Bite Marks Read Online Free

love with is boring. Arranging a funeral procession with a displaced band from the French Quarter and a quartet of professional mourners is one for the diary. You do keep a diary, don’t you, Jaz?”
    “No! And don’t call me that. I’m here as Lucille Robinson, remember?” Cole frowned. “But if you’re Lucille, who am I?”
    “Hell if I know. As I recall, your last text said you didn’t like the name they’d picked for you and had demanded a new one.”
    “Damn straight! The CIA has no imagination, you know.”
    I’d have told him to pipe down, but between the band’s latest number and the wails of the four women who’d emerged from the backseat of the hearse to drape themselves and a blanket of flowers over the casket’s tee-time accessories, I could barely hear his whispers.
    “Sure,” I agreed, mainly because I thought I’d seen the coffin wobble. Had one of the pallbearers stumbled, or… I checked my watch again. Holy crap, we were cutting this close!
    “Do you want to know my new name?” Cole asked as we led Cassandra and Bergman toward the country club casket. Would Tiger Woods be caught dead in one of those? I thought not.
    I sighed and said, “Since we’re going to be working together for the next few days, a clue to your fake ID might help.”
    “Thor Longfellow.”
    I stopped and stared, not even turning when I heard Cassandra stumble to a halt behind me. “No.” His hair bounced cheerfully as he nodded. I asked, “How did you get away with that?” He shrugged. “The girl who assigns identities really likes Thai food, and I know this place on the East Side—”
    “Say no more.” I should’ve guessed he’d charmed that ridiculous cover out of a woman. I got moving again, picking up the pace when I realized the pallbearers had begun to look at the coffin, and each other, curiously.
    “Oh, please, could you just put him in the car now?” I asked, attempting to make my voice quiver.
    Instead I sounded like I’d tried to squeeze myself into my old training bra. At least it got Jack’s attention.
    He trotted over to inspect me for injuries, which gave me a chance to grab his leash.
    Ruvin, duded up in a white uniform to match the hearse, with green buttons that complemented its future load, opened the back door. The pallbearers had just begun to slide the casket in when the ruby-luscious ring on my left hand shot a stream of warmth up my arm.
    Oh, shit, he’s awake!
    Most vampires would’ve slept through the whole transfer. But Vayl had powers, baby, and one of those was the ability to draw in another vamp’s cantrantia , his or her essential skill, and make it his own.
    Which meant the one time he’d been forced to stay awake through the entire day, he hadn’t just slept it off at the next sunrise. He’d seen the dawn and another two hours of light before going down. Same deal, only reversed, that evening. And every day since. Nice for him—and me—until now.
    I handed Jack off to Cassandra, flung my arms into the air, and began to wail, “I can’t stand it! This is the worst thing that’s ever happened to me! Life will never be the same again! He was so young! We never even had kids!” On and on I ranted, barely pausing to breathe between screeches.
    “Oh, you’re good!” Cole scrubbed at his day-old stubble to hide his smile, which quickly transformed into a jaw-dropper when a fist punched through the golf bag’s lid. Luckily only the two of us noticed. The rest were distracted by the youngest mourner, who’d ripped her dress, maybe thinking she had to one-up me if she wanted a decent tip.
    “Oh, God, why did this happen to me!” I flung myself across the hand, which began to work its way up my ribs like they were a ladder to the Promised Land. But I could feel Vayl’s mood through Cirilai, the ring that bound us closer than a promise, and fun was the last thing on his mind. I sent him soothing thoughts, yanked a handful of roses from the bouquet decorating the