“Hmmm…I guess I am.” Claudia giggled. So, what about the rest? Kurt?
“Wizard but human. Not paranormal at all.”
Sadie?
“Sadie is human too. A human psychic. Both of them are aware of the paranormals in our midst. If they’re comfortable here, that should say something, right?”
Claudia nodded. What about Morgaine and Sly? You said they might be coming tonight.
“Sly is the vampire who mesmerized you and Angie, Malcolm, Robin, and Wendy way back when all hell broke loose after that emergency staff meeting. Kurt froze time long enough for him to do it.”
But Sly can walk in daylight.
“And thanks to him, I can too.”
She squeezed his hands. Remind me to thank him later. So, what about his wife, Morgaine?
“Witch first, then she became a vampire when she married Sly.”
She became a… Was it by choice?
“Yes. It was definitely her choice. Apparently he’d already lost a wife and grieved for years. Because she’s his beloved, she figured it would be even worse if she died.”
Claudia had to remember to breathe. She had never considered the possibility of becoming a vampire. I’m betting it’s not like converting to Judaism, is it? Once it’s done, it probably can’t be undone.
“That’s correct. In case you’re wondering, I don’t want you to do that for me.”
As selfish as it sounded, Claudia was relieved. Rather than dwell on it, she continued their conversation.
Can Morgaine do spells like Kurt can?
“Yes. I guess there are subtle differences between wizards and witches—mostly moral, and they don’t always get along.”
Chalk up another unusual friendship because of Boston Uncommon.
Anthony grinned. “By Jove, you’ve got it.”
Claudia took in a deep breath and let it out on a sigh. “I guess that’s enough for now. Any more information and my head might explode.”
Anthony cupped her cheeks and said, “We can’t let that happen. It’s such a pretty, pretty head.”
Chapter 19
The party had gone well. Angie spent most of the evening on Tory’s lap, and everyone had fun teasing her about her “get it yourself” attitude. Anthony and Claudia had just said good night to the last of the partygoers when the bell over the door tinkled again.
In walked Ruxandra.
Anthony’s back stiffened.
“What’s she doing here?” Claudia asked telepathically.
Kurt followed her in and said, “Hi, Claudia. I’m glad you’re still here. Ruxandra has something she wants to tell you.”
Anthony stepped in front of Claudia, almost as if it were reflex.
“It’s okay, Anthony. I’m not going to hurt her. Ever.”
Was that too much to hope for? Anthony caught Kurt’s eye and he nodded.
Moving to Claudia’s side, Anthony wrapped his arm around her shoulder protectively and noted a tremor. Apparently Claudia needed to be convinced as much as he did.
“Well, Ruxandra. Go ahead. Say what you came to say.”
Ruxandra reached for Kurt’s hand, as if she needed confidence. A definite change was taking place in her, and Anthony just prayed it would continue.
“I’m sorry, Claudia,” she said. “I know I did some terrible things to you, and I don’t expect you to forgive me, but that doesn’t change how sorry I am.”
After a long pause, Claudia finally said, “I can understand how hard it is to realize you’ve hurt someone and apologize, especially when you don’t think you’ll be forgiven. I’ve been in that position too.”
Ruxandra’s eyes rounded. “You have?”
“Yes. I may not have meant to hurt anyone, but I did. Apologizing is the right thing to do. You may or may not help the other person forgive you, but the important thing is that you do it. It’s the first step in eventually forgiving yourself.”
Ruxandra hung her head. “I don’t know if I’ll ever forgive myself for some of the things I’ve done…especially to you.”
Claudia stepped away from Anthony. The spot where she had been curled into him cooled, or perhaps the chill that invaded him was dread. She stepped forward and extended her arms. If Anthony hadn’t just taken a breath a few moments ago, he’d have gasped.
Ruxandra looked up, surprised. As soon as she realized she was getting a hug instead of the slap she deserved, she relaxed and opened her arms.
The two women held each other and Anthony thought he heard sniffling, but he couldn’t be sure. Kurt pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to Ruxandra.
Oh, my gods. I never thought I’d see the day.
Ruxandra was crying.
Anthony and Claudia had finally locked up and made their way upstairs to Claudia’s apartment. He placed his hands on her shoulders and smiled like he had some kind of pleasant surprise in store.
“Would you like me to spend the night? Or longer?”
Surprise didn’t quite cover the emotion that Claudia felt. Shock was more like it. “Seriously? You want to sleep here?”
“I’ve always wanted to stay the night with you, honey. I couldn’t before Sly gave me his temporary cure for the death sleep and photosensitivity. Now I can—if you want me to.”
She grinned. “Of course I want you to.” She’d often thought about how wonderful it would be to fall asleep all curled up in his arms. “I’d love that. But what did you mean when you said, ‘or longer’?”
He glanced at the floor and scuffed his shoe as if he were nervous. “I was wondering if you’d like us to live together.”
She threw her arms around his neck. Instead of answering him verbally, she just planted her lips on his and kissed him for all she was worth.
“I take it that’s a yes?”
“Yes. That’s most definitely a yes.”
Anthony swept her up in his arms and carried her to their bedroom. He set her on the end of the bed and unbuttoned her blouse as she unzipped his trousers. She had always wanted to pleasantly surprise him in the bedroom. Tonight would be the night.
He was just reaching for her bra when she grasped his erection and sucked it into her mouth. He leaned back and groaned. Claudia went to work giving him the best blow job she knew how. It must have been pretty good because he was moaning and gently cupping the back of her head, allowing her to do whatever she wanted to him.
She’d never much cared for the act, but with Anthony it was different. She wanted to do this. And it wasn’t just that she wanted to give him the kind of intense pleasure he always gave her. She loved the intimacy it created between them. She loved him.
“Oh, baby…that’s so good,” he whispered.
She had always wondered if she could possibly measure up to his former lovers. They’d never discussed it, but she had the feeling there had been more than Ruxandra. A lot more. Considering his long life, that wasn’t much of a stretch.
She hadn’t realized she was projecting her thought until he answered her telepathically.
“You don’t have any competition, sweetheart. Not in the present or the past. And there won’t be any in the future, either.”
Claudia felt a momentary urge to cry. She held it back in favor of the warm feelings flooding her. She wasn’t the emotional mess she had once been, but she could still be swamped by strong feelings…this time, feelings of unmitigated love.