The Living Weapon (Davenport Manor Book 2)

by Melissa Zaroski

  Daniel couldn’t help but laugh a little, recalling the night that the picture was taken, “Don’t judge, it was a crazy night.”

  “Uh huh,” Zachariah responded with a chortle. “The perfect girl is definitely the kind that piddles herself in public.”

  Daniel rubbed his forehead, stifling laughter.

  Zachariah continued, “Come on, man, let’s find Emma. I know she has missed talking with you.”

  A pretty, red-haired girl strolled up to Emma and Todd as they wrapped up their conversation. She had fair skin, a few freckles sprinkled across her nose and cheeks, and had a similar body build to Emma’s. She congratulated Todd on his performance and introduced herself as Kelly, but her eyes spoke volumes about how excited she was to meet him. Todd seemed equally as smitten, but tried to contain his smile with Emma standing there. Kelly smelled of drug store perfume and cigarettes to Emma and she wondered if Todd could smell it as well. The two began to immerse into their own conversation and Emma excused herself when she saw Daniel and Zachariah strolling toward her. Her face lit up when she saw Daniel—she couldn’t help it, he was her little “brother”. She opened her arms and embraced him, holding on tightly. She sensed how much more relaxed he was without Brianna with him, which made her wonder where she was lurking. She looked around the room and saw Brianna enthusiastically talking to a girl by the bar, but the girl seemed excruciatingly annoyed.

  “Daniel, you did great in this one! I still can’t get over how grown up you are compared to when the first movie came out!” She exclaimed. “It was so surreal watching the actors play my family and me,” she said quietly so no one near them could hear. “They did great casting.”

  “Thanks, I’m really happy with how it turned out,” he politely replied.

  “I had a little chat with Dan here,” Zachariah started as he grabbed his shoulder and lightly shaking him. “I am trying to convince him to come live back at home since you suck at Mario Kart.”

  “Thanks, yes, I know,” she smirked as she rolled her eyes. “And Daniel? Will you come home?”

  He took in a deep breath through his teeth, “I’m thinking ‘yeah’. But, I have one, teeny condition that you may not be okay with…”

  “Brianna.” Emma bluntly said.

  “She’s my girlfriend, Emma. You’re not always going to like who I date,” he said as he shrugged his shoulders.

  Emma thought about some of the girls who had paraded through their home since Daniel began dating; some she really liked. Others, not so much. But, Brianna made her long for those girls to come back. She imagined having to see Brianna’s face in her house and the attitude that came along with it, making her cringe internally. But, if she wanted Daniel back home, Brianna came with the territory. She closed her eyes and with pursed lips answered, “Fine.”

  “But, you have to play nice,” he said with his head cocked to the side.

  “I’ll play nice if she does. Tell her to leave her attitude at the gates…I may have good control of my temper, but I can’t promise I won’t lose it.”

  Zachariah bit his bottom lip with a huge, satisfied smile and gave Daniel a pat on the back. “Good to have you back, man.”

  As they caught up and took the first step at rebuilding their relationship as a family, Emma couldn’t help but glance at Todd from time-to-time while he was immersed in an enthusiastic conversation with Kelly. Declan had since joined them and Kelly looked absolutely giddy while she chatted with the two stars. She explained that she and her friend won tickets through a radio contest to attend the premiere. Kelly’s friend attempted to approach them nonchalantly, but she was far too relaxed for it to be natural. She began to chat up the guys and introduced herself as Jenny. Emma would attempt to eavesdrop, but Zachariah had taken notice of what she was doing and would flick her arm to snap her out of it.

  Boy, did Todd work fast. He must have been really eager to be set free, she thought to herself. A hint of jealousy danced through her heart, but she knew she had absolutely no room to be jealous after stringing Todd along for the past year.

