"I'm sensing reluctance to obey, vampy. Move your butt or you'll regret it. How about this?" I felt a piercing pain in my head that made me scream and clutch my temples. "Oh, my God!"
"Glory?" Jerry sprang off of me. "What the hell?"
"It's Aggie. I can't ignore her. She's trying to kill me."
"Not kill you. Just make you wish you were dead. Yes, of course I can hear you and him. Quit playing and start moving. Out here. Now. Or do you need another demo?"
"No, I'm coming." I sat up, snapped my bra closed, zipped up my pants and shoved my feet into my shoes. "Sorry, Jerry, but I've got to go. You know she'll keep giving me headaches unless I get out there. It must be something important. Or maybe we need to give her an update. I don't know, just that I've got to get to Ray's and the lake."
"I'm going with you." Jerry followed me out to the shop where I grabbed my purse from under the counter.
"No way. Hi, Lacy. Sorry I flaked out on you earlier, Bri, but I've got to go." I sprinted for the front door as a new pain hit my right temple. Not the full-throttle can't-stand-it pain, but sharp enough to get me moving even faster.
"I'm going and that's final." Jerry looked back when Lacy practically tackled him.
"Did you really authorize a Marge Sandowski to charge one thousand and five dollars to your account, Mr. Blade? She's still in the dressing room. It may go higher." Lacy bit her lip, like she was worried Jerry had brought his mistress in here or something.
"Whatever she wants. I've got to go with Glory."
"It's okay, Lacy. Jerry can afford it. And, no, lover, you're not coming with me. Valdez, let's head out." I opened the door and realized the sky was falling. Not literally, but there was a downpour the likes of which I'd seen only a few times since coming to Austin. Seems this town either had a drought or minor flooding. This was obviously flood time. I grabbed a vintage seventies umbrella, pink and orange polka dot, that I'd intended to sell and decided this was an emergency. I popped it open.
Jerry took my arm. "You're not leaving here without me. I'll drive you. That little Mercedes won't be able to handle some of the low-water crossings in this weather. I'm sure there are some between here and Caine's place since it's on the lake."
"Yes, there are." Austin has these dips in the roads they call "low-water crossings." Any rain at all and the low water gets high. Why road crews don't just fix them and smooth out the dips, nobody will say. Instead, they spend the money to post signs, even put up measuring sticks so you can see how deep the water is and if you think your vehicle can make it through or not. The way this rain was coming down, my little car wouldn't make it.
Yeah, Austin's weird. That's why I love it and fit right in. Another pain. Aggie. And if she got hold of Jerry I studied the set of his jaw. He was determined. No way was I going to keep him from heading to Ray's, even if he had to follow me. Might as well let him drive his big SUV with the four-wheel drive.
"We'll talk about this in the car." Another pain hit, the left side of my head this time. "Come on." I ran toward Jerry's car, which, fortunately, was parked nearby. The wind caught my cute umbrella and I almost did a Mary Poppins. I wailed as it sailed away into the night.
Jerry hit the remote and the door was unlocked by the time we got there. Valdez hopped into the back before I slid inside and Jerry ran to the other side. We were on the road so fast, I barely had time to stammer out directions while I pushed wet hair out of my eyes and behind my ears.
"Sorry, guys." Valdez shook and water sprayed everywhere. "Damned reflex when I'm in dog body." He looked out the window. "Man, this is some storm."
"Be careful, Jerry. Not just driving. When we get there. I'm serious. Aggie is desperate for male vampires to give to Circe. You'd be a fine sacrifice. No way am I letting that happen." I reached over and put my hand on his thigh.
"I don't intend to let it happen either." He covered my hand with his, then frowned down at my engagement ring. I slipped it off and stuck it in my purse. "Fine. Stay in the house and you should be okay." The car jolted as we sloshed through some mud and rain. The thunder was loud and lightning seemed to strike all around us. I gasped when a tree was hit next to the road and burst into flames. I grabbed Jerry's hand again.
"That was close." Valdez stuck his head between the seats. "Aggie still hurting you, Glory?"
"Every once in a while. Like a cattle prod to the brain." I sighed. "Jerry, when we get there, I don't suppose you'd consider just dropping me off then turning around and driving home." I squeezed his hand.
"No." He dropped my hand and gripped the steering wheel. I looked at the windshield and saw why. The rain was coming down so hard that it was almost impossible to see the road. What we could see were sheets of rain blowing so hard they were almost horizontal. The heavy car rocked as wind hit it. I screamed when another pain ripped through my head.
