Page 24 of Into The Light

I’d been too freaked out to shower in a house with a vampire yesterday. All I’d had were visions of the shower scene in Psycho flashing through my mind, so I’d skipped my morning shower and opted with a sponge bath in the sink. Now that I felt more comfortable, I stumbled to the oversized marble bathroom and dropped my dress on the floor. Kicking off my shoes I stepped into the glass shower the size of my kitchen back home.

Glancing around, I couldn’t find the shower head. I saw the valve I assumed controlled the water, but nowhere in this big, grey tiled box did I see the shower head. With a twist of the knob I stood off to the side, wondering what it would do. Warm droplets of rain poured down from the stainless-steel ceiling. I gasped as it rushed all around me.

Hell. Yeah.

A rain shower. I’d never even heard of such a thing. Steam enveloped me as the hot rain washed away some of the hangover that gripped my head tight. I spent too long in it before drying off, throwing on a suit and coverup and heading down to meet Mark.

“Out here!” he hollered from the patio out back by the pool.

I walked through the kitchen, noticing no dirty dishes and no aromas of eggs or bacon filling the air. My nose wrinkled from the disappointment over the lack of breakfast. Hangovers made me hungry... and cranky.

Stepping out into the warm late morning sun I found Mark sprawled on a chaise lounge poolside. I strode across the large flat stones that paved their way through the entire oasis.

“Come, sit, eat, drink, be merry.” Mark peered over his shoulder from behind his designer sunglasses.

There sitting on a tray atop the small table between two chaise loungers was a pile of bacon, a croissant, coffee and two Bloody Marys.

“Good God, I love you,” I said, flopping in my chair and eyeing up the spread. “Like, really, really love you.”

“Right back at you.” He blew me a kiss.

“I don’t even know where to start.”

“I suggest the Bloody Mary followed by bacon, but please, do as you must.”

Leaning back in the chair I reached for the Bloody Mary. One long, slow sip and already I felt my hangover subsiding. Bacon would send it to an early grave.

“Where does this all come from?” I asked, realizing the kitchen hadn’t been used, but the food looked freshly cooked.

“Nancy and Mary.”

My eyebrow rose. “Who?”

“A few years ago I was complaining that since Aiden wouldn’t let me keep a cook, I was going to starve to death. I can seriously burn water.”

“Oh my God, me too.”

“Aiden doesn’t allow staff, you know the whole vampire thing, so for my birthday he bought a house down the road and hired two cooks, Nancy and Mary. They live there full time and the place is stocked better than any restaurant in the Midwest. Seafood, steak, pasta... you name it, it’s there. All we need to do is call and they whip it up and deliver it. He even got them this little catering truck complete with food insulators and warmers, so my food arrives hot and delicious. Greatest gift of all times.”

“Wow. That’s impressive. He’s very good to you.”

“Nah, he was just sick of hearing me and Jenny bitch about it. But it worked and now we have our own twenty-four-seven gourmet delivery service.” He clasped his hands behind his head and waggled his eyebrows at me.

One part of that story snatched my attention. “Who’s Jenny?”

“Jenny was the last you.”

My brow plunged into a deep furrow. “What?”

“Oh, she was nothing like you,” he said noticing my reaction. “She was Aiden’s donor. Our first, actually. She just finished her five-year contact a few weeks ago.”

It felt like jealousy gripping at my chest, but I shouldn’t feel jealous, right? I’m a donor. She was a donor. A hired hand. But jealousy flared up again as I pictured him latched on to her neck, sharing the same connection I had felt with him last night.

“What was she like?” I asked, though I instantly regretted it. Images of a young, leggy brunette flashed through my mind. Just like the one who’d resulted in my ex’s betrayal.

“Awful. A total bitch. The personality of a flounder.” His face twisted as if he’d caught scent of something foul.

“Oh.” I tried to hide the smugness in my voice. Good. I didn’t know her, but I hated Jenny. If Mark had held affection for her, I would have inexplicably felt betrayed. I would have felt sick if Aiden had. The thought surprised me.