their little vampire games!”

  “Talk, talk, talk, blah, blah, blah!” Steve sighed. He rolled back his lips to bare his fangs. “I think you’re right, sis. Maybe she is worth breaking the rules just once. I mean, I didn’t see any piece of paper.

  Did you?”

  “Nein, ” Minerva said.

  “And pretty soon you won’t see anything,” Steve cooed in Gail’s ear. “And you, servant, you aren’t getting any ideas, are you? I forgave you once, but if you come at me with so much as a toothpick, I will snap your neck and use your skull as my next punch bowl. We clear, Renny-boy?”

  Gail whimpered and cried as she struggled desperately against the wild-eyed vampire, but he didn’t so much as budge no matter how much she squirmed. After a few seconds of delicious agitation, Steve used one arm to gently stroke her neck and push the hair off her throat.

  “Isn’t this that romantic fantasy you human girls have?” Steve whispered in her ear. “You act all scared and innocent, but isn’t this what you really want? Just relax, and I will make this the most gentle and pleasurable experience of the rest of your short little life.”

  “Help, please!” Georgia cried as Gail screamed again.

  “Oh, be quiet!” Steve snapped. “Who the hell is going to come save you from the secret little trap that you set up, sweetheart?”

  “I will, you Jaeger brat!” a new booming and decidedly British voice said as the back door flew open. Both girls squinted as a tall, dashing figure stood in the blinding floodlights pouring in from the alley. The only feature Gail could make out was a glowing halo of bright ginger hair.

  Georgia took advantage of the second’s surprise and wrenched free of Minerva. Gail remained frozen in abject terror.

  “Take your hands off the girl, Stefano,” their hero said. “And if you so much as look at Miss Sutherland in a manner I do not like, I shall be most cross with you.”

  “Gingersnaps, is that you?” Steve asked incredulously. “Are you threatening me or something?”

  “I said, take your hands off the lady,” Geoffrey Lambley said as he strode into the room. Minerva tried to stave off a giggle when she saw the pudgy little man walk in with a puffed-out chest and his hands raised in adorable little fisticuffs.

  “Oh, this is rich,” Minerva said. “What are you doing here, Geoffrey?”

  “I said, let her go,” he said, still advancing. Minerva’s grin faded a little as she saw a new resolution in his firm brow and grim set jaw.

  Steve tossed the girl to the side, where Georgia picked her up and dragged her to the far side of the bar. Both of them peeked over the edge to see a terrified Ren scrambling to join them, while one Mr.

  Geoffrey Lambley stood face-to-face with the taller, younger, more muscular hunter and his Kung Fu master of a sister.

  “That’s Mr. Lambley?” Gail gasped.

  “Shh!” both Ren and Georgia said at once as the three vampires began to circle each other and size one another up.

  “You really need to butt out of this, Gingersnaps. If you could have just kept your assistant in line in the first place—”

  Geoffrey responded with a satisfying bitch slap right across Steve’s face. “You? You dare to talk to me about control? You come to my city, come into my home, and you try to steal the one person of importance in my life and you expect that challenge to go unanswered? I knew you couldn’t stand that Miss Sutherland saw right through your dizzying array of lies and poppycock and preferred the company of your far more capable and, from what I’ve heard, far more satisfying servant to yours.”

  Minerva giggled. She stopped as the violent redhead turned to her. “And you, how can you indulge your younger brother and his obsessive schemes? I thought you knew better than that. You disappoint me greatly,” he said in a voice so withering that the blonde actually retreated.

  Steve rolled his eyes. “Stop your blustering, Gingersnaps!” he said. “Step aside and let me drain the outsider, and then if you want, you can help me take care of the little tramp—”

  This time Geoffrey’s slap turned the younger vampire’s head.

  Steve once more made a move for the girls, but to his utter shock,

  the scrappy shorter vampire decked him. Steve tried to swing back, but the Pendragon easily dodged and gave him a solid round of body blows.

  “These girls are under Pendragon watch, so unless you want to face not only me but the entire wrath of my family, I strongly suggest you take your skinny little Jaeger bottom and get out of my sight!”

