned their attention back to me.
“You really have no intention of setting up a nest?” Reggie asked.
“Mr. Princeton, even if I wanted to, which I don’t, my cottage isn’t big enough to house a vampire nest.”
Phil hooked a thumb over his shoulder. “What about the big house?”
“That’s Maggie’s home, not mine.”
“It seems Gorman has misinformed us about a lot of things, Ms. Marinelli.”
“Will you keep him in the fold?”
Reggie cracked a wry smile. “As long as you remember this was your idea.”
“Or until we get fed up enough to knock him off ourselves,” Phil added.
Reggie and Phil said cordial farewells and had just closed the gate when Hugh Lister stormed through the jasmine hedge. I braced myself for his onslaught.
“What did those two Covenant men want?” Hugh demanded.
I blinked. “You know them?”
“Know of them. Did they threaten you?”
“Uh, no.”
“Good.”
“Good? I thought you hated us.”
“I hate your loud parties and your late night shenanigans, and I don’t trust you one little bit, missy.”
“But?” Saber asked.
“I’ll be goddamned if some two-bit hate group gets away with scaring you off.”
Mouth open, I watched Hugh slam back into his house before I looked at Saber.
“Bless his holy name.”
TWENTY-ONE
028
Friday night’s tour went off without a hitch, other than that I again spent as much time signing autographs as I did telling ghost stories.
Kevin, Caro, and Leah showed up and made three more than we were supposed to have, but I didn’t complain. I introduced them to Mick and Janie, and Kevin showed off some of the video he’d shot during the tour. This time, he’d caught a few white shadows hovering around me and other members of the group, but nary a hint of a black shadow. Saber teased me about Kevin as we walked home hand in hand.
“I think you’re starting to take the wounded under your wing like Neil says Maggie does.”
“Kevin’s a little weird, but he’s not wounded.”
“And Jo-Jo was wounded and a lot weird, but he grew on you.” Saber grinned. “And then there’s Snowball.”
“Oh, no, bud. I’m not taking the fall for Snowball. I felt sorry for her, but you’re the one who named her.”
“Okay, you’ve got me there.”
I grinned. “I’ve had you a lot of places.”
“Yeah, you have,” he said, drawling out his words. “Want to go for a new one?”
Saber said he had to check on Neil’s place, but what he did was seduce me into Neil’s solar hot tub for a romp. Even with his arm still in the cast, the hot tub was another reason to love Saber’s soon to be new house. Later, while Saber slept back at my place, I killed time before picking Jo-Jo up at the regional airport by first working on my design classes, then playing with Snowball. She spooked me a few times when she stopped batting a toy to stare at the door, arch her back, and hiss, but I sent out feelers and didn’t sense anyone there.
Except for the third time when I heard Pandora chuff on the patio. If Snowball had been a dog, she’d have gone on point. I scooped her in my arms and cracked the door. Pandora in her full panther size sat smack on the threshold.
“Where have you been?” I spoke softly enough not to disturb Saber. “I thought you were supposed to stay nearby.”
Old Wizard had need of me, but you have been safe.
“Old Wizard?” Then I remembered. “Oh, the guy who’s at the big meeting. The guy you, um, live with. Right.”
The time of the first resolution is near. Be prepared to claim your power, Princess Vampire. Pandora rose and turned.
“Come on, Pandora, give me a straight answer. What the hell is the first resolution?”
I will be there when you need me.
She padded toward the gate.
“When I need you for what?”
Silence.
“Pandora, it really ticks me off when you do this.”
More silence. Snowball relaxed and batted the feather toy I forgot I held.