Considering how hard my cock was right now, I debated answering her honestly. She was lovely, but I’d sworn off humans years ago and had no intention of pursuing this one. Especially since she was the descendant of my only human friend.
Instead, I lifted my glass to her. “Once you bottle this, you won’t need me—or anyone else—to save your company.” It was said to stoke her confidence, but with good whisky still burning in my mouth, it was hardly a lie.
When she clinked the rim of her glass against mine, the sound rang through the empty house.
“Our company.”
5
Forge’s reaction when he tasted the whisky made me feel oddly vindicated. He was hard to read, but from the expression on his face, he really liked it. Given how old he was, I figured he had a refined palate. Besides, there had been a second, right as we toasted, that made me feel like we really were partners, and not just names on the company letterhead.
“All right, I’ll do it.” After mentally tallying my reservations, I listed them off one by one. “No breaking the law, not even a bit. No messing with anyone’s mind, because that would be like malpractice or something. And only this one meeting, nothing else, ever.” Just the thought of looking into someone else’s thoughts creeped me out, but again, saving the company was high on my priority list.
“Agreed.” We’d moved to the kitchen table, and he leaned back and crossed his legs, looking all refined. I might have believed it, too, if not for the instantaneous nudge inside my head. His smile grew wide as the nudge turned into a weird scratching on the inside of my skull.
“You should know vampires can read human thoughts effortlessly,” he said. “As you can hear my thoughts, they will be able to hear yours.” His expression didn’t change as he added, “Which means you have very little time to learn how to protect yourself from the likes of me.”
I tried pushing the scratchy feeling away, but it turned insistent, growing stronger until my left eye twitched. Reflexively, I shoved harder, scared I couldn’t exorcise the sensation out of my very own head. Is this what a nervous breakdown feels like? I wondered.
“That’s me, trying to get into your head. I’m about to read your thoughts, every single one, in explicit detail.” He took another slow sip of whisky. “Pushing won’t get rid of me. I’ll just find another way around.”
“Stop it, Forge.”
“Make me, Selena.” The pompous bastard sounded like he was enjoying this.
The insistent, grating sensation in my skull was making me panic. “Fine. Then explain how I keep you out of my head.” A horrifying thought occurred to me. “You’d better not be looking around while you’re in there, because that’s just rude.”
I took his smug smile as a definite yes. Pissed off, I shoved against him even harder, my knuckles turning white as I gripped the edge of the table.
“Instead of pushing, try surrounding yourself with an impenetrable barrier, like a shield.”
What he was suggesting was so foreign that all I could do was stare. “I can’t build a shield out of thoughts. That’s impossible.”
“Yes, you can. Like this.”
A cool sensation replaced the scratchy one. With it came a quiet I hadn’t known in months, since before my life turned into a shitshow. It felt wonderful to turn off the world, if only for a moment.
This is how you do it.
I still don’t understand.
Watch me, Selena. Watch what I do.
I followed him as he created a temporary shield, blanketing my thoughts with a seamless, secure barrier that shut out all outside noise. I felt second-rate as he effortlessly wove together an invisible, yet soothing coat, then, just as quickly, made it disappear.
“Now, copy what I did. Imagine yourself surrounded by layers of mental shields. A wall that no one can breach, and only you can allow someone access.”
“Sounds good,” I said, trying to recreate the complexity of what I’d just seen. I couldn’t even wrap my head around it, much less figure out how to begin. “But it still makes no sense.”
“Then close your eyes, Selena, and watch me as I show you again.” This time his shield felt like a warm blanket, soft and comforting, before it solidified into something concrete. Impenetrable. I tentatively touched the smooth shell, noting the patterns in it, the intricacies. Still, I laughed when Forge said, “Now. Use mine as a template and create your own.”
It took forever, but I tried to copy Forge’s shield the best I could, my structure nowhere as complex. Clumsy, almost. But I didn’t stop until I was done, my efforts resulting in a sloppy, lopsided replica of his.
