Page 13 of Bitten By Desire

“What about guarding the widow?” I couldn’t keep the sarcasm from the word.

“I have procured a guard I am certain she will like—and might be more to her tastes than myself. Since I am taken by the most beautiful woman who has ever graced the planet.”

“Well, in that case…” I shooed him out of the room then sat back on the side of the tub.

I wanted him. My body wanted him. But when I thought about making love to Julian, the inescapable feelings of guilt and betrayal to my mother rose like a tidal wave ready to engulf me. How could I get past it? Could I ever?

Despite his beautiful words, I feared making him wait after all these centuries was selfish and would eventually chase him away. How many other beautiful women like Lorraine would go after him? He was the most stunning man I’d ever met—and would be even if he wasn’t a vampire.

Settling back in the bath, I closed my eyes. I was overreacting. I’d recover just as I’d finally come out of my stupor. And Julian wanted only me. Smiling, I opened my eyes and searched through the collection of bottles on the side for a soap I liked.

A few small colorful ones in the back drew my eye, so I pulled them out. The labels were handmade, and the writing was French.

“Julian?” I called, and within seconds, he was beside me.

“What do these say?” The bright contents gave me an off-kilter feeling.

Eyebrows raised, Julian took the pink, green, and purple containers and read.

“Decompléxé means uninhibited, suggérable means suggestable, and douleur is pain.”

“Yikes. Glad I didn’t dump those in the water.”

“Are these potions?” Julian turned the brightly colored bottles over in his hands.

“I’ll ask Mama?—”

Julian’s pitiful expression hit me at the same time as the realization that I couldn’t do that. Not now, not ever again. The sudden burst of pain in my chest should have been expected, yet it took my breath away. She was gone, and so was a chunk of my heart.

Julian set the bottles down and held open a huge towel for me.

“Thanks,” I said. “I’ll be out shortly.”

Julian left and I continued preparing for the day as I pondered the tiny bottles. If they were potions, why did she keep them by the tub? I supposed it was a good hiding spot. She probably hadn’t anticipated anyone snooping through her personal care items. And if they were potions, did they incriminate her? She was a witch after all, so I supposed that was her business. It wasn’t like her husband had been poisoned, nor was there a bottle labeled death. Just in case, I decided to slip them in my belt compartment for safekeeping.

“I could use that coffee,” I said, emerging from the bathroom to find Julian dressed in his own bright blue button-down shirt and tailored black slacks.

“Since the guard is present, I decided to retrieve some of our things on my own.” He offered me one of the nicer dresses he’d bought for me since our departure from the island.

"The red one,” I said, wriggling into the form-fitting, likely far-too-expensive garment I had barely looked at previously.

“Let’s be off,” Julian gestured toward the door, and as I approached the stairs, I nearly bumped into Binx who was on his way up with a tray of coffee and croissants.

“Char! So good to see you up and about.” The incubus’s sex appeal immediately activated my body’s hormonal response, unlike the last time I’d seen him. It went beyond his gorgeous body on display in tight black jeans and a T-shirt. It was his very nature, and the only other time it hadn’t awkwardly affected me was when we’d discovered my mother’s body.

I smiled weakly as Julian put a protective—possibly possessive—arm around me.

“Thanks, Binx. I hadn’t realized you were the guard.” Of course, it made perfect sense. I still couldn’t believe he and Mama had been dating. “Wait, I thought you could only become corporeal at night?”

“Your sister and Hazel work magic! I mean—yes, you knew that, of course—but your mother had been working on a potion for me so we could watch the sunrise together. Zoe and Hazel were able to use it to create a sort of pill for me. A charm, I think you call it? Well, it’s amazing, though I can only take them once in a while and get a bit itchy in sunlight.”

“Sounds like a vampire,” I said smirking. “I’m so happy for you.”

“Thank you,” he beamed, and a jolt of electric want sizzled down to my core making me adjust my stance. “I jumped at the chance to see you and help out.”

“We best be on our way. Enjoy the company,” Julian said, steering me down the staircase.

“You are brilliant,” I said as we stepped into the beautiful Paris morning.

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