  Chapter 2

  As the party dwindled down, they all began to talk about heading home. Declan and Vivienne were planning to stay at the Manor while they were in town and catch up with their friends. Daniel still planned to go to his condo in the city until he packed up to move back home. His condo was completely furnished and he had bought everything new when he moved out, so he didn’t have much to pack since he was going to keep his place downtown. He looked around for Brianna, who was still “finding someone else to bother” and needed Zachariah to charm her to stop, which made Emma laugh to herself.

  Emma, Zachariah, Vivienne, and Declan stood together waiting for Zachariah to return. Emma looked around and realized that she didn’t see Todd anywhere in the venue, which was sparse with guests now.

  “Where’s Todd?” She asked as she looked around.

  The others looked as well and didn’t see him anywhere in the place. The last time Emma saw him was when she walked away to talk to Daniel.

  “Declan, did you see where he went after you talked to him?” She asked.

  “We talked for a while,” he said in a smooth Irish accent. “Then, those girls, Kelly and Jenny wanted to go outside for a cigarette, so we went out the back door and hung out with them for a few minutes there. Then, we came back inside and went our separate ways.”

  “Who was this girl?” Vivienne asked in defense of her best friend. Emma realized she would have to fill her in on all the details regarding Todd.

  “Don’t know, she was just one of the attendees that recognized him from the movie,” Declan replied without a care.

  Zachariah rejoined them and Vivienne filled him in on what was going on. Emma took her cell phone out of her purse and dialed Todd, looking around while she waited for the phone to ring. However, it went right to voicemail. She tried a few times more with the same results.

  “Let’s look around outside, perhaps he’s still out there with her,” Declan suggested.

  Zachariah and Emma went out the front door as Declan and Vivienne went out where Todd was last seen. They walked around the perimeter of the building while taking deep breaths through their noses, trying to catch his scent. But, it was difficult due to the amount of people that had been outside and the autumn breeze was whisking the lingering aromas away. Emma and Zachariah made their way to the back of the building where there was a small, gated parking lot. They snapped to alert when they both caught a faint hint of Todd’s scent. Alarmed, they looked at each other, looked around to make sure no one was lurking, and jumped the high fence in a single leap.

  Emma tried his phone once again, hoping that she would hear it ring, but she felt a pang of worry when she heard the automated voice come on once again. Vivienne and Declan were standing in the gated parking lot where the back door entrance was.

  “His scent is back here,” Emma began as they continued to look around the cars. “But, it trails off over there and disappears,” she added while pointing to the driveway.

  “There are other scents in the air, but I only recognize ours,” Zachariah said as he closed his eyes and tried to focus on the trails.

  “Something’s wrong,” Emma blurted, trying not to panic. “I have a really bad feeling about this.”

  Declan rubbed his forehead before making a slightly pained face and said, “I hate to say it, but it is possible that he left with the girl, love. They were really…ah…connecting. I can smell her scent out here, too.”

  Vivienne nodded in agreement, giving Emma the same look as Zachariah shrugged his shoulders. While the thought of him going home with another girl was far better than thinking something happened to him, it still sent a jolt of pain that was tinged with jealousy to her heart. She knew she had no room to be jealous or even hurt. He had given up his life because of her and she couldn’t give him the exclusive relationship he wanted and deserved.

  Feeling defeated, but hiding her gloom, she nonchalantly
agreed with them and hopped the fence back out onto the sidewalk. They made their way to their limos to head back to the Manor for a nightcap. The ride was quiet except for the radio softly playing and the occasional idle chit-chat between Emma and Zachariah. Every now and then she would check her phone, thinking she might not have heard it, which she knew wasn’t impossible. She tried to call Todd a couple more times and anticipated the moment where she would hear it ring instead of going straight to voicemail. The automated voice was beginning to irritate her to death!

  “I can’t shake this bad feeling, Zach,” she said as she tapped the “end” button on her screen.

  He tipped his head back, shook it in disagreement, and moaned with annoyance, “He’s fine. I think deep down you hope it’s something bad and not the fact that he’s with someone else for once.”

