Page 56 of Blind Date with a Werewolf
She looked at him then. “What?”
“That’s almost exactly what I thought,” he said, letting her see him relax into the leather seat. “Apparently, they were worried I was not getting out enough. To that end, I have dated aghost hunter, a botanist, a cat lover, and a vampire in the past three weeks.”
The car gave another jerk. But Mrs.Alvarez just frowned at him.
“Vampire?” Her voice was intent, as if that word were very important.
Humans for the most part did not know about vampires. It was safer for everyone that way.
You like her, the wolf accused, alarmed.
We have killed many whom we liked and a few I have loved, Asil reminded the beast.
Yes.
“His name is Kelly. He is about your age,” Asil said, “and not a real vampire. It seems there are groups of people who pretend to be vampires at the college in Missoula. I found it most amusing.”
Not real vampires. Her interest faded.
“And tonight you will date the wife of a very rich man who enjoys it when other men have sex with his wife,” she said, smiling at him, though her eyes held only despair.
“Ah,” Asil said. “Is that what is going on?”
“Yes,” she said. “And no. I won’t have sex with you.”
He considered her.
“You’ll still get paid,” she said.
“That doesn’t matter,” he responded kindly. “I assure you I am not here for the money.”
“Enough of that,” she said grimly. “We have a charity ball to get through.”
She took refuge in describing what the duties of a gigolo were at a charity event where her absent husband was still themost important person. She did not use the term “gigolo,” so maybe it was an old-fashioned word that had not survived the twentieth century the way “swinger” had.
He listened patiently until she was finished.
“Tell me, Mrs.Alvarez, who are your parents?”
She blinked at him. “That is a very personal question.”
“The rules for my dates were not made by me,” Asil said, not-lying with all of the skill of one of the Gray Lords of the fae. “I require certain information.”
“My father is an Italian businessman. My mother was a casual lover who had no more interest in raising a baby than he did. I never met her—I understand that she died a few years ago. He paid for nannies, boarding school, and education. Then he married me to his very good friend.”
The last sentence was spoken so neutrally that it must conceal a tide of emotion.
She is Mariposa’s daughter, growled his wolf with something akin to desperation but closer to rage.We donotfeel sorry for her.
Asil ignored the wolf. Her father was Italian. Italy was a populous country, of course. There was no need to jump directly to a specific Italian. Except, maybe there was.
During that business where Bran disguised himself and ran around Italy like an idiot who wanted to cause the downfall of stability for the whole of the supernatural world both here and in Europe…Asil controlled himself and continued the original thought…during the time Bran had spent in Bonarata’s court, he had seen a witch-spelled collar that allowed Bonarata to control werewolves. A collar that sounded like the onesMariposa had made to control the big cats. Had Mariposa provided controlling collars to Bonarata, or had she learned how to make them from whoever provided Bonarata with them? If there were many witches who could make such collars, Asil would have heard of them.
Mariposa and Bonarata?
Bonarata is not this woman’s father.The wolf’s voice was dark.
And correct. Vampires did not have babies in the conventional sense. That didn’t mean that they couldn’t claim them. Bonarata, the Renaissance condottiere who ruled the vampires, collected helpless creatures he thought would be useful to him.
