The Reluctant Goddess (The Montgomery Chronicles Book 2) by Karen Ranney Page A

didn’t say anything to that.  
    “What’s the fair market value of a suite in a castle?” I asked.  
    He named an obscenely low amount. I doubled it.  
    “I’ll pay that as rent,” I said.  
    “You don’t have to do that.”  
    I nodded. Paying him rent would at least allow me to cling to the myth that I was on my own and not dependent on a near stranger for safety.  
    "I can't stay with you forever," I said.
    "Not forever. But for right now."
    I nodded. "For now."
    They were finishing up putting the last of my belongings in the truck. That stupid broom I’ve been meaning to replace for months was last, along with the trash can that had an elephant face. Silly little things that reflected me and somehow made me want to cry.  
    I should go into the apartment and make sure it was pristine. When I said as much to Dan, he shook his head.  
    “I’ve arranged for a maid service to come in,” he said.  
    I didn’t even bother arguing. Instead, I nodded and walked away from Dan, my shoulders straight, my tears held at bay.  
    Thanks to him, I had a place to stay and a refuge from the wicked, wicked world.  
    Why, then, did I resent the hell out of the situation?

C HAPTER T HIRTEEN

    Do I need uninsured vampire insurance?

    I left Dan back at my apartment, certain that either he or Mike, or both of them, would be following me soon. Wouldn’t it be easier just to implant a GPS device in me? Or make me wear a very long leash?  
    A thought that prompted another: how much time had passed? Should I call the vet and check on Charlie?  
    Lately, I’d been occupied with thoughts of myself more than anyone else. I’d been the poster girl for selfishness. Of course, some of that was to be expected, but the truth was that I was a little tired of being so damn self-absorbed. Yes, I needed to find out what I was, but I needed to look around me from time to time, too. I wasn’t living on an island. I was interacting with other people. I was caring for an animal I’d kinda/sorta adopted.  
    God, please let Charlie be all right. And please help me to be a better person. Vampire. Creature.  
    I didn’t know if other vampires had faith, but I still believed in God. Granted, I was beginning to think God had a great sense of humor. Or maybe He was a ten year old kid in some alternate universe and He liked making up these creatures and putting them on a ball we called earth. Maybe we were just Legos in another dimension.  
    I fingered the card in my pocket. I’d planned on calling the fortune teller before Dan and I got into it. Now, it was after five, with darkness falling over the land, as they say.  
    With darkness came fear and Niccolo Maddock.  
    I would do myself in before I subjected myself to another mind rape. And I wasn’t the type to do myself in, which meant I had to find a way to dissuade Maddock from pursuing me. Since he was the most stubborn creature I’d ever come across, it would probably be easier to terminate him with prejudice.  
    Don’t you just love that expression? It means to kill someone, but it wraps it with so many words that it sounds almost benign.  
    I hadn’t learned anything about Maddock from Kenisha. She hadn’t leaned over the table and confided that Maddock was beginning to fear water. Did I possibly know why? Nor had I come out and asked about Maddock’s health. I hadn’t wanted to alert the Council that something might be wrong with the duke.  
    I didn't know very much about vampire politics. According to the Green Book, the consolidation of vampire lore and law, the Council had the final say about anything to do with vampires. Unless, of course, they broke a human law. Then, the humans got to adjudicate the infraction, but any punishment was doled out by the Council.
    So, if they discovered I’d deliberately tried to kill Maddock, I could just imagine what they’d do to me. Hello sun. Or, because I was a special snowflake, I would probably be chained in a maternity