Charlie laughed. “That’s like asking a lion to only kill half his prey. I’ll see you later today. Be careful, Eve.”
The front door closed.
Lucien was in Eve’s closet when she found him. He pushed up on a square moveable section of drywall that led to the attic.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“I need to seal this up. Do you have anything you need in the attic?”
She shook her head. “Where were you last night?”
Lucien wasn’t ready to answer these questions. “I had something to do.”
He crossed the room to the windows and closed them tight. One of the locks was broken.
“You didn’t say goodbye. You just left.”
“I called Charlie.”
“But you didn’t call me.”
He stopped fidgeting with the lock. “I figured if you needed me, you would call.”
“But what if you need me?”
He didn’t answer.
She lowered herself into the bed. “Lucien, what if something had happened to you last night? Who would’ve helped you?”
“Nothing will happen to me. I have an amazing knack for getting myself out of trouble.”
He thought back to the time he had magically escaped from two vampires who had strung him from the ceiling in a storage unit. To this day, he still had no idea how he’d gotten out of that one. He’d asked Eve once on one of their midnight ice cream runs, thinking maybe the Deific had something to do with it, but she had only shrugged and changed the subject. He doubted it was Eve or anyone connected to her who had helped him anyway. The two vampires who had trapped him were very careful to make sure they weren’t followed—something vampires were good at doing. There was no way Eve could’ve known where he was.
Lucien continued, “Besides, I’m a bodyguard for a powerful witch now. What could go wrong?”
“Weren’t you my bodyguard before?”
“I was only your driver, but from now on, you and I are inseparable.”
“Does that mean you’ll come with me into the Deific?”
He shuddered openly. “If I must.”
“What do you have against the Deific? We do a lot of good there.”
“I don’t doubt that. My problem isn’t with the Deific. My problem is with me inside the Deific. I don’t belong.”
“You belong as much as I do.”
Since the truth would’ve been too difficult to explain, he decided to make it up—partially. “Fine, I’ll be honest. Charlie bothers me. I couldn’t stand an hour in the same building with him.”
Eve grinned. “Nice try, but I don’t believe you.”
“No, really, I can’t stand Charlie.”
“I mean, I don’t believe that is why you won’t go into the Deific.”
He sighed. “I will go in, but only because I’m protecting you.”
She seemed satisfied with his answer. “Do you mind if I get ready?”
“Not at all. I’ll wait for you downstairs.”
She walked over to him and took his hand in hers. He looked down at their intertwined fingers. If it weren’t for the fact that it was his hand touching hers, he would’ve thought they were a perfect match: two puzzle pieces made for each other. He glanced at her. She was staring, too, as if thinking the same thing.
“Thank you for staying with me. You don’t know how much it means to me. I hope it wasn’t too difficult for you.” She met his eyes.
With all sincerity, he said, “It’s too easy. That’s the problem.”
She gave him a weak smile. “I’m not going to pretend to understand what that means. You’re here now, and that’s all that matters.” She let go of his hand. “It won’t take me long to get ready.”
“It never does.”
He walked downstairs to inspect the rest of the home, trying not to think about the way her touch electrified him.
The garage door needed a dead bolt.
Her soft breath on his neck.
A light bulb needed to be replaced on the back porch.
The smell of her skin.
A security system—the best money could buy.
The way her eyes forced light into the darkest parts of his soul.
She would need weapons.
She had given him hope.
He leaned against the wall, next to the hole he had created on her porch. His body was exhausted. He had fed last night, so why did he feel drained?
“Lucien? Are you all right?”
He turned around. The sight of Eve in a green-scooped shirt, slender collarbones exposed beneath white skin, sapped the last of his energy, and he slumped to the floor. This was all too much.
Her hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, and her green eyes shined. She moved to his side, face full of worry, and touched his cheek. “When is the last time you fed?”
His head snapped up. “Don’t ask that. Don’t ever ask that.”
The thought of her thinking about something so horrific punched some energy back into him. He straightened and moved away from her. He couldn’t let himself feel hope. He was to protect Eve and nothing more.
Eve searched his face. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but then closed it again.
“You need to get to work,” he said.
“I’m ready.”
They stared at each other in an uncomfortable silence.
“Right. Let’s go then,” he finally said. She followed him out the front door, but instead of following him to his car down the street, she turned the opposite direction.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“I’m walking.”
He jogged up to her, grateful for the cooler weather and the overcast sky. “You’re too out in the open.”
“I’m walking.” She didn’t stop moving.
“Eve, it’s not safe.”
She stopped and turned around. “Look, ever since I let you be my chauffeur, I’ve neglected certain abilities. I haven’t been able to help people as much, and this sudden shift is weakening me. I need to get stronger, especially if I might have to fight more vampires. And the only way I can get stronger is by using my gift, not repressing it.”
“Can’t you do that from the car?”
“Not all of the time. Some people’s lives have been so trodden down that their pleas for help are only a faint whisper. I need to be closer to them.”