“Okay, there, my shield is up.” I grinned, fueled by competition and maybe a bit of liquid courage. “I’m ready. Bring it on.”
With a smile, he ripped mine away.
“That’s not fair,” I protested. “I worked hard on that.”
“It was more like a leaky ship than an impenetrable safe,” he said, ruefully shaking his head. “Poorest first attempt I’ve ever seen in my life.” But there was something in his face, a trace of emotion that might have been humor.
Was he messing with me?
“I don’t think it was that bad.” I added, “How long did you say I had?”
“Two weeks, Selena. But that’s enough for today. There’s always tomorrow to practice.”
I couldn’t leave before I wiped away that condescending note in his voice. “Again,” I demanded quietly. “Show me again.” This was how I’d learned the whisky business, after all. Nagging Dad until he showed me everything. Then learning whatever I could from everyone else at the plant. Sure, my knowledge base was haphazard, but I’d learned from the best. I just hoped Forge knew what he was doing.
The look that crossed his face—was it surprise or doubt?—was accompanied by a shake of his head. “Enough for today. You can return tomorrow evening for another lesson.”
“Again, or the deal’s off.” Somehow just knowing there was an entire race of beings who could read my thoughts whenever they wanted to disturbed me. I figured I’d do everything I could to protect myself. Plus, I had a willing teacher, as long as I did his dirty work.
Again, Forge’s cool, soothing shield encompassed me, and this time, I was more thorough in my exploration, then slowly replicated it. Definitely not perfect, but definitely better. When I was finished, I waited for Forge to tear through it.
“Very good, Selena. You’re a quick study.”
Warmth blossomed inside of me, perhaps a bit hotter than it should have. It had been a long time since anyone had noticed my efforts, much less praised me for them.
“I thought you said—”
“I will transfer five million into the company account tomorrow morning, via Mr. Holloway. Will that amount be sufficient?”
I blinked, trying to fathom the obscene number he’d thrown out so nonchalantly. “I don’t need that much, honestly. Just enough to hold off the creditors until this batch is ready.”
“Five million,” Forge repeated, pouring me another finger of whisky.
“Two million,” I countered.
“Five,” he said, then held up a hand when I went to protest. “You really are bad at negotiations. No one bargains for less money.” He lifted his glass, then took a long draw. This time, I drank in the way his face changed as the whisky rolled down his throat. It made him look almost handsome.
God, what if he heard me? Panicked, I double-checked my shield, finding it intact. I hoped.
“Yes,” I said. “That amount works for me.”
“Then we have a deal, Miss Langston.”
His hand, when he pulled me up from my chair, was cool, but his grip was firm as we shook on it. I slogged down the dark, eerie drive and to my waiting car. I spent the rest of the ride home wondering if I’d just sold my soul to the proverbial devil.
6
The next morning, Emerson Holloway was waiting for me in the lobby of the Langston and Forge offices. Before I got within ten fe
et of him, I knew he was spoiling for a fight, and I knew why.
“What did you do, Selena?”
“What I had to. I take it the money has already been transferred?”
Emerson ignored me completely. “Five million. What did you promise him?”
“Repayment,” I replied, relief making my stomach do flip-flops. For the next six months, I was free of the ever-present anxiety I’d learned to live with. They couldn’t repo the building, or the product, and the board couldn’t break up the company. All I had to do was finalize my plans for the release in six months, and watch my hard work pay off. I felt so light that I thought I could fly.
“Pay the grain vendors first. They’ve been waiting the longest. Then go down the line, oldest invoices to newest. I don’t want them waiting another day longer than they already have.”
“Give Bastian Forge back the money, Selena,” Emerson urged, his arms crossed across his chest, his shirt rumpled. He’d spent the night here again, probably searching for a different solution. Anything other than taking money from a vampire. “Don’t accept it.”
