Chapter Two
Brax kicked the wall of Penny’s apartment after a fruitless journey upstairs.
One of the witch’s accidental familiars had been in the hall, scurrying for freedom, a skinny and irritated-looking mouse who squeaked something about the wannabe witchette wanting a white Christmas while wanting to get herself a tan over winter break.
Penny was of no help. She’d kept pointing at the mouse and singing that song from the movie with the mice who made the dress for that princess. Then she’d realize she was talking to a mouse, scream, and try to climb him like a cat up a Christmas tree.
“Fleeing the scene of her crimes. Real noble. Bitch. Elemental magic, or anything that messes with the weather, is advanced. Idiot amateur.”
Penny didn’t seem to be listening. Back in the safety of her own apartment, she kept jabbing herself in the throat and looking in the ornamental mirror next to her front door. “Are my glands swollen?”
“I don’t think so. You just need to rest. I’ll sort this out. Call someone, one of the magical types in town—if they’re not all off celebrating at Christmas Eve parties.”
She turned back to him, startled that he wasn’t reflecting, peering into the mirror, and then back at her unwelcome houseguest several times before saying, “Well... you make me feel better. Cooler. You can bring my fever down, and I could rest if I wasn’t going to burst into flames. If I lie down, can you lie down on me?”
They stared at each other. “Uhhh...”
Penny shook her head. “I didn’t mean—”
“I know!”
“But you’re so cold. So, so nice and perfectly bendy and cold.”
Perfectly bendy? That’s new. “Vamps take time to warm back up. It hurts like hell, but it won’t kill us.”
“But—I’m hot, and you’re cold. See, lying down, or sitting, whatever, together will be perfect. Because if you have hot water and cold water, you get warm water. Black and white make gray.”
“What?”
“I don’t know. It was something I thought. I’m saying whatever I think. I bet it was symbolic. Or because you’re dressed in black and I have a white shirt.”
“I see. I think your mental filter is offline.”
“At least I have one.” She downed an entire half-gallon of apple juice in front of his amazed eyes. Then shook her head and rubbed her throat. “I’m sick,” she snuffled. “Still hot. Still thirsty. And I didn’t even offer you any. I’m sorry.”
“You’re definitely not well. You’d never apologize to me.”
“You never apologize to me, either!” Penny accused petulantly.
“I’ve never done anything to you to apologize for!” Brax shouted.
“You exist!”
“Yeah, well, I was here first. Literally, born in 1905!”
“Whooaaa.” Penny looked at him with wide, stunned eyes. “You’re ancient.”
“Gee, thank you.”
“You look good for your age. Really good!”
“Thank you. See, look, I have manners. I can say thank you, I can say sorry—if I have something to apologize for!”
“You do! What are you sorry for?” Penny crossed her arms and glared at him pointedly.
This woman might literally be the death of him. “I...I’m sorry for scaring you and arguing with you when you’re sick. You don’t have to be afraid of me.”
“If you had the curse off, would I have to be afraid of you?” she demanded.
Brax frowned. That was a new thought. “No,” he said slowly. “No, you wouldn’t. You know, I’ve lived for over a century. I didn’t go around killing everyone I met. I even had human friends. Sometimes.”
“Are you saying I’m your friend?”
“Well, I’m trying to save your life, does that count for anything?”
Penny looked thoughtful—as thoughtful as someone holding ice packs under her arms while standing in an open freezer door can look, anyway. “I think it does. Okay. Truce. Friends. How do we break this witch’s spell?”
“Well, first, we get ourselves to the point where we can both think. In my apartment, or anywhere outside, I’m slowly turning to ice. In here, you’re melting, but I feel fine.”
“Put your arms around me, and then I can think.”
“If that doesn’t sound like some horny teenage boy ploy...” Brax mumbled and shed his coat, holding his arms out.
“I’m not horny.” Penny stuck out her tongue and launched onto him.
“Maybe not, but when your fever breaks, you’ll stake me.
You might think this is all some couyon fever dream.
” You might think I was taking advantage.
He could see himself doing all sorts of things that the demon craved, things that his neglected bloodlust begged for.
If it couldn’t have the carnal delight of eating, it could surely have just plain old lust. He was already spinning lines in his head.
Let me cool you from the inside, sweetheart.
Want this pretty popsicle? Nice and cold on your sore throat.
Skin-to-skin contact is better for this sort of thing.
I might be better off freezing outside.
“You’re cold. I’m hot. We could—we could make a cure, maybe.”
