by Unknown
Jolie broke away, giving him that moment to regroup. “You need to eat,” she stated, picking up the covered dish on the counter. Where they couldn’t consume certain foods, Flynn was still human and needed to.
Holding out her hand, she offered to keep him connected to her. For that, he was more than grateful. Flynn allowed her to lead him to the bench. As she slid in, Jolie patted the seat beside her. Where she’d normally be next to Jacques, it appeared she had changed up her routine.
Sitting, he enjoyed how their bodies were pressed together at the leg. It was distracting, but it was just what the doctor ordered.
“What’s for dinner?” he asked, trying to not think about her fingers running up and down his thigh. She was dangerously close to parts of his body that would enjoy her hand stroking a little too much.
“Your favorite,” she offered, lifting the lid off the big steaming bowl of linguine.
Suddenly, he realized how hungry he was. Flynn couldn’t remember when he ate last.
“Two days ago,” Jacques reminded him, reading his mind.
Well, shit.
If he knew he was thinking about that, then he knew what he was picturing with Jolie’s hand.
Damn it!
Way to get himself killed.
Instead of commenting, Jacques simply stood. He was in the man’s mind, and he couldn’t blame him. His life before being Jolie’s mate had been just as torturous. At the refrigerator, he retrieved the detective a beer.
At the table, he twisted off the top, and then handed it to Brogan.
“Thank you,” he said, as his troubled eyes met serene ones.
Jacques could see the nerves, and he didn't want the man to suffer. “Mon ami, tell us what’s bothering you. You’re tense, and that’s not like you. Normally, you’d at least smile.”
Brogan continued eating. He watched Jacques across the table studying him as Jolie’s hand brushed against him. It took every ounce of control not to drop his fork. Where the two vampyres were accustomed to the healing power of touch, it only stirred the need more. How could he ignore her fingers stroking his flesh through his dress pants?
He was only human.
When he did drop the fork, he closed his eyes.
“Jolie,” Jacques admonished. “Our detective is tense enough. Maybe you can cut him a break.”
It wasn’t what he expected. Slowly, the stroking against his leg stopped. “Thank you,” he said, directing at Jacques more than Jolie. Any other day, he’d let her run her fingers all over him. Today was just too much for him.
“Trust me, Flynn. I completely understand.”
Jolie didn't even realize she was causing him more angst. Where she only wanted to offer him peace, it was stressing him out. That wasn’t her intent at all. Instead, she laid her head on his shoulder and took his free hand in hers.
“Is this better?” she asked.
“Yes, thank you,” he replied.
Sitting in silence, they waited until Brogan was ready to spill it. They couldn’t help him if he wasn’t willing to open up to them. Jolie and Jacques knew that he was blatantly aware too.
Finally, he spoke, “It’s these murders, not Genevieve.”
The clarification helped them. Now, they could work on the bigger problem for him.
“The child slayings?” asked Jolie, sympathetically.
He nodded, eating more. A part of him was unsure if he should continue. If he did, it meant bringing the violence home. Something brushed against his mind, giving him a mental push. That was all the permission he needed. It was evident that they wanted to face this together.
“They’re disturbing me.”
“That’s normal, Flynn,” added Jacques, as he watched Brogan chug down the rest of his beer. Getting up, he retrieved another one.
“No, I mean every time I go to a scene, I get mad and experience this bad energy. It’s feels like there’s something crushing down on me. I can’t breathe and I want to run around destroying things.”
“Every scene?” asked Jolie, scrunching up her brow.
“For this case, yes. Today, I was at St. Louis Cemetery in the Dubois crypt, and I felt this uncontrollable rage,” he added, drinking more beer.
Neither vampyre moved.
When he picked up his fork, their silence caught his attention. First, he looked over at Jolie, and then Jacques. Something silent passed between them, and he’d caught the tail end of it.
They were talking to each other in their minds, and purposely excluding him.
“What?” he asked curiously.
“Nothing, please continue,” urged Jacques.
“No. I know you two very well, and I said something that you didn’t expect to hear. I saw your faces.” He put down his fork. “Please, tell me. I feel like I’m going crazy. I’m having dreams of children floating in the river, and a Vampyre trying to kill us. Tell me that I’m not losing my mind. Tell me something, so I don’t feel this way anymore,” he pleaded, his voice strained with emotion that threatened to break him.
It killed her to see him suffering. Instantly, she wanted to soothe and protect him.
“You’re not crazy, Flynn. Please continue, and we’ll tell you what we think is going on.” Jolie followed her words with a gentle kiss on the cheek.
He squeezed her fingers, needing the support.
To further distract him, Jolie handed Flynn his fork. They needed him to get it all out, and replenish himself too.
“Tell us all about it.”
“Someone is taking children right from their beds and killing them. We have no idea who it is, and all we keep finding are these tiny bodies laid out in unusual places.”
“Tell us about today,” stated Jacques, specifically wanting to know about the Dubois crypt.
“We got the call just as I was getting ready to come home. All I wanted to do was be here. Last night’s dream must have rattled me bad, and I just needed to be with you.”
