The Accidental Vampire by Lynsay Sands Read Free Book Online

expression—was vaguely surprised by what he was learning. Before Victor could slip into the mortal's thoughts, the beads hanging in the door between the restaurant and kitchen jangled, bringing about another abrupt pause to the noise in the room.
    Brunswick glanced over his shoulder, and said, "Oh. There she is. I'll be right back." The man was immediately on his feet and rushing away.
    "There is who?" Alessandro asked the table at large. "The Mabel or the Elvi?"
    "That woman is not an immortal. If she's Elvi, we can get back in the car and head home now," DJ said, but his eyes slid over the woman with something akin to interest as Captain Brunswick led her to their table.
    She was in her early sixties by Victor's guess. A tall, trim woman with gray-blond hair and a face with few lines and attractive features that still carried a great deal of the beauty she must have been when younger.
    "Mabel, this is Edward Kenric, Harpernus Stoyan, Alessandro Cipriano, Victor Argeneau, and his friend DJ Benoit," Captain Brunswick introduced as he paused at the table. "Gentlemen, this is Mabel Allen."
    Victor eyed the woman curiously. This then was the friend who co-owned the restaurant and bed-and-breakfast with Elvi. Brunswick had said her opinion was important to Elvi, but Victor wasn't there to romance a possible lifemate, so merely nodded in greeting.
    The other "suitors" showed more interest by actually voicing their hellos. DJ, however, stood and reached to take the woman's hand, saying, " Enchanté ."
    Victor rolled his eyes. DJ usually only resorted to such displays of charm when attempting to pick up women. Generally, they were much younger and melted like soft butter under his efforts. Mabel wasn't so easily impressed. Rather than smile, her mouth tightened and she quickly tugged her hand free.
    She then turned her gimlet gaze on Victor. It seemed pretty obvious he didn't meet muster. The woman's mouth turned down with displeasure as she took in his attire and the state of his hair.
    "You need a haircut," she announced, and then turned to include DJ in her displeasure. "Both of you do, and a shave."
    The comment made Victor run a hand lightly over his chin. He grimaced at the rasp of whiskers. He'd barely woken up when DJ had arrived to collect him that evening. All he'd managed to do before the apartment buzzer had announced his arrival was to drain two bags of blood. With the younger man pacing his living room and poking curiously at everything, Victor had merely jumped in and out of the shower and thrown on his clothes. He'd forgotten to shave or even brush his hair. It had dried the way it laid when he came out of the shower and no doubt looked unkempt.
    Having made her displeasure clear, Mabel Allen then turned her attention to the other three men. They faired much better under her critical eye, though a cynical expression crossed her face as she took in Edward's tux. Still, she didn't comment or criticize any of them, but simply nodded as if to say, " You'll do ." It seemed she preferred their clean-cut presentation to his more relaxed, need-a-comb look.
    "Sit down, Mabel," Brunswick suggested. "We can ask the questions you made up."
    Victor was just getting irritated at the idea of more grilling when the woman shook her head. "Owen's cake is done. Elvi wants to present it now. She's been awake for a while and is hungry."
    "Oh. I guess we'd best get it going, then." Brunswick frowned and glanced to a table where a couple and two teenage boys sat. His gaze then moved to the back of the restaurant where another family was just leaving the booth nearest the beaded arch. "Maybe we should move the Knights to the booth nearer the kitchen. Those cakes Elvi makes are huge and we don't want her stumbling and dropping it trying to get through this crowd."
    "Good idea," Mabel said and the pair moved off.
    "The cake is done and she's hungry?" DJ murmured, his eyes trailing the older woman. "This Elvi can't be that old if she still