Tooth And Nailed Part 9

Jack grinned. "She's a fierce one, she is," he agreed.

"h.e.l.lo?" Rowan crossed her arms over her chest and glowered at the pair of them. "Somebody better be giving me an explanation pretty d.a.m.n quick or I'll start knocking heads again."

"See?" Jack said to Deacon before turning to Rowan. "Don't be getting upset, darling. This is Deacon O'Rourke, a good friend. I asked him to pop by."

She lifted a raven brow. "Well, you might've warned me he'd be *popping by'. I thought he was one of the good reverend's friends."

Deacon laid a hand across his heart, wincing. "You wound me, love. To think I'd fall in with that lot of lunatics and zealots."

In spite of herself, Rowan softened at the boyish charm dancing in his green eyes. "Well, how was I to know? I come in and find you rifling through my hard drive. Which you still haven't apologized for, by the way."

"I certainly did."

She shook her head. "Sarcasm doesn't count."

"T'wasn't sarcasm, love. Truly, I apologize for the intrusion. I thought Jack had got himself a new toy and wanted to take a peek is all."

"Well, it was rude."

"I know, darling, and you've my solemn pledge I'll not be doing such a thing again." He was openly grinning at her now, fairy lights dancing in his eyes. "Will I be forgiven?"

Rowan rolled her eyes, feeling like an idiot now that her temper had cooled. "Yes, you're forgiven. Just lay off the charm or we'll be swimming in it soon."

Jack threw back his head, laughing at the genuine shock that came over Deacon's face at her words. "She's a feisty one all right," he chortled, and slapped his friend on the back.

Rowan made a face at him. "Shouldn't youa"" she waved a hand at his nude form "a"put some clothes on or something?"

Jack grinned at her, apparently unconcerned about his state of undress. "Well, I was going to see if I could tempt you into a quick tussle but seeing as we've company, it would probably be in poor taste."

"Would I get to watch?" Deacon asked, face bright with antic.i.p.ation.

"No," came the joint answer from Rowan and Jack, and Deacon's face fell in exaggerated disappointment.

"Well, if I can't watch, then it would definitely be rude," he declared.

Rowan chuckled, amused. Jack gave her a sour look then turned to his friend. "Help yourself to whatever's in the fridge, mate. Back in a sec." But instead of turning down the hall to the bedroom, he began walking toward her.

He had the strangest look on his face, intent and purposeful. Confused, she opened her mouth to ask him what was wrong. The only thing that emerged from her lips was a m.u.f.fled squeak as he fisted a hand in her hair and took her mouth.

This was no gentle wooing or even a kiss of hunger or desperation. It was a marauder's kiss, his tongue thrusting past her teeth and sweeping into her mouth with unmistakable dominance. Rowan could feel the edges of his fangs pressing against her lips. She moaned, her hands coming up to grip his bare ribs as her brain went fuzzy and her blood began to heat.

Then, as quickly as it had begun, he was pulling away. He nipped her bottom lip hard enough to sting and she yelped, her eyes flying open to stare at him in shock. He was looking at her with fire blazing out of his black eyes, his mouth grim. He started to say something then seemed to change his mind. His eyes softened and he leaned forward to press a gentle kiss on her stinging lip. "Back in a moment."

Rowan watched him turn and walk out, one hand pressed to her mouth. When he disappeared around the corner, she looked over at Deacon. He watched her with a speculative gleam in his eye and amus.e.m.e.nt in his face.

"Well," he said, rocking back on his heels. "I can't wait to hear this story."

Jack dressed quickly in jeans and a pullover sweater, cursing himself all the while. He shouldn't have kissed her that way, not when she was just beginning to feel comfortable with him. It was bound to make her wary. He cursed himself again, jammed his feet into boots then just stood in the mirror, looking at his own reflection.

Of all the vampire myths out there, the stupidest to his mind was the one that said they didn't cast a reflection. Although there were times when it would've come in handy, it simply wasn't true. He mulled that over while he looked at himself. Part of his problem was he wasn't sure how much to tell Rowan about the realities of being a vampire. He'd given her the basics last night and popular culture did get a few facts straight. But the reality was a bit different.

He sighed. He'd known she wasn't trying to flirt with Deacon. The boy was a charmer and she'd simply been responding with genuine enjoyment. But he'd watched her smile at him, laughter in her pretty green eyes, and he'd quite literally seen red. He'd never before done that with a lover. Oh he didn't tolerate cheating and didn't cheat himself, but usually he and his current lady knew they were only together for the enjoyment of each other's company and once their mutual enjoyment wore off, they'd go their separate ways with no hard feelings. But somehow with Rowan, he just couldn't look at the situation casually.

