Beautiful Eternity (The Bloodmarked Trilogy Book 3)

by Alicia Deters

  “Peachy.”

  I peeked around the vehicle to watch the sports car’s lights flare to life, and saw three balls of fire flash violently before flickering out into the darkness. Gavin stepped out of the car and moved to stand by the hood. I saw him staring intently into the distance and heard the footsteps of the fifth vampire retreating into the street.

  Gavin met my eyes with concern. He took in my appearance with murderous intent, but I shook my head, waving him off when he stood rod straight, torn between carrying me upstairs to hand feed me a gallon of B positive and rushing into oncoming traffic to take out the fifth assassin. It took him a full minute to calm down and come back to himself.

  “Well, if they didn’t know we were in town, they do now.”

  “And what took you so long, Mr. West?”

  “I had to find the keys to my baby.”

  He smiled and leaned against the car as Max and I crawled out from our corner to join him. We formed a triangle with Gavin as the point, sitting on the hood of his baby, which was a white—

  “SLR McLaren Roadster,” Max breathed, finishing my thought with more detail than I would have provided.

  “Do you need a napkin for that drool there, buddy?” I asked him.

  Gavin laughed. “I’ll let you test drive it later.”

  Max nodded woodenly and I wasn’t even sure he heard Gavin. He was too busy falling in love.

  “Dude, snap out of it.” I interrupted his ogling, and he blinked out of his trance.

  Until he looked down at his white t-shirt and saw it illuminated in the light. “It’s outfitted with UV lights? That’s awesome!”

  Back up lights began sparking to life around us, casting a warm glow over the garage.

  “Lucy, how are you feeling?” Gavin asked sternly. I knew he couldn’t let it go for long.

  “I’m fine. Quit worrying about someone who’s indestructible. It makes no sense.”

  “It does when you love that person.”

  “Well, I love my jacket, and that is not indestructible,” I grumbled, lifting my arm to inspect the damage.

  Max snorted. “Lucy, the complexities of your anger astound me. One minute, you’re laughing and taunting someone for stabbing you, and another, you’re ripping her heart out for tearing your jacket.”

  “Yes, my multifaceted fury is revered everywhere I go. It’s a huge hit with the whole vamp community.”

  It was Gavin’s turn to snort, but he looked sheepish when I glared in his direction. “Come on, we need to talk to Jakob.”

  Gavin moved his car and took the elevator up with us to calm everyone down. I was sure they were freaking out. When the doors opened, the number of people had doubled, but the scene in front of us reflected a normal, every-day routine.

  The assassins must have limited the power outage to the garage. Maybe they were hoping for a stealthy entrance, or maybe they were just testing certain defenses.

  Whatever it was, we had to warn Jakob to tighten his defenses for the time being and also inform him about the slight damage.

  The German members gave me wide berth when they took in my bloodied appearance. Guess I wouldn’t be making introductions anytime soon. Elias hung back to observe the situation in peace, but when my friends caught sight of me, they rushed over.

  “Lucy, what the hell happened?” Nick asked.

  “I’m good. Just had a surprise welcoming party outside. Although, I think it was more of a surprise for them. It was sort of sweet actually. Nothing to worry about, though.”

  “Yeah, our girl handled it. It’s all good now,” Max added.

  We had to wrap this little mission up soon so the Keepers could get out of the danger being here presented. The longer they stayed in their houses, the more they’d be targeted. My father wouldn’t care enough to track them each individually if they separated for a while. We needed to help the other houses as soon as possible to keep this from happening to them as well.

  Gavin pulled Jakob aside and briefly explained our little predicament. His forehead creased with worry, but he appeared grateful we were able to get rid of the problem.

  This just meant it was a delayed problem that wouldn’t disappear altogether. But he understood there were more pressing matters and discretely called Bernie to attend to the garage demolition.

  After the excitement settled, people broke off into separate groups to talk. Gavin was pulled away with Jakob, Max, and a few other Berlin members. Most still seemed wary of me, keeping a safe distance. I let them have space, and Elias took that as an opening to approach me alone.

