Nick had alerted his werecop contacts to patrol the area and not to interfere unless they were needed. One good howl would call them into action.
The paras in the glass cage had settled down, realizing their friends were devoting all their resources to freeing them.
While it was a “hurry up and wait” situation, Kurt escorted Ruxandra to the far end of the building to talk. Anthony’s hearing was so sharp that he’d be able to overhear—but they didn’t necessarily know that. All he had to do was tune out the background conversations between Nick, Sly, and George, and he was privy to all Kurt and Ruxandra were discussing.
He knew he should give them their privacy, but his curiosity won out. He grabbed a book off one of the shelves and found a stool in a quiet corner. The other guys would leave him alone, figuring he was reading—not eavesdropping.
“Ruxie, I want to ask you to do something for me.”
Ruxie?
“Sure, honey. Anything.”
And honey? She’d better not be leading Kurt on.
“I hope you won’t see this as mistrust, but my heart is on the line here. I know how strong your feelings for Anthony have been in the past—”
“Yes. I told you, it’s in the past. Not now.”
“Regardless… Would you allow me to try the truth spell on that? It’s important. I won’t ask you anything else if you don’t want me to.”
There was a long pause and Anthony expected Ruxandra to erupt any second. This is just the sort of thing she’d throw a hissy fit over.
“I—I guess so. I can understand how you might be worried about that.”
Anthony’s brows shot up. He quickly schooled his expression so the other guys wouldn’t ask what he’d read that was so shocking.
“So, you’ll let me?”
“Yes. Ask me anything. When do you want to do this?”
“There’s no time like the present.”
“Don’t you need your candles and everything?”
“I have a few extra supplies in my bag,” he said.
Anthony had wondered why Kurt only used half the items he’d sent him to his apartment for. Now he knew. Apparently Kurt had been hoping to do this all along. Smart man.
There was an elongated silence in which Anthony imagined Kurt setting up his altar and preparing the brown paper with Ruxandra’s name on it. Then he heard the smack of a kiss.
Anthony smiled. Surprisingly, he wanted his ex-girlfriend to be happy, and not just so she’d stop being such a pain in his ass.
“Okay. Are you ready?”
“Go ahead,” she said.
Kurt uttered the same words he’d said before, but in a much quieter tone of voice. After a brief silence he asked, “What are your full name, birthplace, and birth date?”
Ah, good. All things he can check.
“My name is Ruxandra Marie Fournier, and I was born in Provence on November fourth in seventeen forty-nine.”
“That makes you 265 years old. Is that correct?”
“Yes.”
Anthony was intrigued. Ruxandra was as vain as any woman about her age. To admit it so easily and dispassionately must mean she was under the influence of magic.
“What was your father’s profession?”
“He was a farmer.”
“Was he kind to you?”
“Not always.”
“All right. Let’s move on. How do you know Anthony Cross?”
“He’s my maker. He saved me. I had been beaten, starved, choked, and left in a ditch to die.”
“Who did that to you?”
“The Marquis de Sade.”
There was a pause. He imagined Kurt taking in the information Anthony already knew. It wasn’t a pretty picture. A beautiful nineteen-year-old girl, too young and supposedly innocent to suffer such cruelty and be left for dead.
But unless Kurt asked the right question, she’d never admit to going there voluntarily.
“How did you meet the marquis?”
“I was hired by one of his servants—as a prostitute.”
Wow. That truth spell really works. No sugarcoating at all.
“Do you hate me for it?” she asked.
Kurt chuckled. He actually chuckled!
“No. I never had a servant to do it for me, but I hired the occasional lady when I was lonely. Nobody’s perfect.”
“Anthony hated it when he found out.”
“But he didn’t hate you.”
“He was angry, and I don’t think he understood. Unmarried daughters who scare off potential suitors eventually end up on their own.”
“But you were only nineteen.”
“Yes. An old maid, in my father’s opinion.”
“Where was your mother?”
“Dead. She died when I was eleven.”
“Just when you needed her most, I imagine.”
“Maybe. I wouldn’t know.”
“Did you have any brothers or sisters?”
“Yes. Three of each.”
“Wow. Seven kids. Where did you fall in the birth order?”
“Youngest. The boys helped my father with the farm. My three older sisters took care of the house. I felt fairly useless. My siblings considered me spoiled.”
Even Anthony hadn’t known that. He’d never met her family, and she didn’t like to talk about them. He figured she must have been the black sheep. If she scared off potential suitors with her acerbic tongue, she may have been asked to leave.
“Okay. Let’s get back to Anthony. Are you still in love with him?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“He doesn’t love me. He doesn’t even like me.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Yes. He’s in love with Claudia.”
“I think so too. Are you able to let go of him and let him be happy with her?”
“Yes. I didn’t used to think so, but now I do.”
“Can you envision a future with me?”
“Yes. I was using you at first. I thought I could make Anthony jealous. But I don’t want to do that anymore.”
“So, your affection for me is real?”
“Yes.”
“And what about Claudia? Can you let go of her too?”
“Yes.”
“Will you try to harm her?”
“No.”
“Did you try to harm her in the past?”
“Yes. I wanted to, but I couldn’t.”
“I know. I cast a powerful protection spell around her.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Oh. What did you mean?”
“I knew someone who would kill her for a price. I had the money but stopped myself from going through with it. I knew it was wrong.”
There was another long pause. Anthony was hanging on every word. He hoped this wasn’t too good to be true.
“Do you regret wanting to harm Claudia?”
“Yes.”
“I’m glad to hear that. Can you promise it will never happen again?”
“Yes.”
“I’m proud of you, Ruxandra. You’ve overcome a lot.”
“I love you, Kurt.”
There was another long pause. At last Kurt whispered, “I love you too.”
Chapter 18
“It’s seven a.m. Go time,” Nick said.
The birds outside squawked three times, signaling the approach of visitors.
Anthony and Sly had fortified themselves with a few swigs of Vampire Vintage from their flasks and then plastered themselves against the wall on either side of the front door. Nick kept his weapon trained on George but remained out of sight. George had strict instructions to behave normally—or else. And just to reinforce the “or else” part, Ruxandra was hiding beneath his desk. Kurt stood next to the control panel, ready to program in the code as soon as the others forced it out of the day-shift guys.