by Kira Nyte
A man. A man who spoke with more conviction than required of someone who was a friend. Draven didn’t like it, not a bit, but the sudden heaviness that fell over the room kept him focused on Vivian.
“You’re sure?” she asked, her voice weak.
“Come home. I’ll tell you more then. Kalen’s going to need to hear, too.”
Kalen scowled, his fangs bared. “Damn it.”
“Oh, well then. Guess I don’t have to break the news to him, huh?” the guy asked.
“No. He heard,” Vivian said. Her hand and the phone fell to her lap as she disconnected the call.
Draven touched her knee. Her gaze cut to him, shadowed and impossible to read.
“Is everything okay?”
“I, um, need to get home.” She stood up, tucked her phone in her pocket, and scooted out from the sofa.
“I know I’ve got my bike, but I can take you home, if you’d like.” He really didn’t want to part with her, especially not now, seeing she was obviously not okay. He stood to let her pass, but placed a hand on her shoulder. “No reason for me to stay if you’re leaving.”
Vivian cast Kalen a glance. He began to wonder if the two had telepathic powers and carried on secret conversations he wasn’t privy to.
At last, Vivian lifted her hand to his. He was momentarily shocked by the coldness of her fingertips. “Thank you, but Kalen will bring me home. But, why don’t I walk you out?”
Well, guess he settle for the polite dismissal tonight. Tomorrow is a different story. “I’ll accept.”
Chapter Eight
“Hey, Vivi.”
Vivian didn’t bother looking over her shoulder. She stared out at the brilliant hues of the setting sun from behind darkly tinted sunglasses. Jackson took a seat in the chair beside her on the small patio and handed her a cup of hot tea. She accepted the drink with quiet thanks and placed it on the small table between the chairs without taking a sip.
For a long time, they sat in silence, watching the last of the day drain away behind the trees. Drain away, like the promise of her freedom.
Jackson’s phone call the night before delivered the confirmation she dreaded. The truth of her suspicions with evidence from his research. She had known from her increasing sensitivity to sunlight and the flash moments when her mind embraced dark thoughts that went against every grain in her being.
The “cure” Hugh Ellingham provided a few months earlier was not a cure. It appeared only to have delayed the inevitable. Vivian was beginning to wonder if Dr. Hamstead would end up getting the last laugh, even though he was locked up in jail for life. She wouldn’t doubt the beast of a man hoped to destroy both herself and Kalen.
The virus was a sure-fire way of doing that.
“I spoke with Stanhill a little while ago. He’s going to fill Hugh in on what’s happening, the discoveries I made, and we’ll figure this out.”
She didn’t react. She was numb. She was living a life she had always dreamed of with the promise of happiness oh so close.
Jackson’s touch on her wrist drew her out of her thoughts. She slowly looked down at his hand, then followed his arm up to his concerned gaze. His glasses had slid down his nose, but he didn’t bother pushing them up. His hair was tousled, strands hanging over his forehead. They did nothing to soften the deep concern in his expression.
Jackson’s heart was loyal to both her and her brother. Their pain was his. Failure was not an option. He proved that when she battled the virus the first time, going nights without sleep to sift through years and years of data from his uncle, Nicholas, the man who sacrificed his life to help Kalen and Vivian escape the lab where they lived most of their lives as science experiments.
Dr. Hamstead sought to create the perfect vampire; instead, he created the perfect monster. Vivian had been so close to losing her soul to it that she’d almost killed Kalen. She’d rather die than come that close ever again.
“Have you been feeling it again?” Jackson asked, his voice soft, sympathetic.
“Yes,” she answered on a breath.
“For how long?”
“A week now.”
Silence stretched until Jackson squeezed her wrist. “Why didn’t you say anything to me?”
Vivian shrugged. “Everyone thought I was cured. At first, I wasn’t sure if what I was feeling was real or residual effects of my memory.”
“You should’ve said something the moment you thought you felt different. The longer we wait with this thing, the more difficult it becomes to control.”
