“Lay off the booze, put on your big boy pants and go apologize for being an asshole.”
“You should always listen to your mother.”
Mary was right. It wasn’t just about getting over the whole jealousy thing. There were a lot of things he wanted to talk to her about that didn’t involve Pretty Boy over there.
He pushed away from the bar and headed over to the hot tub, Cordelia’s eyes following him. She studied him intently, as if she was trying to read him. He hoped she wasn’t. If she dug too deep into his thoughts, she was going to be in for some big surprises.
He didn’t know what would freak her out more: the incredibly detailed sexual fantasies or exactly how intense his feelings for her were growing. Probably best to try not to think about either of them when he was around her, just in case.
“Cordy, do you mind if we go talk?” he asked, holding his hand out for her. She let him help her stand.
He was disappointed when she dropped his hand as soon as they headed towards the lounge chairs on the other side of the pool. He had liked the feeling of her hand in his own.
He couldn’t help but let his eyes drop to her ass, the wet material of her bathing suit clinging to her curves like second skin. He felt a stirring in his jeans and was thankful he had declined Olivia’s offer of a pair of Demetri’s swimming trunks when he had first arrived. He would have been broadcasting to everyone around them that he was at half-mast.
He did the safe thing and sat on the lounge chair opposite the one Cordy chose, figuring that every bit of distance between them was a good thing. Popping wood while trying to talk about something serious was pretty much the definition of counterproductive.
Time to focus. He had some apologizing to do.
“Look I’m sorry for being an ass when I first saw you. I just had a rough day and I was in a bad mood,” he lied smoothly. He wasn’t going to make her uncomfortable by telling her the truth.
“So, that’s why you were like that,” she said, as if she was surprised by his answer.
“Why, what did you think was wrong?” he asked. Maybe Mary had been wrong about Cordelia’s ability to read his mind.
“I just thought that…it’s nothing,” she said with a shake of her head. “So what happened to you today that made it so bad?”
“I didn’t get a lot of sleep and I get kinda dickish when I don’t get my eight hours.”
“And instead of getting to go home to your own bed, you are forced to come here. I’m sorry. You don’t have to be down here with us. You can go up to one of the guest rooms and get some sleep.”
He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling like an asshole for lying especially since she was being so nice about it. “Nah, I got my second wind now. I’m good to go.”
“Oh good, I’m glad.”
“Me too, I wanted to spend some time with you.”
She smiled and he felt his heart skip a beat. What was it about her that made him feel so crazy? Truth was, he really didn’t know a lot about her and yet he had felt a connection with her since he had first laid eyes on her.
He had always been a curious man. When he was a boy, he had been obsessed with taking things apart to find out how they were put together. As a teenager, he had spent hours surfing the internet and reading up on millions of subjects. He was an explorer by nature and he wanted to explore what was between him and Cordelia.
Most of all he wanted to ask her if she felt it too. He wanted to know he wasn’t alone in this but he couldn’t get the courage to get the words past his lips. If he asked her and she said no, he knew that their relationship would be changed. They wouldn’t be friends anymore and he couldn’t bare that. He needed her in his life, even if it was just as a friend.
So he took the coward’s way out and went for a more neutral topic. If he couldn’t satisfy his curiosity about her feelings for him, he could satisfy his curiosity about what she had become and how he fit in her new life.
“I’ve been wondering something. Last night everyone was talking about how you marked me. What does that mean exactly?”
“When a Shadow Walker feeds on a human, they leave behind their scent as a marker. Since it is against the law to feed from another Shadow Walker’s human, the mark helps us know who we can and can’t feed from.”
“Well, it’s good to know that I don’t have to worry about anyone here trying to jump me and steal my O positive.”
“Not unless I let them, no,” she said, leaning back on her hands. He couldn’t help but glance at her outthrust breasts and he noticed that her nipples had hardened beneath her wet bathing suit.
Okay, he was going to have to keep his eyes north of the border if he wanted to not embarrass himself. Better to keep asking the questions and distract both of them.
“How often do you have to feed?”
“Because I’m new, I have to feed once a day. Soon I’ll be able to go longer between feedings.”
“Have you fed tonight or did you already go out?”
“No, I fed from Marcus,” she said, pointing to the man who was in the hot tub.
“You brought him back here?”
He glared at the man, jealousy flaring up again. Even though the concept of drinking blood was new to him, he didn’t like the idea of her doing it with another man. And definitely not one she picked up from some strange place.
“Marcus lives here with us as does Olivia. Both of them are humans and we feed from them. They’re a part of the family.”
Knowing he was just another member of the family helped defuse his jealousy a bit. Still, he wondered who else she might be sinking her fangs into now.
“Is it just humans or do you feed from Shadow Walkers too?”
She shook her head. “It won’t hurt us to feed from each other but we need human blood to do all the fancy Shadow Walker stuff. If Shadow Walkers feed from each other, it is more of a sexual thing. You know, like marking their territory.”
