The problem was, he didn"t really have anything to work on. He hadn"t started anything new since finishing Etienne and Rachel"s story-which had been in print for a month now. And Lucern didn"t have a clue what to work on next. He knew that Kate and Roundhouse Publishing wanted another vampire romance, but Bastien wasn"t showing signs of obliging his brother by falling in love any time soon.
Well, Lucern decided with a shrug, it wasn"t as if he needed the money. His investments over the years had always done well. He could relax if he wanted. Roundhouse would just have to wait until he came up with something.
His gaze fell on the video game on the corner of his desk-Blood l.u.s.t II. The game was Etienne"s newest creation.
Part I had sold out several times and won countless awards. Its success wasn"t a great surprise to Lucern; the game was fun and action-packed, with awesome graphics, lots of villains to slay, lots of puzzles to solve and a great story line.
Lucern wasn"t the only one in the family who could write a story. Blood l.u.s.t II was expected to do even better when it was released.
Grinning, he popped the seal on the package and pulled out the game CD. He had played the first couple of levels of the prototype before the game was even finished, and he and Bastien had got the first two full copies hot off the press. It paid to be brothers of the creator.
Lucern slipped the game into his computer and prepared to enjoy himself. He would work off some of his anger by slaughtering bad guys. And he"d also avoid Kate for a while. He"d found the perfect solution.
He had played for several hours and was deep into the game when he heard the knock at the door. At his distracted "What?" the door opened and Kate stepped into the room carrying a tray.
"I thought you might be hungry."
Her tentative words, along with the smell of food, drew Lucern"s attention away from the game. He sniffed with interest, thinking he could manage some at that moment. He, like the rest of his family, ate food as well as ingested blood. If they didn"t, they"d all be skinny wraiths.
"What is it?" he asked curiously.
"Well, I knew I was going to be busy-I"ve been working on the letters," she informed him. "So, after your mother left and you went upstairs, I threw the roast we picked up into the oven with some potatoes. That way it would cook while I worked. You said you like rare everything. I hope that includes roast, because this roast is pretty rare."
"Perfect." Lucern took the tray and set it on his desk, noting that there were two plates of food and two gla.s.ses of what looked to be wine and two gla.s.ses of water as well. She"d covered all the bases. He was just relaxing when she began to drag a chair around the desk to join him and said, "I was hoping we could discuss-"
She was about to bring up the publicity issue again. Lucern immediately felt himself begin to tense; then Kate"s gaze landed on the computer screen.
"That looks like Blood l.u.s.t."
"Blood l.u.s.t Two," he corrected.
"You"re kidding. Really? It isn"t supposed to be out until Monday. I have it on order."
"I know the creator," Lucern admitted reluctantly. "I got an early copy."
"No way. You lucky dog! Is it as good as the first?"
"Better." Lucern began to relax again as she continued staring avidly at the frozen screen. He recognized a fellow gamer when he saw one. Any talk of publicity had probably just bit the dust for the night.
He glanced at the screen and saw that his character had died while he"d been distracted. The game was waiting for him to decide what to do next. His options were to start over, or quit the game. He considered the matter briefly, then asked, "Do you want to play? You can play doubles on it."
"Really?" She looked terribly excited. "Yes, please. I love Blood l.u.s.t, and I"ve been waiting forever for Two to come out." She dragged her chair even closer. "This is great."
Lucern smiled to himself and started the game over. He"d say one thing for her Kate C. Leever had good taste. She liked his books, and she liked Etienne"s game.
She also proved to be one h.e.l.l of a game player. The dinner she had made sat forgotten on the desk as they worked through the levels he"d already run through, then continued on to the next levels, working together to defeat the villains and save the damsel in distress. Every time they succeeded at accessing another level, Kate reacted with the excitement of a child and they did a high five or a little victory dance at the desk while they waited for the next level to load.
They played for hours, until the food was a shriveled and congealed mess, until their necks and hands ached, and until Kate began nodding off in her seat. When Lucern reluctantly suggested it might be best if she went to bed, she agreed with equal reluctance that she should or she wouldn"t be able to get up for the shopping trip with his mother.
Oddly enough, Lucern missed her once she was gone. He continued on through another level of the game, but it wasn"t the same without her there to share the glee at succeeding. There were no high fives or little victory dances, and he was troubled to find he missed those, too. Even more troubling was the fact that for the first time in years, Lucern felt lonely.
