“No! You can’t go in there, Flynn. It’s ugly.”
He touched her blood splattered cheek.
“I don’t care Jolie. You’re all that matters,” he whispered in her ear before offering her a kiss. “I made my choice and there’s no going back. I’m more vampyre than human, and that’s perfectly fine by me.”
She stared up at him. “Are you sure?”
He nodded.
It looked like Mathew wasn’t the only one who needed to man up. Detective Flynn Brogan let go of what was left of his humanity.
It was time.
“Get her out of here,” Flynn stated, moving toward the room. “I’ll take care of this.”
Jacques grinned, right before sweeping her up into his arms.
“Cari and Ariel,” she began to protest.
“I have them,” he reassured. “Close those gorgeous lips of yours and let your mates take care of this. Hear me?”
She grinned at him. “Yes, Master.”
Flynn winked.
“Wait! What the hell am I missing?” Jacques asked, staring from Jolie to Flynn. “Since when do you call him master?”
Jolie whispered into Flynn’s mind, ‘Since forever.’
‘I have no problem with that.’
“Hello?” Jacques said, trying to get their attention.
“My love, I need a bath.”
That distracted Jacques enough. “Yes, Jolie. Let’s go.”
When they left, Flynn’s heart swelled in love. From here on out, he’d be one of them, and grateful that fate had given him a gift.
He was blessed.
Pushing the door open, Flynn was astounded. Inside the room, he found Vanth having a snack.
She was eating Zola--piece by piece.
But that wasn’t all.
Vanth was in full demoness form. He’d seen her when he’d been dying. This was new.
“Uh…”
“You already saw me, so you won’t die. Don’t worry, you’re safe,” she said, chewing with her mouth open.
He was horrified, and not by the dying part.
“Shit, Vanth, are you going to eat all of her?” he asked, watching in sick fascination.
This was a cannibal train wreck.
Then he started laughing. He’d just said something he never thought he’d utter in his entire life.
Only, this time, he didn't even flinch. So much for being a cop. Obviously, he’d made the right decision.
Vanth glanced over, holding out an arm. “Not if you’d like a piece.”
“Uh, no thank you.”
“Just give me a few minutes. I don’t get to do this often. It freaks Death out, so she won’t let me.”
“But Jolie will?”
She shrugged. “She said ‘clean up’.”
“Okay. Well, I need to get the children back to their parents. Can you handle this?” he asked, waving his hand to encompass the mess.
“Yes, I’ll deal with it.”
“You’re scary, Vanth, really scary,” he admitted, as he gently picked up the two children.
Vanth pointed out the truth. “I’m the angel of Death, Flynn, not a clown you invite to a child’s birthday. I’m supposed to be scary.”
Flynn laughed at that picture. “Yeah, I forgot. Thank you for helping Jolie. I was worried until I heard you had her back,” he offered, heading toward the door.
Vanth picked up a severed limb and licked her lips. “It’s nothing. My mistress has ordered me to guard the children with any power I have.”
There was that twinge in his gut. “Why?” asked Brogan, suspiciously.
Vanth just started chewing and shrugged. “It is Death’s wish. Who am I to question it?”
He didn't buy that.
Flynn’s gut was screaming.
“Vanth,” he began.
“Let it go, Detective. Death will reveal herself when the time is right.”
That made the hairs on his arms stand.
“Vanth?”
“Want an eye before she turns to ash?”
That was all he had to hear. “Uh, no thank you. I’m getting out of here before I puke.”
When he was gone, Vanth stopped chewing. “Mistress, I need to speak to you.”
With that, the room was clean, and Vanth popped out of there, Chloe and all.
She needed to speak to Death.
They had a problem.
A HUGE ONE.
Detective Brogan was on their trail.
∞ Epilogue ∞
Thursday Evening
Jolie sank down into the tub full of bubbles and was completely relaxed. The sun had set, and she had fed well from Jacques.
