“That sounds like a good idea,” Mary said at once, eager to get some time alone to try to straighten herself out. She needed space to recover from what had happened and figure out how to make sure it didn’t happen again as well as how she was supposed to act around Dante now.
Mary was looking at Dave, so noticed when his expression suddenly went blank before he turned, and closed the RV door. He then turned back and simply stood there, eyes dull, face expressionless.
“Dave? Are you all right?” she asked uncertainly, moving up beside Dante to see Carol’s husband better when he just stood there unmoving. When Dave showed no reaction at all to her question, Mary stared at him with bewilderment, then glanced to Dante and noted the concentration on his expression as he eyed Dave. She glanced slowly back to Dave then, and for one moment believed Dante might really be controlling him. But believing that meant buying his nonsense about being a vampire, and she just couldn’t accept that. Mouth tightening, she arched an eyebrow at Dante.
“What is this?” Mary asked now with disgust. “A prank the two of you planned together at breakfast?”
Dante didn’t respond, but Dave suddenly dropped to his hands and knees on the floor and barked at them, then lowered his head to begin lapping up water out of Bailey’s dish. As he did, Bailey, who had jumped back up on the bench seat at some point, now lifted her head to watch him with interest. But then she just laid her head back down and closed her eyes.
“Dave!” Mary said with dismay and took a step toward him, then stopped and turned to Dante with horror.
“Stop it!” she demanded, moving in front of him and thumping him on the chest with one fisted hand. “Stop it now!”
Dante caught her arms before she could hit him again and peered past her to Dave.
Mary glanced over her shoulder to see Dave getting to his feet. His face was still expressionless and he didn’t speak at all, but simply moved in front of the steps leading down to the door, then stood there unmoving. She swiveled her head back to Dante and scowled at him furiously. “If you really are controlling him and this isn’t some kind of trick you two cooked up, then you’re being exceedingly cruel,” she muttered, trying to tug her arms free of his hold.
Dante merely held on and shrugged. “He is unharmed.”
“Except for his pride,” she snapped, tugging again. “You made him act like a dog.”
“His pride is fine. He will not recall this,” Dante said gently, and then his voice turning cold, he added, “Although it would serve him right if I left him the memory. He has been sniffing around you like a dog all morning.”
“What?” Mary squawked with disbelief. “He has not! He walked with us to the restaurant and joined us for breakfast with his wife,” she said pointedly. “Dave and Carol have been friends for years.”
“Dave has been lusting after you for years,” Dante countered dryly. “And this year planned to take advantage of your missing Joe, get you drunk, and take advantage of you when he so kindly offered to drive you back to the RV last night. The knowledge that I was with you and would return any moment with Bailey is the only reason he didn’t try it last night. But he came here this time with the intention of sending me off to “have fun with the young people at the pool” so that he could try it now. Those are the actions of a human dog.”
“He was going to take me back to visit with Carol,” she reminded him with exasperation. Dante was sounding like a jealous lover, which was just ridiculous. He wasn’t her lover and . . . well, hell, Joe had never shown a lick of jealousy in all the years they were married. Why would this young man, when they hardly knew each other?
“Carol is not at the offices,” Dante said firmly. “She has driven into town to get the mail. He had no intention of taking you anywhere but to your bed. He is a dog,” he growled, and then glared at Dave and added, “Although that seems to me to be an insult to Bailey and her kind. She would never behave in so unsavory a manner.”
Mary gaped at him, then turned to peer over her shoulder at Dave again before saying weakly, “I don’t believe it.”
“Nevertheless, it is true,” Dante said quietly. “He thinks you aged better than Carol, and, like me, thinks you have a lovely smile and nice figure. He has been lusting after you for decades and only Joe’s presence prevented him from acting on it before this. He was afraid your Joe would beat the hell out of him if he ever found out.”
Mary shook her head, finding this impossible to believe.
“Although, he nearly took a chance and tried to bed you that time the four of you were on vacation in a cottage up north and were all in the hot tub. You got out, wrapped a towel around yourself and went in to get more wine for everyone. He followed on the pretext that he needed to use the washroom. But the truth is you were drunk and he hoped to be able to talk you into a ‘quickie.’ However, Carol followed to see if she could help you and he was unable to make the attempt.”
Mary stiffened. The trip he was talking about had been ages ago. At least fifteen years ago, she thought. She hadn’t told him about it, and was quite sure no one else had mentioned it today either. How could he have known about that trip without reading minds? Still she shook her head in denial.
“What do I have to do to convince you that what I say is true?” Dante hissed with frustration.
Mary just lowered her head. She had no idea. Perhaps there was nothing he could say to convince her. The truth was, Mary had some serious trust issues and she knew it.
Sighing, Dante released her and moved past her to approach Dave. Mary turned slowly, frowning with concern as she watched Dante stop behind the other man. Trepidation rippled along her back in the silence that followed, and then Dante bent and lowered his head to Dave’s neck.
Mary blinked in bewilderment. Did Dante plan to make out with everyone? First her, then Dave. Who was next? Carol? One of the workers here? Did it even matter if it was a man or woman?
Hurt and suddenly angry, Mary hurried forward and caught his arm to jerk him away from Dave. Dante straightened and turned to her and she gasped and took a step back. It was Dante, but not Dante. This Dante looked exactly like the one she knew except that instead of the normal, white teeth she’d seen so many times when he smiled, his canines were now fangs, and they were presently coated with blood.
Dave’s blood, Mary realized as she glanced to the other man and saw the marks on his neck. They were carbon copies of the marks she’d noted on the necks of Dr. Jenson and a couple of the truck drivers as they’d come out of the RV, smiling and calm. She’d noted the same marks on one of the EMTs too, she recalled.
Dante shifted and Mary glanced to him sharply. Noting that he’d turned his attention to Dave again, she glanced to the other man and watched him walk down the three steps to the door. He opened it and walked out of the RV, a calm smile on his face just like the ones the truckers had worn.
Mary took a nervous step back when Dante turned to her, but his fangs were gone and every trace of blood with them.
“Now do you believe?” he asked, moving slowly forward.
Mary swallowed and continued to retreat, one step for every one he took forward.
“I am an Atlantean,” Dante said proudly. “Immortal. I need blood to survive. Normally we only feed from bagged blood. In fact, it is against our laws for us to feed directly from mortals, except in emergencies, when we are without bagged blood and in need. Then we may feed on mortals as I just did.”
“Dave,” she began weakly.
“Is fine and will not remember it so long as I don’t spend much time around him,” he said grimly.
“Oh,” she breathed and then felt her knees give way. Mary was sure she was going to hit the floor and even tried to prepare herself for the impact, but she’d backed all the way to the bedroom and instead of hitting the floor, her fall was brought up short when she dropped to sit on the bed.
Mary blinked in surprise as she bounced on the cushioned surface, and then blinked again when Dante immediately dropped to kneel before her and took her hands in his. He started to look up at her, but then paused and glanced back to her hands with a frown. “You are so cold.”