Perhaps it was the inherent danger of the situation. After all, it was his job to protect her. That must be ita"he wasn't feeling possessive out of anything other than concern. He scowled at himself in the mirror. "And if you believe that one, I've a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you," he grumbled. He raked an unsteady hand through his already unkempt hair. "Face it mate," he told his reflection, "you're stuck on the girl but good."

His possessiveness didn't have a d.a.m.n thing to do with protecting her or the danger or the phases of the moon. He was in love with her, he brooded, and d.a.m.ned if he knew what to do about it. He glared darkly at the closed bedroom door as female laughter drifted in from the kitchen. The first thing he was going to do was stake his claim.

Jack walked into the kitchen, his mood immediately brightening as he saw Deacon standing at the sink, arms folded, and Rowan seated at the small dinette. On the opposite side of the room.

"Well, getting acquainted?"

Rowan sent him an arched look he pretended not to notice. "Yes, Deacon was just telling me you've called him in as reinforcement for the duration of our little *vacation' here in Slane."

Deacon flashed a grin. "Glad to be of service, darling. Jack and I, we go back a ways."

"So I take it you know his little secret?"

"What, that the man's a blood-sucking fiend? Known for years." He grinned, ignoring Jack's warning growl.

"And it doesn't bother you?" she asked.

Deacon shook his head, still grinning. "As long as he doesn't take it in his head to take a nibble of me, it's no matter. In any case," he continued, "I'm happy to be of help while you're here, so anything I can do to lend a hand, you just consider it done."

Rowan propped her chin on her fist. "Can you go grocery shopping? There's nothing to eat here."

Deacon blanched. "Shopping? Can't I do something a bit more manly for me first task?"

Jack chuckled, pleased to see Deacon off balance. "Not to worry, Deac. We'll head out for a bite and get the grocery shopping done on the way back."

Rowan brightened. "Real food? That I don't have to cook? Count me in. But," she cast a dubious glance at the one window in the room. "It's still daylight. I don't think I've ever seen you out in the day. Isn't that a bit dangerous for you?" she asked Jack.

Jack shrugged. "It's fairly overcast and I'll take a melanin tablet. I'll be fine." At her blank look, he shook his head. "Melanin tablets help keep me from burning. They're not a cure all but they help. I didn't explain that?"

"Nope." She shrugged. "Somehow I get the feeling there's a lot you didn't explain. You can catch me up over fooda"it'll keep my mind off the fact that someone's trying to kill me."

Jack sighed at the grim look that came over her face. He held out a hand. "Come on then, darling. We'll have a spot of breakfast, I'll explain all about melanin tablets and sun exposure. And then we can discuss how to keep you safe for the next fortnight."

It was the local pub again, for in Ireland, she was told with some pride and not a little bit of haughtiness, the pubs never close. This time instead of the bookmaker's sandwich, she had a mountain of fried potatoes and eggs and sausage that the waitress had proclaimed to be fresh off the farm. Rowan decided she didn't really want to know how fresh and concentrated instead on shoveling it in as Jack explained more about the practicalities of being a vampire.

"So you can't produce the melanin yourself, right?"

Jack handed her a napkin. "Right. The pills only replace it on a temporary basis. Makes life just a little less complicated."

Rowan thought that was pretty d.a.m.n cool and said so once she'd swallowed. "What else?" She waved a hand. "Last night we covered drinking blood, native soil and sunlight. What about crosses, holy water and garlic?"

His dark eyes twinkled with amus.e.m.e.nt. "Holy water just makes me sneeze. As for the cross," he reached into the neck of his pullover, tugged on the chain to show her the tarnished bit of rough metal that he wore on it. "My mother's. I can wear it without turning to ash so I guess there's one more myth debunked."

"And the garlic?"

"You can never have too much garlic to my way of thinking."

She grinned at him. "Good to know. I'd hate to accidentally kill you by kissing you after eating Italian food. Food!" She pointed at his plate of sausage and eggs. "You can eat regular food too?"

"Sure," he said. "I can still taste it, still digest it. It just isn't enough to keep me alive anymore. For that, I need the blood."

Rowan winced. "Right. The blood. Bet that took some getting used to."

He chuckled at the look of mild distaste on her face. "Well, you could say it's an acquired taste. But it's not so bad. Beats dying and it's a lot better with the synthetics. It's a lot easier for a single guy to get food than it used to be."

"So how does thea"" she waved a hand vaguely "a"blood versus food thing work?"

Jack shrugged. "It's pretty simple. I can digest food but my body doesn't absorb the nutrients the way yours does. I can't replenish red blood cells on my own so I have to take them in from an outside source. Used to be a vampire had to feed at least once a day and that meant feeding on humans."

Rowan swallowed. "Ick."

He grinned. "That's an understatement."

Deacon cleared his throat. "Not that I'm not charmed by this lovers' banter," he began, "but am I here for decoration or to talk strategy?"

Rowan swallowed a forkful of potato. "Do we even have a strategy?"

