The water felt good against his body, so he closed his eyes. Slowly, Flynn began drifting toward sleep. The only thing that pulled him back awake was when she stopped touching him.
As he opened his eyes, Flynn saw the tears.
“Come here, baby,” he whispered, pulling her into his arms. Immediately, she broke down.
Flynn held on, offering Jolie all he had in his heart for her.
“She’s right, Flynn. I brought everyone here, and I didn’t protect them. Now Trina is gone, and my mates could have been killed.”
“Jolie, you can’t do this to yourself. We know you weren’t to blame. Clariel is hurting because of her loss. She’ll heal, and we’ll all be leaving soon.”
“I should’ve sent them all home when I thought to do it.”
He wanted to point out one little fact. “Had you done that, I’d be dead. Without Mathew being here, I wouldn’t have made it. So, you can keep second guessing yourself, or you can accept that this isn’t on our shoulders. The bitch who came here is to blame, not you.”
She wished she could believe that.
Just then, Jacques returned.
“Jolie, please stop,” he said, knowing she was going to make herself sick. She was sobbing uncontrollably as she clung to Flynn.
Jacques told her what Mathew had said to the other vampyre.
“He’s besotted,” she said, holding on to Flynn. She was afraid that if she released him, he’d be gone forever.
“I think it’s more than that. I’m beginning to understand him more.”
Jolie glanced over at him. “What do you mean by that?”
“When I was young I was a lot like him. I think he’s empathic.”
Jolie thought about it. “Really?”
He nodded.
“It’s why I became a guardian. I’ve always been attuned to the pain others feel. I believe that Mathew is the same way.”
“Or he just wants in Jolie’s panties,” stated Flynn.
She stared at him.
“Yes, you heard me.”
Jacques got them to refocus. “I think our Mathew was meant to be a guardian, but never had the training or opportunity because of Delina’s abuse.”
“What are you saying, Jacques?” asked Flynn. “He’s an artist, not a warrior.”
“Have you ever heard Jacques play the piano?” asked Jolie, trying to prove a point.
“No, but I’d like to,” he admitted. They were his mates, and Flynn wanted to know everything about him.
“I’m simply saying that he’s attached himself to Jolie because he has the internal desire to protect and guard her. With a vampyre destined to be a guardian, it’s instinctual.”
Flynn wasn’t sure he was buying it.
Sex was sex, and he believed that Mathew was gunning to be in Jolie’s bed. That could be a big time motivating factor.
“Last evening, when you were wounded, Flynn, he placed himself at your side. He has the need to protect, but doesn’t understand why. ”
“Okay, so what do we do about it?”
“We train him to be a guardian.”
“Hey! Wait a damn minute,” he said, sitting up. He winced in pain. “Shit!”
“Take it easy, my love,” Jolie warned.
“I’m the guardian. Am I being voted off Dracula’s Island?” he asked.
“No, but you want to go back to work. I can’t follow Jolie around all day, and that means she’s out there all alone. If we train Mathew, he can be her backup.”
He didn't like it.
But then again, Flynn didn't like her out there alone either. They had a nasty habit of attracting vamps who were gunning for them.
“You need your career, and Jolie needs a full time guardian. As her mates, it should be someone who isn't so emotionally attached. We need a neutral party.”
Flynn laughed. “You think Mathew is going to be a neutral party? Again, I don’t trust his motivation if he takes the job. Jolie is his end goal, and you and I both know it.”
She was appalled.
Jacques was well aware. “He’ll be more neutral than we are. Let’s be honest. We’re both irrational when it comes to her.”
“So basically, you’re agreeing with Balzac.”
Jacques laughed. “It looks like hell has just frozen over, my friend. I think he also needs a distraction in life to forget about his past.”
He didn't like it.
At all.
“I’ll give up my career to do it full time.” And Flynn meant it. If Mathew failed, they’d all lose. At least he knew he could keep Jolie safe.
Mathew was a wild card.
“I don’t know.”
Jolie finally spoke up, “Flynn, there are few people I trust in this world. Jacques has been by my side for many centuries, and if he thinks he can train him, then let’s try. This has to be a unanimous vote, or it won’t happen. I don’t want to hurt either of my mates.”
Flynn’s brilliant blue eyes met Jacques’s. “Okay, baby,” he said, giving in.
This felt like a bad idea, but if Jacques was willing to risk it, then he would follow suit.
“We’ll try it, but I want a promise. At any time, if I feel like he can’t do it, we stop the insanity. I’ll return to being guardian.”
“Deal.”
He felt sick to his stomach over the whole thing.
“One more question,” he said, staring at his mates. “You once told me that a guardian has the right to sleep with his mistress. Is that happening too?”
Jolie didn't say anything.
“Let me rephrase this,” Flynn said. “It’s not happening. I get that it’s some sick vampyre rule, but not in our family. I can’t do it, and I won’t. I’m sorry, and if that makes me a bad person--too damn bad.”
Jacques was glad his mate had brought it up. This was the only part that scared him shitless.
“Flynn…” Jolie was cut off.
“No. I don’t care. I can’t handle it. It’ll break my heart.”
