Devil's Cut: Immortal Keeper Vampire Paranormal Romance Series

by L. A. McGinnis

  “Pick a seat, Selena.”

  I chose the one opposite him, set down my bag and searched for the buckle. I’d never been on a private plane before, and couldn’t find either end.

  “Right here.” He reached around me, his hand brushing my neck. “Can’t have anything happening to you now, can we?” he whispered in my ear as he clicked the belt tight.

  “Not until I get to see Scotland,” I quipped, the side of my neck burning, even though his touch was cool. Before he noticed the blush in my cheeks, I turned and looked out the window. Then I was pressed back into the seat as the plane took off, Forge barely shifting as we rocketed into the clouds.

  The moment Selena ducked into the Bombardier 7000, my heart loosened up. I hadn’t been entirely sure she’d come today, not after last night. If I hadn’t gotten there when I did…

  I kept my eyes turned to the window, watching the car pull away. I’d replayed last night a million times, debating whether I should have killed that bastard on sight. Which would only have made this war between me and the other vampires attending Assembly more dangerous.

  But Dobson had gotten within ten feet of her.

  Ten fucking feet.

  That was what I was thinking about when I felt the shiver of hesitation—of doubt—that went through her as she halted in the aisle, uncertain, her hair pulled back so all I saw was those huge green eyes.

  When I caught her gaze with mine, a smile creased her lips, lighting up her face, and whatever bound up my heart loosened slightly. I was happy to see her. I was glad she was going with me, even when I knew how high the stakes were.

  As hard as I’d fought my attraction, I couldn’t get her out of my head. Whether it was her strange ability, her stubbornness or how intriguing I found her, I didn’t know. But for the past two weeks, Selena was all I’d thought of.

  A savage thrill went through me at the combination of awe and pleasure that crossed her face as she surveyed the inside of the plane, before she remembered to school her expression into a serene mask. As I watched her lock down her emotions, disappointment welled up. I hated that this task required her to learn how to hide her feelings. I much preferred reading her like a book. Vampires were an aloof, dispassionate race, and after years of playing mind games with my fellow bloodsuckers, I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed seeing actual emotion on someone’s face.

  She looked up and down the plane, taking in the sophisticated interior. “Pick a seat, Selena.” After a small hesitation, she sat right in front of me, set her bag aside, then occupied herself looking for the belt.

  “Right here.” When I reached around to pull the belt into place, I let my hand brush her cheek, the first time I’d touched her since the handshake that set us on this path. Her skin was velvety, so warm that the heat penetrated my fingers. She was so nervous that I wondered if she’d ever flown before. “Can’t have anything happening to you now, can we?” I told her, my lips almost touching her ear.

  In true Selena form, she responded, “Not until I get to see Scotland.”

  We were already rolling down the runway, although I doubted Selena even noticed, she was so intent on measuring up the interior of the plane. When the pilot took off, she gripped the arms until her knuckles turned white.

  “Selena,” I said. She turned her head, and I glimpsed fear in her eyes before she managed to shutter her emotions away. “We’ll level out in a minute and this feeling will pass. Haven’t you ever flown before?”

  “Yes, and I forgot how much I hated it.” Her face turned whiter. “I thought, when I saw this fancy plane, that the takeoff would be easier for me to handle.” Her voice was breathy. “Don’t hate me if I get sick all over your beautiful interior.”

  “Look at me.” She immediately obeyed, stubbornness forgotten, and I let my face soften, my muscles fighting me every step of the way. She blinked in surprise when my hand covered hers and I felt the bones beneath her soft skin. “Haven’t you ever been to Scotland?”

  “No. Dad always said he’d take us, but then he had the stroke, and things changed.”

  “That’s when you started helping him?”

  “Yeah. Brandon never cared about the distillery, except to use it as a piggy bank. Which meant Dad relied on me, more and more, as time went by. In the end, I was at the distillery more than I was home. When I realized I’d be the one to take Dad’s place, I went to college, since I figured business classes would come in handy. I made it through two years before Brandon screwed everything up.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “Then it was all on me…”

  I doubted she even knew what she was saying, but talking would get her through takeoff, so I listened as she went on about her shit brother, her father, the company. Unfair. Humans always whine about how unfair life is, but in Selena’s case, it was true. She’d been dealt a shit hand and was doing her best to get through.

