by Rhys Rowlyn
“I thought we agreed you didn’t need them any longer.” I raise my brows, picking up a lock of her now-honey-blonde hair and meet her darker-violet gaze. She’s gorgeous but could pass for a human now. There is no need to try to tone down her coloring.
She shakes her head, shrugging her shoulders. “Oh yeah, force of habit. Well, let’s go then. I’m going all natural tonight. Should prove to be fun.”
Giles shoves my shoulder. “Yep, mate, should prove to be interesting. Try not to tear up Zeke’s bar when the customers won’t leave her alone.”
“I’m not making any promises.” I growl, and Giles bursts out laughing. I have a feeling Zoey’s barkeeping duties at Zeke’s may be the death of me.
Tristan
“What is going on up here?”
Five guilty-looking faces turn my way, and I have a hard time keeping the stern look on my face. It’s been over a week since we returned from the plantation, and Zoey fits in with the others as if she’s always been a part of the famille.
Rebecca glances at the others, not meeting my gaze. “Hmmm, well, you see…”
Rodney crosses his arms over his chest, raising his brows toward Zoey. “We were just curious is all.”
Zoey steps close to me and wraps her arms around my waist. “It was me. I wanted to see.”
“And what exactly did you want to see, love?” I draw my brows together, frowning down at her.
“We wanted to see the corpses,” Lucy says, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt.
“They’re not corpses.” I can’t keep the defensiveness out of my voice. They act as if my brothers and I were dead.
Zoey rubs my arm and kisses my cheek. “Well, they don’t have any feelings and aren’t dreaming.”
I think back and have no memory of ever dreaming. I only remember going to sleep and then waking up three hundred years later. “How do you know this?”
“You know I can read emotions, but what you don’t know is I usually know if someone is dreaming. There is nothing coming from any of them. They are simply not there.” Zoey runs her hand along one of the crates, staring down at it. “No, nothing.”
“Wow, that’s cool!” Rodney exclaims with a nod.
“We know they’re not dead, or they wouldn’t wake up.” Lucy rolls her eyes, shaking her head. “They’re in a deep sleep.”
“Yeah, deep sleep. Now are we going to have a look?” Chi rubs his hands together bouncing back on his heels.
“Why haven’t you done this before?” I know Rebecca and Chi have known about my famille for months, what makes today so special?
Rebecca shrugs her shoulders, wrinkling her nose. “I’ve wanted to, but Chi is the only one I would have been brave enough to ask. The rest are all respectful, so I can’t see them messing with the sleeping vampires.”
I bite my lip to keep from laughing. These five are trouble. “Fine, let’s check on them. Have you opened any of the crates?”
Rebecca squeals, shaking her head and clapping her hands. “Not yet. We were arguing over which one to open first.”
“I say this one.” Zoey points at the crate closest to her, then turns her gaze on me. “Tristan can tell us who it is and maybe something about him.”
As I pry open the crate, I get the first look at what I was like only a couple of weeks ago. It’s sobering. He really does look like a corpse. “Luca. He is of gypsy or Romani descent. He has the gift of sight, but it’s only in a way where he knows if something bad is going to happen or if he’s doing the right thing. When we were coming here, he said we were doing what fate meant for us to do and we were following the right path.”
“I’m pretty sure he was right, considering all of you guys are waking up to having mates and none of you seem upset by it.” Lucy winks, waggling her eyebrows.
I burst out laughing. She is definitely a saucy one. “No, Lucy, we’re not upset by it.”
“Is Luca the one who tried to save his sister?” Lucy leans over the crate, coming almost nose to nose with the man.
I’m taken aback, shocked she knows about this. It’s not something we talk about. “Yes, how do you know that story?”
“I wanted to change my mother, and Etienne told me.” She glances at me over her shoulder, then back at Luca. “Bram showed his memory of it to Kane. How did he not know that was the wrong path?”
“I believe he ignored his instinct because he loved her so much. It was horrific and not anything I ever wish to go through again.” I remember the devastation and how it crushed Luca’s spirit. It took years for him to even be a part of the man he had been.