  Steve snapped his hands out and grabbed the redhead by the collar. All the witnesses watched in wonder as Geoffrey didn’t so much as flinch. He continued to stare right through the Jaeger with a glare more like two pure green daggers rather than his normal dewy eyes.

  “There is something different about you, old friend,” Steve said as he let go.

  “You know better than anyone who I was and who I will be again soon enough,” Mr. Lambley growled. “Do you really want to cross me?”

  “This is your mess then, Gingersnaps. You have to clean it up, or your little minx will end up at the bottom of the Charles,” Steve warned.

  “Get out of here, both of you,” Geoffrey snarled. The two Jaegers took a moment to straighten their clothes and wipe up the blood.

  Minerva motioned to the shocked Ren. “Let’s go,” she barked.

  Georgia grabbed Ren’s hand and looked pleadingly in his eyes.

  “Please, just stay with me. Mr. Lambley—”

  Ren brushed her away. “The only thing you ever wanted to do was run away. I should have known you wouldn’t have what it takes to survive in our world,” he said coldly.

  “Ren!” Georgia begged.

  “I guess I wasn’t worth it,” Ren snapped bitterly. “I should have known better.”

  Gail watched as Georgia was left wiping away tears as Ren walked out the back door with his Jaeger masters. As soon as they were out of sight, Mr. Lambley let out a deep sigh and flopped onto the sofa.

  “Oh my, that was intense, wasn’t it?” he said. “Dear Georgia, are you all right?”

  The other girl finally came out from behind the bar. Gail threw herself at the vampire’s feet. “Thank you!” she gasped.

  Georgia pulled out her phone and finally hit the end-call button.

  Mr. Lambley responded by pulling a Bluetooth earpiece out from under his tangle of hair. He let out a weak little wave. “You must be the mysterious Miss Gail I’ve heard about all night.”

  “You were listening all along?” Gail gasped.

  The redhead smiled as his assistant settled down next to him.

  His smile faded as he saw just how red her eyes were even in the dim light.

  “Oh, Georgia, we’ll find another way to reach him, I promise,” he said gently.

  Georgia shook her head and leaned it on his shoulder. “No, no, Mr. Lambley, Ren Matsuoka is dead to me. I couldn’t—I just—”

  He squeezed her shoulder. “Don’t give up hope, dear Georgia.”

  Gail slumped pitifully on the floor. “What the hell is going on here?” she asked.

  “I thought I would do anything to get Ren back, but I was wrong,” Georgia said. “And now I’ve gotten you stuck in this mess.”

  “Oh, pishposh,” Mr. Lambley said. “There is nothing done yet that cannot be made right. I promise to you both, the Pendragon family will fix this.”

  Gail looked at him and smiled with genuine gratitude. “Does that mean I’m under your protection too?” she asked.

  Mr. Lambley pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes.

  “Oh, dear heart, you look a mess. Why don’t you go freshen up before we leave?”

  Gail nodded and struggled to her feet. She let Georgia gingerly help her smooth her hair and her blouse. As they finally looked each other in the eyes again, the little brunette gushed, “I’m so sorry for what happened. I never meant for anyone to get hurt, I swear.”

  Georgia turned away. “Let’s not get into that now. You’ve got a bit of blood on your shirt. You should probably take care of that.”

  Gail acquiesced and went to wash her face and blow her nose.

  As she rooted through the empty attendant’s stand, she heard a flush coming from the handicapped stall.

  “Oh my, are you OK?” a sweet little voice said as an old lady in a violet tracksuit came wandering toward the sinks.

  Gail sniffled. “I’m fine.”

  The old lady’s hands shook as she tried to pass them under the sink, but the water refused to run. She motioned to Gail. “Would you mind? This one is broken, dearie,” she asked.

  As Gail passed her hands in front of the sensor, she felt a slight pang in the pit of her stomach. She looked past the doddering, tiny old thing to see the edge of a blue apron and a limp hand hanging down from the handicapped toilet. Gail looked up slowly to see only one reflection looking back in the mirror. She tried to scream, but the old woman’s talons snapped around her throat with shocking force.

  “I would be very, very quiet, if I were you,” the old lady said.

