“Little did I know, he had been telling me the truth all along.”
Everette
“Tell me what happened, Hestin.”
“Don’t want to give a man a moment to catch his breath?” Hestin grumbles.
“You don’t breathe, you idiot.”
“Fine,” he says, sitting upright. “I was asking around like you said to. Turns out not everyone likes me snooping around. I went to the Red Lion pub to meet with an associate. Seeing as how it seems to get a lot of vampire clientele, I didn’t think nothing of it. I’ve met him there before.”
“Not a friendly bunch tonight though. Knew almost straight away something wasn’t right.” He frowns before leaning forward. “He told me that a group of rebels have been meeting in one of the upstairs rooms for weeks now. He as good as asked me to sign up.”
The Mother looks horrified. “The audacity.”
“Didn’t take too kindly to it when I refused. Here I was trying to wheedle him for information and he was trying to convert me to the cause.”
“Did you learn anything about them?” I ask.
“Not much. It all happened a bit too quickly. But I plan to go back. I want to search the upstairs rooms.”
“I’m coming with you.”
“I’m not sure that’s such a good idea, Everette,” the Mother cuts in.
“I’m not letting him go back in there alone.”
“That doesn’t mean you have to go.”
Shaking my head, I don’t even consider asking anyone else. The number of people I trust has grown significantly shorter as the day has gone on. I’m not about to risk Hestin’s life by trusting the wrong person.
“I’m going,” I say with as much severity as I can muster.
“What about Farah?” The Mother plays the only trump card she has. “Are you going to leave her here alone? Undefended?”
“You’re here,” I grit out. She knows full well I don’t trust her with Farah. I wouldn’t trust anyone with Farah. But I don’t think I have much choice.
“Farah?” Hestin asks, his interest piqued.
“Everette’s mate.”
“She’s not my…” I don’t know why I’m arguing with the Mother about this. It doesn’t matter what Farah is to me. All that matters is that she’s kept safe.
“Your mate, Everette?” Hestin gives me a knowing smirk. He’s going to spend a good chunk of this evening teasing me about her now. Damn it.
“She’s still human,” the Mother says, “and it is essential we keep her safe, until Everette realises his idiocy and changes her.”
“You haven’t changed her?” Hestin looks at me like I’ve gone mad. “You’ve found your mate and you haven’t even changed her?”
“It’s not as simple as that.”
“Sure it is. You either love her or you don’t.”
I can’t believe I’m sitting here discussing how I feel about Farah while Hestin is dripping blood onto my sofa.
“I really don’t think this is the time for this conversation,” I say, but neither Hestin or the Mother are listening to me. The Mother is now telling Hestin all about Farah. I’m surprised how much she knows about her, seeing as how she only met her this morning. Since neither of them are interested in what I have to say on the subject, I decide to go find Farah.
Leaving the living room, I follow her scent to the kitchen. She’s sitting there with an empty plate in front of her at the breakfast bar. Sybil is busying herself at the sink, talking away happily as she works.
“Oh Everette!” Farah says, her excitement at seeing me evident in her voice. It’s impossible not to be happy when she’s looking at me like that. “Are you okay? You look a little unwell.”
I laugh at that. Whoever has heard of an unwell vampire?
“I’m perfectly fine, thank you,” I tell her, leaning down to drop a kiss on her cheek. “Just frustrated.”
“Frustrated? About what?”
“I have to go somewhere tonight. I’m frustrated because I had been looking forward to taking you back to bed.”
Farah glances nervously towards Sybil. “Will you be gone long?”
“God, I hope not. My plan is to do what I need to do, rush back here, wake you up and fuck you until dawn.”
Licking her lips, she offers me a small smile. “Is that a promise?”
I grin wickedly at her. “Of course.”
“Have you told her?” The Mother asks from the doorway.
“Told her what?”
“That she’ll be spending her evening with me,” the Mother says and I get the distinct impression she’s looking forward to it. “I’m going to tell you all sorts of stories about Everette. We’re going to have so much fun.”
“Mother. I don’t think that’s such a…”
“Really?” Farah grins, cutting me off mid-sentence. “You don’t have to hurry back, Everette.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Everette
My mood is especially foul when Hestin and I finally leave several hours later. I can’t believe Farah. She practically flung me out of the house so she can spend time with the Mother. The Mother of all people.
“What are you pouting about?” Hestin asks as he pulls out of the drive.
I’m staring at the house behind us through the side mirror, not quite believing what just happened. I thought Farah feared other vampires. But apparently not enough. “I’m not pouting.”
“If you say so.” Hestin is enjoying this. “Farah is pretty.”
I growl at that. I wasn’t happy when he met Farah. I’d much rather keep her hidden away from everyone, but Farah had handled the whole thing perfectly. If I hadn’t spent so much time watching her, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have even noticed the little hints that she was scared.
“I never thought I’d see the day when you’d settle down.” Hestin is still speaking. He knows full well that he’s treading a fine line. I’ve never been especially patient. “I knew you were up to something. You’ve been behaving strangely for weeks.”
