Bones put the car in park and stopped me when I began to draw back. His hand curled around my neck as he dipped my head back with a slow, deep kiss that made mereally wish we were alone.
It was interrupted when Ian rapped on our side window.
"If we're supposed to wait outside in the cold while you two snog in the car, I'd just as soon have flown home."
My mouth opened in outrage when my mother trotted by and muttered, "Thank God somebody said it."
The humor of that struck me and I laughed. My mother, agreeing with the vampire who'd sired Max? Now that was a Christmas miracle if I'd ever heard one.
"I'm sorry, Ian, did I forget to ask your permission before I kissed my wife?" Bones countered. "Wanker."
"Guttersnipe."
Ian said the insult with a trace of a smile. Far from being offended, Bones chuckled, giving me a last kiss before he got out of the car and grasped Ian by the shoulders.
"I'm glad you're here, mate."
Ian had a self-deprecating smile. "Do you know why I am? Because for once, you asked for my assistance. You've never done that in all the centuries I've known you. That's why I threw in my lot with you, bloody usurping sod though you are."
Ever since I first met Ian, I hadn't understood why Bones tolerated him, but seeing the two of them like this explained a lot.
"You could have walked away, Ian. Just as you could have over two hundred and twenty years ago when I was imprisoned at the colony. I didn't thank you then and I haven't since, yet it is long overdue. Thank you, Ian, for changing me into a vampire. I am forever in your debt."
Ian's eyes flashed with emotion. Then he arched a jaded brow, recovering.
"About bleedin' time. I expect it to take another two centuries before you'll apologize for threatening to kill me over Cat?"
Bones laughed. "You'll shrivel waiting for that apology, mate."
"Let's hatch a dastardly plan, then," Ian said with amused grimness. "Or Patra will ensure that we'llall shrivel."
Vlad showed up at our house, remarking that he'd been in the neighborhood. I doubted that, but I wasn't about to call him a liar, especially since he'd proved to be a useful source of information. Still, part of me wondered if he'd shown up just because it irritated Bones. Vlad seemed to have a devilish sense of humor that way.
"Whatever happened to Anthony?" he asked after hearing that Hykso and Kratas were being held hostage. Unfortunately, according to Spade, so far they hadn't proved to know a wealth of information.
"I'll be shipping pieces of him back to Patra," Bones replied. "Along with pieces of the other blokes. It'll give her people something to think about."
The sick part of me wondered if Bones would cover those boxes with Christmas wrapping paper. Talk about getting an unwanted present. Here's hoping Patra didn't have something similar in the works for us. Nothing said "home for the holidays" like opening a present full of body parts.
"That's it!" I shot straight out of my seat, struck with an idea like a proverbial light bulb had gone off.
Bones arched a brow at me, not knowing what it was. My thoughts must have been whirling too fast for him to catch.
"It's Christmas. Most people are with their loved ones today," I said. "Rather than ship bits of Anthony and the other guys from flunky to flunky, hoping they got to someone high enough to pass them onto Patra, how would you like to deliver them in person?"
Ian leaned forward with interest. Bones stared at me, tapping his chin.
"You know the answer. Go on."
"We know that Patra's been on the lookout for anyone who'd give her information on us. Hell, we're doing the same thing. So what if an informant contacted Patra through one of the numbers Kratas had, offering to sell information on where she can find us? But this person wants cash up front, in person, and right away."
"Patra would assume it could be a trap," Mencheres pointed out. "So she'd expect you and Bones to be waiting for her."
I smiled. "I'm counting on that."
Bones finally caught the plan in my head. "Kitten,no."
"It's an acceptable risk," I argued.
Vlad must have picked the idea from my mind, too, because he started to laugh.
"Oh, Bones, maybe you should have married a docile girl who didn't stray too far from the kitchen."
"Get stuffed, don't you have more publicity stunts to pull?" Bones shot back. "How about chatting with another writer who can smear your name into greater popularity?"
"What, did Anne Rice not return your calls,mate?" Vlad asked scathingly. "Jealousy is such an ugly trait."
A noise escaped me before I could choke it off. Ian had no such discretion, and his laugh was clear and hearty.
"Don't glare at her, Crispin. It was funny, and that's not even counting the look on your face."
Which was far from amused, but after a beat, Bones relaxed and his lips twitched.
"Indeed it was. Right. Let us sort out this plan of yours, Kitten. It may be our best opportunity."
Bones selected the members of the vampire entourage who were going with me. When he directed Tate to be one of the five, I was speechless. Then he confounded me even more by choosing Vlad as another.
"Are you kidding?" I asked when I found my voice.
"If there's anything your bloke does better than incense me, it's watch you," Bones replied. "He'd give his life for you without the slightest hesitation. It's the one thing he's useful for."
Tate gave Bones an evil look, but didn't argue. Vlad watched their exchange with mild curiosity.
"And why do you want me with her?"
"You're a ruthless sod who never lets conscience interfere with your objectives," Bones said curtly. "It's a trait I haven't often admired in you, yet one I'm counting on now."
I grabbed his jacket. "Don't worry about me, just take care of yourself. I want you back in time for dinner."
There were two other vampires present who could hear the rest of my message, but I sent it to him anyway.When you get back, I'm going to cover myself in whiskey and nothing else. Then I'll pour gin all over you. We're going to drink from each other, in every possible way.
Vlad let out an amused grunt, saying, "Excellent motivator, isn't she?" as he walked away. Mencheres kept his features blank. How mannerly. Dave just muttered, "She can't cook. How's that incentive?"
Bones moved closer until his body was tight against mine. There was a distinct hardness to him as he bent me back, his mouth pillaging mine like we had all the time in the world.