Page 25 of My Big Fat Bloodsucker Secret Baby

But Annie doesn’t feel the same way. It was part of the reason Blaire was so upset about Annie’s alleged engagement to Colin—that she wouldn’t be able to have the big, happy family she’s always dreamed of.

If I needed another reason to tamp down the longing I feel every time I’m in this woman’s presence, that would be more than enough. But I don’t need another reason. I truly don’t.

“Should I be worried, vampire?” The soft, creaky voice sounds from so close to my ear that I flinch away from the window and nearly tumble off the side of the house.

I’m caught at the last moment by a thin, but powerful, strand of silk that wraps around my wrist, drawing me back into my crouched position. I follow the glitter of the thread to see a spider as big around as my fist crouched in the shadows beneath the eaves.

Her four eyes glow a muted red as she creeps forward into the moonlight. “Do you mean this child harm?”

I shake my head. “Never.”

The spider’s head rotates one direction and then the other, making it clear she isn’t convinced.

“I was only checking to make sure she made it home safely from the party,” I say.

“I don’t believe you,” the spider says mildly. “But I don’t think you’re lying, either. At least not to me. To yourself, perhaps, but that’s none of my concern. These sisters are under my protection—you, are not.” Her head tips back and forth again. “Though you need protection, vampire. Perhaps more than you can presently imagine.”

I frown. “What do you mean?”

She crawls closer and points a spindly leg my way. “Ask your brother, the sheriff. He’s the one who ignored my warnings. And my testimony. I was there when Darcy Blackmore was confined. I heard talk… Saw signs…” She sniffs. “But vampires aren’t known for listening to things they don’t want to hear.”

“Is anyone?” I ask, even as my thoughts race. Ignoring testimony doesn’t sound like Colin, but I’ve been so busy fighting my feelings for Annie that I have no idea what’s going on with the investigation into Blaire and Darcy’s kidnapping and imprisonment. “Have you talked to Darcy about any of this?”

“Darcy doesn’t care for spider shifters, and I don’t care for men who attempt to poison me with plastic-tainted lemon juice.”

I arch a wry brow. “You prefer to be poisoned with fresh fruit?”

The feelers near her mouth lift on both sides. “I’ve always liked you, Baron. You’re an honorable man. It would hurt me to hurt you, but if you break sweet Annie’s heart, I won’t hesitate. Find the courage to love her or leave the poor woman alone.”

“I am leaving her alone.”

Her feelers flutter as if in laughter though no sound emerges. “Last night you were out on the front lawn abusing the kraken and tonight you’re peeping through her window. That doesn’t look like keeping your distance, but I’m an old spider. Perhaps I’m missing something…”

I press my lips together. I’d like to assure her that she won’t see me near the Wonderfully mansion again, but I don’t make promises I can’t keep, and I’m not sure I can resist the urge to protect Annie from afar. I will never be able to give her the life or love she deserves, but I can at least keep her safe and well until she finds a man who can.

Though, if the spider is telling the truth, I might need protection as well…

“If you’ll share what you saw the day Darcy was taken, I’ll do my best to convince Colin to add your testimony to the record.” I shrug. “I can’t promise more than that, but I would appreciate any knowledge you have about potential threats to my clan.”

She shakes her head with a steadiness that makes it clear there will be no getting through to her. “The time has passed for such things, and perhaps that’s for the best. There are villains among you, Blackmore. As the children say these days, the call is coming from inside the house. Some of the people you trust most will betray you.”

My already ponderous heartbeat slows and suddenly I feel the cold in a way I haven’t in decades. I’d like to dismiss her warnings as nonsense and express my complete faith in my brothers and sisters, but I’ve felt things lately…

Even tonight, the energy at the estate didn’t feel quite right. There were whispers, rumblings of discontent that seemed to be about more than the demon baby Darcy and Colin have welcomed to town or the arrival of a generation of witch sisters we didn’t realize existed until last autumn. The shield has been renewed. We should be celebrating and more relaxed than we’ve been in years. Instead, it seems as if the renewal of the shield has made things worse, maybe even cleared the way for a storm that’s been building for a long time.

The spider exhales a knowing sigh. “You’ve sensed it, then.”

I nod. “Yes. Something isn’t right with my clan. Or with Nightfall. Lately, I’ve felt…watched by a force that doesn’t wish me well. My brother, Edmond, has felt it, too.”

She lifts her front legs and reaches beneath her, catching a strand of silk and slowly winding it into a ball. “Shadows are gathering, vampire, old shadows once thought to have been banished forever. But evil is patient. It knows that the sun always sets—eventually. It’s simply a matter of time.”

She snips the end of the thread, tucking it into the small ball she’s formed, and holds it out toward me. “Keep this with you. It will glow when traitors are close. Gather knowledge and you’ll be ready when the time comes. Until then, I suggest you consider your responsibilities in this long afterlife of yours. Penance is all well and good, but there is other work to be done. Suffering is part of the journey, never the destination. There comes a time when we must put what we’ve learned in the dark night of our soul to use. That’s how we contribute to the betterment of the world and to our own, much-deserved happiness. And yes, even you deserve seasons of happiness, Baron Blackmore. It is your birthright as one of the Goddess’s creations.”

A sour taste floods my mouth, but I take the ball, and mutter, “Thank you.”

“Thank me when you come to your senses. Until then, stay away from our Annie. She needs her strength now more than ever.”

My lips part to ask her why, to demand she tell me if the danger lingering around my clan will touch Annie in some way. But she’s already retreated through a hole in the wood of the eaves and disappeared into the walls of the home.

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