We’d been meeting payroll, but barely, and I was sure the employees knew it. “Give everyone a bonus. I’ll leave the amounts up to you.”
“Please, Selena, listen to reason.”
“I don’t want anyone worried about their job, nor the stability of this company.”
“Fine. But I’m warning you, you’ll regret taking the money.”
He might be right. In fact, doubt curdled in my stomach along with the sushi I’d had for lunch, but did I really have a choice? I decided no, we didn’t, and by the end of the day, all our debts had been settled. Well, all except for my debt to Forge.
“I know you think I’m making a mistake,” I told Emerson as I paused in the doorway of his office on my way out. “And maybe I have. But you can’t tell me this company isn’t worth saving.”
Beneath the lights, he looked exhausted. “It’s worth saving, but not like this.”
“I did the only thing I could do, and it will all work out.” I smiled at the man who’d helped me through these hellish months. “Go home and get some rest. We can all sleep better knowing everyone is paid and happy. Besides”—I grinned at him—“I have a new batch to start, and I have some wild ideas.”
An hour later, I pulled up in front of Forge’s. I’d told him I’d come by for another lesson in mind protection that didn’t involve a tin-foil hat, although I had to admit, I was having some misgivings.
Did human laws even apply to vampires? Wasn’t this a little like wiretapping? Or was it something worse?
This time, the gates were thrown wide open, and light glowed from every window, giving me a better idea of the size of the place. Even in the dimming light, I saw that the brush had been cut away from the drive, and the ivy seemed to have disappeared from the stone walls of the mansion.
I knocked and then went through when Forge called. Or I heard something from inside the house, although I couldn’t be sure it was Forge’s voice. Let’s pretend it was an invitation.
As I wandered through the house—where was he?—every room was alight. Glittering crystals dripped from ornate chandeliers, oils hung from every wall and the dark wood gleamed. It even smelled like someone lived here; the air was filled with the scent of lemon and cedar. I didn’t detect a hint of damp and dust.
“Selena, I’m so glad you came.” His deep voice came from behind me, and I forced myself not to turn around. Nope, I don’t need to see if his hair is still glossy and thick.
“Yeah, well, can’t have vampires prying inside my head now, can we?” I joked.
“We certainly cannot.”
I stepped into the room, a cozy space with a couple of chairs and a huge round table with an arrangement that towered over me. Some sort of small waiting area. Forge nodded to one of the chairs.
I didn’t even have my coat off when the sensation hit me, and this time, it felt more like maggots squirming than scratching. I floundered around with my arms caught in my sleeves, hastily erecting my barrier. It ended up a disaster—a half-built orb full of ragged holes. Forge had the nerve to laugh, and even though I knew it wasn’t my best work, it wasn’t fair. He hadn’t given me any notice.
When I tried again, he only laughed harder.
“Fine,” I said through gritted teeth. “What about this?”
I’d been practicing all day, as a matter of fact. Work had taken a back seat to the idea that my thoughts were accessible to vampires, and I’d been at it so long that my brain felt like mush. I held my breath until my lungs hurt, then pushed.
My barrier snapped into place, and whether it was fueled by anger or desperation, somehow, I managed to erect something that might actually keep him out.
“Now that’s more like it. Just like Ambrose, you’re a natural.”
7
I hadn’t intended to laugh at Selena.
But I couldn’t stop.
My mirth wasn’t directed at her, but at her sheer stubbornness to keep me out of her head. Well, maybe at her getting stuck in her coat. I’d obviously angered her, but as she stood before me, her hair tumbling over her shoulders, flames practically coming out of her nose, she took my breath away.
Fuck, she reminded me of Ambrose, her far-off ancestor—pissed because I didn’t understand his single-minded dream for his precious whisky. We’d spent more than a few nights at odds with each other, but I’d respected his tenacity. He’d had a short temper, just like her.
As well as an uncanny ability to know what someone was thinking.
