Page 99 of Blood and Bonbons

I was toweling off when I heard the doorbell ring. Curious about who would be at our door so early, I wrapped myself in the towel and crept into the dining room to peek around the corner.

A woman who looked like my doppelganger, from the shoulder-length blonde hair to the grey eyes and generous curves, stood in the living room right inside the door. The sultry smile on her lips was aimed at Cross, who stood beside her.

From her place by the couch, Vena crossed her arms and glared at the pair.

“Who are you?” she asked.

“I’m a gift and peace offering,” the woman said to Cross. “Yours to feed upon whenever you wish.”

“To feed upon?” Vena demanded, echoing my shock. “What the hell, Cross? Did you order delivery?”

“I don’t know this woman,” he said, not looking away from the blonde. “Who sent you?”

“My employer,” the woman said.

“Who is your employer?” Vena asked.

Before the woman could respond, Cross escorted her out the door. “Tell your employer I’m not interested.” He closed the door in her face.

“Why in the hell did that peace offering look like Everly?” Vena asked.

“That’s what I was going to ask,” I said, stepping into the dining room so they could both see me.

Cross’ gaze silently raked over me. When he took a step in my direction, I fought the urge to retreat a step and lost. Then I felt guilty when I saw he meant to go to the couch, not me. He tugged at the jean material on his legs as he sat.

“We might as well speak of the club now.” He glanced at my towel-wrapped body again. “Unless you’d like to dress, Everly.”

I tucked the towel tighter under my arm and boldly moved forward to perch on the arm of the couch.

“No. I want to know what’s going on and why self-proclaimed food that looked way too much like me showed up on our doorstep. It seems to me that someone knows who you’re hanging around with. Am I in more danger because of you? Because frankly, Vena’s tendency to go off half-cocked already fills my danger quota.”

Cross looked uncomfortable, and Vena gave me an apologetic, guilty look.

“I promise I will make these last few days up to you as soon as we find Miles,” Vena said.

Cross sighed. “As I said before, you are out of your leagues. You’re lucky to be alive. When I left here yesterday, I returned to the club to investigate further and came across the scent of an old acquaintance. She’s not someone you want to cross.”

“She?” Vena asked.

“Did you believe all vampires were male?” he asked.

“Of course not. But exactly what kind of an acquaintance was she?”

“One that I have no desire to talk about.”

Vena’s expression lit with interest. “An old lover?”

Cross narrowed his eyes at her. “Call her what you wish, but I’m serious when I say you don’t want to provoke her. She has a long memory. So if you wish not to have her as an enemy for the rest of your mortal life, I suggest staying away from the club.”

“What about my brother?” Vena asked.

“We’ll have to find him a different way. It is not worth risking Everly’s life by forcing the issue at the club.”

“Only Everly’s life?” Vena asked.

He ignored her. “Regardless of my desire for you to avoid my old acquaintance, the club would still be a dead end. Your werewolf friends saw to that yesterday when they ensured it would not open for business again in the near future.” Cross inhaled deeply and frowned. “I hate the scent of the wolves on you.”

“I just showered.”

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