“Who is this?” Rodney opens another case, and I peek in.
“Alesandr, or Sasha as he liked to be called.”
“Why Sasha?” Zoey asks.
“It’s the name his family called him, and it’s always been his nickname.” Sasha had the hardest time saying good-bye to his family. We stayed close to his estate for a few weeks until he finally was able to leave. I loved my family, but they saw me “die,” so I knew going back wasn’t an option. It took Gabriel a while to convince Sasha of this, but eventually he knew it was the way things had to be.
“His clothes are dull now, but I bet they were a sight when they were new. He looks like a diva if I ever saw one.” Chi puts a hand on his hip, waving the other by his face.
“If you mean was he a dandy, then yes he was. Sasha liked his tailor.” He spent more time having clothing made than doing anything else.
Chi runs a finger down Sasha’s chest and blows a kiss at his sleeping face. “Oh, maybe I’ve found me a mate.”
“Back off, Chi.” Rebecca growls, slapping Chi’s hand. Her gaze darts around at us, and she covers her mouth. “Sorry, I don’t know what come over me.”
I glance at Zoey, and she raises her brows. “Chi, sorry, but Sasha’s not your type. He liked the ladies, and I do mean he really did. We had…” I stop talking when Zoey narrows her eyes at me. “Well, let’s just say he really liked the ladies.”
“Who is this angel man?” Lucy is staring into an open crate. “Damn, if I wasn’t fully committed to Etienne, he would tempt the pants off of me.”
Rodney joins her, tilting his head to the side and looking into the crate. “Wow, I’m straight, and even I find him pretty.”
“Ohh, let me see!” Chi rushes over and fans his face with his hands. “Oh wow, just wow. I can hardly wait until this one wakes up.”
“It must be Gabriel.” I pinch the bridge of my nose, knowing what they’re seeing. Gabriel is one of those men who attracts attention without trying. He always hated looking the way he did for that very reason, but you can’t change what God gave you. “He’s our creator—well, all of us but Bram. He always reminded me of an avenging angel.”
Gabriel has light-blond hair, piercing blue eyes, and perfect facial features. He was tall and has the build of the warrior he once was. From what Bram told me, he was overrun on the battlefield but fought with such honor and courage, Alastair simply couldn’t allow him to die, feeling compelled to change him.
“What’s he like?” Zoey loops her arm through mine, dipping her chin toward the crate.
“Bram swears he had a sense of humor and was a lot of fun before he decided to create a famille. He took creating us very seriously and kept a tight leash on us all.” I stop talking at the looks on their faces. They’re all frowning at Gabriel as if he’s done something terrible. “I don’t mean he ruled over us. It only had to do with bloodletting, otherwise we did as we wished. I rarely heard him laugh, and usually it was only around Bram. I think he thought of himself as our father.”
Lucy looks from me to Gabriel, furrowing her brow. “He looks younger than you.”
I roll my eyes. Do they even think before they speak? “He was very young when he was changed, but I also believe he just has one of those faces that doesn’t age.”
Cassie bursts into the room, her gaze darting around at us. “Hey, what are y’all doing up here?”
> Chi screams, clutching his chest. “Cassie, bitch, you scared ten years off me.”
Cassie smirks, looking at us with raised brows. “Are you going to answer me?”
“We were looking at the bodies. Have you and Giselle ever thought of putting them in modern clothes and maybe shaving them?” Rebecca picks up a dusty piece of lace from Sasha’s crate. “Or maybe just hosing them off to get rid of the dust?”
“No, can’t say we have.” Cassie walks over and stares down at Gabriel. “Ah, Gabriel, you beautiful man. Don’t tell Bram, but I used to come up here and take a peek at him every now and again. He’s just so pretty.”
“See, we’re not the only morbid ones.” Zoey bumps her hip with mine, grinning up at me.
I waggle my finger at her, shaking my head. “You called them corpses.”
“Okay, so maybe that was out of line.” Her cheeks turn pink, but she’s still grinning. “Maybe we should have said the sleeping beauties.” She giggles when I swat her ass.