She seemed slightly uncomfortable discussing the topic and he wondered if it was because of Zeke. Had she already done it with him? He clamped down on his jealousy, knowing that acting like a jealous asshole wasn’t going to work for him. Best to just steer away from that topic.
“So do you think you’ll ever go back to a normal life?”
“I don’t think it’s possible for me to live a normal life anymore. Not that it matters much though. I’m happy here.”
“You are?”
“I really am.”
She smiled and he didn’t need to hear anymore. He could see in her eyes that it was true but he let her continue anyway.
“Before, in my old life, I felt like I was lost, like I had no roots to anything. That’s no way for someone to live. Then Nicky found me and brought me here and for the first time in a long time, I felt like I was where I belonged.”
He knew that feeling of being lost all too well. When he had met her, he had seen his pain reflected in her. Sitting with her here, he could see that the pain was gone from her now.
She was a powerful immortal with a wealthy family who clearly cared for her. He was just some lonely blue-collar bum with an expiry date stamped on his ass that was floating aimlessly through life.
She wasn’t alone anymore; she had found herself a new world where she belonged. And he wasn’t a part of that world, no matter how much he wanted it.
And damn it all to hell, he wanted it badly.
The more time he spent with Cordelia, the less lost he felt. Thinking she had died had sent him plummeting into a tailspin but finding her alive had righted him immediately. Being with her felt like he was home. And that wasn’t good because eventually she was going to leave him.
Chapter 10
Armand stood in the gravel drive, staring up at the imposing manor spread before him. Though he loathed the residents, he had to admit that they did know how to live in style. The U-shaped structure was made of dark brickwork and beneath the night sky, it appeared to be a solid block of obsidian.
> Though all the windows were dark, he knew that was because every drape was drawn. The residents were definitely up and about. After all, this was a home filled with creatures of the night and it was barely after midnight.
He mounted the front steps, admiring the twin lion statues that flanked the large oak doors. Maybe he should just kill everyone in the manor and take it over for himself. He could definitely get used to living in a place like this.
He studied the lock on the door and was surprised to find it was a flimsy deadbolt. It wouldn’t even take half his strength to kick the door down. He grabbed the knob and he was unsurprised to find the door opened easily.
He waltzed through the front door as if he belonged there. The idiots didn’t even throw the dead bolt and they certainly didn’t have a security system. Typical arrogance, they thought they were untouchable. No matter, he would show them all the painful ways he could touch them.
He had to take a moment to admire the great hall, looking up at the chandeliers hung from the cathedral ceiling, the ornate staircase winding up to the second floor, the dark woods and rich fabrics decorating the space.
His sensitive hearing picked up faint voices off in the distance and he made his way down the corridor that went further into the manor, following the voices.
He paused when he neared the end of the corridor and saw the large windows there that had their curtains pulled back. They revealed the patio and pool at the back of the manor, where it appeared everyone in the household had gathered for the evening.
Well shit, look at that, it wasn’t just the Zopyros clan out there. It looked like they were having a party. He recognized the faces of the Shadow Walkers that had been with her the night before. They were all part of the clans who thought they were better than the others. Even that bitch of a Council member who had ruled against him last night was here. How fucking upper class.
There was no way he could get close to Cordelia now. Sure, he could make a break for it, charge outside and try to get her before anyone took him down. Even if he was lucky enough to get his hands on her and kill her, there was no way he would make it out alive. He might want revenge but he wasn’t about to set out on a suicide mission.
His superior hearing picked up the sound of footsteps further down the corridor, heading his way. He darted across the hallway, moving silently as he opened a random door and disappeared into the dark room.
He kept his ear pressed against the door, listening to the footsteps. He held his breath as they neared him, pausing as whomever it was stopped just on the other side of the door he was standing behind. After a moment, he heard the welcome sound of the footsteps moving in the opposite direction as they faded away.
He let out the breath he was holding and finally looked around the room he was in. It was small in comparison to the rooms he had seen off the front hall but this one was just as well decorated. Expensive rugs, plenty of antiques and a large mahogany desk in the centre of it.
He went to the desk, picking up the papers that were stacked there. He quickly scanned them and realized they were notes about the latest meeting of the Council. He was in the study of Nicomachus, head of the Zopyros clan and member of the High Council.
He sat himself down in the chair and began to go through the papers on the desk one by one. When he was done with that, he began a systematic search of the drawers in the desk. He found dozens of file folders, each one neatly labelled with its contents and Armand was thankful for the owner’s apparent OCD.
He discovered more than a few folders whose contents surprised him. Looked like Nicomachus had been up to a lot of things, things that he might not want to get out to the general public and definitely not to the members of the Council.
It was then that he decided to make some modifications to his plan. He was good like that, ready to adapt at a moment’s notice. What was the point in just destroying the fledgling? She wasn’t the only problem; in fact, she was only in his sights because of the greater problem.
The High Council.
