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Neli rolls her eyes. “Luck. They’ve been lurking around for a few months. They set up an observation post across the road.”
“Where across the road?”
“In the attic over at Stella’s house.”
Jesus. Stella mentioned hearing strange noises in her house, but it is not due to a ghost. It is due to a very large cockroach infestation. And her old dog is too deaf to have noticed. Some watchdog. Stella needs a team of young hellhounds. In the meantime, I will draw first blood.
“Neli,” I growl through my teeth, “why did you not mention this before?”
“You forget, I’ve been on my own for five centuries. They’re not the first hunters to come sniffing around, and in my experience, the best defense is to just carry on like regular humans.”
This is no excuse. “Neli!”
“I’m sorry I didn’t say anything. Okay? But they usually get bored and leave on their own. I’ve only had to kill, like—” she holds out her hands and counts on her fingers “—eighty.”
Oh gods.
The alarm continues blaring through the house. “Shut that thing off,” I command. “I will deal with the intruders.”
“Are you sure?”
I give her a look that indicates I am about to kill her too along with the hunters.
“Okeydokey. Shutting it off.” She disappears into the parlor, and I go out the back door so I can sneak up on them from the outside. But after ten minutes of levitating from window to window, there is no sign of these Van Bastard vampire hunters. I go back inside and do a sweep of the rooms just to be sure. No one.
Standing in the foyer, I exhale slowly. Who knows what these hunters have seen? If they have proof that I have risen, they will never leave us alone. Not until they’ve put a stake through my heart.
“Anything?” Neli comes up behind me, panting.
“No. They have fled.” I would chase after them, but it may be a trap. “I will have to survey the situation tomorrow—find out how many there are.”
“No need.” Neli waves her hand through the air as if dispelling a foul smell. “I have a private security company on retainer.”
I cock a brow.
“What? We’re rich. And, honestly, I got super tired of killing all those hunters.”
“So a company does it for you?”
“Pretty much.” Neli taps the side of her head. “The modern supernatural world has its perks.”
“I am not so sure I want to pay others to do my dirty work. Also, I rather enjoy capturing vampire hunters and torturing them. It is especially fun when you pluck out an eyeball and make them eat it.” Or send them to the hags for pedicures.
“Sorry, Boz, but we are running a very legitimate, very successful business. The last thing we need is to play torture with our enemies. Better to let the pros deal with them. I hired otherworldly mercenaries. They’ll make sure none of it traces back to us. Especially since there are eyes and ears everywhere.”
Ah yes. The technologenie. “How long will it take these mercenaries to catch the intruders?”
“Not sure. But I suggest we vacate the castle until they do.”
Oh hell. It dawns on me that the infestation actually lies across the road. Of course, the hunters are of no threat to Stella and her family, but we must get them out of the house if we wish to clean up the menace.
“It looks as though you and I are heading to France a bit early, Neli. We will send word to Stella and her family to join us there. Make up some excuse for our hasty departure.” I pause, thinking it over. Yes, this is an excellent plan. Castle Sangria is the defending champion and has already paid for several entries. Our daytime staff is perfectly capable of managing the winery in our absence. Stellariva has no business, so no one will notice if they shut down for a few days. And having Stella’s family around will help keep her safe from me. “Arrange to have them stay at a villa near us, and then send a private plane to get them. Say…in a week. Tell them they need to hand carry our new wines for the competition.” Neli had explained the process to me earlier when I questioned her on why she had not already sent our wine by ship, as I knew it would take months to arrive.
Neli flashes a devious smile, and I know it is because fate is playing into her hands. She wants to be free of me. She wants me to mate with Stella. As for me, I no longer know what I want. I cannot kill Neli. I cannot harm Stella. And, unfortunately, I’m beginning to believe I will do both.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Stella
I can hardly believe I’m on a private jet with my family on our way to Bordeaux, France. It’s dark now as we fly over the Atlantic Ocean. I know I should sleep, but I’m too excited. The furthest I’ve traveled is Phoenix, Arizona, to visit a friend. (Seems they still have some diehard hippies living there. I saw a sign for the Society of Sunshine Love.) Unfortunately, my excitement over attending the best wine competition in the world, in one of the best wine-growing regions, is tempered by the fact that yesterday’s bake-off didn’t go as we hoped for the twins. No full-tuition scholarship to culinary school or big prize money. I’m proud of my sisters’ efforts, though, and they did win something—Eliza took second place in the sweet category ($500 prize), and Mabel earned an honorable mention in the savory category (a ribbon). Now it’s even more important for Stellariva to gain recognition at this wine competition. It’s a ticking clock before my family’s winery goes under, taking everyone’s hopes, dreams, and livelihood down with it. No pressure.