Jolie slid closer to him, ducking under his arm to be pressed to his body. While Flynn rubbed his chin against the crown of her head, her eyes stayed locked on her mate’s.
Yes, they’d been discussing something, and frankly, it made them both ill. There was this hope that it was all a coincidence, but then again, neither believed in them.
Jolie and Jacques knew what their kind was capable of, and that scared the hell out of them.
“Like I said, it was a bad day.”
“Some of that is our bond, Flynn. We’re sorry if it’s hard on you,” Jacques offered.
“It’s normally bearable, but today it was wicked. I kept looking at my watch and felt… edgy.” He took another sip of beer and slammed the bottle down a little too hard against the table. “Sorry.”
Both Vampyres stared at him. Just discussing this was stirring him up. That was a very bad sign.
“Then, we went to the cemetery, and I was mad. I was just pissed off that I had to look at that little girl, and I was furious that I had to be there. In that moment, I was angry with the entire world.”
“When did you feel this way?”
“When I got into my H2,” he replied, pausing. “I was watching Lily try to get in, and I remember being irritated.”
“Irritated or angry?” asked Jolie curiously.
“Irritated. I guess I wasn’t angry until I pulled into the cemetery.” He rubbed his cheek against Jolie’s forehead. “What’s wrong with me?”
“This isn't you, Flynn,” said Jacques. “Are the children harmed in any way?” he asked, pretty sure he already knew that answer.
“No, and that’s the disturbing part. It looks like they’re sleeping. That poor baby today, she was maybe three. She had all this curly black hair.” Brogan stopped. In that moment, he needed some space. Pulling away from Jolie’s hands, he escaped.
What he didn't say out loud was that the child reminded him of her. In his mind, he kept thinking about what their children could look like.
It gave him peace and
disturbed him at the same time.
Then, to escape from something that would never happen, Flynn buried it. It was one more thing he didn't need them seeing in his mind.
Walking toward the counter, Flynn braced his arms on it. The entire time, he kept his back to them. He couldn’t face them right then.
This was his burden to carry.
This was going to take more than just a hug from Jolie. So, both vampyres followed him. Going to his back, she wrapped herself around him. Jolie could feel the sadness and anger radiating off his body. She fought him as he tried to push her away, to escape her embrace.
“Flynn,” she whispered, as she slid around to the front of him. Now, she was pressed between the counter and his frame. He had no choice but to focus on her.
“I can’t,” he whispered, afraid to let the anger out.
“Let us offer you some peace,” Jacques stated, placing his hand on the man’s tense shoulder. Part of this could be his fault. When they bonded, Flynn may have picked up a few of his gifts, or just a touch of his empathic abilities.
“I’m losing my mind,” he whispered. “I feel like I’m losing my damn mind!”
Both vampyres moved closer, sending calming energy into his tense body.
“You’re not, Flynn, darling,” she reassured. Pulling his face down to hers, Jolie softly kissed him. “I need you to trust me. You’re not going crazy. We can explain what you’re feeling.”
He had hope.
“You can?”
“Yes, Flynn. We need to talk,” Jacques said, as Jolie went back to kissing him.
The combination of her lips and Jacques’s hand on his shoulder was pulling the negative feelings from his body.
In that moment, he was given peace. His mind cleared and Flynn was able to focus.
Reaching into their minds, he spoke, “About what, Jolie? What’s making me go crazy?”
Jolie held onto the moment. After what they were going to tell him, she feared he’d begin to hate them. Breaking her mouth from his, she stared into his eyes.
Jolie prayed he would find the unspoken love in them.
Staying in his mind, she answered him.
“What else, my darling, but vampyres?”
∞ Chapter Three ∞
With her words, there was hope, despite the nerves which were jangling in his gut. Was it possible that vampyres were behind this mess? For him, he’d rather face down a pack of killer undead than believe that he was losing his mind.
Now, he had hope, even as skewed and twisted as it may be.
“I’m ready to hear about it. What do you think is going on here?”
This definitely wasn’t the place to discuss this. “Come. Let’s head to the family room. I think I’ll be able to help you relax and also give you insight on your killers.”
“Really?” asked Brogan, feeling even more hopeful. If Jolie was offering that up, there had to be a valid reason. She wasn’t an expert on vampyres and deviant behavior for nothing.
“Let’s go,” motioned Jacques, knowing that this wasn’t going to be the most pleasant of conversations. Their human was an honorable man, and vampyres killing humans went against everything he stood for.
After moving to the family room, they took their customary seats facing the fireplace. Jolie sat in Jacques’s lap as he rested in one of the large leather chairs. Brogan tossed himself down on the couch and closed his eyes.
“Okay, Doc, let me have it,” he teased, trying to lighten the mood. He’d been difficult to be around the last few nights, and he owed this to his family.
She knew where she needed to begin. “First, I think that I should mention that we’ve been contacted by the local societies. They want us to attend the next meeting. Honestly, I was leaning toward not going. I know they’re not giving us an option, but now I think we have even more reason to be there.”
Jacques rubbed a hand up and down her back in support. “I agree.”
“Why?” asked Brogan. “Can’t they tell us to leave the city?”