“Fine. But I’m staying by your side the whole time.”
She smiled. “Good.”
They walked side by side without saying a word for several blocks. The early morning streets were quiet except for the occasional car horn or a dog’s bark.
“Are you warm?” he asked her.
“Strangely, yes.”
He didn’t ask her what she meant, because he, too, was strangely warm.
“Are you ever going to tell me where you were last night?” she asked.
“Maybe one day, but it’s not something you need to know or think about.”
“I’m a big girl. You might be surprised by what I know.”
“I might be, but I don’t—”
She grabbed his hand, preventing him from moving forward.
“Someone’s afraid,” she said, barely above a whisper.
Lucien looked around. There was a grocery store to the right; only a handful of cars were in the parking lot. To the left was a fast-food restaurant that wasn’t open yet.
“Where?”
She took off running the way they came, but turned the next street over. He ran after her. She was fast, but Lucien was faster—if he wanted to be. He had no idea where she was going, and he knew better than to try and stop her. He set his pace just ten feet behind her.
She picked up her speed, running as fast as she could. Her footsteps against the pavement echoed through the quiet streets.
“I’m not going to make it!” she cried.
“Eve?” He didn’t like the tone of her voice.
She sprin
ted into a parking lot of a gas station on the corner. She ran right into the door, shoving it open with outstretched hands.
A crack as loud as thunder erupted through the cold still air. Lucien was still running as Eve’s body flew back several feet.
19
Lucien ignored the fact that they were in public and used his super speed to catch her unconscious body before it hit the pavement. Blood poured from an open wound in her stomach the size of a grapefruit, staining her green shirt a dark red.
He pulled off his jacket and pushed it into her gut to slow the bleeding. And even though he could still hear her heartbeat pump strong, he still panicked.
Another gunshot blast shattered the glass behind them. Eve opened her eyes.
“Help them,” she gasped. She coughed hard, spraying blood from her mouth.
He looked back to the inside of the gas station. A man with a stocking over his head was pointing a shotgun at a gas station attendant.
Eve gripped his arm.
“Go!” she ordered, her voice stronger than before.
He bolted for the broken window and jumped inside, easily avoiding the broken glass. A mouse couldn’t have been quieter.
A female clerk behind a white counter shoved cash from a till into a plastic bag.
“And those!” the man with the gun shouted. He motioned to the cigarettes above the counter.
The woman, who was crying uncontrollably, scooped the cigarette cartons into the bag, but when she saw Lucien approach the thief from behind, her eyes widened in hopeful anticipation. He wished she wouldn’t have done that.
The man swung the shotgun around to face Lucien.
“Get down!” Lucien said to the cashier, hoping she would have enough sense to obey.
He kicked at the steel candy bar rack standing between him and the robber. The rack flew back as if it were a small pebble snapped from a slingshot. It hit the burglar square in the chest, crushing him between the counter and the rack. The force of the blow knocked him out cold.
Lucien peeked over the cash register at the woman who was huddled in a fetal position on the floor.
“It’s safe now. You can come out.” Just to be sure, he kneed Nylon Head in the face, breaking his nose. As he turned to leave, he said, “You should call the police.”
He jogged outside to return to Eve, but she was gone. He turned around in a full circle, searching desperately for her. This can’t be happening! He took a few steps back, trying to pick up her scent. Luckily, he caught it. A few more steps to the right, again the lilac smell. She was close.
He listened to the sounds around him. Approaching sirens, the clerk calling the police, a TV blaring music videos, water running, and someone moving around in a closed souvenir t-shirt shop across the street. The lights were off. Her smell grew stronger as he moved to the small store. The lock on the door had been broken.
He moved into the cramped store, which was overflowing with corny Seattle t-shirts.
“Is she okay?” Eve asked from behind a t-shirt rack. She pulled a pink shirt over her head.
“Is she okay? She wasn’t the one who got blasted by a shot gun!”
“I’m fine.” Eve stepped away from the rack. Her shirt read: They’re real and They’re Magically Delicious!
“Nice shirt.”
She looked down and frowned. “Perfect.”
Lucien approached her. “Truthfully, are you all right?”
“Better now. I didn’t think I was going to make it in time.”
“You didn’t make it. You were shot!”
“But I bought enough time for you to save that woman’s life, so who cares?”
“I care! Do you have any idea what that’s like to see blood pouring from you?”
“But you know I’ll live.”
“No, I don’t. How many people have been injected by immortal vampire venom? As far as I know, only one. You. No one knows what will or what won’t kill you. You can’t take chances with your life.”
“So you think I should’ve taken a chance with her life? Who says my life is more important than hers?”
“That’s not what I meant. There are other ways. You just can’t go half-cocked into a situation until you know what you’re up against. You have other abilities—you’re a powerful witch, remember? Quit acting like you have to give your life for everyone you meet.” He froze and stared at her as if he’d just figured her out. “That’s it, isn’t it?”
She looked at him, chin turned up, not saying a word.