"Damn it, Aggie, we're trying to get there. Do you see this weather?"
"See it? Who the hell do you think caused it? Get your chubby ass out here and help me with this, or we're all going to need Noah's ark."
I moaned and leaned against the dashboard. No, I didn't have on my seat belt. Sue me, but I'm a fairly indestructible vampire, remember? Well, unless Circe got hold of me.
"What's the matter, Glory?" Jerry put the car in park.
"Don't stop. We've got to keep going."
"Can't. The road's impassable."
"Then I guess there's only one thing to do." I felt like crying. Now, that would be swell. Here I'd been so proud of myself. Glory the strong independent woman, blah, blah, blah. And I was about to fall down in a weeping fit because I was going to have to do the thing I hate most in the world. Can you guess?
Yep, girls and boys. I was going to have to shape-shift. Not only that, I was going to have to get the hell out of here into the storm of the century. Okay, I deserved a meltdown. Unfortunately, I didn't have time for one. Aggie gave me a hard right to the temple to make sure I remembered that.
Valdez bumped my shoulder. "Just wait till I get hold of that slimy slug. Where's the fire, I'd like to know?" He nudged me again. "You gonna make it?"
"What choice do I have? We've got to get across the water. What do you think? Ducks? Fish?" I worked up a smile. "I'm not much for swimming. Maybe one of you could give me a ride."
Jerry grabbed my arm. "You expect to go out in this?"
"No choice. When Aggie calls, Glory listens and obeys." I peered through the windshield. The wipers were going triple time, along with the defroster, but the scene was still hazy. I could see a torrent rushing past a few feet from the front bumper. "Pull over. You can't block the road, they'll tow you once the storm stops." There was a brilliant flash of lightning and I recognized a house.
"Pull into that driveway. The house is vacant. It's for sale and isn't that far down the hill from Ray's. Good news. Once we get across this river, we'll be home free." I ignored the sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach as Jerry swung the steering wheel and parked the car. When he turned off the motor and stared at me, I realized it was time to put up or shut up. The rain lashed the heavy car and it rocked, just to make me feel better. Uh-huh.
"No way are you going out in that."
"Tell your man to shut up and help you, vampy. I need you here ASAP!" Aggie shot a lightning bolt into my brain as an incentive.
I squeezed Jerry's arm until he winced. "This is going to happen, Jerry. Now what's the best plan? Or do I just jump out of the car, shift into a bird and try my wings?" I put my hand on the door handle.
He hit the door locks. "You'd be mad to fly in this weather."
"Not helping and childish, Jerry, trying to lock me in. I can break the glass. I do have vampire strength. A fact you usually choose to overlook." I glanced around the comfy leather interior of his very expensive top-of-the-line SUV. "Be a shame to get this wet, and I'd cut up my arm pretty badly, but I'd heal. I'm sure Ray would let me drink from him to speed the process." Valdez pulled his head back from between the seats and laid flat. Wise dog.
"You threaten me?" Jerry hit the steering wheel with his fist. "Damn it, Gloriana. I'll not"
"Not what, Jerry? Let me go out in this weather? Or let me drink from Ray?" I smiled and scooted close to cover his fist with my hand. "Give it up and help me out. Advise me. If I shouldn't fly, what do you suggest?" Sure I was trying to turn him up sweet, I'm not exactly a novice in the Jerry manipulation game. He knew it too and I could see the frustration in his eyes.
"She's still hurting you?" He touched my forehead.
"Why did you have to ask that?" I grabbed my head as the mother of all pains tried to split it in two. "Holy crap, Aggie, I'm getting there as fast as I can!"
"All right, Gloriana. I see this can't be avoided. Why don't I shift into a mastiff? You can become a small animal, a mouse or bird, something I can hold in my mouth. That way I can carry you across. You won't even get wet." Jerry rubbed my eyebrow with his thumb. "Wetter."
"Are you crazy?" I jerked back. "And what if your animal nature took over? And you accidentally gobbled me up and swallowed me? Not to mention the slobber factor." I shuddered and turned to look at Valdez who was trying to smother his laughter in the seat cushion.
"Unlike the shifter back there, who can't even control his shaking instincts"Jerry nodded toward the back"my animal nature never takes over. The slobber is what it is. You'd be safe anyway."
"Not a plan. But I like the mastiff idea." I leaned back to rub the glass and look at the water rushing down the crossing. "Are you sure you can swim strongly enough not to be swept downstream?"