“I was going to go to Hugh and ask him for another shot.”
Vivian turned away from the hurt in Jackson’s eyes. She confided in him, trusted him. She wanted to keep the monster inside her far away from those she cared about. And since Jackson fell into her inner circle, she included him as among those she cared about. That he continued to research and review the notes and data from his uncle months after her suspected cure bothered her. Too many people had wasted too much time on her.
“You know, Vivi, there is nothing to feel ashamed about. This is not you—”
“That’s where you’re wrong.” Vivian shook her head and stood up, slipping her wrist from Jackson’s hand. She met his widened eyes and sighed heavily. “This is me. It’s a part of me. I don’t want it. I don’t like it. But it has control over my thoughts when it gets strong. It takes over and I succumb. I can’t fight it, so yes. This monster is me.”
She sidestepped Jackson’s attempt to reach for her hand and went back into the house. She had stayed up all night and all day, contemplating her choices. If she ran away to suffer on her own, Kalen and Fawn would search for her until the end of time. Jackson, too. She debated taking a fake vacation and hiding somewhere far away, but that would only satisfy her loved ones so long before suspicions rose.
“Vivian!” Jackson trotted behind her, moving surprisingly fast for someone who was close to human, and grabbed her arm, forcing her to face him before she could escape to her room. He cupped her cheek with one hand and leveled her gaze to meet his. It took a bit more strength than she wanted to use not to look away.
“This is you. Not the virus. That virus will never be you.”
“Jackson, I appreciate—”
“Stop it. Right now. We will find a cure. A real cure. Hugh’s serum worked for months. It’ll work again and during that time, we’ll work that much harder to figure things out. Vivi, please. Don’t lose hope now.”
A knock on the front door stiffened Vivian’s spine. She didn’t have to see beyond the door to sense who stood there. “Oh no.”
Jackson stepped back, his brows furrowed. “Are you expecting your brother? He normally plows right on in.”
Vivian’s cheeks warmed. She had given Draven the wrong address the night before, not wanting him to learn where she lived. Especially now, with the ominous cloud over her head. She had no intention of keeping their date, but obviously her subterfuge had failed. He’d found her. Despite the feet of distance and the door between them, her body reacted to his nearness.
Vivian spun toward her bedroom. “I’m not here.”
She shut herself in before Jackson could question her. With her back pressed to the door, eyes closed, heart beating faster than normal and her belly filled with butterflies, she listened to Jackson greet their guest.
To her utter dismay, she heard Fawn’s sweet voice reciprocate his greeting.
“Jackson Emery, this is Draven Lourdes. He’s an old friend of Kalen and Vivian’s father,” Fawn introduced.
A faint wisp of breeze fluttered her hair. When she opened her eyes, Kalen stood before her, his gaze pained but his expression filled with resolve. His powers intensified daily, and this newly acquired ability to move through walls was astonishing. He held out his arms. Vivian fell into her brother’s embrace, soothed by his strength. There were so few moments when he could not comfort her, but right now, the thrum of his power and the warmth of his arms did wonders for her torn and tattered
emotional reserves.
“I’m quite surprised, and impressed, by your tactics with him, dear sister,” Kalen murmured into her hair. “He came by shortly after sunset inquiring about you after his apparent humiliating attempt to locate you at the wrong house.”
“I don’t want to involve him in this,” Vivian said.
“Would you like me to tell him to get lost?”
Vivian chewed her lower lip. She knew she should. Let Draven go. Make him believe she had no interest in him. He deserved someone who wasn’t plagued by a madman’s poison.
Kalen’s soft chuckle resonated within that beacon of light deep inside her soul. The one Draven created. The one that held more significance than her dismal future.
“That’s what I thought.” Kalen stepped back, bringing his hands to rest on her shoulders. “Vivi, your happiness is as important to me as mine is to you. We are not sacrificing ourselves. Not over this setback. Do you hear me? Do not give Hamstead the satisfaction. Now, you have a man waiting to take you out on a date. I think it’ll do you some good.”
