Morgaine snapped her fingers. “Of course. Joan of Arc, burned at the stake. Two things vampires are deathly afraid of. Fire and wooden stakes. I see the connection. So, is she the patron saint of vampires or something?"
"Or something," Mikhail confirmed.
"I see." Sly was still hoping that some secret would slip out. "So how do you add her blood to the wine?"
Mikhail shifted uncomfortably, then checked his watch. "I'm awfully sorry. I just remembered a previous engagement." He reached into his pocket and produced a card. "Here's the address of my warehouse. I live in a penthouse in the same building. Stop by tomorrow sometime in the afternoon."
Sly gaped at his glass of wine. "One glass will protect me all day tomorrow?"
Mikhail tipped his head. "Hmm...maybe. Finish my glass as well as your own just to be sure."
"Won't he be tired if he's up all night and all day too?" Morgaine asked.
"Tonight, you'll sleep like you used to. You may even dream."
"Wow. And tomorrow you'll give me more of this fantastic stuff?"
Mikhail laughed. "Don't worry. I'll have a glass ready and a bottle open. If Morgaine keeps her promise, I'll have a case waiting for you to take home."
Morgaine straightened and looked slightly offended. “I always keep my promises.”
“Of course. I didn’t mean to infer you wouldn’t. Forgive me.”
Sly shook his head in wonder. "I can’t get over the power of this wonderful product of yours. It seems like I'm dreaming already."
"Morgaine, Sly, enjoy my fair city, and bring your magic mojo with you tomorrow afternoon. Meanwhile, I'll try to search the places not covered by cameras and see if there's anything hidden." He stood and bowed slightly to Morgaine. "It was wonderful to see you again. Sylvestro, nice meeting you."
Sly rose and shook his hand. "Likewise."
"I'll see you both tomorrow." With that, Mikhail strode toward the coat room.
Morgaine watched as he left. "That was odd."
"I know. I think he was changing the subject and leaving before we could change it back and find out too much about making his special vintage."
She nodded slowly. "That's exactly what he was doing. Which makes me think we might be able to duplicate it."
"Would he refuse to help a friend?"
"He hasn't seen me for eight years, and he just met you. Why would he hand over his trade secrets?"
"Good point."
Morgaine and Sly took in some of the famous New York sights after dinner. A horse and buggy ride through Central Park all snuggled together, then they walked hand in hand and window-shopped down Fifth Avenue, which was well-lit thank the Goddess. They even took a short bus ride to Greenwich Village. The whole time he kept her safe and anchored. More importantly, he didn't make her feel like a freak.
She was so happy; she didn't want to think about their private time together ending. But eventually they'd have to return to their lives in Boston, darn it.
"You should probably go to sleep at a reasonable hour, so you're not exhausted tomorrow," Sly said. "I wonder if maybe I should too?"
Morgaine grinned. "Is that your sneaky way of getting me into bed with you?"
"Do I need to be sneaky?"
She laughed. "Not at all." After a short pause, she decided to risk a little more intimate information. "I love making love to you, Sly."
He smiled down at her and squeezed her hand. "I love making love to you too."
They continued their walk in companionable silence until they reached their hotel. The young man behind the desk who had checked them in glanced up, then went back to his work as if he didn’t even see them.