“You think that because of your past, the only way you can redeem yourself is if you die saving someone.”
She bent over and picked up her bloodied clothes and stuffed them into a plastic bag. “Nice theory, but we don’t have time to explore it.”
She turned to go out the back entrance. Not a bad idea, since the cops were surrounding the gas station across the street. But Lucien wasn’t finished with the conversation. He appeared in front of her.
“I hate that,” she snapped.
“I won’t do it, Eve.”
“Do what?”
“Watch you take chances with your life.”
“Why are you worried about the wrong thing?” she asked.
“Because I’m supposed to protect you, but I can’t protect you from yourself.”
She let out an exaggerated sigh. “But I don’t want your protection.”
“Then what do you want?”
“I want you, Lucien. All of you, not just your obsessive need to watch over me.”
He clenched his jaw. “That’s not possible.”
“Then leave.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“Then I’ll leave.” She turned to go, but Lucien grabbed her arm and spun her back around to him, crushing her to his chest.
“I won’t let you leave when you just came into my life,” he said with a fierceness that surprised even him.
Her expression softened.
Lucien lifted his hand to her face and lightly touched her cheek with his fingertips. Her eyes closed at the contact. He memorized every part of her face, wishing he could capture this moment forever. His eyes settled on her lips. They were as beautiful as a rose in full bloom. Very gently, as if they were fragile, he moved his thumb over the pink flesh. Her lips parted, and her warm breath against his cold skin lit his nerves with an intense heat. Her eyelids opened, and she stared at him with longing.
He lowered his head, just a little, his own lips parting in anticipation of what he suddenly wanted more than life itself. The air around him hummed something beautiful and majestic. A light as brilliant as the sun and as warm as a winter fire grew in time to the rising music.
Magic.
Lucien blinked and released her from his arms. He stepped back into the shadows. “You can’t use magic like that.”
“I’m not using magic,” she whispered, her voice etched with pain.
Lucien shook his head. “That wasn’t right, whatever it was.”
Anger creased her face. “It was right! It was beautiful and right and perfect. You felt it, and don’t you dare deny it!”
“I felt your magic.” He tried to keep his voice even.
“It wasn’t my magic. It was our magic. The goodness inside of us is drawn to each other.”
“I don’t do magic, and I don’t do good.”
She clenched her fists tight. “You are good, and you do have magic in you, otherwise what we just experienced could not have happened. Do you think I’m lying to you? Do you actually believe I’d trick you?”
“I don’t know what to think anymore.”
“Then I’ll tell you what to think. You are not this horrible thing you’ve made yourself out to be. And you do have magic in you—beautiful, good magic. We both do.”
“It’s not possible.”
Eve threw up her arms. “Forget about the magic. I’d give it all up for you, and do you want to know why?”
“Eve, don’t.” He stepped forward t
o stop her. He couldn’t bear to hear the words he felt coming.
“I love you completely, every part of me. So much that it hurts. I’d give anything—”
“Please, no,” he begged.
She was about to say more when Lucien spotted two police officers crossing the street in their direction.
“We have to go.” He pulled her to the back of the store, stopping briefly when Eve tossed a twenty dollar bill on the counter to pay for the t-shirt. He kicked open a back door. “Move quickly.”
Together they moved through the streets and away from the gas station. He clung tightly to her hand, thinking only of getting to the Deific. He didn’t allow her secret confession to enter his mind. It was too much.
Every once in a while, he would catch her looking at him as if trying to read his mind. He avoided her gaze.
When they reached the Deific, Eve stopped him. “Are you sure you want to come in? I’ll be fine inside there.”
“I would feel better if I was with you.”
Eve opened the door. Only one guard sat behind the security counter with an open bag of fast food. It was the same guard who had recognized Lucien as a vampire months ago.
“Hi, Don. How are you doing?” Eve asked.
Don smiled, but when he saw Lucien, he stood and put his hand on a weapon at his hip. It looked like a gun, but the barrel was much thinner and longer.
“Eve?” his voice warned.
Eve lifted her hand. “It’s okay, Don. He’s with me.”
Don moved his hand away from the weapon, but didn’t sit. His steady gaze followed Lucien into the elevator.
As soon as the doors closed, Eve said, “You could’ve said hello.”
“Why should I? He already thinks I’m going to kill everyone here.”
“You could change his mind.”
“Too hard.”
“For you or for him?”
“We are what we are, Eve. I’m not going to try and convince him that I am a friendly, cuddly creature. It would be waste of both our time.”
“You forget where you are. We have vampires here, and those of us who know them treat them with the utmost respect.”
“And what about the ones who don’t know? Do you think they would be as willing to accept vampires as coworkers?
Eve didn’t have a chance to answer; the elevator doors opened to a plush lobby. The walls were adorned with wood trim and dark paneling. A large painting of an Italian landscape hung to his left, and below it were two antiqued-looking chairs.
The Devil's Angel (Devil Series Book 2) Page 12