A Girl's Guide to Vampires

'He's always given me the creeps. Now I know why. I'll see you tonight at the festival?'

'Joy, I don't want you to—'

I opened the door and walked down the steps. Outside the sun was still shining, the men were still breaking down the booths and tents to reassemble on Christian's land. Everything was the same, and yet everything was different.

A warm hand settled on my neck, gently this time, his thumb rubbing away the sting of his earlier hold. I turned and slid my hands under his coat, holding him close, breathing in his wonderful smell. He wrapped his arms around me, holding me just as tightly.

'I won't go near Milos if that's what you're about to order,' I whispered, kissing his ear.

'This is not a game, Joy.'

I kissed his chin, his obstinate, blunt chin that I loved so much. He still thought I was upset because he wouldn't admit to me what he was really doing with the fair. Silly man. 'I know it's not a game.'

'If you persist in playing detective, I'll have to spend my time keeping an eye on you rather than proving the murderer's guilt to Bartos. I need this time, Joy. I'm not going to have another chance.'

'And if you don't succeed?' I tipped my head back to examine his eyes. They were hard again, just as determined and stubborn as the rest of him. 'What happens if you don't convince Bartos? What happens if the festival ends and the fair moves on without you? What then?'

He rubbed his thumb over my lower lip. I bit it. 'Then my future is written for me.'

My heart tightened painfully. 'And it won't include me?'

He didn't answer me right away. 'Let me do my job. Let me do it without worrying about you. I need to know you're safe, otherwise this won't end.'

I nodded and started to pull away, but his arms tightened around me. 'Please, baby. You wanted to help me, now I'm giving you the chance to. Stay away from Milos.'

He wasn't asking, he was demanding, but now wasn't the time to argue over words. I nodded again and slipped out of his embrace, giving him one last very gentle kiss before starting off to find Roxy.

'Let's see,' Roxy said, circling around me as I stood outside Arielle's trailer. 'Hair: mussed. Lips: swollen with impassioned kissing. Dress: wrinkled, as if it had lain on the floor for a while. Face: blushing. Yep. All signs you had a really good talk with Raphael.'

'You are an obnoxiously bad woman and you will be punished one day.'

She grinned and fell into step as we started back to the hotel. 'I take it by the sated look you're wearing that all is right in Raphael-land?'

'Relatively,' I admitted. 'Somewhat. Kind of. How is Arielle?'

Her grin fizzled away into nothing. 'Upset, worried, and frightened. But she'll survive. Her boyfriend is hanging around, keeping an eye on her. I think he'll make sure she doesn't suffer more than she has to.'

I stopped. 'Maybe I should see her now rather than later?'

'No. Paal gave her a couple of sleeping pills; she'll be out until the festival tonight. Come on, it's lunchtime and I'm hungry. I'm willing to bet that man of yours didn't feed you, either.' She shot me a knowing glance. 'At least, not food.'

'Oh, grow up!'

'So let me get this straight,' she said a short time later as we sat over bowls of vegetable soup and fresh baked bread. 'You've done a one-eighty on the whole 'he won't tell me his secrets' issue?'

'Right. He loves me. He'll tell me when he's ready to.'

'Wow. You really have grown up, haven't you? So then, why the long face?'

'Raphael doesn't believe Christian is a Dark One. He's letting his stubbornness blind him.'

'So?' Roxy stuffed a roll in her mouth, crumbs drifting onto the table as she spoke. 'I admit that he's being stupid about it, but what's the big deal? You get Christian to show a little fang, and voilà! Instant believer.'

I stirred my soup. 'The problem is that Raphael's letting his stubbornness blind him about everything. It's not just Christian, it's the whole thing with Inspector Bartos, too.'

'You're just a control freak, that's your problem. You want Raphael to admit you're right and he's wrong.'

I threw my bread at her. She caught it and took a bite.

'It's not nearly as simple as that. For one thing, Raphael is in danger of being arrested again. Call me silly, but I'd like to avoid that. I really don't want to spend the rest of my life hanging around a Czech prison begging for visitation rights.'

She crumbled the bread into her soup. 'He says he's not in danger of being arrested.'

'Yeah, well, he didn't hear Inspector Bartos say he was a suspect. You think the police are going to tell he's on the list? They don't want him to have his guard up! They want him to feel secure so he'll slip up and they can nab him and take him away from me.' I took a deep breath and slammed the flat of my hand onto the table. 'I'm not going to let them do that! Raphael doesn't want me getting involved with finding out who the murderer is, but he didn't say I couldn't find someone who can do it for me.'

'Who's that?' she asked, her head tipped to the side.

'Christian,' I said without thinking. 'He can read minds, can't he? I'm sure Milos is the murderer, so all I have to do is ask Christian to read his mind and find a little tangible proof for the police.'

'Oh, right, and Christian is going to help you save your lover, the man whose job he wants?'

I waved that issue away. 'He'll help me, I know he will. How much time do we have before it starts to get dark?'

She glanced at her watch. 'Four, maybe five hours.'

'Good. That gives us time to catch a little sleep. The festival won't be starting until nine or so, so we should have a good three hours to find Christian and have him scan Milos's mind.'

'We?'

'I assumed you were going to help me.'

She sighed and dunked my bread in her soup. 'I suppose I'll have to keep you in line if I want to see you and Raphael settled happily. I just wish I knew why you didn't trust him to take care of himself.'

'Of course I trust him, the man's a spy. He's perfectly able to take care of himself physically.'

'He's what?' Roxy shrieked.

I glanced around the nearly empty room, smiling wildly at the elderly couple who were giving us frowns. 'Shhh! You want everyone to hear?'

She goggled for a moment, then grabbed my wrist, leaning forward to hiss at me. 'What do you mean he's a spy? Raphael?'

'Yes, Raphael, a spy. Or a government agent of some sort. Honestly, Rox, I thought you would have figured it out by now.'

'Did he tell you that?'

I gave her one of the many patient looks I save just for her. 'No, of course he didn't, that would qualify as secret-telling. It's obvious, though. Raphael is clearly not in the least bit concerned about the police other than seeing Milos brought to justice. He carries a gun, and who knows what else he has locked away in that metal chest. Probably his spy papers or something. And that cock-and-bull story about him raping a woman and killing her is just too ridiculous for words. It's just the sort of thing those spy places would make up. Thus, he must be working undercover to figure out who the murderer is. Let go of my arm, it's starting to hurt.'

'Damn, girl, you take the cake,' she answered, releasing my wrist. 'I just hate it when you outguess me. So now you know his secret, right? Are you going to tell him?'

'And puncture his ego? No way. Behind every good man stands an exceptional woman, and I am that woman. I'll just make sure that Inspector Bartos doesn't nab Raphael by mistake, and never tell him I helped.'

'Why would Inspector Bartos want to nab Raphael if he's a spy?'

I rolled my eyes as I picked up my spoon. 'He's undercover, silly. If he reveals himself to Bartos, word could get back to Milos and then the whole case will be blown. You need to read more spy books.'

We spent the next half hour detailing our plans for the evening. I was heading upstairs to take a much- needed nap when Roxy—on her way to the bar to ogle the natives—stopped me with a question. 'You do realize what Raphael did, don't you?'