“Did you see Cullen? He’s the wild Scotsman, with his dark-red hair and his big, ummm, muscles.” Cassie winks and does a little shimmy.
Chi glances around, clapping his hands. “I want to see him. Which crate is his?”
“It’s the longest one over there.” Cassie points at a crate against the wall. “He’s as tall as Bram.”
“Not quite but almost. Bram has him by maybe this much.” I pinch my fingers together about a half an inch. “Cullen was always fun but had a bit of a temper. Many a night I had to pull him out of a pub and keep him from truly hurting someone.”
“Sounds like some of you boys liked to party,” Rodney says, looking like he may want to join in on our fun. Although, from the looks of him, I don’t believe he’d be able to keep up.
“That we did. Bram was usually up for a good time, but the ones who have awakened so far were all a bit on the sedate side. We were a healthy balance.” I miss going to the pub with my mates. I have thought of asking Bram to join me, but I know he’s too concerned for Cassie to leave her side at this time. “Did you know if someone is truly drunk off ale and you drink their blood, you can get a little tipsy?”
“What would you do, get some poor sap drunk off his ass, then take his blood?” Zoey asks, cocking a brow in my direction.
I burst out laughing. “That’s exactly what we would do. I love all the men who are awake, but I do miss Cullen and Sasha.”
“Who was friends with who?” Cassie sits on an unopened crate, crossing her legs and folding her arms over them.
“Oh, don’t get me wrong, we were all close as brothers. It’s just some had more in common than others.” I don’t want them to get the wrong idea and think we weren’t all close, because we were.
“Yeah, yeah we get that, but we want the down low.” Chi waves off my words and motions for me to tell them more. “Who hung out with who?”
I scrub my face with my hand, resigning myself to giving them the information they’re asking for. “As you probably already know, Phillipe and Etienne were very close. They were also close to André, and Bram treated André like a little brother. Bram and Gabriel were close, but if Bram wanted to let loose, he went with Cullen, Sasha, and me. Luca and Jean Pierre would go off and be alone a good bit, and Nathaniel and Marc were close to Phillipe and Etienne.”
“So I got a partier, and you got one of the dull ones.” Zoey sticks her tongue out at Lucy, laughing.
Lucy opens her mouth, shaking her head in denial, then bursts out laughing. “Hey, Etienne isn’t dull, and he’s got a great sense of humor.”
“He does. I don’t mean he’s dull. None of us are dull.” Taking a deep breath, I try again to get my thoughts together. I have a feeling these two are playing with me and twisting my words. “He just had more in common with those men. They were all French and had common backgrounds. Gabriel went on a creating streak and made those three about the same time.”
Rodney sits beside Cassie. “Who’s the youngest?”
“Edward was, but he went feral. He said he allowed himself to get too hungry and accidentally took too much blood, but I’ve always had my doubts. He killed a girl. I didn’t see the body but heard Gabriel talking to Alastair, and the girl was badly beaten. I always thought something wasn’t right with him, and I never really cared for the man. It wasn’t long after Gabriel took Edward down that we left France to come here. I believe he was the spark that drove Gabriel to make that decision.” From the time Gabriel created Edward until we left for the New World, things were off with our group. Edward liked stirring trouble, and he kept rivalries going that should have been resolved easily.
“Phillipe mentioned him, but he talked like he wasn’t a bad person.” Cassie rubs her chin with her thumb, wrinkling her forehead.
“Edward was a manipulator. I notice things most don’t. It’s what makes me a good tracker. He was extra rough with his donors, especially the females. Everyone was horrified by him going feral, but I wasn’t surprised. I bet if you ask Bram, he wasn’t either.” I wrap my arms around Zoey, leaning my chin on her shoulder, needing to feel her closeness. I hadn’t thought about Edward in some time.
Zoey tilts her head back until our gazes meet. “Do we need to worry about any of the others?”
“Ah, no. The rest are genuine and good men. Trustworthy. I’d have any of them at my back.” I kiss her neck, giving her waist a squeeze.
“Good to know.” Rodney picks up the lid to Gabriel’s crate and places it back over him.