As far as she was concerned, all was right with the world. They were safe again, and it was time to focus on their lives. She would be opening her new office on Monday as Flynn headed back to work. Life would be normal again, and they’d have peace for a change.
“What are you thinking about, my love?” asked Jacques, running his fingers up her leg.
“Peace.”
“Sounds good to me,” Flynn admitted, walking into the room.
Jolie opened her eyes lazily. “Join us, Flynn. You’re a mess,” she said, smiling.
He laughed. “Yeah, thanks. I got a little bloody as Vanth had her snack. That was something to see. She is like a walking garbage disposal.”
“I know. I don’t normally let her do that, but she deserved it. Zola damaged Chloe’s body. We all deserve a little revenge every now and again.”
He completely understood.
“Hop in. The water is nice.”
Flynn stripped out of his bloody clothes before sinking down into the hot, fragrant water. When he sighed, they glanced over at him.
“That’s almost better than sex.”
She snorted. “Liar.”
Flynn saw the stress lines around her eyes. “How are you doing?”
Jolie shrugged. “I’ll survive. I think this is a learning experience for me. They were all right. I used to be hard and calculating, but I’ve gotten soft over the last year.”
Flynn lifted a brow. “Is that because of me? I don’t recall ever telling you to change to fit in my life.”
She took both of their hands in hers. “You didn't ask, but just by being my mates, it’s made me rethink how I used to be. Going forward, I need to be stronger.”
They didn't speak.
“Will you both be okay with what I’m becoming?” she asked.
They thought back to the last few days. Jolie had fed from a lot of vampyres, and they’d seen her morphing into something they’d never seen before. Was it good?
They had no clue.
“I’m okay with it,” Flynn stated. “If I was human, it might bother me, but we all know that boat has sailed. I’m giving up that last little piece of me. Honestly, the only thing left seems to be my soul.” To prove a point, he flicked his wrist and their bathroom door closed.
That was new.
“You have a point,” Jolie stated.
Jacques brought her wet fingers to his lips. “As always, I swear my allegiance, Jolie.”
“I needed to hear that.”
She glanced over at Flynn.
“Are you waiting for me?” he said, grinning. “If you are, let me wrap this conversation up. I will always stand by you and Jacques. From here on out, I give you my trust, my fealty, and my heart. I trust you both.” To prove it, Flynn kissed her wrist.
“I love you both.”
They relaxed in the water until Flynn finally broke the silence. “Something’s bothering me, and I can’t shake it.”
“What?” they asked together.
“There seems to be an extra piece to the puzzle. We put the picture together, and we still have this little part left over.”
Jacques lifted a brow.
“I get that Zola was on a revenge bender, but where do the tueur come into this?”
Jolie had forgotten all about them. “Maybe Zola?”
<
br /> Flynn shook his head. “It doesn’t fit. I’m guessing that if they’re anything like human mercenaries, they work for money. Zola didn’t have any. Plus, she really wanted to hurt you herself. Why hire them, and then get in the crossfire?”
“Excellent reasoning, Flynn.” Jacques was getting nervous about the entire thing. “Really, they’re only called out when a vampyre goes on a spree, is unstoppable, or is breaking the vampyric law.”
“Maybe it’s the cop in me, but it doesn’t add up.” Flynn ran his hand up Jolie’s leg, trying to reassure her.
“Maybe it was the council?”
Flynn shook his head again. “You almost lost the last time you were there. They know you’re not too powerful that you can’t be stopped.”
Jolie considered it. “True.”
Flynn continued, going down Jacques’s list of why they’d be called out. “You aren’t killing vampyres willy nilly. Well, unless they come at us first, so that’s out.”
Jacques would have laughed at the terminology, if he wasn’t getting fearful, “Agreed.”
“Then where do they fit?”
Both vampyres shrugged.
Flynn slipped under the water, and let it envelope him in its warmth. He hated when he missed something. Coming to the surface he pushed the hair out of his face. “Let’s not worry about it. I may just be over reacting. I’m paranoid lately, since people are always trying to kill us.”