  “Lucille, there is something I wish to discuss with you.” He looked me up and down. “Are you well, or should we take this conversation to the kitchen?”

  “Refreshments can wait. Might as well talk now, since you and I are the only ones getting death glares the closer we get to exposed arteries.”

  He snorted in agreement before leading me to the fully stocked bar away from the others, where bottles of clear and amber liquids lined the wall of shelves behind the counter. Too bad we were the only ones who couldn’t imbibe. A stiff drink would be welcomed at this point.

  He moved around the bar and trained his chocolate brown eyes on me like any bartender-slash-therapist to the dunks would do. I took the stool opposite from him as he slid his hands apart on the edge of the counter. He braced his weight as he leaned in, creating a privacy bubble. No one could hear unless they had super human hearing, like the man across the room giving Elias suspicious looks.

  “I have a man on the inside,” he stated matter-of-factly.

  “Come again?”

  “One of my most trusted men, Marshall, has infiltrated your father’s personal guard in the guise of being a devoted advocate for the change your father seeks.”

  Wow. Okay, I wasn’t expecting Elias to be so proactive. “And you’re hoping to gain inside information on my father’s nefarious deeds?”

  “I’m hoping to stay one step ahead of him. We can track his every move, and he can lead us to the Sword of Michael. We will know where it is as soon as he does.”

  “And where exactly is my father right now?” I asked skeptically.

  “As of six hours ago, he was in Amsterdam. He is no closer to deciphering your books than you were, so I believe we still have a shot at finding the Sword before he does. Now that your humans have joined you, we can focus our energy on the Sword.”

  Was he suggesting we leave the Keepers to save themselves when we could be valuable in retrieving their missing members? I was not abandoning them to go on a wild goose chase. If he had a problem with that, he could exit stage left any time. I was more than happy to remind him who was in charge.

  “Oh really, wise one? And do you have any ideas of where this unicorn weapon is? Because our only lead is the book my father has. So unless you want to tell your inside man to take one for the team and steal it from under his nose, I don’t know what else to tell you, other than we wait until my father makes his move and we head him off before he gets away with it.”

  He reared back. “It would be suicide for Marshall. He’d never make it out with the books. They’d hunt him until he…” He paused and studied my face, noticing my raised eyebrow and quirked lips. “Oh, I see what you did there. Point taken, Lucy. We don’t have a viable play here. I’m sorry. It’s just, if your father accomplishes his goals, the whole way of life Soren has created to ensure a discrete and peaceful coexistence with humans would be ruined.

  “I don’t agree with him hiding out while this war destroys that. I have seen many things in my day, and one of the reasons I left the First was because I thought there had to be a better way to work with the humans without us destroying one another.”

  “I think you might be in the minority of forward thinking vampires. Strange. I didn’t know they existed, but for some reason, I believe you’re telling me the truth. You really don’t want to hurt them.”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence, but no, we don�
�t want to harm them. We need them. And I’ll let you in a little secret. Most vampires haven’t figured out that it’s easier to just ask them for their cooperation than to fear they might one day retaliate.”

  “So you’re saying you’re smarter than most vampires?”

  “Wiser. I don’t let my pride or innate desire to conquer get in the way of reason. And yes, I suppose smarter too.”

  “I didn’t know soulless monsters had it in them to reason.”

  “Ouch. Wisdom isn’t inherited by the soul. For instance, I don’t need a soul to know the smart thing to do in war is to ally yourself with the side who shares your interests, especially if that ally happens to be the strongest and most beautiful.”

  I peered over my shoulder to spy Gavin turning his head. Our eyes met from across the room. He flicked his eyes to Elias briefly with murderous intent, but then he looked back to me and winked, knowing exactly where my allegiance and heart belonged, or rather, to whom it belonged. The corner of his mouth crept up his face as those blue eyes pierced mine, heating the entire room by about twenty degrees.