She touched his cheek. “I need your trust. It hasn’t come up, but if it does, I want you to believe in me as your mate.”
He let out a breath. He had to change the subject. If he didn’t, he’d lose his mind.
“Umm… maybe it’s just the whole insanity of today, but I have another question.”
They stared at him.
“How did Jenna Montclair get in?”
They both looked surprised, like it never even crossed their minds.
“I know. We lock this place down pretty tight, and where was Margharite?”
“Oh crap,” muttered Jolie.
“We better get dressed,” she said, getting out of the tub. She reached for Chloe, trying to get some answers. When she glanced back at the men, her face must have said it all. “She went out to buy supplies.”
No one spoke.
“She’s fired,” Jolie stated. “Please send her away, Jacques,” she stated.
He was going to handle it, and soon.
Flynn tried to get out of the water and wavered. “Sorry, I’m dizzy,” he stated, as Jacques held him upright.
Jolie dropped to her knees and began drying him off.
“I need blood, baby,” he whispered. “I don’t feel so good.”
“I’ll feed you, Flynn,” she said, as they helped him to bed. The sheets had been changed, and he was grateful. There was nothing like crawling into a clean bed.
“I’ll feed you and then patrol the house.”
Jacques spoke up. “Actually, I’ll handle that.”
Flynn took her hand. “Please stay with me. I need you.”
Where she wanted to argue, the look of worry in his eyes said it all.
“Okay.”
Jacques covered them both up with the blankets. “I’ll stay up and watch over the vampyres. Don’t worry.”
“But…”
He stopped her. “I have to get the plane arrangements handled, contact the movers, and handle the details for Jen
na Montclair. Don’t worry, Jolie. I have plenty to keep me out of trouble.”
Yeah, and fire a donor who had made a huge mistake, costing them something very dear. The first rule was watch who gained access to the home you worked in. The woman risked them all.
Jolie cuddled down against Flynn. It was obvious that she was outnumbered. “Feed, Flynn,” she offered.
He rolled toward Jolie and pushed her wet hair from her throat. The second his fangs sunk in, he began felt better.
It was heaven.
Jolie tried to focus, but it wasn’t easy. The pleasure swamped her.
‘If I didn't feel like shit, I’d be all over you,’ he whispered into her mind.
Jolie laughed. She loved how he was still trying to cheer her up, despite how miserable she felt.
When he was satiated, Flynn pulled away.
“Better?” she asked.
He nodded sleepily. “Let’s rest. I’m beat to hell and back.”
She wasn’t far from that herself.
“If you need me, wake me.”
Jacques grinned. “I think I can handle a daylight patrol. I’m not a child,” he stated.
Flynn tugged her closer, and Jolie wrapped her body around his. Together, they fell into the darkness together.
Jacques waited until they were gone.
Then he did something he’d never thought he’d do.
He called for Chloe.
Yes, he was going to have the demoness guard his mates. It was risky, but in this case, it fell into the one rule he’d learned to live by.
Go with the devil…er…demon you know.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Monday Afternoon
Upon pulling from the darkness, the first thing Jolie did was check on her injured mate. She could pick up the soft easy breathing against her flesh, and it offered her peace. Flynn was still wrapped around her body, holding her close. His scars were pink, and his body looked better than it had.
She gave him a gentle kiss on his lips before he set her free. When he rolled over, going back to a deep slumber, she wanted to smile.
He was on the road to recovery.
Thankfully.
Slipping from bed, she found her two vampyres still with death. It was probably for the best, since they needed time to emotionally heal.
Fixing the blanket over them, Jolie touched each one on their heads. Her eyes filled with tears over how much they had to be hurting.
It sucked.
She wished she could turn back time.
Then Jolie heard the water in their bathroom.
It had to be Jacques.
Suddenly, she had the overwhelming need to see him.
Creeping up behind him, she found him standing under a steamy spray. She knew he was thinking about something. When he wanted to clear his head, this was what he’d do.
Jolie leered as the water streamed down his pale flesh, and she almost licked her lips.
It felt like a million years since she’d been able to touch him. Her stares must have alerted him to her presence. When he turned, his green eyes were filled with worries.
“I missed you,” she offered.
“I’m glad you found me,” he offered.
Jolie wrapped her arms around his waist.
He tensed.
“What are you thinking about?” she asked, knowing he was having a hard time working through something.
“Us.”
“What specifically?”
He knew it was time. “How we met.”
Jolie looked nervous. “Why is this bothering you, Jacques?”
“I’ve never been completely honest with you, and I can’t carry it anymore.”
She was confused. Jolie knew how they met, but there had to be something more. Jacques looked strained.
“Okay.”
He took a deep breath. This whole guardian thing was eating away at his gut.
“I lied. I didn't run into you at that ball. I sought you out. It happened one night while I was sitting with my family. My father was telling my mother about a new vampyre who’d just arrived in the village. He made such a production about this woman and how she came unprotected. How could her family allow it? How she wouldn’t survive a month alone. It was because of his words that I knew I had to look for you.”
Jolie recalled seeing Mordechai. He’d been a pompous ass then, just like now.