Jacques signaled him, hoping his mate got the hint. Neither man was planning on letting this go. In fact, they were going to be all over Jolie now more than ever.
Something was going on.
They had a mission. They needed to figure it out, and soon.
“Flynn, my friend, can you meet me in our office? We need to pick out a vehicle for Mathew. Since he’s going to continue on as a guardian, he needs one.”
“I can help,” Jolie offered.
Yeah, he didn't want her there. They were going to be digging into this mess, and the less she knew, the better.
“Okay, you can,” he began, and then threw her off the track. “You can’t my love. I just remembered that you promised Mathew a french lesson. Balzac cut his short.”
“Crap. Okay, I totally forgot. These hormones are making me lose it,” she offered.
Flynn grinned at his mate.
He knew what he was doing.
“I should get going,” she offered, glancing over at the clock on the wall. “When we go to bed tonight, I believe I owe you both some fun, and by fun, I mean cue the porno music.”
Flynn wouldn’t say no to that. “Hell yeah, you do. Bum chicka bum bum…”
Jolie snorted.
The two men lecherously leered as she dried off and belted her silk robe. When she was gone, Jacques dropped his voice.
“We have a huge problem.”
“Yeah, I know. If the tueur has marked her, we have to watch our backs.”
Jacques leaned closer. “They won’t stop until someone’s dead. We need to visit Mambo.”
Flynn agreed, but over his dead body was the tueur going to get their woman. They had kids on the line, and the men weren’t letting Jolie go.
“We’ll fix this.”
“We have to.”
Flynn held out his hand after getting out of the water. “We will. Shall we get to work, Jacques?”
He took it. For now, it was time to do what he’d been trained to do. While Mathew might have the title, Jacques was still going to do the job.
They, as a family, had too much to lose.
* * * H a r c o u r t e * * *
An Hour Later
Jolie sat in the solarium with Mathew at her side. She was happy to be able to get back to the normalcies of life. Helping her vampyre learn French was a good start.
When he started speaking, Jolie was impressed. “That’s very good, Mathew,” she said, patting his cheek.
“Merci,” he said softly.
“You’re picking this up fast. Before you know it, you’ll be fluent.”
Mathew felt off.
“Hey, let’s listen to some music,” she stated. When she flicked her wrist and the radio didn't turn on, she stared at it.
He laughed. “Mina was vacuuming. She must have unplugged it again.”
Jolie went to get up.
“I have it, Jolie,” he said, before dropping a kiss to her cheek. “Thank you for being mine.”
She hoped he meant that in a mother and son kind of way, or her mates would go nuts.
As he crossed the room, Jolie felt it, but it was too late. The popping filled the air as Mathew took three bullets to the chest.
“NO!” she shouted, surging to her feet. When she turned, there was a familiar, if unwelcomed, face in the solarium.
“Dena.”
“See? You are a whore. I bet he doesn’t know that you’re curled up on the couch with another man. If he was still my boyfriend, he wouldn’t have to worry about me, I’d kill for him,” said Detective Dena Callahan, pointing the gun at Mathew’s head.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“I’m here to get what you stole from me, bitch. I want my Flynn back!”
The woman was totally unhinged. Reaching for her mates, she called for help. Mathew wouldn’t last much longer. She must have done internal damage or Mathew would have been on his feet.
‘Stay with me, Mathew,’ she ordered.
‘I’ll try, Mistress,’ he said softly. ‘I think she’s hit my heart.’
“You came into my home and hurt one of my family,” Jolie stated. “I’m going to make you pay.”
There would be no mercy.
This was the new Jolie. She had to stop feeling, and instead, seek her vengeance.
“He shouldn’t have come here. Don’t you understand? Flynn was mine. I loved him, and he left me for you, and all you do is cheat. You’re a whore,” she screamed before pulling the trigger.
