"It's pure, liquid silver from a blessed cross. Made to kill your kind.”
Her voice is smug, but her eyes are wary. I stop and stare at her, not sure I can even trust my words for the moment. Anger seeps out of every pore as I stare her down.
"Do you mean,” I ground out, “that you just actively tried to kill me. Choose your words carefully my pet."
"I—.” She gulps and looks at my shirt then back up at me. "It's supposed to work! We've done the research! How are you not dead?"
"I am guessing it is pure luck.”
Reaching down, I yank out the shards of glass embedded into my skin and toss them to the ground. A dreaded calm settles into my chest. This little human tries to kill me. The calm turns into numb.
"You better pray I do not catch you before I cool down. Your ass will not fare well. I can guarantee you that."
Why am I even giving her the option? I should toss her aside and be done with her. Maybe the desperate part of me feels like we can fix this if we just talk about it.
Her mouth drops open. "You think I'm going to let you near me? You're a killer and a monster. They were right. They were all right. I was so stupid to fall for your lies and tricks. I can't believe I let you fool me into caring for you!"
I take a deep breath, determined to not let my temper get the better of me. Numb was better, numb was safer. Oh, she has more than a good paddling waiting for her. That is, if I even want her back. The area my heart should have been pangs at the thought of not seeing her smile up at me.
But, she tried to kill me. I should drag her before Lucius this instant and let him deal with her. No. She is my responsibility. Obviously, someone got into her head. It hurts, but it’s not unreasonable for a mortal to fear me. I just thought she was different. She seemed to be willing the other night when she offered me her blood. I hate that after all we have been through together, she doesn't trust me now.
"I do care for you. You must believe me."
"That was my first mistake. I should have killed you the moment I realized what you were. Trust me, I won't make that mistake again.”
Her words finally click into place. How could I have been so blind! Her questions had nothing to do with trying to get to know me. She’s a fucking hunter! Memories from the last few weeks swirl through my brain at lightning speed, everything finally making sense.
She was snooping at the coat closet to find out if there were more of our kind down there. And I let my cock lead her right into the heart of Club Toxic. I betrayed my own kind for a piece of hot ass. How could I be so stupid. So blind?
I don’t care what Maria says, she should have been stronger than whatever demons she was trying to run from. Hell, I would have fought them for her. With me by her side, she would have been safe, cherished, loved. None of that matters anymore. She made her choice, and now, I have to make mine.
She runs into the night. I have no idea where she plans to go since her car is still at her apartment. But, she is not my problem anymore. Hurt sears through me for a moment, choking me. She is not the only foolish one here. I allowed myself to get too attached, and that is never a good thing with mortals. For now, I have to alert Lucius of this major problem and try to fix it.
Tipping my head back, I close my eyes and let the night settle in around me. It hurts, but I have to cut that part of my life off at the moment. There will be time later to mourn the loss of Evangeline, the loss of our future. For now, I have to focus all my attention on preparations for war.
The cacophony of the club hits me as I make my way back in. I spot several other vampires and motion them to join me at the coat rack. Once all of us are inside, I lay out the horrible discovery.
"Barbara is dead. Her body is behind the club, tied down with my ropes. There are two puncture marks on her neck, but it was clearly not done by a vampire. I suspect we have a ring of hunters nearby.” I point to my shirt. "Evangeline tried to kill me. Lucky for us, their intel seems to be faulty, but we should still be careful. I am heading down to talk with Lucius, but her body needs to be removed before we cause a commotion."
Watching as they disperse, I trudge down the steps, not ready to admit that I led a viper into our midst.
The dungeon is in full swing as I make my way down. Lucius and Selene sit on their thrones surveying the scene, no clue about the bomb I am about to drop. Weaving about the people, I ease my way to his side. "Lucius, may we have a word in your office?"
He looks up at me, concern flashing in his eyes. Leaning over, he whispers something to Selene before kissing her cheek. Once in Lucius' office, he makes his way around his massive desk before sitting in his chair and stapling his fingers.
