“Simple physics. Even if there’s some kind of force field around her, she can’t walk through a closed door. I closed and opened this one so fast that she didn’t see it and bounced off—force field and all.”
The guy closed the door and Ruxandra stumbled over to it, still laughing, to lock it behind him.
Claudia remembered reading some advice about how to avoid becoming a victim. The article said not to appear vulnerable. “What the fuck just happened?” She rose and crossed her arms. Her backside was sore, but she refused to let Ruxandra know.
“I might not be able to touch you, but it was funny as hell to watch someone else batting you away like a fly. Now, if only I could get him to do that all night, I’d never stop laughing.”
Claudia didn’t respond. She just stood her ground. Meanwhile, her mind whirred with panicky thoughts. Was there any possibility of escape? Would Anthony look for her? Did he know where to look? Should she talk to the woman or ignore her altogether? Would ignoring her infuriate her more? Claudia guessed that it would.
Still trying not to appear helpless, she initiated the conversation. “So, you want me dead. Do you really think Anthony will love you if you kill me?”
Ruxandra’s eyes revealed a flash of indecision…as if she knew he would never forgive her. A moment later, her lips thinned. She straightened her spine and puffed out her chest. Her hourglass figure created the kind of curves in her red clingy dress that any man would find hard to resist. She tipped her nose in the air. “At this point I don’t care what he wants. I refuse to be rejected for a mere mortal.” A sinister smile spread across her face. “You do know what we are, don’t you?”
The way she said it sounded as if she hoped Claudia didn’t know. Like she couldn’t wait to be the first to tell her. As bad as the news was, Claudia was glad she knew the truth and couldn’t be blindsided by it. “Oh. You mean that you’re vampires?” she asked as casually, as if noting they were both European.
Ruxandra’s jaw dropped. “He told you?”
“Mmm-hmm.”
The buxom blond appeared unable to speak as she assimilated the information. Finally, she asked incredulously, “And you’re not terrified?”
“Not of him. I know Anthony would never hurt me.”
Ruxandra snorted. “Ha. I’ve known him a lot longer than you have. A lot. He’s killed plenty of people over the centuries. Sometimes, even without meaning to. What makes you think you’ll be different?”
Claudia shrugged, still trying to appear nonchalant despite this new information. “I suppose I’ll just have to trust him to keep his word.”
Ruxandra let out a burst of a laugh. It sounded forced. “You can’t trust a vampire. We don’t play by the same rules you do. We’re far superior to humans. We don’t have to stoop to your level. If we feel like taking advantage of you, we will, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
“Mmm. I suppose. But if that’s true, why aren’t vampires running rampant through the streets, making humans their slaves?”
Ruxandra’s face turned red and she stomped her foot. “Stop talking. I’m sick of answering your stupid questions.”
In other words, you don’t know the answers or you don’t like them.
Despite the volatile vampire circling her, Claudia remained composed. She was amazed that Kurt’s spell was working so well. As she watched Ruxandra’s face studying her, she became a little less confident. The woman was trying to figure out a way around the magic. Of that she was sure.
At last, Ruxandra stopped pacing and stood right in front of Claudia, hands on her hips. “So, why can’t I touch you? Is it some kind of protection spell?”
Claudia just shrugged. She didn’t want to put Kurt in danger by revealing what he’d done to help.
Ruxandra sighed. “I suppose this will be useless, but I might as well try.” She leaned toward Claudia. Her eyes turned from blue to gold to purple.
“Hey. Your eyes changed colors. Anthony can do that too.”
Ruxandra took a step back. “What? I’m not surprised that I can’t mesmerize you, but Anthony can’t, either?”
“Is that what you were trying to do? Mesmerize me?”
Ruxandra paced with her hands clasped behind her back. “First Kurt, now you. I can’t believe I’ve lost my power to—Wait. Ah-ha! Kurt. Of course! He’s a wizard. He must have done a spell to protect both himself and you from vampires.”
Claudia didn’t know what to say. She had hoped Ruxandra wouldn’t figure it out, for poor Kurt’s sake.
Ruxandra’s pacing became jaunty. “Well, then. I guess I’ll give Kurt the time of day after all.” She tapped her lip. “I’ll have to find him while it’s still dark. Do you know where he is?” She gave Claudia a smarmy smile.
As if I’d tell Ruxandra anything about my friends. Fortunately, she didn’t know where Kurt lived. She just assumed it was near Boston Uncommon since he was there all the time.
“I have no idea.”
Ruxandra squinted at her.
“Really. I don’t know.”
“Fine, but don’t think that you can escape, just because I have to leave to look for him.”
Claudia hadn’t taken a really good look around the dimly lit room. Surreptitiously, she surveyed her surroundings. There appeared to be no windows, only the one door, and a few possessions.
“It used to be a carriage house. Someone restored it, probably hoping to make the place into a studio apartment or something. But with no plumbing and no windows, and a roadblock or two, courtesy of the city building codes…” She smiled as if she knew something—or had made it happen. “It’s only used for storage, so I got it cheap.” She wandered over to an old trunk in the corner. There wasn’t just one trunk. There were two with something between them, acting like a long, low coffee table. Suddenly Claudia recognized it as a coffin and her mouth went dry.
Before she realized it, she had duct tape over her mouth and her wrists were clamped to her sides. She had never seen anyone move so fast. It must be another vampire talent.
“There.” Ruxandra tossed the roll of tape back into one of the trunks and wiped her hands against each other as if to say, “That’s that.”
“Maa a minim. Ow id ou uh meh?”
“How did I touch you? I didn’t. I just spread out the tape and ran around you until it stuck to itself.
Fabulous.
“Now be a good little captive and sit against the back wall while I leave and lock up.”
Claudia lifted her chin in defiance.
“I have plenty more duct tape,” Ruxandra said, narrowing her eyes.
Claudia knew better than to test the murderous vampire. She plodded to the back wall and slid down until her back was leaning against it. She might need her legs—and her sharp stilettos—later.
Anthony had said good night to Autumn and Chris and locked up after them. He hoped Claudia would be home, but he didn’t want to wake her if she was taking a nap. Or maybe he did, he realized with a smile.
He took the stairs to her apartment two at a time and knocked on her door. Not only was there no answer, but he didn’t hear anything at all. He pressed his ear against the door, hoping to detect the long, deep breaths of slumber. Still nothing.
Oh well. She must have gone to a meeting.
Wondering how he’d kill a couple hours, he returned to the sidewalk.
“Anthony!”
He knew that shrill voice.
“Ruxandra,” he said with a nod when she caught up to him. That was all the acknowledgment he’d give her.
“Are you all right? You look sad,” she said.
He let out a deep sigh. “If I’m sad, it’s because of you.”