“You’ve had a change of heart since last night.” She nuzzled her cheek against the back of his hand. “I’m curious as to the reason why.”
Kalen shrugged one shoulder. “Faunalyn has a way of making me see things her way.” He raised his brows, the corners of his mouth curling in a small grin. “And he showed me respect enough to ask for help locating you, as well as permission to take you on a proper date.”
Vivian lowered her head as she smiled. “Have you joined teams with him?”
“That remains to be seen, but it appears Faunalyn has.”
Of course she has. Fawn believed the bond she shared with Kalen would manifest between Draven and Vivian.
But what were the chances?
“I should change,” Vivian finally said, bringing her gaze up to meet her brother’s. He tenderly tucked a lock of hair behind her ear before placing a light kiss on her forehead. “I don’t think my flannel pants will do.”
“I think they’ll do fine. And an oversized sweatshirt,” he teased. “Something really baggy and shapeless. I’ll be in the kitchen with Jackson and Draven.”
Vivian was about to ask about Fawn when a soft knock cut her off. Fawn stepped into the room the moment Kalen pulled open the door, then slipped past his fiancée.
Fawn’s eyes glittered with lavender and gold, a rose blush on her cheeks. “So, Draven wants to take you to dinner. I told him Café Claude is the perfect place. Can I help you pick out an outfit?”
How could she deny Fawn the pleasure, especially when she saw how much it excited her close friend and sister-to-be?
Fifteen minutes of fussing later, Vivian was dressed in a black and gold halter-top dress that hugged her body and flared at the waist. It barely reached her knees, and definitely enhanced her cleavage. The heels Fawn had chosen for her made her normally shorter legs look miles long. The woman did something magical with her hair, creating a style with minimal pins and time and effort.
Still curious as to where the outfit had come from—Vivian did not remember seeing the dress in her closet a day ago—she tilted her head as Fawn stepped behind her and draped a thin gold chain with a gold-encased moonstone around her neck.
“I was saving it for a special day,” Fawn said, smiling at Vivian’s reflection in the mirror. Vivian lifted her hand and gingerly touched the stone, her eyes stinging. There wasn’t the power she had felt in Kalen’s circlet—the relic passed from their mother that signified their royal status among the Celestial fae—but there was certainly a thrum, a vibration of energy within the stone. “Today is as good as any. You look stunning, Vivi.”
Staring at the image in the mirror, the swell of emotions that threatened her was indescribable.
“When did the dress come?” she asked, her voice thick.
“Ask your brother. We were in town earlier today and when I saw it at Into The Woods, he insisted on buying it for your date tonight.”
“Kalen insisted?” She imaged he would regret his choice of attire once he saw her in the dress.
Fawn smiled. “I think Draven’s grown on him.”
He must have slipped it into her closet before she realized he had come into the room. She felt her own powers increasing, but not to the extent of Kalen’s, which was fine. She was content just living.
Hopefully.
“Ready?” Fawn asked.
Vivian nodded. She turned to Fawn and wrapped her arms around the woman in a tight hug. Fawn laughed quietly, returning the hug.
“Vivian, everything will be fine. Promise me something.” Fawn leaned back and caught her eyes. “Promise me you will not give Draven up.”
Vivian stared at Fawn, her request touching her uncertain emotions. Her grin faltered.
“I had asked Kalen to promise me the same thing. With you.”
Fawn’s grin grew and she nodded. “I know. And he did. As should you. Don’t give up. Never give up.”
Vivian swallowed a lump in her throat. The corner of her eye twitched. “I won’t.”
Gods, she hoped she could keep that promise.
Chapter Nine
Draven had to catch his jaw before he gaped like an imbecile.
Actually, he simply rubbed his hand over his mouth to hide the gape that took over when Vivian paused in the archway leading to the kitchen. His skin prickled with a warning look from Kalen while his blood sizzled in his veins.