Despite her late night, Kate was up and ready at one o"clock. She stood anxiously waiting by the front door watching for Mrs. Argeneau. When a limo pulled into the driveway, she hurried outside and started down the porch stairs, then paused and turned back uncertainly toward the door. She had unbolted it to leave and didn"t have a clue what to do about bolting it again. Dare she leave it unlocked? Or should she wake up Lucern and have him bolt it?
"It"s all right, Kate. Don"t worry about the door," Marguerite unrolled the back window to call out. "Come along, we"ve lots to do."
Shrugging inwardly, Kate turned and walked over to the limo. The driver was out to open the door for her by the time she reached it, and Kate murmured a thank-you as she slipped inside; then she did a double take at the sight of Lucern"s mother. The woman was bundled up as if they were in the midst of a winter storm.
She had on a long-sleeved blouse, gloves and slacks, then a scarf over her head and covering the bottom half of her face. Over-large sungla.s.ses covered most of the rest. The only patch of skin showing was her nose, and that was slathered with a white cream Kate guessed to be sunblock.
"Don"t tell me. You"re allergic to the sun like Lucern?" Kate guessed.
Marguerite"s mouth twisted in wry amus.e.m.e.nt. "Where do you think he got it?"
Kate gave a laugh and relaxed back in the limo, prepared for a day of both frantic shopping and pampering. And that was exactly what she got: a frantic rush to choose the perfect dress and see it tailored to fit her, then a couple of hours of delicious pampering at the spa where Marguerite Argeneau"s hair stylist worked. She enjoyed herself immensely.
Luc didn"t sleep well. He went to bed out of sheer boredom not long after Kate left, but he couldn"t find rest. The woman hadn"t just invaded his home, she"d made her way into his dreams, too. That fact was enough to make him terribly grumpy on awakening, and it was a surly Lucern who stumbled downstairs Sat.u.r.day afternoon. He became even more surly when a quick search of the house showed that Kate hadn"t yet returned from her shopping sojourn.
Grumbling under his breath, he made his way to the kitchen and-out of habit-opened the refrigerator door looking for blood. It wasn"t until he had the door open that he recalled sticking his supply in the tiny fridge in his office, to keep it out of Kate"s sight. He considered going back upstairs to fetch a bag, but didn"t really feel like it. He didn"t really feel like normal food either despite the fact that he and Kate had sacrificed supper the night before for Blood l.u.s.t II. And he knew he would be eating a lot of rich food at the wedding celebration, so it was better to put off eating now.
Deciding he"d grab a bag of blood later before leaving for the wedding, Lucern wandered aimlessly out of the kitchen and moved along the hall to the living room. He immediately grimaced. Kate had finished sorting the letters into categories, and there were several form letters awaiting his signature.
Curious, Lucern sat on the couch and began to read through them. They were all very nice, chatty letters that sounded gracious and charming and not at all like him. Kate was a good writer, too. She"d done a wonderful job, and Lucern supposed he"d have to thank her. He also supposed he should hire an a.s.sistant to manage such tasks in the future. Unfortunately, he knew he wouldn"t. The idea of a stranger in his home, pawing through his things was not a happy one. That was the reason he still hadn"t replaced his housekeeper, Mrs. Johnson. The woman had died in her sleep in 1995. Which was eight years ago, he realized with surprise.
Since, Lucern had hired a service to clean his home once a week, and he usually had his meals out or ordered them from a gourmet restaurant down the street. He"d intended to do that only until he found a replacement for the unfortunate Mrs. Johnson, which he"d never gotten around to. He"d think about it and all the trouble it meant, then would decide against it. Why go to all that time and effort only to have whomever he hired drop dead on him after ten or twenty years as both Mrs. Johnson and Edwin had done?
He muttered under his breath at the thought. Humans were so unreliable that way. They were forever dropping dead on you just when you had them trained.
He was pondering that annoying little habit of mankind when the front door of the house slammed. Kate was back from her shopping excursion. He ran his hands through his hair, brushed down his T-shirt and tried to look presentable. He sat up, peering expectantly toward the living room door... and was just in time to catch a glimpse of Kate flying upstairs. At least he thought it was Kate. All he"d really seen was a G.o.dawful bundle of shopping bags with various designer names on them, and feet.
Oh, yes. She"d been shopping. He slumped back on the couch with disgust. She hadn"t even noticed him. Women!
A cacophony of sounds followed from upstairs-the slamming of the guest room door, then all sorts of unidentifiable banging and b.u.mping. It sounded as if the woman was jumping around and throwing things w.i.l.l.y- nilly.