  “Oh, shit.”

  “What?” He followed my gaze and misinterpreted my frustration. “Oh, am I in trouble with the boyfriend?”

  “No, but I think I am.” I cleared my throat and bunched a drink napkin in my hand, twisting it around my finger until it disintegrated.

  “I’m sorry, what were you saying?” Forcing my gaze back to Elias, I tried desperately to compose myself. The man across the room was going to have to handle some of that frustration later.

  Elias continued with a brief recap of our conversation to get my head back in the game. “Allies with common interests. Strong. Beautiful ones.” He smirked, but it didn’t have the same effect as one look from my boyfriend.

  “Ah, there it is, the selfish intent vampires are famous for. It benefits you to team up with me.”

  “Does it not benefit you to have allies in war? Soul or no soul, Lucy, we all have selfish desires. Some may be more noble than others, but all seem to revolve around protecting our own interests.”

  “You have a point, so can we agree that it’s best to stop these radical groups from destroying what you and Soren have worked so hard to achieve?”

  “We can. See how reasonable I can be Lucy. I hope we can still be allies once the war is over and I don’t have to fear you trying to kill me after it is.”

  “We can, so long as you allow humans the choice to serve you. And so long as you not hit on me anymore.”

  “Your boyfriend hates me.”

  “No, he just doesn’t appreciate another man trying to steal me away, but he also knows that won’t happen. Not taunting him is probably the wise thing to do.”

  “Wise or not, some things are worth fighting for.”

  I doubted he was still talking about me, but with that cryptic message, he straightened and went to the nearest German Keeper to ask where he could get some rest for the day.

  The guy’s hand went to a holster on his hip, and he kept it there the entire time. Elias didn’t bat an eyelash, but stood there silently until the kid relented and showed him out of the room.

  When my attention shifted to the remaining crowd, my eyes instantly sought my humanity. My home. They collided with bright blue oceans across the room. Not giving anything away, I pictured that sandy beach with warm crystal waters lapping at my feet.

  Sauntering over to the small group by the bookshelves, huddled around a wood coffee table, I stopped in front of Max.

  “I need to talk to you. Now.”

  Max looked up, thinking I was about to reprimand him for something. “What did I do?” he whined.

  My eyes never left Gavin’s. “Not you. Him.”

  “What did I do?” Gavin mimicked but stood from the lounge chair and followed closely behind.

  I skirted others milling about, who backed away as I passed, and led him down the main hall. I found a small office at the end of the hall with a small window behind a desk and pushed open the door, waiting for him to enter.

  “Hiding your emotions again, Ms. Masters? I thought we talked about this.” He shut the door and leaned against it, crossing his arms over his chest in an attempt to intimidate but biting back a smile.

  “I just didn’t want to distract you with them.”

  He smirked and stepped closer. “It’s okay. I don’t need to feel them personally to know what’s on your mind.”

  “And what’s on my mind?” That came out breathy and a little desperate.

  Way to go, Lucy.

  “The same thing that’s been on my mind since leaving Italy.” With that, he advanced on me.

  In one quick move, he gripped the backs of my legs and hoisted me onto the desk filled with paperwork and texts. Shoving them aside, he lowered me until my back hit the polished wood. His lips sealed over mine and they didn’t leave except to trail kisses down and back up my heated neck.

  I was panting for more when he reached for the button on my jeans. I stopped him with my hand over his, panicking. “What if someone comes in?”

  He smiled, revealing those slight dimples. His eyelids drooped under the weight of his desire. Only thin slices of sparkling aqua peeked out, catching the dim light of morning filtering through the window.

  “Lucy, who would be able to get the drop on us? We could block the door before they even got to it.”

  He made an excellent point, and the longer I stared into those infinite depths filled with love and longing, I forgot why I even stopped in the first place. My gaze dropped to those full kissable lips, then bounced back to his eyes. He must have seen the doubt vanish, because he closed the slim distance between us once again.