“Yes, they can. If they feel that we’re a threat or too weak, they can indeed order us out of here. My main reason to not attend was because I’m worried about Genevieve attacking us there. We aren’t one hundred percent certain that she knows we’re here.”
“She’ll find us,” stated Jacques.
Jolie rested her head against his. “If she’s invaded your dreams, it’s only a matter of time.”
Brogan turned his icy blue eyes toward her and raised an eyebrow in question.
“Genevieve is very smart. She would have been carefully observing your surroundings while she invaded your dream. It’s only a matter of time before she can find out from you where we are.”
“I wouldn’t ever tell her, Jolie. I swear!”
She offered him a reassuring smile. “Flynn, I know you wouldn’t. I trust you completely. But again, she’ll use the dreams to dig around. With each one, she’ll pull out more details like a puzzle.”
Jacques added, “She’ll use things like tombstones, city markers, and other such telltale signs to track us.”
Brogan nodded, understanding. It bothered him that he wasn’t strong enough to keep them safe. If she found them, it was because of him.
“There is that, and then there’s the second reason we need to head to council. We definitely have another vampyre killing in the city.”
That got Brogan’s attention. “Are you sure it’s another one?” he asked, his gaze flickering back and forth between them.
Jolie nodded. “Flynn, there’s a little story that I need to tell you, but keep in mind, it’s going to piss you off. By the time I’m done, you’ll understand why we need to seamlessly slip into the new society.”
Already, he could feel the rage building, but he didn't know why. “Fine, spill it,” he said with mild hostility toward them. They were keeping secrets and that bothered him.
The whispers.
The shared looks.
“Why are you angry again?”
“How long have you known about the killer being a vampyre? I know this isn't the first time we’ve discussed my case. When did you know?” he practically accused, leaving none of the hostility out of his words.
They were supposed to trust him, letting Flynn be part of the big picture. Now, he felt…betrayed.
Jolie could feel her own anger growing at his comments. For a few seconds, she almost returned the barrage of rage. Before she could, Jacques reach for her mind.
“You should go comfort him, Jolie. This anger isn't his. Our Flynn is barely handling the weight of it all. He needs you.”
“Oui, I can feel it affecting me too.”
“Give him what he needs.”
“Flynn,” she said, standing from Jacques’s lap, as she moved toward him on the couch. Jolie hoped that that by being near him, he would gain some peace. “I wasn’t aware until you told me the story about your experience tonight. I didn’t suspect anything at all before now. I wish you’d believe me. I wouldn’t keep something like this from you. It would mean making you go into something blind. That could risk you, and if I lost you, I’d be so very hurt.” Jolie touched his arm to drain the tension away.
Brogan was ashamed that he just snarled at her for no reason. “Jolie, I’m so sorry. See what I mean? What’s wrong with me?”
Jolie curled against him on the couch. It was a tight squeeze, but as long as Flynn held her to his body, she would fit.
“Shhhh, darling. It’s all going to be okay. I swear that you’ll be fine,” she said, rubbing her hand up and down his leg. “We’re here for you and always will be. Let me share with you what I believe is going on, so you can feel less off balance.”
When he simply nodded, Jolie nuzzled his throat, leaving kisses over his pulse. Just that little action gave him so much calm.
“Back in eighteen forty one, when we were forced to leave Paris to come to America, some of our people went north and some went south. We believed that here, in the
new country, we’d have a better chance of survival if we split up. In the southern half of the states, a new society formed. They were known as the Dubois Clan.”
Brogan stared into her angelic face, listening to the story.
Her immediate response was to cuddle closer to him. For what was coming, he’d need the comfort.
“The Dubois Clan turned out to be a nasty bunch. Where we swore to use donors, and continue the tradition of taking humans as partners, they refused the rules. Alone, they decided they were above the past and wanted a new fresh life. Shortly after arriving here, they saw the humans as food and little more. Sex with them was fine and for dessert, they would drain them dry of all their blood, killing them.”
“I’m with you so far.” He wasn’t surprised that vampyres were crossing the line. He wasn’t sure that if he was one of them, he’d be able to pass up blood either. After all, the little Jolie had given him had been addicting.
“They were fascinated with the surrounding community. As you’re well aware, there are many Voodoo practitioners in the area. The priestesses showed them how to remove the soul from the body, so they weren’t forced to mate with the lowly humans,” added Jacques.
“Hey,” Brogan interjected. “I like it better when she tells the story.”
“Sorry, I meant no offense, but that was their beliefs and not ours,” Jacques added, grinning at his friend’s objection.
He offered the smile in return. “None was taken.” Then, he focused on Jolie. She was so damn close to his body, that he could feel her heart beating against his chest. Flynn knew he needed to focus on work and not her plump lips. When she licked them, he nearly moaned.
Jolie stroked a hair from his cheek.
Flynn pushed on with work. “So, what you’re saying is that they learned to remove the soul?” he asked, trying to focus. “How is that even possible?”
“The Voodoo priestesses didn’t realize who they were teaching the spell to, and therefore let the fox into the henhouse. Once it was done, there was no way in hell to change it. Ancient magick isn't to be played with or handed out so willingly,” Jolie stated.