Page 11 of Big Enough to Bite (Harmony Glen #3)

Chapter Eleven

Sam

T aking Mari shopping is more fun than it should be. It’s about a thirty-minute drive to a furniture store. We take the highway, and the comfortable silence between us, plus her hand tucked in mine, is perfection.

Once inside the store, she touches everything, noting the texture and material of everything.

Ultimately, she lingers in a soft cream-colored club chair, which I immediately tell the saleswoman to order for me.

I can picture Mari sitting in it and reading.

I may need a bigger house for all the places I imagine my vampire sitting, relaxing, and making love.

I swear my obsession with this woman is growing by the day.

I have two human-sized lounge chairs for the back porch added to the order. I want Mari to make friends and feel like she can entertain them at home. I need to add space for socializing to my list of home improvements.

Once we’re back in the truck, I admire the way she looks.

Her dark-brown hair is pulled away from her face, but the wild curls always manage to escape whatever binding she uses to tame her tresses.

Her cheeks are pink and her eyes bright.

Even though she hasn’t drank my blood in a few days, she looks like a much fitter version of the woman I first met.

It’s evident to me that drinking animal blood is not a sustainable long-term practice, yet she survived.

“Why are you staring?”

Taking her hand, I say, “Because you’re beautiful.”

“Your state of calm is decidedly disturbing. At any moment, we will be in grave danger. Pierre will come, and he’ll try to kill you and take me away.” She holds tight to my hand, but there’s fear in her eyes.

“You are here and we’re together. It’s not that I’m in denial of what might happen, but I’m confident that together we can handle anything.

Besides, I’m willing to bet as old as Pierre is, he’s not encountered a giant before.

” I wonder if she can understand how much it means to me that she stayed because I asked her to.

“Not many creatures have encountered giants. As to my being here…” Her gaze softens. “You would have followed. It’s not as if I can disappear with a giant at my back.” Her tone is lighter.

I’m full to the brim with joy. “Giants stay away from others. They like mountains most of the time and stick to their own kind.” Starting the truck, I head back toward her house.

I have some cleanup work to do, and there’s no way I’m leaving her alone with Pierre looming.

I’d also like to find Tilda. Assuming she’s still in town, she might be a valuable ally if we can convince her that we can help.

“Why did you leave the mountains?” She cocks her head.

“I wanted to see the world, and my people had moved to a remote part of Russia. It was cold, but they could continue to avoid humanity. I wanted something else from my life. I worked in a circus for many years. It was easy to pretend I was a deformed human. People will try to be polite if they believe you’re unfortunate.

Sometimes things went terribly wrong and I had to flee, but many of my experiences were wonderful. ”

The way she looks at me, with a half smile and eyes that catch the light even through her veil, makes my pulse quicken.

“I want to hear all the tales of your life, Sam.”

“We’ll have time. I promise.” I hold her hand and stop at the red light. It’s a long light and neither of us speaks.

I’m content to look at her. Her straight nose and pert chin make the perfect silhouette.

She looks out the window as a light rain begins to fall. “I’ve been thinking about Tilda.”

I nod. There’s no surprise that our thoughts have tilted in the same direction. “We should find her and help her if she’ll let us.”

Still stopped at the red light, Mari looks at me with the eyes of a frightened young woman, and I can imagine how it was for her all those years ago when her life was ripped away. “She’s either in a hotel or in the woods.”

“How do you know?”

Staring out the windshield as I get on the highway, she says, “Because that’s where I’d be. The hotel is to stay away from humans, and the woods are to feed.”

“The conservation area is a lot to search. Let’s start with the hotel.” The light changes and I get on the highway toward town.

“She won’t be at the one in town. Too many people who all know each other and talk. She’ll be at the one at the exit. At least, that’s what I’m guessing.” She fists her hands and sits up straighter, eager to help someone.

It’s hard to believe, but I think I love her even more.

Once we’re parked, I come around to open the door for Mari.

She covers her face with her veil even though clouds cover the sun. The hotel is small and located a bit outside of town. It’s on the highway at the exit for Harmony Glen. Without stopping at the front desk, Mari takes the stairs up to the fourth floor. Her eyes are narrowed and her focus absolute.

I take up the width of the corridor, and my head almost scrapes the ceiling.

At the end of the hallway, she stops in front of room 442. “She’s here.”

“And Pierre?”

Shaking her head, she says, “Not yet.”

The door swings open. “Why are you here? Why didn’t you run?

” Tilda Schwan’s eyes are watery blue, and her skin is fair.

Her light-blonde hair is unbound and hangs past her waist. Behind her, the room is dimly lit.

She looks down the hallway as if she thinks we might be setting a trap.

“He’ll be here in four hours. You should have run yesterday. ”

“May we come in?” Mari keeps her voice gentle. “Maybe we can help you.”

