Chapter 19

Confronting Remy made Ephie felt sick to her stomach. She didn't like confrontation. It made her want to run away. It had ever since the night he'd proposed.

Flashbacks of that night filled her head.

He opened his mouth, then closed it and shook his head. "Let's sit down and discuss this."

She was too upset to move. "What are you lying to me about? Just tell me. Then I'm packing my bag and leaving."

"You don't have a car."

"I'll rent one. Stop changing the subject and answer me."

He raked his hand through his hair and closed the door behind him, locking it. "A man named Abraham Turner has threatened you and your mother. It was her idea that you come back here with me so that you'd be out of town and away from the danger, but I'm not so sure it worked out that way. I really do not want you to leave."

"Why? What do you care?"

He took a step toward her, his brows bent in concern. "Ephie, I know you're mad at me right now, and I don't blame you for that, but I do care about you. I always have. I can absolutely protect you."

"I can protect myself." Even as she said it, she knew it wasn't true, but she had some pride. She wasn't completely helpless.

"Maybe you can, but Turner is a voodoo practitioner. One of the letters he sent your mother contained a feather laced with toxin. He meant to do her serious harm."

"Why?"

"Because she put him in jail and he believes that if she testifies on his behalf at his next parole hearing, it will be enough to sway the parole board into granting it."

"My mother will never do that."

"I know. Which is why you both need protection. She's spoken to the police commissioner and assures me steps are being taken."

"What did Turner do? I don't remember him, but then she's never told me much in the way of specifics. How bad is he?"

"Pretty bad. He's a gangster that runs crews throughout the city. Gambling, drugs, women—he's into all sorts of things. Your mother put him away for manslaughter, but it was just a scratch on the surface of the things he was truly guilty of."

Some of the wind left her sails. "How much trouble am I in? And don't sugarcoat it. I want to know the truth."

He came closer. "I believe you're in serious trouble. I also believe Turner would hurt you, and probably even kidnap you, in order to get your mother to do his bidding. Are you in trouble? Yes, I think you are."

She shivered involuntarily.

Remy put his arms around her. She didn't resist. He held her, speaking softly. "I will not let anyone hurt you, Eph. I swear it on my life. Please, don't go. Stay with me."

There was no fight left in her now that the weight of the truth had been laid upon her. "I don't like that you were keeping all of this from me."

"I didn't like it, either. I was going to tell you tonight, but you were too tired for a big conversation. I figured I'd do it first thing tomorrow. Please believe me, I hated keeping this from you. But your mother was against you knowing. She didn't think you could handle it."

Ephie scoffed as she pulled out of his embrace. "Of course she didn't. She barely trusts me to cross the street on my own."

She folded her arms over her chest and stared toward the backyard. She was still mad, but she knew how her mother operated. Ephie had every reason to believe her mother had found a way to threaten Remy into doing what she wanted.

"I'm sorry, Ephelia. I really am."

His use of her full name and the sincere tone of his voice got her attention. She turned toward him. "I know you are. I know how my mother works. What did she threaten you with? Or don't you want to tell me?"

He laughed humorlessly before answering her. "You really do know your mother, don't you? Better, I'd say, than she knows you." He frowned. "She threatened to turn me in to the local vampire council for being in New Orleans. No exceptions, not even for emergencies. Certainly not one related to a human. According to the council, I cannot be within city limits for more than twenty-four hours for another sixty-eight years."

She blinked in astonishment. "Sixty-eight years? What did you do to deserve that?"

"Nothing. It's just a precaution applied to all vampires so that no one notices we don't age. We can't reside in the city for longer than forty years at a time, either. Once we do, we have to leave for eighty years. A generation must pass before we take up residence again."

She had no idea such things existed. "What about this place? How long can you be in Nocturne Falls?"

"For as long as I like. There is no local vampire council here. This town is owned by a family of vampires, and they never set one up. I guess they were tired of those kinds of rules, too. But this town is also magically protected so that humans won't notice if someone doesn't seem to age."

"So you can live here for the rest of your life, if you like?"

He nodded. "I can."

She liked the town even more now. It seemed so unfair that New Orleans had forced Remy out. And that he might be penalized for returning to see a dying friend. She went toward the front windows, reaching to pull the drapes back so she could look out.

"Don't do that."

She stopped where she was. "Don't do what?"

"Don't go by the windows."

"Are you trying to frighten me on purpose?"

"No, not at all. But there was a car out there earlier…" He chewed the inside of his cheek. "Might not have been anything, but I can't be sure. It took off before I could get a better look."

She backed away, a new fear welling up inside her. "You really think Turner's got men here? Looking for me?"

"I don't know. They could be tracking your phone."

Her phone. Which had somehow gotten turned off when they'd been driving. "You turned my phone off before we left New Orleans, didn't you?"

He nodded. "I did. Just in case."

"You know I've had it on since we left the hotel."

"I know. I couldn't very well ask you to shut it down without explaining what was going on, and your mother had forbidden that."

"My mother." Ephie rolled her eyes. "I'm going to turn it off right now, then you and I are going to deal with this. Does this town have a twenty-four-hour drugstore?"

"It does. What do you need?"

"A pay-as-you-go phone, since mine's about to be unavailable. I also need a box and, as soon as possible, a visit to the post office. If they want to track my phone, I'm going to use that to my advantage. I'm going to mail my phone back to my apartment. Let them think I changed my mind about getting out of town."

He smiled. "I had no idea you could be so cunning." He nodded. "I like it."

She flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Thanks. First, though, I'm going to see if they really are tracking my phone. If they are, I might be able to get some information on them."

"How?"

She arched her brows. "You know I graduated with a degree in computer science, right? Magna cum laude, too, by the way."

"I knew that was what you were studying, but I didn't know about the magna cum laude part. Smart and beautiful. Impressive."

If he was trying to get back on her good side, it was working. With a smile, she rubbed her hands together and wiggled her brows at him. "Watch and learn, my vampire friend. Watch and learn."

She headed to the guest room with him following close behind. She had to fire up her computer, then connect her phone and run a few tests, but she'd make sure she was protected first so anyone monitoring the phone wouldn't detect her activities.

"So," Remy said. "Does this mean you're not mad at me?"

She abruptly stopped, almost causing him to run into her. "I'm not mad at you. Like I said, I know how my mother works. How she manipulates situations and people. You're a victim in this, too."

"I wouldn't say I was a victim, but I'm glad you aren't mad at me. I felt terrible about not telling you the truth."

He was only a few inches away, the woodsy-clean scent of him filling her senses. She was reminded of her earlier resolution, one she'd forgotten about because she'd fallen asleep. But she was awake now.

And what better time than the present to see how he actually felt about her?

She leaned in, laced her arms around his neck, and kissed him full on the mouth.