“Enough Hestin,” I growl.
“You don’t want to talk about Farah?” He glances my way, his eyes full of humour. “I thought people in love were supposed to want to talk about it.”
I ignore him. It wouldn’t do to kill him before we reach the red Lion.
Farah
This had seemed like a brilliant idea when Everette was still here. Now that I’m alone with Jessamine, I’m less sure of myself. She’s spent the last few hours doing everything she can to make me feel at ease, and yet I can’t quite forget that at least according to Everette she’s the most powerful vampire in Europe.
It gives a whole new meaning to meeting your boyfriend’s mother.
Although, the word boyfriend really couldn’t apply to Everette. I’m not exactly sure what he is to me, but he’s not my boyfriend. I might be his favourite meal and I might be the human that warms his bed, but I’m not his girlfriend.
I don’t think Everette has girlfriends. He has women he fucks. What had Hestin called me? His mate? I’m not sure what to make of that either. It has a strange permanence to it that both Everette and I have been trying to avoid.
The word mate implies even more permanence than the word husband. And I wouldn’t be comfortable with the word husband either.
Jessamine is talking happily about everything I’ve been desperate to know since I first met Everette, and I’m barely listening. I’m too busy thinking about Everette and what he means to me. I love him, but does that mean I want forever with him?
“What has you so distracted Farah?” The Mother’s words pull me from my thoughts.
“I-I…”
“You’re thinking about Everette.”
I don’t see much point in trying to deny it. She’d obviously be able to work out that I’m lying. These vampires seem to notice everything. There are no secrets when you’re dating a vampire. The thought causes me to let out an unladylike snort. I quickly cover it with a cough as I
giggle to myself at the idea that I’m dating Everette.
We haven’t been on a single date. I really don’t think dating describes our relationship.
“Where has Everette gone?” I ask suddenly as it hits me that I have no idea where he has gone. It shouldn’t surprise me. Everette doesn’t tell me anything.
“To the pub where Hestin was hurt,” Jessamine says, watching me closely.
I’m not sure what she’s looking for exactly, and I almost ask her about it. Except I can’t get past the fact that she just told me that Everette has gone somewhere that might be dangerous. It seems a bit silly and I certainly won’t be telling Jessamine, but I don’t like the unsettled feeling in my stomach at the idea of Everette in danger.
“Why?” I ask, feeling relieved when my voice comes out steadily.
“We need to know who hurt Hestin,” she says simply, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.
“Surely, he saw who attacked him.”
“Yes, he saw their faces but…”
“Well, if he saw their faces, it doesn’t seem necessary for Everette to go there.” The pitch of my voice is changing and I definitely sound screechy. I don’t like this one bit.
“Aren’t there vampire police?” I ask, barely stopping to take a breath. Even I know I sound ridiculous. Who has ever heard of a vampire police force? Now I know I’ve read too many vampire novels.
“Everette is responsible for the country. This is just part of his duty.”
“I don’t like it.” I get to my feet, moving towards the window. He’s only been gone a few hours, and he said not to expect him back before the early hours, but I can’t help searching for him in the darkness beyond the heavy curtains.
“Yes. I can see that.” She’s laughing at me. Not unkindly. Even so, I don’t like it.
“Why did you send him there?” I ask, abruptly turning to face her.
“I didn’t. Everette doesn’t need me to instruct him how to rule England.”
“Surely, someone else could have gone.”
“Hestin is his son as much as Everette is mine,” Jessamine tells me patiently. “Do you really think he would sit still when his son was nearly killed?”
Obviously, the answer is no, but I’m not about to admit that. Jessamine must see the panic in my eyes though because she takes pity on me, getting to her feet and coming to stand beside me at the window. Her hand takes mine, and she squeezes it gently.
“Everette has been doing this for hundreds of years,” she says soothingly. “I promise you, he is quite capable.”
“I don’t care. I just want him to…” My voice falls away.
“You just want him to come home.”
“Yes.”
“You really care about him, don’t you?”
“Of course, I do. Do you really think I’d be here if I didn’t?”
“I don’t think you’d have much choice. But no, I don’t doubt you’d make things much harder for Everette if you didn’t care for him.”
“I love him,” I tell her. The word care is almost offensive. It doesn’t do justice to how I feel about Everette.
“I know you do.”
“I just don’t know if love is a good enough reason.”
“For what?”
“To become what he is.”
“It seems better than most reasons people give me.”
“Sorry?”
“Usually people who want to become like me, say they want the power or immortality. And those are only the reasons people actually give. More often than not, people’s true motives are far worse.”
“Worse than wanting power over other people?”
“Cruelty. A need to inflict pain. A desire for revenge. Very few people decide to make the change for love.”
“Why?” I can’t help but ask.
Shrugging her shoulders, Jessamine’s smile is almost sad. Her eyes glisten as she says, “Humans and vampires and even the shifters, we’re all alike in one way. We’re all capable of love, but we always lean more towards selfishness.”
“Forever just seems like a very long time. Especially when I’ve only known him a few weeks.”
