I loved him too and we'd gotten close, too close for it not to hurt my relationship with Blade.
"Glory, is Valdez still living here with you?" Damian looked around, like maybe Rafe would pop out of the back bedroom.
"Quit reading my mind. And, no, he has his own place now." I'd asked him to move out in hopes that would prove to Jerry that I was serious about making our relationship work again.
"Then you have an extra bedroom and are living here all alone." Damian stood and I jumped up.
"Yes, but I don't know what that has to do with you. You have a castle on a hill for crying out loud." I freaked for a moment. I'd never been afraid of Damian but he was an ancient vampire and could overpower me without breaking a sweat. Of course he was usually a lover, not a fighter. He looked at me and smiled. Oops, should have blocked my thoughts. He was still reading them and liked what he'd heard.
"Relax, Glory. I have a proposition for you, but it's to help you get in good with the council. Nothing to do with lovemaking. Though if you want to pursue that thought . . ." He was close in a heartbeat and had his hand on my shoulder. "You smell fresh from your shower and full of that Bulgarian synthetic." He smiled and showed fang. "Did you know it's made with real blood?"
"No. Make that a double no." I straight-armed him, my hand on his broad chest. "What's the proposition, Damian? The one not headed to my bedroom."
"Ah, Glory. Someday." He backed off and lounged on the couch so casually that I was convinced he'd never meant me to take the pass seriously. "I have a young vampire, a fledgling. She was turned by a vamp who has been disciplined and is no longer with us." Damian's face grew hard and I was reminded that he could be a fighter when he wanted to be. "Anyway, she's stuck now and not happy about it. I need to find a mentor for her and you've proved you can handle that job. Like you did for Israel Caine."
Another new vampire. I sat back in my chair. Yes, I'd mentored Ray - Israel Caine. But he'd been a rock star, my crush, and he still held a place in my heart. To take on some poor girl who'd been turned against her will . . . Well, it would definitely prove to the council that Glory was a good person, willing to sacrifice. Because new vamps could be a pain in the butt. I sure didn't want to leave Austin though.
I had a thriving business where I sold antiques and vintage clothing. And I had friends who'd turned into the kind of extended family I'd always craved. Of course Jerry was here too. I had to stay to work on getting our relationship back on track.
"I'll do it. When do I meet her?"
Damian grinned. "I knew you wouldn't fail me. She's right outside. I'm sure she made that noise you heard." He got up, unlocked my door and opened it. "Come in, Penny."
I took one look at the scowling girl who strode into my apartment and knew I had my work cut out for me.
"Glory, meet Penny Patterson."
"Hello, Penny."
Penny glared at me but I kept smiling, deciding anyone who'd been through what she had this week was entitled to a little attitude. Still, my sad-sack robe and wild hair were an aberration for me. I pride myself on never facing the public looking less than my best. This girl? She looked like she was the one who'd just rolled out of bed. Her bad makeup was worse than no makeup at all. And her hair needed a decent cut and a wash. Clearly some of this look was pre-fangs.
Then there were the clothes. Penny and I have some of the same figure issues. Demon thing aside, had Damian brought her here to me because she carried too many pounds for her five-foot-tall frame? I sent him a glaring mental message but he put out his hands and added an innocent face, the picture of denial. Anyway, Penny was a little round. Okay, a lot round and she'd done the unthinkable - she'd worn horizontal stripes. Please. Even zebras knew to keep their stripes vertical.
This girl needed me. And not just because she was now a vampire. She needed a wardrobe intervention and a makeover, stat.