Page 32 of Big Enough to Bite
I saw the way Tilda looked at Max back at Mari’s house. Now I see the interest is reciprocated. I’m not a matchmaker, but I can see how those two might be a good fit. “I think she might have been a shifter of some kind before Pierre got his hooks in her.”
“I didn’t know vampires could turn other monsters.” The hair on the back of Max’s neck stands up.
“Me neither.” I shrug and point to the locked door. “Let’s give the ladies a break.”
Jumping up as soon as she sees me, Mari rushes over and throws herself into my arms. “He’s intolerable.”
More subdued, Tilda rises. “He really is.” She walks out and down the hall.
Pierre kicks the bars of his cell. “I need blood. If you don’t give me what I need to heal, what does that say about you? You’re no better than what you’ve accused me of.”
I spin to face him. “Shut that mouth before I tape it up again and have your feet manacled just for a bit of fun.”
Eyes wide, Pierre closes his mouth and slumps against his cot.
With a long breath, Mari sighs. “You are my hero.”
“It sounds like my dearest friend is a hero to this entire town.” Ion’s familiar voice is a welcome relief. “My new friend, Chief Martinez, has been filling me in on the events of the last two days.”
Without releasing Mari, I reach my hand out to shake his. “It’s good to see you, Ion.”
“I’m sorry it took me so long to arrive. The world has gotten smaller, but Nepal still required several flights and car rides to get here.” With just a touch of gray at his temples, Ion might look like a man in his early forties at first glance, but anyone who spends any time with him would see he is much more. Tall and lean, with broad shoulders and a strong jaw, Ion Radu is among the six who were originally cursed to be vampires.
A whimper echoes from the jail cell.
Mari faces Ion. “I’m honored to meet you, Mr. Radu.”
He cups her cheek in a fatherly gesture. “It’s Ion, remember. It’s a pleasure to meet you, too, Mari. I’m sorry you were put through so much. Perhaps I should have dealt with Pierre long ago, but he has a way of staying out of the spotlight and moving on at the right time. I could have chased harder.” He turns to Tilda, who returned with him and the chief. “I should have for your sake, my dear Tilda. The beauty of what you were should not have been stilted. It need not be permanent.”
Tears fill her eyes. “He made me an abomination. My feathers will not come.”
With a sigh, he says, “I will help you see that you can be both what you were born to be and what was forced upon you without disgrace and with self-love.” He looks around and makes a face. “Perhaps we can move this meeting to more pleasant surroundings. There is much to discuss.”
After so many years of living our lives separately, I’d love the time to catch up. “I’m sorry, Ion. I can’t leave Pierre here without someone who can control him when he recovers.”
“Open the cell, please.” Ion looks at Max.
The chief clears his throat. “You won’t kill him, Mr. Radu.”
“Of course not.” When the lock clicks, Ion steps inside.
Pierre scuttles back on the cot, eyes wide and voice high and whinny. “Forgive me, Ion. I am only doing what I was made to do when those you sired turned me into a vampire. It’s not my fault.”
“This is not so, though I’m sure you believe it.” Leaning down, Ion takes Pierre’s manacled hands and nicks the skin with his fang. “Sleep now and do not move from this cell when you wake.”
Pierre’s eyes close, and his expression relaxes.
“He’ll be out for a few hours and won’t leave that cell even if you leave the door open.” Ion steps out.
Max locks the cell. “It’s not that I don’t believe you, sir. It’s policy to keep prisoners’ cells locked.”
With a smile, Ion nods. We all walk back to the chief’s office, though Max stands just outside the open door in case he has to take action.
It’s as if a great anvil of weight has been taken from me now that Ion has Pierre in thrall. Ion has always brought order to my life when I needed it most.
Tilda frowns. “I thought vampires can’t put other vampires in thrall.”
In his very sage way, Ion nods. “That is true of all vampires except the original six, of which there are only two left, including myself. I can put any creature in thrall, though I am generally a big proponent of free will.”