Jack shot her a look. "Yes. Our strategy is to keep you out of sight for as long as possible and draw as little attention to ourselves as possible."

She pointed her fork at him. "Sounds to me like you're planning on keeping me cooped up in that box of an apartment for the next two weeks and you can just forget it, Fangy. I may be stuck in Ireland and I may be stuck with a couple of bodyguards but I'm not going to be doing nothing."

Jack crossed his arms over his chest and looked down his nose at her. "Now how did I know you were going to be difficult about this?"

Rowan laid down her fork and mimicked his pose. "Don't get all big on me, Chitty Chitty Fang Fang." She ignored Deacon's choking laughter and narrowed her eyes on Jack. "I'm not afraid of you so don't think you can intimidate me into doing what you want."

Jack's look was sardonic. "Believe me, I don't think that. I'm just not that lucky."

"I'm not trying to be difficult." She ignored his inelegant snort and plowed on. "I'll take reasonable precautions, I'll defer to you in matters of security and all thata"" she waved a hand "a"nonsense. But I won't be shut up like a bird in a cage. And if you try, I'll make your lives a living h.e.l.l."

"Why are you including me? I'm just along for the ride, like you."

Rowan ignored Deacon's affronted dismay and concentrated on Jack's face. His expression hadn't changed. "I mean it, Jack. You can't lock me up and just expect docile acceptance." She tried to keep her voice steady and firm but the desperation and fear that he'd do just that leaked through.

"Not to worry, Rowan. I'm not so blind to your nature that I'd a.s.sume you'd go along with such a plan. And since neither am I a glutton for punishment, I won't be attempting to make you. But there will be rules and I expect you to follow them."

Rowan sighed quietly in relief. As long as he wasn't planning to force her to stay inside for two weeks she'd be fine. "What're the rules?"

Jack watched her carefully while he ticked them off. "Rule number onea"you don't go anywhere without Deacon or me. Which means, if you have to run to the chemist for an aspirin, you do it with one of us in tow.

"Rule number twoa"if anything happens, if we come under attack or we run into some of the good reverend's henchmen, you do what I say, when I say it. That's very important, Rowan. If I'm to be responsible for your safety as I promised your father I would be, then you need to trust me enough for that."

Rowan nodded. "I already promised and I meant it. If anything happens, you're in charge."

Jack nodded. "Okay. Rule number threea"no communication of any kind with anyone. Which means no email, no phone calls, nothing that can be traced back to you. That means your father, Marvin, friends, coworkersa"they're all off-limits."

"Oh buta""

"No one, Rowan." His eyes went hard, his face implacable. "I'd rather you didn't have your computer at all, but I'm willing to let you keep it as long as you agree on this point. Push me on this one and you will find yourself locked up in the apartment and the laptop gone."

Her hackles automatically rose at the dominant tone and she was about to argue when a thought occurred to her. "I just logged on to their websitea"could they trace me from that?"

He frowned. "Why did you do that?"

"I wanted to see what they were saying about me, about Dad. Call me crazy, but when someone's trying to kill me, I'd like to know why."

He sighed. "We should be all right. The connection here is secure and scrambleda"you wouldn't have been able to connect if I hadn't already coded your laptop for it. But even so," he said as she opened her mouth to argue, "emails are a different issue and not negotiable."

"Then if it's secure, email shouldn't be a problem."

"Don't push it, Rowan."

"Fine. I won't contact anyone."

He didn't trust the mutiny in her expression. "I'm not trying to control you, darling. Just the situation. The fewer people who know where you are, the safer you're going to be."

"I said fine, didn't I?" she grumbled, resentful.

"Yes, but do you mean it?"

She sent him a baleful glare. "You know, you have to trust me a little too. I promise, no contact."

He watched her for a moment then nodded, satisfied. "Okay then, I think that covers the rules. Anything else we'll take as it comes."

"Okay." She picked up her fork again, dug back into the potatoes. "So is the charmer going to bunk in with us at the apartment?"

Deacon grinned. "Hear that, Jack? I'm a charmer."

Jack grinned back and lit a cigarette from the crumpled pack he pulled from his pocket. "That's because she doesn't know you yet, lad. To answer your question," he said to Rowan, "no, he won't. He's got a flat just up the street so he's close if and when we need him."

"Besides," Deacon rolled his eyes, "I think I might very well lose my sanity if I have to listen to the two of youahow do you Americans put it? Ah yesa'knock boots', through those thin walls."

Rowan snorted out a laugh. "Prude."

He glared at her, his handsome face ruddy with annoyance. "Bite me."

Rowan dissolved into giggles, pointed at Jack. "Sorry, that's his department."

Jack sent both of them a look of mild reproach. "Children, please."

"Sorry." Rowan got her giggles under control. "So, what now? Sightseeing, shopping, jazzercise?"