"What is this all about then?" Lucius pauses and reaches over to a decanter sitting near the edge. "Drink?"
I shake my head. Normally I wouldn’t hesitate to join in, but my insides are twisted into knots. Not only did I lose the one woman I thought I could actually love, but I caused the potential destruction of everything Lucius had built.
"I am not exactly sure where to start."
Lucius takes a long sip and stares at me for a moment. "I usually find it best to start at the beginning."
I rub the back of my neck with my hand, shame washing over me. Where could I even start?
"You know your bartender Evangeline?"
His eyes glisten as a smile stretches his lips.
"Indeed, I do. You both looked rather cozy downstairs awhile back. She's been staying with you at your place, right?"
"Yes, but that's not why we’re here. We have a situation."
"What did you do to her?"
"What makes you think I did anything?"
My eyes narrow as I clench my fists next to me. I am in his territory, as such, I can’t make waves, but if I'm being honest with myself, I want to punch him in his smug face. No. That's not true. What I really want to do is find Evangeline and wear her ass out and fuck her senseless until all she can think, speak, and breathe is me. Sighing, I sit down in a chair opposite of him.
"I haven't done anything to her, but she is going to do something to us."
Lucius' hand stops halfway to the bottle. "The mortal? What could she possibly do?"
"She's a hunter."
"A hunter. Here? How did she slip past us?" Lucius hisses standing up and smacking his palms against the desk. "She was downstairs. She saw everything. You said she was an immune. What are we going to do about this?”
“I kept her blindfolded the whole time I fed. Nothing in the club seemed like anything other than a typical BDSM night. I made sure to keep an eye on things and shield her from anything that could be misconstrued.”
I rub my hand across my forehead then down the back of my neck.
“She offered to let me drink from her the other night, so she for sure knows about me, but I don't know what else she knows. But that's not even the worst of it."
Groaning, he picks up the decanter and pours another drink. After a few gulps, he looks at me warily. "What else is there? A hunter isn't bad enough?"
"There's been a death outside the club. Barbara, your bartender."
Lucius' eyes frantically look from me to the door. "Then why are we standing up here!"
"I have some men on it. Evangeline thinks it was me.” I motion to the dried silver on my shirt. "She tried to kill me with silver of all things. I don't know where she got her information, but it's obviously flawed. We can certainly use that to our advantage."
"Did you kill her? I don't know you that well. You're certainly not part of my nest, so I have to ask you these questions. Hell, I'd still ask it of those I sired.”
Lucius' voice is quiet and deadly, as he stares me down. I squirm slightly under his unnerving gaze. Though I'm completely innocent, it still feels like I'm being called into the principal's office. At least it's not completely personal.
Sighing, I dropped my head into my hands. "No, I didn't kill her. What's problematic is whoever did this tried to make it look like a
vampire did. There are puncture marks in her neck, but they were done after she was dead. I can't wrap my head around it, but it feels like I'm being framed. I just happened to be standing over her when Evangeline came to me, saying I wanted to see her. But who would want to frame me? Who would care?"
Lucius' finger circles the rim of his glass deep in thought. "What makes you think they're framing you specifically and not vampires in general."
Grimacing, I pull out a hank of rope, the same one I always keep on hand and toss it on the desk in front of Lucius.
"This rope is a special blend. To my knowledge, only a handful of people have it. Barbara was tied in it."
He grabs the rope and runs his fingers over it, his brow furrowed in thought. "Who's taking care of her right now?"
"I have no clue. My mind isn’t where it should be right now. I know Tiberius at least."
Nodding, Lucius tosses the rope back to me. "I trust him with my life. If his report doesn't match yours, that will not look good for you."
"I understand."
"Where is Evangeline now?"
I shrug, feeling hopeless for the first time in decades. "After she realized I wasn't dead, she ran for her life."
"Damn it. It's too close to sunrise to properly take care of this. But I want her here at sunset."