He didn’t have Selena’s gift—was nowhere near as perceptive—but Ambrose had enough intuition that he always seemed to know what was on someone’s mind. He was right enough times that I came to rely on his opinion. Of course, Ambrose and I were human back then. Just two Scotsmen bonding over something as simple as whisky. While our lives took different paths, our abiding friendship had survived.
Even after I was changed.
Even after my interest in the human world waned, and my involvement with my new race prevailed. When I made costly errors that brought me to America, Ambrose had followed. Once again, it was the two of us in a strange world, and when Ambrose asked me for a favor—the only thing he’d ever requested—I gave it to him.
But the past wasn’t my concern—it was the enraged hellcat in front of me, hair spilling down over her shoulders and fire sparking in her eyes. I gave her a minute to ready herself, waiting until a cocky smile curved her lips.
“Try getting through this, Forge.”
God, she was something else, challenging me to rip through her mind, positive that she could withstand me. Just the fact that she called me only by my last name—a sign of disrespect, even contempt, in my world—made me laugh again. No one else would dare. No one but her.
Her eyes narrowed to mere slits, she was so pissed off.
“Are you ready?” I asked, muting my humor. I doubted she’d stay if I laughed one more time.
In answer, she jutted out her jaw and set her hands on her hips.
I was gentle—not that any of my brethren would be—and touched her shield, running an invisible finger down along it. Goosebumps exploded on her arms, so I did it again, enjoying the way her skin pebbled.
Even though we stood ten feet apart.
“Forge…” Her voice wavered slightly, and I got a hold of myself. Fuck, what was I doing? She would perform this favor, and then we’d part ways. Humans were liabilities, and then they were dead, so there was no use getting close to them. They didn’t last long enough.
Something I’d convinced myself of two lifetimes ago, and was doubly sure of now.
“Forge?”
“I’m going to tear through your shield, Selena. I won’t hurt you, but note where I indicate weak points, then shore them up. Strengthen any thin areas and patch up any holes. They will look for those, and if they find them, they will be merciless.”
She could have argued, but she
nodded instead. Reaching around, she pulled her hair back, revealing her huge eyes and perfect skin. Not that Selena knew she was beautiful. No, her whole focus was to keep me out of her head, so she could save her company. Keep her word and honor our agreement.
Except the longer I was around her, the less I wanted that debt settled.
It had been a long time since I’d noticed beauty of any kind. But knowing she’d be returning tonight, I’d made some efforts to spruce up the house, a fact that pissed me off. I wasn’t used to changing anything in my life for a stranger. Especially not a human stranger. Yet…I’d done just that.
Nor could I help myself from running my fingers over her shield, enjoying the small, almost unnoticeable shiver that went through her. God, she was intriguing.
“This is very good work, Selena.” True, her shield wasn’t perfect, but it would keep most vampires out of her head. Quite a feat after only a day. “You’ve been practicing.”
“I did. You said two weeks, but I have business dealings to take care of, and deliveries to check, so I wanted to get this out of the way.”
I shook my head. “This is more important than work. If you go with me to Scotland, you have to be able to protect yourself.”
“Nothing is more important than the company. Speaking of which, how long will we be gone? I can’t be away for more than a day or two.”
I respected her commitment to the company, but I hadn’t been lying—she had to protect herself; otherwise, the others would know exactly why I’d brought her to the meeting. If they did, they’d discover why she was there, and it would only be me standing between twenty vampires and her.
“Assembly is Saturday evening. Factoring in travel time, we will be gone three days.”
In truth, I only planned to be in Scotland long enough to attend the meeting. From takeoff to landing back in Philly—I figured no more than fourteen hours, total. Long enough to figure out who wanted me dead and shove their antiquated laws back down their throats. But now, thinking of spending three days alone with Selena…
Devil's Cut: Immortal Keeper Vampire Paranormal Romance Series Page 3