  “Now I want you to tell me absolutely everything you think you know about vampires.”

  Meanwhile, out in the alley, one Georgia Sutherland opened the door to the stately old vehicle and let a few more tears fall. Once inside, an extremely concerned-looking man with thick ginger hair wrapped an arm around her. The driver, a butch Barbie doll of a woman with a prominent Adam’s apple, let out a deep sigh of relief.

  “I told you that she’d come back, Mr. Lambley,” Nicolette Tesla said. She shut up quickly as she saw the poor girl sob. “Should we head back to the house?”

  “Wait, what about Gail?” Georgia asked. “You didn’t—”

  Mr. Lambley held up a hand and motioned her to wait. He squeezed his assistant once more for good measure before there was a tap on the glass. He rolled it down to reveal none other than a concerned-looking Mr. Sugar.

  Georgia’s eyes widened. “What is he—?”

  “I promise you, all will be explained. You have to know that the sheriff was involved. The Jaegers would never be so flagrant with the rules, even a couple of young idiots like those two,” Geoffrey said.

  “The sheriff has it all taken care of. Mr. DeMarco has just gone in,” Mr. Sugar said in hush-hush tones. “Now, you should take her home.”

  “Wait—Steve?” Georgia asked weakly as she looked up from the damp spot on Mr. Lambley’s neatly tailored lapel. “Is he going to

  —?”

  “Now, Georgia—” the vampire started.

  “Don’t you worry, sweetie,” Mr. Sugar said. “He’s only being asked to kiss her good night.”

  “Just a kiss?” she asked again.

  “Take her home, Mr. Lambley.”

  Georgia and her boss rode in silence through the streets of Boston until they arrived at a quaint little brownstone in the busy restaurant district of Brookline. She ran her fingers slowly over the little bunny statues while Nicolette took care of the door. The moment she stepped inside, a shambling mass of orange fluffiness bolted toward her, purring as he twisted and coiled around the young woman’s leg.

  “Schrodinger is certainly glad to see you,” Mr. Lambley said in forced cheerfulness. “Come now, we’ll have a little tea, and I can put on a movie.”

  Georgia gave the pudgy old vampire a quick kiss on the cheek.

  Her eyes widened. “Something is different about you,” she said.

  The vampire smiled weakly. Georgia pounced on the opportunity to run her finger under his lip. He pulled away, but not before she could just feel a tiny bump growing where once there had only been a gap.

  He blushed. “So, movie?” he asked weakly.

  “I think I’m tired and am just going to go upstairs.” She looked over at the drag queen futzing with the mail. “Nicolette, are you OK

  with staying another night? Are you paid up?”

  “Sure thing,” she said. “Are you sure I can’t get you anything?”

  Georgia shook her head before shambling up the stairs. Much to her surprise, a pair of puffy gingers followed her.

  “I said I was tired, Mr. Lambley,” she said.

  “You know what happened to that Matsuoka boy wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known what would happen when you gave him that vial,” the vampire offered.

  “I should have known, and I should have come to you and Mina and Lorcan rather than trying to run away. You were right. I do belong here.”

  “But it’s not over. You could still—” he said.

  “Good night, Mr. Lambley,” Georgia said. “Don’t stay up too late with Nicolette.”

  The vampire hung his head but turned and walked back down the stairs, leaving only the oversize kitten to follow Georgia to her bedroom. Once inside she took her time peeling away the layers of clothing until she was left only in her bra and panties. She pulled a clean tank top over her head and cracked her neck a few times.

  Finally she yanked off her diamond ring and placed it carefully on her dressing table on top of a pair of passports—one green, one blue.

  “Every Jaeger has to pass a test to prove his worth to the clan.

  Every Jaeger has to be a killer,” she said softly. “And I couldn’t do it.

  I’m not like them,” she told her reflection.

  Just as she had calmed down and managed to settle into bed without any more tears, a buzzing sound lured her back to the land of consciousness. Her hands shook as she pulled out her phone in its snazzy leopard-print case, and a single text splashed across the screen.

  It read, “Meet us tomorrow.”