  His lips felt unbelievable against mine in their thorough exploration. He worked them apart and my body turned to putty, molding to his every touch. Within seconds our clothes hit the floor, and we cemented all the love we shared. This time was different than the first night we spent together.

  That night was surreal and felt like I was floating in this dream world where nothing bad could touch us. It was a bubble we created in a brief flash of time, forever frozen as the most perfect moment in my life.

  This time, there was clarity. I felt grounded. All the bad stuff still existed, and life still moved on around us, but we were in it together. Our love was as much a part of this world as the evil we faced, and I’d always take it with me, like anger was my weapon. Our love was my shield. I needed him to steal me away to my humanity as much as I needed him to push me to fight my demons, and to fight by my side as I did.

  When he was pulling his shirt back on, he looked down at my shredded, bloodied clothes.

  “Let me go find out where Bernie put your bag. I’ll be right back.”

  He slipped out and was back in less than two minutes, handing me another set of jeans and t-shirt, sans my new favorite jacket. I frowned at the idea of finding another one just as perfect but let it go for now.

  I finished dressing myself and hopped on the desk while I stared at him buttoning the remaining buttons on his shirt. He caught me and smiled. Stepping toward me, unfortunately fully dressed now, he cradled my face in his hand, tilting my chin up to look me in the eyes.

  “You’re beautiful.” He leaned down to plant a sweet kiss on my lips, but his mouth lingered long enough to strike up the dying embers. I pulled back and bit my lip to keep from jumping him. This could go on all day if we let it.

  He smirked knowingly, and his forehead met mine. He sighed heavily.

  “We should probably get back out there to help.”

  “Yeah, we probably should.” He didn’t step back to give me space. “I’m having trouble moving right now, though.”

  I laughed and grabbed ahold of his face, pulling his mouth to mine one more time. “Me too.”

  With reluctance, I slid off the desk and moved around him, taking a firm grasp on his sleeve. “Come on, Gav. Time to work.”

  He gripped my wrist. “Lucy, wait.”
He backed up to take the place on the edge of the desk I just vacated. Reeling me in with his hold on my arm, he took my face in his hands again.

  “Do you remember our discussion about being normal and how you once wanted the whole white picket fence thing?”

  I blinked once, then twice. Where was he going with this? “Gavin, I don’t need those things. I have you. You’re everything I want.”

  He gave me a not so sweet peck that lasted longer than it should have. When he pulled back, he tipped his head up, grazing his nose against mine. “But I told you that it was my job to give you everything you wanted, starting with this.”

  He reached into his pocket, and my heart lurched. This conversation could only be leading to our future, and I knew he pictured marriage. But was he ready now? Was I? How could he even have time to contemplate it with everything we’ve been dealing with?

  “Relax, Lucy,” he said as he pulled out a black box that looked long enough for a necklace.

  He knew I wasn’t a necklace kind of girl. What was he thinking?

  He chuckled at my expression, and I tried to school my features into something more appropriate for receiving a gift, but I imagined I looked like a giant spider was about to pop out of that box.

  “Just open it before you freak yourself out,” he teased.

  I rolled my eyes and ripped it out of his hand, trying to keep my cool. Cracking the lid, I lifted it slowly, still envisioning spiders.

  When I spotted the shiny metal, I squealed in delight and my eyes bulged in shock. Nestled on a bed of satin sat two thin blades.

  “To replace all the ones you’ve lost on this trip,” Gavin explained.

  I jumped into his waiting arms while thanking him repeatedly, so much that I felt his chest vibrating with his laughter. When I settled back on the ground, I ran my fingers over the smooth, cool metal of my new throwing knives. He engraved the hilt with my initials, L.V.M., and a trail of hearts that got smaller the closer they got to the blade. They were spectacular, and I would love them forever.

  I was still beaming with joy when I looked back up into his smiling eyes. “Thank you so much. They’re perfect.”

  “I knew you’d love them. But I also know what you were thinking before I pulled them out of my pocket.”