  She shot him an incredulous look. “I just wish he would have said something or texted, just to let us know he wouldn’t be home. He knows how unsafe it could be for him out there, especially on such a high-profile night like tonight, without being guarded.”

  “He’s human,” he absent-mindedly replied as he played with the radio dial, searching for better music. “I’m sure he understands how dangerous it could be, but doesn’t realize the severity of it.”

  As they rode in silence, Emma blankly looked out the window, watching the city go by in a blur. She began to relax, convincing herself that Todd was simply with someone else and that she was making something out of nothing. She couldn’t help but imagine him with this red-haired girl. What was he doing with her at this moment? Flirting, smooth-talking, kissing…maybe more? Was he savoring the touch of her warm skin and relishing in it, since all he had felt for the past year was Emma’s own cold skin? Was he comparing the two in his head? She imagined them making out on this girl’s couch, lights turned down low, and music playing in the background to set the mood. She was jealous and feeling forgotten at that moment, coming to the realization that this was exactly how Todd felt when it came to her. She didn’t like it.

  The longer she fantasized about Todd’s encounter with Kelly, the more her natural vampire instincts kicked in and it became somewhat of a turn-on. She created a fantasy in her own, twisted mind, imagining she was there watching. The thought of Todd seducing someone else, touching another woman, made Emma cross her legs and shift in her seat.

  Reality reared its ugly head and slapped her in the face once again. It wasn’t a fantasy or a fun little game that she was included in; it was most likely really happening and she was a complete after-thought to him.

  “What are you thinking about?” Zachariah asked, sensing that something was stirring within her.

  “Todd…with someone else,” she replied, not turning her head from the window.

  “Are you diggin’ that thought?” He questioned with a smirk, leaning in closer.

  She turned toward him with a raised eyebrow and a sly smile, “A little…”

  The thing about vampires was that they had very little shame; inhibitions were few and far between.

  He put his hand on her thigh and suggested, “Why don’t we turn the car around, go back into the city, and find some people to have ‘fun’ with tonight? It’ll get your mind off of Todd.”

  It certainly did sound appealing to her; the thought of hooking up with some strangers and giving them the best sex of their lives. But, she shook her head and replied, “No, we can’t. Declan and Vivienne are headed back to the Manor to hang out with us.”

  Zachariah pulled his phone on out his pocket, dialed, and held it to his ear while staring at Emma. “Declan…you and Viv wanna have some fun tonight?” After a quick conversation, Zachariah hung up and announced to the driver, “Turn around and go back into the city. We have decided to go out tonight. Please drop us off at Castle Nightclub on the corner of Dearborn and Ontario.” He turned back to Emma and gave her a cocky grin, which she returned to him. “Like I said, it’ll get your mind off of Todd with a random redhead girl…I would suggest you find your own redhead girl for the night. One that would trump his…” He winked at her and casually licked his lips.

  Their limo pulled up to the front entrance of Castle and they stepped out onto the sidewalk, waiting for Declan and Vivienne to arrive. Zachariah kept his head low, hoping that the people standing in line wouldn’t recognize him. However, he and Emma stuck out like sore thumbs considering they were entirely overdressed, still wearing their formal outfits from the premiere. He kept his back to the crowd and faced the wall of the old, brick building—the bass from the music inside softly boomed rhythmically to the beat. Shortly after, Vivienne and Declan pulled up and stepped out of their limo, hardly trying to remain incognito. The chatter from the line turned into excited mumblings and soft squeals as people recognized the two famous faces. Zachariah and Emma joined them to go inside, but not before the crowd began yelling out for the three celebrities that were right in front of them. As people called out their names, they took a moment to pose for a few pictures and Emma was gracious enough to play photographer for them.

  They eventually managed to get away from the crowd, much to the disappointment of those who didn’t get their chance with the famous faces. Declan walked up to the large bouncer that was guarding the door and controlling the line, locked eyes with him and softly said, “You’re going to let the four of us in now, free of charge of course.”

  “Of course,” he answered in a trance as he unhooked the rope from the post to allow them to pass through.