“There you are. What are you doing up here?” Bram joins us, taking a seat next to Cassie and pulling her to his side.
She winks at me, grinning. “Tristan was giving us a history lesson, or I should say telling us what to expect from the others. We were just talking about Edward.”
Bram snorts in disgust. “That was a nasty bit of business.”
“Were you surprised he went feral?” Cassie furrows her brow, frowning up at Bram.
“Not at all. I never cared for the man and was surprised Gabriel turned him. Gabriel swore he was compelled, but for the life of me, I don’t know why. I was the one who took Edward’s head off and had no remorse in doing it. Edward had manipulated Gabriel into believing he wasn’t feral, but Gabriel was never fooled. I was hiding in the shadows. Edward was so intent on taking Gabriel down, he never knew I was there. It was over as soon as he attacked. We agreed not to tarnish his memory with the others, but I take it you were never fooled?” Bram nods at me, and I nod back.
“No, I never trusted him.” I’m glad to know my instincts were right about Edward but sorry Gabriel and Bram felt they had to go through the ordeal alone.
Bram stands, helping Cassie up. “I came up here to find Cassie and then I was going to look for you. Jean Pierre wants you to head out and look for clues to help us find Minerva. He thinks he may have a lead.”
Rebecca jumps up, looking at her phone. “Oh goodness, look at the time. I have to get to the lab, or I’ll be late.”
Zoey takes my hand, linking our fingers. “Why don’t you go to help Jean Pierre, and I’ll go to the sisters’ new house. They want to work on using their fae magic.”
We all leave the attic, and I turn once more to look at the remaining crates. This trip down memory lane has me missing my brothers more than I thought possible. I can hardly wait until they awaken.
Zoey
Tristan left me in the care of the witches for the night. I wasn’t scheduled to work at Zeke’s, but Tristan had a few leads he wanted to check out. Cara called and asked if I would mind giving them a lesson in tapping into their fae power, and I must admit to being excited at the prospect of using my magic. I’ve always been cautious, but now that we know the fae can’t sense us from their realm, I feel as though I’ve been given a gift.
“Zoey, you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.” Cara opens the door, leading out into the vast backyard of the property the witches only recently acquired.
The yard is huge, w
ith several mature Spanish oaks near the tall brick fence that encloses the property. There are azalea and oleander bushes along one side but no formal garden of any kind. Whoever owned the property prior to Minerva or the sisters didn’t spend much time out here. They must have simply wanted grass and trees.
The sisters decided to put in a greenhouse to grow herbs for different spells, but they want to see if they can spur some plants to grow close to the patio. I’ve suggested some honeysuckle, and we’ve set up an arbor to grow the plants on.
“Don’t want to, are you crazy? I love growing things, and it’ll be the first time I’ve used my fae power since becoming a vampire. I’m excited to see how it’s affected me.” I’ve missed playing in my garden the last week or so and feel like I have energy building inside me. I never use much power at one time because I’ve always feared detection, but throughout the years, I’ve tried to use small amounts daily to help me keep my energy levels even. “Have you not felt you needed to use your power?”
“No, not really, but we’re always doing magic, so maybe we’ve unintentionally been using it. Can you show us how to know we’re doing it?” Circe takes out a spade and loosens the soil around the arbor.
“Just so you know, I’ve learned by hit and miss. My mom showed me a few things, but I was young when she was taken, so I had to teach myself. I’ll teach you what I know, and hopefully we can expand our knowledge.” I hug Cara and Circe to my sides. “It’s nice to have someone to talk to about this. My father is a mate, but he knows less than I do.”
“We’re glad we can be there for you. It must have been hard growing up without a mother. I hate you had to go through that, and I hate a witch betrayed your family the way she did.” Cara pats my hand, and I feel the warmth of her friendship.
“We’ve placed runes all around so the power doesn’t leak out. I know we don’t have to worry about the fae, but there are other forces who may sense our magic and come skulking around.” Ciara sets a small potted vine on the patio. “There’s dark magic woven throughout this town. We’re hoping by growing a garden, we can dilute it.”