Vampires Need Not...Apply? by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

before he became a vampire, he had the choice to stay with you, to put you first, but he didn’t. He tossed you aside.”
    “Yes. It’s true; he put humankind first before his own wants and needs, but that makes him a hero,” she argued.
    “No. It makes him selfish. He can’t stand the thought of letting someone else save the day because he wants the glory all for himself.”
    Silence.
    “I would have found a way,” Zac said, “not to hurt you and to do my job. My brother is a blind fool for letting you go. And regardless of if he wakes up, he will always hurt you again because he will never put you first.”
    Ouch. He’s going for Penelope’s jugular
, Ixtab thought, unable to believe Zac’s cruelty.
    “I can’t help how I feel, Zac. I just can’t.”
    “Yes, you can. Look at me,” Zac commanded.
    Uh-oh…
    “What are you doing, Zac?” Penelope whimpered.
    “You will forget him, Penelope. You want to be with m—”
    Ixtab burst through the door. “Zac, stop.”
    Zac’s turquoise eyes broke with Penelope’s absent gaze and then fixed on Ixtab.
    “What the hell are you doing?” Ixtab growled.
    He looked at Penelope and released her. “We were talking.”
    “Like hell you were.” Ixtab stormed between the two, careful not to touch Penelope. She removed her veil to stare up into her brother’s irate face. “You were using your gift on her, weren’t you?”
    “No. It’s okay, Ixtab,” Penelope said from behind.
    Zac was a good foot taller and infinitely stronger, but Ixtab had other gifts. Ones her brothers and sisters knew not to mess with. And she didn’t mean knitting.
    Ignoring Penelope, Ixtab stood on her tiptoes. “You weren’t
just
talking, and we both know it.”
    Zac made a little shrug and crossed his arms over his chest.
    “How long have you known your gift?” Ixtab asked.
    He smiled and his eyes twinkled. No wonder Penelope couldn’t resist him. His smell. His body. He was like honey and human women were like bees. How could they, the gods, have missed it? Zac’s attractiveness and magnetism were ten times that of any normal deity, which said a lot considering how humans threw themselves at the gods. But Zac, he had an extra helping of irresistibility.
    “Zac, go home. Now!” Ixtab commanded.
    “I’m not leaving without Penelope. I love her, and she’s mine,” he said.
    “No. You want to possess her. That’s not love. And if you try to take her, then you’ll have to go through me, and it won’t be pretty.” Ixtab raised her hands, and Zac backed away.
    “Then you’ll go down with me if you use your powers against my will,” he said smugly.
    Ixtab shrugged. “Ask me if I give a rat’s ass. Remember, I’ve got nothing to lose, and I hate my role. Let them banish me and take away my powers. It would be the vacay I’ve been praying for.”
    To prove her point, she swiped at Zac’s chest.
    Zac jumped back and growled as he turned for the front door. “This isn’t over, Ixtab.” He slammed the door behind him.
    Ixtab swiped her veil and covered her head before turning to Penelope. “You okay?”
    Penelope shook her head and placed her hand over her stomach. “I don’t know. I don’t feel… right.”
    “It’ll wear off in a few hours.” Ixtab turned and glared at the front door.
    Idiot.
She’d have to bring this up at the next summit. Zac had gone too far. Not only had he known his gift and not told the others, but he used it on Penelope without permission. This was a violation of their most sacred law. Yep, right up there with no time travel. And wearing pants at the summit table.
Okay, maybe that last one isn’t sacred, but it should be.
    Penelope turned and headed for the door. “I need to go after him. I need to talk to Zac—”
    “Penelope, it’s not real. Zac used his powers on you and likely has been doing it for a while.”
    Penelope reached the door, ignoring Ixtab, and pulled the handle.
    “Zac isn’t the God of Love as we suspected,