  The moment they entered the club, the music became loud and clear. The hip hop music jammed, the dance floor was full of people enjoying their night out on the town, and the sound of overwhelming chatter surrounded them. There were a few people that were just as dressed up as they were, clearly continuing on from a wedding or party of some sort. They passed a few other vampires in the club, as they walked by they would slightly bow to Emma as she passed; paying their respects without making it a spectacle. They made a beeline to the dance floor, finding the darkest area so they could try to remain incognito.

  Emma wasn’t the best dancer when it came to hip hop, so she just bopped around to the beat. Her style was more formal and classical; much like from her era. Zachariah had always been able to adapt to the latest dancing trends and was able to dance to just about any song from any decade. With the lights bouncing off of the walls in rhythm to the beat and the DJ spinning Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines, Emma’s mood began to lift as she danced her worries away. She couldn’t help but shake it to this song! The group of girls dancing behind them squealed as they showed off their dance moves to each other.

  Zachariah elbowed Emma and nodded his head toward a red-haired girl in the group. Emma silently responded by shaking her head in disagreement and discreetly pointed at a blonde girl. Her buttery hair fell just below her shoulders in big, bouncing curls while her full lips grinned at her friends. Her body was average; not skinny, not heavy, just a happy medium. She was wearing low-rise, flared jeans with heels and a billowy black top that slightly hung from one shoulder.

  “That one,” Emma said without raising her voice, knowing Zachariah could hear her.

  They knew human behavior. If Emma approached the girl to dance, it may be unwelcome. However, they knew if they sent Zachariah in first, not only would she be more likely to welcome a good-looking man, but a famous one to boot. Sure, they could easily charm her to do what they want, but it took the fun out of the chase and since they still had humanity in them, they felt it was unethical.

  Zachariah danced his way over to the girl, wedging through her friends until he was face-to-face with her. The girl looked up at Zachariah to check out the guy that just barged in between her and her friends. It took a moment for her to realize that a famous face was smiling down at her while swaying to the music. Her eyes widened in surprise, but she was able to contain her inner fangirl.

  Zachariah stuck his hand out in the small space in between them and said, “Hi there, I’m Zachari
ah. What’s your name, pretty lady?”

  She shook his hand with a firm grip and replied, “I’m Christine, nice to meet you!”

  They continued to dance and chat while her friends looked on in amazement. They were trying to snap pictures of the memorable encounter without being too obvious, weaving through the people around them to get shots from every angle. Zachariah and Christine gradually inched closer and closer as they danced until their bodies were pressed together. He placed his hands on her hips, slightly caressing as they moved and she instinctively began to put a little more hip action into her dancing.

  Emma began to casually dance her way over to Zachariah and Christine, weaving through the crowd of bodies to get there. She slithered up behind her, sandwiching Christine between herself and Zachariah. Christine glanced behind her with a tad of irritation to see who was pressed against her and was startled to see it was a female. She was momentarily angry about this girl barging in on her moment with Zachariah, feeling like she was going to try and steal his attention.

  Zachariah leaned in close to her ear so she could hear him and said, “This is my good friend, Emma Davenport. Do you know who Daniel Davenport is?”

  She responded by nodding with wide eyes.

  “Emma is his sister, she seems to have taken a liking to you!”

  Surprised by the fact that she had Zachariah Dancy in front of her and Daniel Davenport’s sister behind her, she turned her body around so she could face Emma. She gave her a flirty wave and put one hand on Emma’s waist, pulling her closer to dance. She used her other hand to reach back and pull Zachariah in, keeping them both firmly pressed against her.

  Emma and Christine engaged in small chat while dancing. Emma asked where she was from and learned that she was in town from Boston visiting her friends on a girls-only vacation. These “victims” were the best kind; they were ready to let loose, have some fun, and make some memories they would be able to go home and talk about. Or perhaps what happens in Chicago, stays in Chicago. However, having an opportunity to hook up with a celebrity would certainly call for some bragging rights.