Lucius rises from his seat and storms out his office leaving me there with my thoughts. I have no idea what hurts worse—the fact that she tried to kill me or the fact that she's gone. If I still had a heart, it would be breaking right now. As it were, I didn’t have that luxury. Right now, there’s nothing more I can do. If I search for her, I could get caught in the sun. Perhaps that will still be an option after all of this. Shaking my head to clear the morose thoughts, I grab my rope and head home.
13
Evangeline
I am stupid. I am so stupid. As I run from Adrian, I duck into the club and grab my purse, phone, and backup keys. Thankfully I have enough wits sometimes to think ahead. Running for the door, I glance back towards the back of the building, my panic rising up into my throat. I almost choke on bile as I see his figure rounding the corner.
Without further thought, I dart out into the night, trying to get as much distance between us as possible. Once I know he's not following me, I slow down to a walk. My mind is in such turmoil. How could I have let him do those awful things to me? It doesn't matter if I liked it or not. I shouldn't have allowed myself to get that close. I played the game and lost.
Tears stream down my cheeks, and as much as I wipe away, they just keep coming. Anguish bubbles up inside of me, but I can't let go. Not until I'm safe. Looking up and down the road, I stick my thumb out both praying for a ride and that they’re not a psycho. I've already hit the jackpot with that one. Looking at my phone, I realize just how late it is. There's still hope though. The club was bursting when I left. Obviously, people are still out and about. Within a few more minutes, I see headlights approaching. As it pulls up, I breathe a sigh of relief. It's a woman, and she doesn't look or act like a vampire. Hopefully she's not anything other. I just don't have the brain space to deal with that.
Hopping in, I give her my address and keep her in my sights. No way I'm letting my guard down again. I can't get into my apartment quick enough. The moment the door closes behind me, the floodgates open. I slide down the door and sob into my arms. I didn't think this would hurt so badly. Now I know why The Family teaches to never get involved. My heart hurts so badly. Looking around the room, I see the remnants of the night Adrian took me away. The garlic still swings from the valance and all the corners of the room.
Cursing under my breath, I reach up and tear all of it down. So much for our research. He didn't even blink when he walked through the door. Anger and shame fill me as I rip the sheets and comforter from the bed. How could I be so stupid. I make a small nest at the foot of the bed and sit down, the edge of the bed pressing firmly against my back as I curl my legs up to my chest. My mind drifts back to the bed I had at Adrian's, and the soft bunny that I snuggled just this morning. Was it really last night that he gave me a mind-blowing orgasm? It makes no difference now. The one man I thought I could fall in love with betrayed me and taught me that monsters weren't redeemable.
Eyes locked on the door, I stare at it, pinching myself every time I feel like I'm going to drift off. If Adrian is going to attack me, it will be during the night. I can sleep all day and be safe. Instead of letting myself continue to cry, I decide to think of a game plan. Yes, he is a vampire, but there has to be some weaknesses. Pulling out my phone, I start googling. A lot of what is written is stuff I was taught. Instead of going by that, I try looking for more obscure things. I'm not sure how The Family got things so wrong, but I am determined to make everything right.
As the first fingers of dawn paint the window, I finally allow myself to close my eyes and drift off. I am going to need all my wits about me if I am going to square off with the Devil himself.
My sleep comes in fits and starts. Every time I close my eyes, I see Barbara staring up at me, her lifeless body covered by Adrian's. His eyes are glowing red, blood dripping from his fangs. He stalks me slowly, but I still cannot get away. I wake up just as his nails turn to talons, a scream lodged in my throat. Looking around, my studio comes back into focus. Shaking my head, I look at the clock, thankfully it's later in the afternoon. Now I don't have an excuse to try going back to sleep again. Yawning, I make my way over to the coffee maker and fumble around with the settings. As I bring it up to my lips, a familiar knock sounds at my door.