Vivian was nothing shy of a goddess in a sinful dress that showed off her subtle curves and fine cleavage. It was hard to miss, since her fingers played nervously with the pendant resting in the lush valley of her breasts. Her pale, almost luminescent skin took on a snowy rose blush that damn near sent him reeling. Her legs…those heels…her hair…
Draven dragged his hand down his mouth and chin, slipping behind the kitchen counter to hide his obvious reaction. He blinked, but the stunning image of the woman in the archway didn’t vanish as he half expected.
Her diamond-like blue eyes lifted to his and he swore he felt a bolt of electricity shoot through his chest, trying to start his heart. Shame the thing was dead. He wondered how it would have reacted if it pumped.
Vivian’s pulse certainly did a bit of a dance. That much he could hear and see.
As well as the obvious ogling of Jackson’s gaze.
Despite assurances from both Jackson and Kalen that Jackson and Vivian were just friends, Draven wasn’t born yesterday. She lived with the guy, and he obviously felt some non-platonic affection for her. He was a guy. Draven knew the signs, however stifled they may be.
“Good thing you brought a car.” Fawn motioned to Vivian. “Since she’s not in appropriate attire for riding.”
Somehow, Draven believed Fawn and Kalen made certain of that. The final product was more than he could have ever imagined.
Wonder if they realized she might be more dangerous to me like this than in jeans.
He began to doubt his own confidence in the presence of this majestic woman. He knew without conceit he was someone to look at, but did he even stand a chance with her?
“You’re gawking,” Kalen whispered as he brushed behind him. He stepped up to his fiancée and took her in his arms.
Draven quickly cleared his throat. “Well, I think you’ve rendered me speechless, Miss Hawkins.”
Her cheeks darkened. “I take it that’s a feat hard to come by?”
Draven shrugged, trying to dispel a sudden bout of nerves. He approached Vivian and held out a hand. Vivian placed hers in his and he leaned over, pressing a kiss to her knuckles.
“Depends who you ask. I hope you’re hungry?”
Vivian flashed her brother a shadowed glance before nodding. “Famished.”
He spread his arm toward the door. “Shall we?”
“By all means.”
Draven followed Vivian from the house, all of his previous questions and curiosities forgotten as he watched the woman glide down the stairs and the walkway.
The moon cast her in a warm light, her hair appearing silvery white and her skin taking on a strange, almost ethereal glow. He stole a casual glance at his own hand, mentally noting the stark difference. The moon was nearly full, a large, fascinating orb with a thin sliver missing from one edge.
“Is everything okay?”
Draven jerked, unaware his steps had slowed as he took in the moonlight and the way it poured over Vivian. He was quick to remind himself they were not alone, the potent reminder of being watched piercing him through the back like a lance. His hat was off to Kalen as a contender for a Brother of the Year award.
“Of course, love.”
Vivian’s lips parted and her luminescent eyes widened slightly. Sweet gods, those eyes sucked him in like a mystical vortex. They were even brighter in the moonlight, those diamonds gleaming unnaturally. He brushed aside her surprise—quite honestly, the ease with which the endearment slipped from his lips startled him, as well—by closing the distance between them and guiding her to the sedan with a light hand on her lower back. Sparks of desire instantly jolted through him, and he had to bite back the urge to start the evening with a kiss that would surely have Kalen tearing him to into very small pieces.
“Here you go,” Draven said softly, opening the door and holding her hand as she settled into the passenger seat. He waited until she was situated before closing the door and rounding the front bumper to the driver’s side. He looked up at the house where Kalen and Fawn stood on the stoop. Fawn wore a bright smile while Kalen’s toothy grin spoke volumes in silent warning. He chuckled as he dropped behind the wheel of the car. “Your brother would skin me if he could.”
Vivian laughed. The sound was as airy and lulling as a soft breeze.
Heat stirred inside his otherwise cool veins.
He started the car and pulled away from the curb. Vivian waved to her brother and Fawn, then dropped her hands into her lap.
“I don’t think you have anything to worry about,” she confided. “This date wouldn’t be taking place otherwise.”