The Bite Before Christmas - Argeneau Series - Book 15.5 Page 0,55

than human. If he was right, it explained why Wraith only felt like an average vampire though he could wield a spell that even Mencheres wouldn’t dare to attempt. I still didn’t know why I was unaffected, but it also made sense why Ian, Denise, and Fabian weren’t influenced by the demonic magic. Of course, it also meant that Wraith was nearly unstoppable.

“We’re so fucked,” I breathed.

Ian let out a dry laugh. “That’s the first sensible thing you’ve said all morning.”

Eight

I heard Wraith’s voice before I got out of the car. Its melodic cadence combined with my favorite accent should’ve sounded soothing. Instead, it was like nails on a chalkboard. Don’t you ever tire of listening to yourself talk? I wondered irritably, but affixed a bright smile on my face when I came through the door.

That smile almost cracked when I saw Wraith seated on an ottoman as though it were a throne. He’d moved it so that he was near the large fireplace, the glow from it playing over his features and making him look even more ethereal. Wraith wore another flowery shirt under his jacket, lace spilling out over the cuffs to wreath his hands. I’d first thought he picked those shirts to be pretentious, but now I had another idea about why he wore them, and it had nothing to do with an outdated fashion sense.

Wraith smiled at me. “Cat. I trust your trip was fruitful?”

I pulled up a seat next to Bones, who, like everyone else, sat in a semicircle around Wraith, akin to adoring courtiers paying their king homage. It was all I could do not to grab a poker and beat Wraith’s head in before I roasted his chestnuts for some real holiday cheer.

“Oh, yeah, I found a few places that I think would work for the party,” I said, sticking to the excuse I’d given for running out this morning. “In fact, I want to take Denise and get her opinion on my favorites.”

“I’m sure that will be lovely.” Wraith stretched out his legs. “Right, then. We were just talking about—”

“I meant now,” I cut him off as pleasantly as I could.

His smoky-blue eyes narrowed. “Rather rushed about it, aren’t you?”

“It’s almost Thanksgiving, so the best places are booking up fast for the winter holidays,” I improvised, trying to sound as sincere and obsequious as possible. “I’d be so embarrassed if we had to settle for a substandard facility to hold your introduction party. After all, this is so much more important than a regular Christmas celebration.”

It wasn’t lost on me that Bones was silent, letting Wraith determine what I would and wouldn’t do with my own time. If I’d had any lingering doubts about him being bespelled, that got rid of them. The man I married would tell Wraith to keep his bloody opinions to himself should I ever have an unexpected case of muteness when someone questioned me on my comings and goings. Not sit back quietly and let a stranger muse over whether I was allowed to go out for an afternoon. No one else uttered a peep, either. It was as though they’d been replaced with incredibly lifelike mannequins.

“Do hurry back,” Wraith said at last, with an acquiescing flick of his fingers.

If I held this fake smile any longer, my face would crack. “You’ll barely notice we were gone.”

Denise rose, shooting me a grateful look once her back was turned to Wraith. Spade didn’t glance her way or bother saying good-bye. Neither did Bones, another piece of evidence that nothing but an otherworldly spell could account for this type of behavior from a vampire to his wife. I stared at Bones as long as I dared, wishing I could find an excuse to get him to leave, too. But Wraith wouldn’t allow that, and telling him where to shove it would clue him in that I wasn’t under his dirty little enchantment. Plus, in Bones’s current state, he probably would refuse to leave if Wraith didn’t want him to.

Rage flared through me, which I stuffed back with promises of another time, another place. “See you all soon,” I got out, and followed Denise out the door.

Fabian already floated by the car, to my relief. He would come with us while his ghostly girlfriend, Elisabeth, stayed here to keep an eye on things. “Get in,” I whispered at him.

Fabian disappeared and then reappeared in the backseat in the time it took me to blink. I pulled out of the driveway