  I’d already decided—if I survived Assembly—that Selena would be my first priority when we returned. She was unique in every way, and I intended to see just how far her abilities went. I’d make sure the loan shark never bothered her again, and in the process, I’d find out what had really happened to her brother and father. The way everything fell on her shoulders—she thought it was just a series of bad luck.

  I saw things differently, and I planned to do something about it.

  “You got awfully quiet over there, Forge. Am I that boring?”

  “Not at all. I was just thinking. I’d say between your hands-on experience and your classes, you’re more than prepared to handle the company. Langston-Forge is lucky to have you.”

  Her face bloomed even pinker, and she turned away again, thinking I hadn’t noticed. If she thought I wouldn’t notice the flush of blood in her skin, she was sorely mistaken. Her scent was so ingrained in me now that I couldn’t ignore the truth any longer.

  I wanted her. I had no right wanting a human, much less Selena Langston, but I did.

  “You don’t even know me, Forge. You have no idea if I’m competent or not.”

  Except she was completely wrong. Over the last seven days, I’d made it my goal in life to research every aspect of Langston-Forge, from their profit and loss statements, down to their last employee. The company had limped along for the past six years on loans and extensions, and that was before she’d had to cash out everything to pay off the loan shark.

  “Besides, I’ve hardly done a bang-up job. Without your money, everything would have reverted to the board. They planned to liquidate the company and sell if off piecemeal to any interested parties. I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t just sit by and watch it happen, not without trying everything.”

  In the end, her reckless plan to come and ask me for a loan had worked.

  “How did you convince Holloway to give you my address?”

  Her mouth quirked upward. “Isn’t it obvious? I didn’t take no for an answer.” Her eyes grew serious. “He warned me against you, and rightfully so. Nobody’s seen you in forever.”

  Exactly as I’d planned. “What did you think, that first night?”

  “Arrogant,” she said, without missing a beat. “But fair, I suppose. At least you listened to me, and gave me a chance.”

  Not exactly a glowing report, but then again, as reclusive as I was, it was on point. When I’d pressed the button and opened the gates to let her in, I’d been motivated by curiosity. Her curly hair had been a dead giveaway, and it had amused me that the Langstons had finally broken their oath.

  Then she’d walked through my door.

  Now she was sitting in my plane, and I was taking her to a gathering of my old clan-mates. Reaching out, I had her other hand in mine before I even knew I’d moved. Her skin was warm, a reminder that she was human, and what she about to walk into would be like a foreign world to her.

  “You can still back out of this.”

  I wasn’t sure why I was giving her an out this late in the game. Especially when everything rode on the outcome of this meeting.
Who the hell was I kidding? I’d rather navigate the deadly intricacies of Assembly myself than put Selena in any danger.

  It was a mistake asking her to do this, to involve her in the mess I’d made. My life was on the line. No reason to risk hers too. I was just opening my mouth to tell her that when she cut me off.

  “I don’t want to back out.” She shot me a blinding smile while she squeezed my hand, hard. “I mean it. I really want to do this. Not just because of the loan, either.” She shrugged. “I’m curious about my ability. I’d like to see what I can do, I suppose.”

  “How much do you know about me?” About us?

  “Just…” Her eyes searched my face. “Are you sure you want to hear this? I mean, you’ve become kind of a legend in my family, and I don’t want to offend you.”

  When she turned her face to the window, I waited her out until she finally started talking again.

  “I know you were friends with Ambrose, and that you loaned him the money for the company, no questions asked. I know you never wanted your name on the distillery, but he did it out of gratitude. When you became a vampire, the two of you remained friends until he died. And none of us were to ever try to contact you.”

  “Like I said before, obedience is not your strong suit.”