Their time in power was over. They needed to understand exactly how obsolete they were now. It was time for Shadow Walkers to embrace their true nature and take over the world that by all rights should be theirs to rule. And Nicomachus’ study had provided the building blocks to a plan to bring about the Council’s downfall. It was just a matter of being patient and executing the proper steps.
Of course, this new plan didn’t mean he wouldn’t get his revenge against Cordelia. It was just that now he was going to get his revenge on a much larger scale. She was going to wish he had just killed her.
He folded up the relevant papers and tucked them safely in his jacket pocket. He thought about shadow walking home right away but the temptation to discover what other secrets this clan was hiding was too much.
He listened at the door for a few minutes, making sure the corridor was deserted before sneaking out. He moved like a ghost, making no noise as he avoided the corridor with the windows that faced the patio.
He found a narrow windowless hallway that had a solitary door. A piece of paper was taped to the door, neat writing scrawled across it in black marker. Experiment in Progress. Keep out. This means you, Demetri!
Well, clearly there was something interesting going on behind the door. He reached out and turned the knob, surprised to find that it opened and revealed a long set of stairs that led down into the lower levels of the home. Fucking jackpot.
But before he could pull the door open, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end and he realized he wasn’t alone. With his focus momentarily on opening the lock, he didn’t hear their approach.
He turned to see an older human female standing in the hallway.
“What are you doing?”
Time to work fast on his feet. “Isn’t this the bathroom?”
“No,” she said, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. “It’s down the other hall.”
“Oh, I guess I misunderstood Cordelia’s directions.”
She visibly relaxed, her suspicions disappearing in a flash and a welcoming smile replacing them. All it had taken was a name drop and faking the confidence that he belonged here and she trusted him. How perfectly overconfident. He was going to enjoy this.
“Don’t worry about it. Cordelia isn’t that familiar with the manor yet so she probably made a mistake. Come on, I’ll show you.”
She turned and began to walk back down the hallway and he had no choice but to follow. As the mysterious door disappeared, he decided it was time to change the plan once again.
He closed in on the human, breathing deep her scent. Jasmine and lilac. Oh, she was going to be good.
“Well, I’m sorry if I scared you, Miss…”
“Olivia,” she supplied, that warm smile still on her face. “So are you a friend of Zeke or Beatrix?”
“No, not a friend of theirs,” he told her. “I’m actually a friend of Cordelia’s.”
Olivia’s smile faltered for a moment and she came to a halt. She turned to look back at him and he saw her eyes narrow slightly. “How do you know her exactly?”
“We met last night at Roxy,” he told her. He could practically taste the fear as it licked through her body when she realized what was going on. Her hand tightened on the doorway and her body shifted slightly as she tensed, preparing for flight.
Before she could even draw a breath, he was on her, clapping a hand over her mouth and banding his arm around her waist, pulling her back tight against his chest. He ducked his head down so his lips were against her ear.
“Now that’s not very hospitable of you, trying to run away from me. You didn’t even ask my name. It’s Armand, by the way.”
She fought against his hold but she was no match for his strength and he had to laugh at her impotent struggles.
“You know, when I came here tonight I had only planned on killing Cordelia. Seeing you, it makes me realize that I was being impulsive. Killing her would be satisfying but it would be over so soon. Now, ki
lling everyone in her family one by one before killing her? That’s a way to make it last.”
His prey stilled in his arms and the stench of fear permeated his nostrils, elongating his fangs and filling his mouth with saliva. This was exactly how he liked his humans.
“Don’t worry, Olivia. For your sake, I’ll make it quick.”
He struck with enough force to cause her entire body to jack knife in his arms but he just held her tighter as he tore open her jugular. Her blood streamed into his mouth and he drank it down, taking in all the strength that she had to offer. He could feel her blood dripping down his chin as it left her body faster than he could drink.
When she went limp in his arms, he let her go and she crumbled to the floor like a rag doll, blood flowing from her open throat and staining the floor. He drew his sleeve across his mouth and took a few calming breaths.
Her blood was strong and he felt light headed from the amount he had taken from her. He needed to focus now. There was still the matter of that locked door.
But before he could make his way back to the door, it opened and a female Shadow Walker appeared. She froze when she spotted him but then her eyes drifted down to where Olivia was and the sight of bleeding human jump-started his new visitor.
He smiled as she let out a blood-curdling scream and then he bolted back down the corridor. He wasn’t going to get a chance to explore what they had beyond that door but that was okay. His visit had been more than educational. Information was power and he now had enough power to destroy all of them. And as an added bonus, he had drawn first blood.
***
“Cordy, you want another drink?”
Cordelia did her best to hide the shiver that ran through her body when Gabe’s hand landed on her waist when he asked the question.
“That would be great, thanks,” she replied and he nodded and headed off to the bar.
She was glad that they had managed to smooth things over between them. When that was done, the tension between them had dissolved and Gabe was finally able to enjoy himself. Which she was glad for since she still had a major guilt complex going on when it came to him. She had upended his life and she wanted to make it as painless as possible for him.
Born in the Shadows (In the Shadows Series Book 1) Page 15