  - 16 -

  Georgia struggled to open the door to Little Jiro’s Sushi Hut with her arms full of a bright blue box topped with a floppy silver bow. After a solid minute of struggling, she finally managed to wedge her toes between the frame and the jamb and kicked it open enough to hop inside.

  Georgia let out a sigh of exasperation as a tall, leggy blonde continued to lounge in her chair rather than offer even the slightest inkling of help. Instead, she flipped through a fashion magazine and ogled a bright pink and white striped sun hat.

  “I don’t think it will do you much good,” Georgia snapped as she set the box on the table.

  “Ooh, you took zee time to wrap it up with a pretty little bow.”

  She squealed in delight as she took a deep sniff. “You really shouldn’t have.”

  “You’re right about that,” Georgia muttered. “I got up early for this.”

  Minerva pulled the bow with the giddiness of a schoolgirl at Christmas. She giggled and pulled out a little plastic container full of rich reddish brown pudding. She looked in frustration at the chopsticks littering the table until Georgia came to the rescue and produced a spoon from the bowels of her purse.

  “What? No gift for me?” Steve asked as he wandered to the table and snagged the chair next to the blonde. “After all, I was the one who had to take a beating.”

  “That was hardly a beating, mein bruder. Georgia here has hit you harder,” Minerva sighed.

  “Well, she’s certainly hit more below the belt,” Steve laughed.

  “Seriously, sweetheart, you should move to Hollywood because those were some of the greatest crocodile tears that I’ve ever seen.”

  “Well, it had to be convincing. That’s what Dr. Pang said,”

  Georgia said, looking off anxiously toward the sushi counter.

  “I still think it would have been quicker to just take him to a nice farm in Bolivia and let him discover his roots there,” Minerva sighed.

  “There you are, still thinking like a Jaeger,” a new, lilting voice said. Georgia turned to see a striking brunette drifting across the plastic tiles without making so much as a click even in her five-inch heels. She tossed her long braid of inky hair over her shoulder and found a way to ease into her chair that perfectly displayed her sizable assets, which were barely contained by her silk blouse. “My Geoffrey is a Pendragon boy, and you have to think like a Pendragon to save him, dearie.”

  Georgia half bowed, half curtsied to the final vampire joining them at the table before she too took a seat. Lady Mina leaned over and kissed the blushing girl on each cheek.

  “I am so glad he found you, Georgia darling. I knew you had spunk from the moment I met you. I just knew you’d be the key to his recovery!” the Pendragon continued. She leaned across the table and gave the younger vampire a knowing smile. “You see, we just had to make our Geoffrey a hero and give him a little quest.”

  “Why did I have to be the villain though?” Steve whined. “You could have let someone else—”

  “You’re a Jaeger, darling. It’s what you do,” Mina sighed. She rustled around her purse and pulled out a few little velvet boxes. She handed a small one to each of the Jaegers and a larger one to the surprised Georgia.

  Once more Minerva was all smiles as she pulled out a pair of glittering pearl and diamond earrings. Mina smiled and said, “I’d give you a pearl necklace, but I know you’ve had so many of those in the past.”

  Minerva laughed and replied, “You and me both!”

  Steve pulled out a pair of cuff links and jumped out of his seat as he read the inscription. “How did you . . . ?” he asked.

  “You weren’t the only vampire sleeping with half of Hollywood. I just happened to land a few costume designers, and yes, those are from Casablanca,” Mina said.

  “I really can’t accept anything—” Georgia said as she looked at the blue velvet box in her hands. The elder vampire smiled and brushed a little bit of hair off of Georgia’s forehead to reveal a substantial bruise.

  “Steve, you are a Jaeger brute. You play too rough always!” She turned back to Georgia. “I am a woman of honor, Miss Sutherland.

  You had the most dangerous part to play in this little game, and I will see you rewarded.”

  “Why reward her? We don’t even know—” Minerva started.

  “They were growing back. I felt them!” Georgia said.

  “Oh, I’m sure you did,” Mina said with a little wink.

  Georgia decided to diffuse the situation by opening up the box.

  It contained a familiar house key, mounted on a beautiful new chain, as well as a very old-looking key mottled with rust and pits.

 

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