“No one expected you to survive, and that piqued my curiosity because I was at a crossroad myself. I wanted out of the family, and here was this vampyre being so brave.
“I wasn’t brave, Jacques. I had just survived the longest one hundred and fifty years with Goethe, and I was starting over,” she said softly. “I had no choice but to do it alone.”
That sickened him.
“It was live or die, and I wanted to live more, I guess.”
Jacques continued, “He mentioned where you were residing, so I took it upon myself to see you.”
Jolie was surprised. “You stalked me?”
He laughed. “Yes, I guess I did. Don’t tell Flynn that. He might want to arrest me for being some letch.”
Jolie smiled. “I still don’t understand why you did it.”
Of course she wouldn’t. Jolie never seemed to notice how alluring she was to him. He desperately wanted to touch her, but he needed to get this off his chest.
“You were all alone, carrying water from the well to the home you were staying in, and I couldn’t understand why.”
“I had no choice. I didn't have the family anymore like you did. I had no one to trust. It wasn’t easy.”
“I was impressed with your strength to do it all alone. I was toiling over taking over my father’s family or leaving to do as I wished, and here stood this woman, alone, striking out on her own. It pushed me down this path. In that moment, I knew I wanted you more than anything in my life.”
“I wish I had a choice, but I didn’t, Jacques. Don’t give me too much credit.”
“I was going to step out of the trees to meet you, but this little child ran up to you. He tugged on your skirt, and you dropped down to his height.”
Jolie remembered. “His name was Francis. He would one day become a donor for our family. He was such a sweet boy, and a good man.”
“Well, you whispered in his ear, and then pulled a little bag of what I assumed was money from your skirt pocket.”
“I did.”
“It always stayed with me.”
“His family was suffering. His mother had just lost her husband to the Black Death. They were starving, and I couldn’t bear it. The idea that three little children were going to perish upset me.”
“Even when you didn't trust humans?”
“They gave me my faith in humanity back. You know this story, Jacques. They eventually came to work for us. I was right to trust them.”
“When he left, I found him and interrogated him about you.”
She stared at him. “That’s just wrong. Flynn is going to cuff you.”
He laughed. “I guess I deserve it, but I was enthralled.”
Jolie gave him time to compose himself.
“While you stood there, I believe you felt me. For a moment, you looked at the trees right where I stood, and I saw your eyes. I knew my life was changing.”
“Jacques, I don’t understand why you’re so upset. What are you keeping from me?”
“I know how Mathew and Flynn feel. I was once that bright eyed boy smitten by the girl, but I’m now a grown man with everything to lose. I didn't approach you that night because I was afraid. It then cost me six centuries to get you to be mine.”
Jolie waited.
“I don’t want you sleeping with Mathew. Unlike Flynn, I couldn’t just say it. I wanted to, but I couldn’t.”
She touched his cheek. “Why don’t you finish this story?”
He nodded. “I stalked you every day until the ball. I even paid Francis to keep bringing it up.”
She laughed. “He dr
ove me insane.”
“I know. I paid him well.”
“I needed you there, so I could build up the courage to tell you I wanted to be your guardian. I wanted to begin a new life, and yours seemed perfect for me. You didn't answer to anyone, you had freedom, and you were happy. I could see it in your eyes.”
“I just survived Goethe, so of course I was happy.”
“Why did you go to the ball?” he asked.
Jolie had no idea.
She had debated on attending, only because the money and jewels she stole from Goethe were precious to her. They were dwindling, and she couldn’t justify buying a fancy dress. The money bought the home, and she was saving it to survive.
“I don’t know. At the last minute, I decided to go. I went to the dress maker, and there was this dress. It was like it was waiting for me.”
“It was.”
She stared at him. “You bought my dress?”
He nodded.
“Jacques.” She didn't know what to say.
“I needed to meet you. When I picked out that dress, it was a gamble. For the first time in my life, I took a risk, and it paid off. You were going to go. I believed it was fate.”
Jolie was touched.
“I could have stayed and been primus to my own family. I could have chosen a mate and moved down a different path, but I didn’t. I took the harder, more stubborn, more temperamental road because you called to me. You weren’t looking for a mate, or a lover then, so my only chance was to get you to make me your guardian. It was a long difficult path, knowing the only woman I would ever want would never be mine. I settled with protecting you, never to have you as my own.”
“I think I understand now, Jacques,” she said, as she slowly ran the rough, soapy sponge over his body, feeling him react to it.
“I’m not in love with Mathew. He can admire me from afar all he wants. I don’t plan on falling in love with him. I have you and Flynn. I need you to trust me.”
His eyes filled with tears. “I can’t lose you, Jolie,” he stated. He thought about the scrap of fabric he had from her dress. It was preserved in their safe back home.
“You mean everything to me and if you leave me, I’ll never survive. Accepting Flynn was a hard pill to swallow, but I love him too. I can’t,” he began, pausing, “no, I won’t accept Mathew--not now, not one million years from now. Flynn was meant to be ours, but that’s it.”
Dangerous Misery (The Harcourte Vampyre Society Book 3) Page 47