“Are you talking to me or yourself?” Brax sat with her on the couch, experiencing the painful, full-body shivers of someone who is starting to warm up after overexposure to the cold.
She reached over to the end table and retrieved a pen and the back of a magazine. “I, Penny, who am hot—in a fever way, promise not to stake Brax for cooling me down. In exchange, he will get to warm up, and he won’t hurt me, either. Sign next to my name.”
“Sign?” He took the pen, eyebrows aloft.
“All the other major truces in history are in writing, aren’t they?”
“I suppose.” Brax took the pen, and his hand spasmed, a cold cramp slicing through his numb fingers.
Penny put her flushed palm to the side of his neck, making him jump, and then sigh, his shoulders doing a long shimmy. “You’re really cold.”
“I believe the term is ‘duh,’” he snarked.
“No, I mean, I don’t feel good, and you don’t feel good. That’s the best time to make a truce, when both people get what they need out of it. I’m too hot, you’re too cold. Go make warm?”
Go make warm. He signed rapidly, nodding, afraid to look up and let his eyes betray him. “Right. Go make warm. How do you want to—”
Penny plastered herself to him before he even finished the question. Both of them let out long, relieved sighs, taut frozen muscles easing their pain as he cautiously put his arms around her, achey, rushing blood cooling as she found some relief.
“We need to lie down. Not on top of, but full body. Come on.”
“You’re going to kill me if I come and lie down with you for some sort of full-body relief! Even the sound of it—”
“I put it in writing. I’ll put it all in writing. Bring the paper!” Penny stumbled down the hall, leaving him staring at cheeks in snug lavender panties as she went to her room.
“Penny!”
“Are you coming or not?” she asked testily.
“There are so many loaded questions today,” he sighed and shivered after her.
EVERY DEMON’S DELIGHT, and I don’t want it, Brax thought as he stopped dead in the doorway of her bedroom. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but put your clothes back on.”
“No. I’m hot. Too hot. The bed is too hot. We should lie on the floor, but it’s too hard, and my back hurts.”
“Exactly. You’re sick, properly ill, even if it’s from some wonky spell. You’ve got muscle aches and all. Even if you put it in writing, if I lie down with you, you’re gonna hate me.” Especially if you’re wearing nothing but a pair of panties.
Penny stubbornly refused to put on the pants he held out, plucking nervously at the sheets that were already starting to grow damp with sweat.
She stared at the painfully chilled vampire, standing stiff, blue and black veins visible under skin that was snow white. “I know! You can take yours off, too?”
“No! That doesn’t solve anything.” Brax refused to entertain the idea, at least out loud.
It would be worth standing naked in a blizzard if this pretty little beauty was going to slide her body up and down his.
And consequently end up all hot and bothered in a way that would later end up lethal, signed bit of paper or not.
“What in the world is the matter with you?” he demanded, half to himself, half to the figure practically gyrating on the mattress.
She suddenly burst into tears. “I don’t know!”
Oh, hell.
He was used to people crying—but maybe he’d forgotten how to ignore it. He couldn’t ignore this kind of sobbing, this confused, helpless sobbing—especially not when he felt like his fingers might snap off at any second, and she was a warm oasis in a world of ice.
He crossed the room in two strides and wrapped his arms around her, rocking her.
“I don’t know, precious, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that.
Shouldn’t have said anything. Nothing is wrong with you but a nasty fever.
You do whatever you want to make you feel comfy.
I’ll take my coat off. Boots off,” he spoke as he followed through on his words, still feeling as though ice was painted across his skin.
Penny nodded gratefully, wiping her eyes. “You know, I know I’m not nice to you—but that’s because... That’s because it’s stupid not to be scared of things that can kill you. You don’t treat mean things trying to kill you like buddies. That’s not smart.”
“You’ve got a point. But I’m scared of you, too, sweetie. You can stake me anytime you want, and I can’t fight back without hurting myself. If I fought back, I’d just be giving you more advantages.”
“That sucks. Not being able to defend yourself.” Penny snuggled into his arms.
“Tell me about it.”
“Well, don’t you realize that’s what humans feel when you kill them? Vampires are strong, fast, and really hard to kill—if all that stuff in books is true.”
“It’s pretty accurate.”
“So, if you don’t like not being able to fight back, why hunt and kill humans?”
“Because I... Because the demon was always in control. But he’s gotten quieter the longer I haven’t killed. Things are different than they used to be,” Brax mused aloud, realizations soaking into him.
“Would you go back to killing if you got un-cursed?”