“I don’t really believe in forever.” Jessamine’s words surprise me. She’s a vampire, for goodness’ sake. How can she not believe in forever? “I might have once, but not now. This existence, no matter your species, eventually it always comes to an end.”
“But your…” I pause, not thinking it would be polite to call her old.
“Old?” She laughs. “Yes, I am. And I have loved the way you do now. When Kirdem died, I realised forever was impossible. I don’t want forever. When he was alive, I wanted nothing more than to live forever with him by my side.”
I watch her closely. She looks on the verge of tears. Tears that threaten to engulf her with a powerful onslaught of emotions beyond which I can imagine. I’ve never seen such immense pain in another person’s eyes before.
“Not now though. Now I’m waiting for death to come for me.” Her voice cracks and I instinctively reach out for her, wanting to show this incredibly powerful vampire compassion. “This existence, no matter how long it lasts, is far too long to be alone.”
“He loves you. He’ll probably not say it until he has no other choice. Everette isn’t one for sharing his feelings, but he does love you. He doesn’t know what it means. Or what he’s meant to do about it. Or even how to enjoy it. But eventually, he’s going to realise that his entire existence revolves around you and everything will change.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Farah
Jessamine’s words are still going through my mind later that night when I finally go to bed. Everette’s bed is too big and empty without him, and so I find myself standing at the window, the curtain pulled back so I can look outside.
I can’t really imagine Everette’s world revolving around anything, let alone me.
The house is deadly quiet. I’ve never particularly liked this house, but with Everette gone, I think I might hate it. It’s too quiet. Too dark. Too big. Too cold. I’ve never felt less at home within its walls than I do right now.
My palms are sweating slightly, and my heart feels like it’s in my throat. I keep telling myself that Everette will be fine. He’s a vampire, for heaven’s sake. He’s not exactly a damsel in distress that needs rescuing. No. That would usually be me.
But no matter how much I try to remind myself that Everette is perfectly capable of dealing with whatever is out there, it doesn’t stop me worrying about him.
Resting my forehead against the cool glass, I close my eyes and take a deep, steadying breath. He is going to be fine. But I can’t get the sight of Hestin’s blood splattered on the wall out of my mind.
What if…
“No!” I try to banish the thoughts. Everette will come back. I just need to lie down and go to sleep and before I know it, he’ll be waking me up. He promised as much, after all. Fancy worrying about a vampire. I must have the most overactive imagination known to man.
With one last look out the window, I draw the curtains and pad across the room back towards the empty bed. Settling under the covers, I resign myself to a sleepless night.
Everette
“Rule number one of being stealthy… Don’t use the front door,” I say sarcastically as we circle around the back of the pub.
“I’ll have you know I wasn’t aiming for stealth when I came here.” I do my best to ignore Hestin’s mutterings as I look around for the best way to enter the building. “I was told he had information. I didn’t realise this was their bloody headquarters.”
“Rule number two of being stealthy…” I mock, before pointing up at a window on the second floor that is slightly ajar. “I think we’ll go in that way.”
“If you like.” Hestin shrugs his shoulders, clearly put out with my mocking. It’s nice having the tables turned. I’ve had to put up with his blather about Farah for the entire car journey here. The least he can do is be a good
sport.
Just then a handful of people exit the public house through the rear door directly underneath the window, talking loudly as they settle at one of the beer tables.
“Well, that complicates things, doesn’t it?” Hestin grumbles.
“No. We’ll just have to be extra…”
“Don’t say it,” he groans.
Laughing under my breath, I search for another way to enter the building unseen. But I can’t see another way in.
“We could just wait,” I say quietly, although I’m silently thinking that it is a terrible idea. For one thing, I really don’t want to be out here longer than we need to be in case someone spots us. And for another, the sooner we get in, the sooner I can go home to Farah.
“You don’t want to do that.”
“No, I don’t.” There’s very little point in denying it. Waiting isn’t really an option.
“You want to get back.”
“Yes.”
“To Farah.” I can practically hear the laughter in his voice. If it wasn’t imperative that we stay hidden, I’d clobber him over the head.
“Alright, who’s going first?”
“Don’t mind.”
“How many vampires did you say were here earlier?” I turn to look at him for the first time, briefly taking my eyes off the pub.
“More than twenty.”
“Right… So, enough to kill us both.” I’m proud of myself when I somehow make it sound like I’m comparing being murdered to something significantly more enjoyable. Something like… Well, I don’t know. There really aren’t that many things vampires enjoy. “I’ll go first. Wait until I’m inside and then follow after me.”
Hestin doesn’t respond except with a minute nod of his head. And then I’m moving quicker than the humans in the beer garden could possibly see, all the while hoping that there are no vampires staring out one of the windows. That would definitely remove the element of surprise.
Gripping the wall in a way no human ever could, I begin to scale the building, until I’m clinging to it just beneath the window. The voices of the humans beneath me carrying on the wind, and their asinine conversation bores me almost immediately. Humans are so rarely original.
THIRST (The Elite Book 3) Page 5