Jolie protected her belly and heart. Instead, she opted to take it to the right side of her chest. Blood swelled, and then stopped as her body pushed the bullet out.
Before Dena’s eyes, she healed.
Her laughter filled the room.
“What are you?” asked Detective Callahan in horror.
“We’re vampyres, Dena, and now I have to kill you,” she said, moving toward her. She heard her mates running through the house to reach her side.
Dena fired off another shot.
Jolie laughed again as the bullet clinked to the floor. She sent the message to her mates to help Mathew when they entered the solarium.
When they arrived, Jacques obeyed, Flynn… not so much. Instead, he placed his body in front of Jolie, acting as a shield.
“What the hell are you doing, Dena?” he asked angrily. “Are you out of your mind? You just shot my fiancée!”
“She’s a whore, Flynn. You left me for a slut, and I need to make you see her for what she is. She’s crazy! She thinks she’s a vampyre.”
Jolie laughed as her fangs slid into her mouth. “I didn't lie,” she offered.
When Dena moved closer, Flynn stood his ground. He hissed, baring his own fangs. “Get away from my mate!”
She paused, staring into his eyes. They began changing. Gone was the icy blue, and in their place was a deep dark color. “What are you?”
He didn't get to speak. Death loomed up, wanting it’s last promised victim.
She pulled the trigger, and this time, it hit him in the chest. He roared in anger. “You came into my house. You touched what is mine. Now, I will make you pay!”
“Flynn! What have they done to you?” she asked, stepping back.
He laughed, glancing down at Jolie. “She’s my beloved mate. My betrothed, so to speak.”
Jolie stepped back, allowing her mate handle it. He’d said he was done pretending, and this, if anything should sever that final tie to humanity.
His claws formed, and Flynn couldn’t think past the rage. All he wanted was to hurt
her for shedding the family’s blood.
His family.
“Oh God! This is why you left me for her!” Dena pulled the trigger and again aimed for Flynn’s stomach.
Like the other one, it found its way to the floor.
“No, Dena, I left you because I fell in love with Jolie, and then I became the man I am today.” He took a step toward her. “The human part of me is dead. Flynn is dead.”
She looked horrified.
“Flynn, my love, I’m supposed to kill her.”
He called for Vanth. When she appeared beside him in a flutter of wings, he had to know. “Ask our mistress if I can kill her for Jolie. I’m offering her a kill by my hand.”
Dena tried to escape, but Jolie held her still.
Vanth closed her eyes. When they opened, she smiled. “The mistress said to have at it, but make it good, or the next time, the answer is no.”
“Please don’t,” Dena begged. “I love you, Flynn,” she screamed, as he moved toward her. “We can leave together and be happy!”
“I will never leave my family. I will never leave my mates, Dena. I told you…he’s dead. Flynn, the human, is long gone.”
With that, he struck. His claws found their way into her torso, pulling her toward him. The screams were so horrible, even Jacques flinched as he fed Mathew.
Jolie moved closer, watching her mate do the deed. If Death wanted violent, she’d gotten her wish. Flynn killed with a ferocity that she’d not seen in him before.
He tore into her throat, gulping down her life as blood sprayed all over the place.
She gurgled.
She begged.
Dena gave up the fight.
When he heard her heart stop, he stopped drinking as if instinct kicked in. When he turned, still clutching her in his hands, his eyes were sparkling with power. The tendrils were on the way toward him, and Flynn needed to know, “Does Death need more?”
The hiss was answer enough. Grabbing the silver blade from his boot, he ripped it across Dena’s throat, severing her head. Then he tossed it to Vanth. “Enjoy the snack.”
“I can eat her?” she asked.
Flynn didn't care. “If you’re hungry, go for it.” Then, he faced his mate. Immediately, Jolie went into his bloody arms, sealing her mouth to his in one hell of a kiss. Her mate had chosen, and there would be no going back.
Dangerous Retaliation (The Harcourte Vampyre Society Book 4) Page 51