She stares at me and takes half a step back. “Why would you do that? I am the reason he found you, Mari.”

“I am you, Tilda. How long has he kept you?” Mari’s voice trembles, and she looks as if she’s seen a ghost.

Backing into the room, Tilda leaves the door open. “You can come inside, though only because he’s on an airplane and won’t be here for hours. He’ll know you were here and know I can’t be lured away. It could be good for me.”

Mari crosses the threshold and studies the sparse room. A small desk lamp is the only light. No personal items anywhere, just a standard hotel room with two neatly made queen beds. “How long?”

It’s a tight squeeze, but I manage to get through the door and almost hit my head on a sprinkler head.

At the curtained windows, Tilda peeks through the gap. The rain has gotten heavier. “Seven years, two months, and four days. I could give you hours and minutes, but you’d think me mad.”

“No. I wouldn’t. And he tracks you with something under your skin?” Mari is as direct as ever, but her voice is soft and kind.

Touching a spot behind her left ear, Tilda nods. Her shoulders slump.

There’s something not quite vampire about the woman. I can’t quite put my finger on it. “Were you human before?”

“I was, part of the time.” She wraps her arms around her waist and drags in an unsteady breath.

Interesting. A shifter? Whatever she was, she’s that and a vampire now.

Turning to Mari, she pleads, “Run. I don’t want to be responsible for what he’ll do to you. He’s obsessed with you.”

“Only because I managed to get away from him.”

“All these years, he’s searched. You might have stayed clear of him if you hadn’t gone to a monster-friendly town.

He sent me to America six months ago. I’d been to thirty towns before I found you in Harmony Glen.

I knew it was you the moment I saw you. He has a painting done in 1890. He keeps it in the parlor.”

“Why didn’t you call him right away?” Mari asks.

Facing us, Tilda sits on the corner of the bed.

“Once I called, my little taste of freedom would be over. I ran out of lies to tell him. It was clear he was getting suspicious. He threatened to come and show me how a search is conducted. That was a week ago. I left town for a while to keep him off the track. If I’d stayed in Harmony Glen for a month, he would know.

” She touches the spot where the tracker was implanted in her neck.

“I’m sorry. I know you’ve found something good here. I wish…”

Mari rushes over to her and wraps her arms around her. “You are not to blame. I don’t know how, but it will be alright. This is not your fault, Tilda. Let us help you. After all, we’re sisters in a way.”

“No one can help me. I’m an abomination. You don’t know, but I am.” She pushes out of Mari’s arms. “Get out. You could still get a few hours away.”

“He’d follow my scent now that I’ve been here.” Mari lets out a long sigh. “I can’t run. I have a life here and love.” She reaches for me, and I take her hand.

My heart feels as if it’s going to explode out of my chest.

Looking from me to Mari, Tilda’s eyes fill, and tears roll down her cheeks. “I’m so sorry.”

There has to be a way to save this woman. “Can you sell the story that we came to convince you to betray Pierre, but you would never leave him?”

“It’s half true.” Tilda shrugs. “You did come here to steal me away.”

Maybe, if help arrives in time, we can win this without turning me into a murderous giant. However, no one would blame me for ridding the world of Pierre Brochet, especially not the two women in this room. “We may need to hold out an extra day or two.”

“He’s not going to wait.” Tilda scoffs. “He’s been hunting her for over a hundred years.”

I feel as if I have no choice. “Then I’m going to have to create a delay. I’ll try to get him arrested, but if he returns from our meeting, he’ll need care. Are you willing to go that far, Tilda?”

“You don’t know how strong he is. He’ll kill you.” There’s concern in her voice.

I’m touched that she cares if I’m injured. “Let me worry about that.”

“Mari, tell him he can’t compete with a vampire this old. Tell him it’s foolish.” Tilda’s voice rises.

Touching her shoulder, Mari’s eyes fill with compassion and gratitude. “Giants are one of the monster species that little is known about. Perhaps we’re about to get a lesson. If Sam is sure, I trust him.”

I like the way that sounds.

“You’re both certifiable. How on earth have you lived this long without any sense at all?” Tilda throws her hands in the air in defeat.

Smiling, Mari chuckles. “Thank you for waiting to call. Even if this goes badly, I’ve had the best month of my life.”

A shade paler, Tilda nods. “I’m glad for that.”

With a brief goodbye, we head back to my truck. I stop and get a steak at the restaurant. We go to Mari’s house, where I eat, and we wait for doom to find us on the edge of a cemetery.

“At least we’ll be easy to bury.” She laughs at her bad joke. “Well, not you.”

Sitting on the wall I built for her, I pull her onto my lap. “Ye of little faith.”

“What do you plan to do? And when I ask that, I want specific details.” She stares into my eyes.

We have at least an hour, so I lay out my plan.