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“What are you guys doing here?” I asked, my tone not exactly welcoming.
“Well, we just finished up at a costume party, and we thought you might not have plans tonight,” he said.
“Zeb, honey, I think she has somebody here,” Jolene said, pulling him back as she took in the tousled hair, the general state of me. I would have blushed if I still had circulation. Even I could smell the coppery scent of arousal in the room, and with Jolene’s senses…At that moment, Jolene motioned down to my shirt, which was inside out. I groaned. With my vampire senses and agility, you’d think putting on a blouse wouldn’t be that difficult.
“Yeah.” I looked back toward my parlor. I really hoped Gabriel still had pants on, because, otherwise, this could be awkward. “Actually, there is someone here whom I want you to meet, in a way that you remember.”
“OK, that’s not cryptic,” Zeb said, hauling a duffel bag and some carry-out sacks from Smoky Bones BBQ into the house.
“You are going to change clothes before you eat the barbecue, right? If not, she can kiss that costume deposit good-bye,” I asked. I’d seen Jolene around ribs.
“I heard that!” Jolene called as she went into the kitchen to search for plates.
Sensing that Seminaked Happy Fun Time was over, Gabriel, pants intact, came out of the parlor just as Jolene came back in to claim her share of the ribs.
“Hi! I’m Jolene. It’s real nice to meet you.” Jolene crossed to him and shook his hand.
“Gabriel Nightengale,” he said, tapping his teeth. “McClaine clan?”
“Very good,” she said, grinning. “Not a lot of people pick up on canine patterns.”
“Behavior patterns?” I asked.
“No, the actual pattern of her canine teeth,” Gabriel said. “Werewolves have strong and specific genetic markers, even for something as simple as dental configuration. Different clans have different bite patterns. Jolene has the classic McClaine arrangement, a slight overbite with nicely spaced bottom incisors.”
“You know an alarming amount of information about regional teeth,” I told him.
Jolene giggled, a sound that was followed by a long conversational pause.
“Well.” Zeb rubbed his hands together. “This is really awkward.”
Zeb and Jolene busied themselves with unwrapping enough barbecued ribs, potato salad, and cole slaw to feed about ten people.
“So much food.” Gabriel marveled at my coffee table, groaning under the weight of the spread.
“Um, you know we don’t eat, right?” I asked.
Jolene laughed, a throaty sound that was equal parts growl and giggle. She wiped a smear of sauce from her chin. “Oh, this is just a snack.” She rolled her eyes. “I’ll probably have to eat a pork shoulder or somethin’ before bed.”
“On our first date, she ate a whole lasagna and still had room for tiramisu. Who ’s my bottomless pit? Who’s my little bottomless pit?” Zeb said proudly, snuffling behind Jolene’s ears.
“Down, boy.” Jolene giggled. “We didn’t forget about y’all, though. We brought bottled blood, and we got wine. It ’s strawberry.”
She held up an obscenely red bottle with dancing berries on the label.
Gabriel shuddered, an imperceptible movement caught only by my vampire eyes. “I don’t drink…wine.”
I shot a look at Gabriel. I hoped he could see me thinking, I know you stole that line from Dracula!
Undeterred, Jolene offered the bottle to me. “Jane?”
“No, thanks.”
Handing Gabriel and me each a warmed bottle of an imported, upmarket synthetic blood called Sangre, Zeb gave me a sly look. “Jane never drinks, anyway. Not since the ‘incident’ her sophomore year.”
“Zeb,” I growled.
“Having seen Jane drink, I think I’d like to hear this story,” Gabriel said, cheerfully passing the wine to Zeb.