Fear freezes me for a moment. What is he doing here? I know that knock like I know the back of my hand. It was drilled into me during the many years of training. Creeping over, I softly put one foot in front of the other, keeping as silent as possible. I look through the peephole, and my fear is confirmed.
Simon's face darts back and forth as he keeps watch over his shoulders. Should I let him in? The loud pattern sounds again, startling a gasp from me. Did he hear it? What is he doing here? There's no way I can finish my mission and come home a hero now. If he's here, they've already lost faith in me.
"Evangeline, you gotta let me in."
Grimacing, I slide the locks and ease the door open. Before I can get it all the way open, he bursts through and slams it shut, throwing the locks back into place.
"Miss me?"
His mouth widens into a smile. Teeth gleam in front of me bringing my mind back to my dream. Shuddering, I back away. It's just Simon. He can't hurt me. In fact, now that he's here, he might be able to actually help!
"Of course, I missed you.”
It's a lie of course, but he doesn't have to know that. I was always able to placate him with a dashing smile and a flip of my hair. Grinning, I run my fingers across my shoulder, but before I can even get to my hair, his hand snakes out and latches onto my wrist.
"Stop lying you filthy cunt."
Shocked, I stumble back half a step. There's no way I heard him right.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me."
His hand grips my wrist even tighter and begins twisting. Pain explodes from my wrist to my elbow. I try to struggle, but every movement just tightens his hold on me. Simon's lips snarl as he leans into the twist. I know he's trying to bring me down to the floor, and I can't let that happen. On instinct, I curl my fingers into a fist and swing at his chest as hard as I can. Even as my punch flies, I know it's the wrong move. Within seconds, Simon's other hand slams down onto the approaching forearm, effectively blocking it. He uses the force of the block to shove me down onto the ground. Hard floor rises up to slam my back. My breath whooshes out of my body, leaving me hurting and gasping.
Luckily, once I'm down, he lets go of me. I turn to my side and cradle my wrist to my chest. Tears dot my eyes as I struggle to breathe. Every gasp in seems to constrict my lungs even more. The warmth of his body prickles my back as he leans beside me and starts rubbing my back.
"That's it. Breathe.
You can do it."
If I wasn't already trying not to die, I would have turned and punched him in the face. What is going on with him. He’s never like this with me. Slowly, the air starts returning back to me, and the wave of panic-induced nausea seems to subside. I roll over onto my back and look up to see him looming over me.
"What the hell?"
"I'm asking the questions here. The only talking you're going to do is answering me.” Simon clamps his hand over my mouth and straddles my hips with his legs. With his full weight on me, I can't shove him off. I try bucking my hips, but he simply laughs and wraps his hand around my throat.
"I've ridden broncs that buck harder than you, missy. You'll have to work harder to get me off of you."
Fear races through me, sending my brain into overdrive. My mind starts working fast, but nothing in my training prepared me for this. We never got into positions that could even come close to resembling sex. His fingers start squeezing even harder, but not quite enough to cut off all my air, just enough to make my head start spinning. When I thought of all the ways I might die, this was not one that even entered my brain. He is my brother. Why is he doing this? The only thing my mind can do is think of ways to escape.
His other arm is braced beside my head. This could work to my advantage. Taking the hand opposite of the one he's bracing on, I start to peel his fingers back from my throat. In the same instance, I jab at his ribs and buck my hips hard. Simon jerks in surprise and flies over my head. I scramble to my knees, so I can try to get away. I'm way too slow. I'm operating on not enough sleep and hysteria. Before I can make it more than a few inches, Simon grabs my ankles and yanks them back, sending me to my stomach.
"How dare you fight me, whore," he bellows, flipping me onto my back.
I open my mouth to respond, but his hand comes crashing hard against my face. Everything goes black.
Pain explodes through my head as I flutter my eyes open. Everything is hazy. Where am I? What happened to me? Looking up, I squint against the light coming through the windows. A shadowed figure walks in front of me until their head blocks out the light. Simon.
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