It went on long enough that Lucern became concerned. Then there was a sudden and utter silence. Standing, he walked into the hallway and peered anxiously up the stairs. A door opened and closed; then he heard the clicking of high-heeled shoes on the hardwood hall floor, and Kate appeared at the top of the steps.
She was a sight. A vision. Her golden hair was piled on top of her head with little ringlets dropping down to frame her pretty, flushed face. The gown she wore was a deep emerald green. It had a long skirt, a crepe neck, and was made of a soft-looking material that had a slight sheen as it draped gracefully over the contours and curves of her body. She was glorious. An angel. The most beautiful woman Lucern had seen in his life, and that was saying something. He was tongue-tied with amazement. He simply watched in awe as she descended the steps.
She was only halfway down when she spotted him. She immediately paused, blinked, then scowled. "You aren"t ready!"
It was Lucern"s turn to blink. His angel was bellowing. She was also frantic. The serene vision was gone.
"Lucern!" She glared at him with disbelief. "The wedding is at seven o"clock! It"s six-fifteen now. We have to leave.
You haven"t even showered or anything! What have you been doing all this time?" She covered her lower face with horror. "We"ll be late! I hate being late to weddings. Everyone will be seated in the pews, and they"ll all stare and-"
"Okay!" Lucern held up his hands, trying to soothe her as he started up the stairs. "It"s okay. I"m fast. I"ll be ready.
Just give me ten minutes. We won"t be late," he a.s.sured her as he moved warily past her. "Really. I promise."
Kate watched with exasperation as Lucern disappeared up the stairs. Once he was out of sight, her shoulders drooped unhappily. After all her efforts, he hadn"t even commented on how she looked.
Disappointed, she continued downstairs and went into the living room to wait. She was all prepared to tap a hole in the floor with impatience. She didn"t get the chance. Ten minutes after leaving her on the steps, Lucern came back downstairs all set to go. His hair was still damp from the shower and slicked back, and a tailored designer suit hung elegantly off his broad shoulders.
Ten minutes, Kate thought with disgust. Ten minutes, and he looked fabulous. It had taken her all day to put herself together, and it had taken him ten minutes! She glared at him as she joined him in the hall.
"See? I told you I"d be fast," Lucern said soothingly as he opened the front door. "We won"t be late. We"ll be right on time."
Still irritated that he"d been so quick, Kate merely made a face and led the way outside.
Lucern opened the pa.s.senger door of his BMW in a rather courtly manner she appreciated, then commented, "You look lovely." He closed the door before she could respond, but Kate smiled widely as she watched him walk around the car to the driver"s side. Her mood was beginning to lift again. Kate generally disliked weddings, and she would definitely be uncomfortable at being called "Luc"s date," but maybe tonight wouldn"t be so bad.
Chapter Five.
It was awful. Well, not entirely, Lucern admitted to himself. The wedding ceremony itself was beautiful. And much to his surprise, his stubborn, pesky editor got all teary-eyed as Etienne and Rachel exchanged their vows. She explained herself when he handed her the handkerchief he"d placed in his breast pocket with such care by saying, "They seem so happy. They"re obviously deeply in love."
Lucern merely grunted and hoped the ceremony wouldn"t be as long as Lissianna"s had been last year. He only had the one hanky.
Fortunately, Rachel"s minister wasn"t as long-winded as the Hewitt family"s minister had been. Still, Lucern practically ran Kate out of the church the moment it was done. Or tried to. Their escape was stalled by the bottleneck that formed at the exit as each and every single guest paused to wish Etienne and Rachel well. The couple had exited the church first, as per the custom, and were now standing atop the church steps, speaking to everyone as they left.
Of course, Kate would insist on congratulating them and wishing them well, too, which Lucern thought was ridiculous. She didn"t even know them! But the woman ignored his attempts to urge her down the stairs, and stopped to wish the couple happiness.
Rachel and Etienne weren"t surprised Kate was at the wedding, of course. The family grapevine was as healthy as ever. And much to Lucern"s irritation, Rachel was one of those social people who liked everyone and liked to talk.
Etienne was hampered with the same affliction, so they couldn"t just say thank-you and let Kate go. No. They had to actually speak to Kate and ask if she was having a good time in Toronto.
Lucern felt himself tensing as he waited for her answer. He was vaguely surprised when she laughed and said, "Oh, yes."
Etienne seemed equally surprised. He asked, "You mean, my brother is actually entertaining you?" As if Lucern were some sort of heathen, incapable of being a good host.
"Yes." Kate nodded cheerfully. "He and your mother, too. Marguerite took me shopping and to the spa today. And last night, Lucern and I played Blood l.u.s.t Two until all hours of the morning."
"Oh!" Rachel exclaimed. "Isn"t that a wonderful game? Etienne is so talented. Although I thought he"d drive me crazy with it when he was designing the end sequence. It gave him trouble."
"Etienne?" Kate glanced from Rachel to Etienne uncertainly.
"Yes. It"s his game," Rachel explained. Then she glanced at her brother-in-law with surprise. "Didn"t you tell her it was Etienne"s game?"
"Yes, I"m sure I mentioned-"
"No, you didn"t!" Kate exclaimed with a light slap at his arm. "Oh, my G.o.d! Why didn"t you tell me?"
Lucern scowled. His editor didn"t notice; she"d already turned back to his brother.
"I can"t believe it! I love Blood l.u.s.t, both One and Two. They are amazing!"
She rambled on, gushing over Etienne in a way Lucern found annoying, then suddenly stopped with a small gasp, before saying, "Oh! I just realized, the primary characters in Luc"s last book were named Rachel and Etienne. And Etienne was a game creator, too. Oh, wow." She gave a laugh and grinned at Rachel. "The next thing you"ll tell me is that you"re a coroner like the woman in the book."
Lucern, Etienne and Rachel all exchanged glances and shifted uncomfortably.
Kate"s eyes widened at their silence. "You aren"t, are you?"
"I like to base stories as much in reality as I can," Lucern said to break the silence.
"But you write vampire books." Kate sounded bewildered.
"Well, within reason," he amended, then took her arm firmly. "Come. We"re holding up the line." Lucern hurried Kate to his car, saw her inside, got in himself and immediately turned the radio on. He cranked the volume up high to prevent conversation and drove to the reception hall where the wedding dinner was to be held. In his rush to get there, where he hoped Kate would be distracted and forget the odd coincidence of the characters in his books matching his real-life family, Lucern somewhat exceeded the speed limit. As a result, they were one of the first to arrive.
Much to his relief, Kate didn"t mention the matter again. She and Lucern were seated at a table, and his mother and his sister Lissianna with her husband Greg soon joined them. Bastien was seated at the head table with the rest of the wedding party, so it was just the five of them at the six-person table closest to the long head table.
Lucern spent the first several minutes simply fingering the gla.s.s of wine that was promptly set before him, his gaze darting nervously to Kate as she talked with Marguerite and Lissianna. The three women were making him terribly nervous. They had their heads together, and there seemed to be an awful lot of giggling and laughing mixed in with their quiet talking. He was dying to know what they were saying, but couldn"t have heard had he tried, with all the talk and disruption as people arrived and greeted one another.
"Lissianna!"
Lucern stiffened at his editor"s exclamation; then Kate turned on him. "Your sister"s name is Lissianna! That"s the name of the female vampire in your second book."
"Er... yes." He shot a glance at his mother and sister. Were they deliberately trying to complicate his life?
"Etienne and Rachel in the last book, Lissianna and Greg in the second. And Marguerite!" She turned on Lucern"s mother. "Your husband was named Claude, wasn"t he?"
"It"s p.r.o.nounced with an "o" sound dear, like load, not "ah" like clod," Marguerite corrected gently. Then she nodded. "But, yes, my husband and my children"s father was Claude."
"Oh." Kate was silent for a moment, but was obviously thinking, looking for other similarities. "And your family name is Argeneau, too. No, wait," she corrected herself. "In the novels it"s Argentus, from the Latin "argent" for silver, because the patriarch had silvery blue eyes. Like you!" She turned suddenly to peer into Lucern"s eyes.
"Yes." Lucern shifted, feeling terribly uncomfortable, unsure how to explain. In the end, he didn"t need to.
"I think it"s terribly sweet of you to name your characters after your family like that," Kate said.
Lucern gaped at her in surprise. Sweet? He wasn"t sweet. What the- "It"s obvious you care for them a great deal."
"Er..." Lucern was feeling oddly trapped when a tap on his shoulder drew his head around. He found himself staring at Bastien and Etienne. Relief at the distraction made him smile hugely, which surprised them.
"We need a hand from both of you." Bastien"s look encompa.s.sed both Lucern and Greg.
"Oh. Oh, of course." Luc turned to Kate as Greg got to his feet. "They need us. We have to go," he explained.
Kate nodded solemnly. "It"s a guy thing, huh?"