  Her smile turned defiant and she rolled her eyes. “I had a damn good reason to find you. Besides, my approach worked.”

  “What else did you hear?” I didn’t particularly care, but I wanted to keep her talking, at least until the plane leveled out and she released her death grip on my hands.

  “Not much. Most of the stories I’ve heard…can’t be true. They have to be exaggerations.” Her gaze skimmed my face, then shifted away. Clearly, I should be more interested in the Langstons’ stories.

  “What else did you hear about me, Selena?”

  “You once killed another vampire to save Ambrose. After that, Ambrose tried to cut off all contact with you, but you insisted on keeping him in your life. You were once the most powerful man—vampire—in Philadelphia. Once you even dueled with the governor of Pennsylvania, and after that you disappeared. The next time anyone from my family saw you was at Ambrose’s funeral, and you warned his son to never contact you, but your name could remain on the building.”

  So, a mix of fact and fiction. There was no duel with the governor, and I hated my name on the building. It surprised me that Ambrose had said anything about the night I killed one of my kind to save him, but then again, my friend was always full of surprises.

  “Mostly true. All except my name on the building. I never intended to be part of Langston company’s operations. Not then, and not now.” Emotions played across her face—confusion and surprise. “But I’m glad it’s still there, because otherwise, you would have never come looking for me.”

  “It wasn’t…” A strange look came over her face. “There was a note, Forge. Someone left me a note, with your signature. That’s why I came looking for you.”

  “You told me that the first night.” I’d forgotten, but now that she’d brought it up, a flicker of misgiving went through me. “Out of curiosity, what did it say?”

  “‘Find me if you need my help.’” Her grip relaxed slightly as she pulled back to scan my face. “It was signed by you—the signature was exactly the same.”

  “How do you know what my signature looks like?” I asked, wondering who might be playing games. My friendship with Ambrose was ancient history, and given I’d been in virtual hiding for centuries, there was no one looking for me. Except, of course, the Elder. But involving humans in vampire affairs was now only frowned upon, it was foolish. And the Elder was not foolish.

  “I just… I know, okay?” She pulled her hands from mine and turned to hide her blush. I was tempted to peek into her head to see how, exactly, she knew, but that would be a terrible betrayal, and not one I was willing to make.

  Selena didn’t noticed the plane had reached cruising altitude until I leaned over and unbuckled her belt. “It’s a six-hour flight to Edinburgh. Make yourself comfortable—there are drinks over on the bar.”

  She went over and put her hands on her hips as she surveyed the assorted bottles. “You brought Dad’s bottle.”

  “I thought it might bring us a bit of good luck,” I told her, although the real reason was something I couldn’t admit, not even to myself. “There’s ice just below the glasses.”

  When she returned, she handed me a glass, then clinked hers against mine. “Do you always toast when you drink?” I asked, thinking this was perhaps a new tradition.

  “No, only with you. But it seems like we are always either celebrating something or one of us is trying to cut a deal.”

  “Sláinte mhath.”

  “Slang-var what?”

  “Sláinte mhath,” I said again. “Good health in Gaelic, if you will.” I watched her mouth the words over and over again between sips. She had the most inviting mouth, and if I didn’t stop thinking like that, I was going to get both of us killed.

  “I like the way it feels on my tongue. It’s almost like drinking good whisky, isn’t it, speaking Gaelic?”

  I decided I could watch her drink whisky all day, from the way her throat moved as she swallowed, to the slight flush of pink in her cheeks.

  “I’ve never thought of it that way. As a matter of fact, it’s been a long time since I’ve spoken that language.” Once, it had been the only language I’d known. Now I spoke at least four presentably, and preferred English, because it was generally easier.

  “You still have an accent, though,” she said, turning her attention wholly to me. She gave me an easy smile, her head tilting slightly to take me in. “Kind of cute, if you ask me.”

  12

  What in the holy hell was wrong with me?

  You didn’t tell a vampire he was…cute. Scary, most definitely. Forbidding…maybe, if I wanted to piss him off. But “cute” had to rank somewhere up there between calling him weak or a coward.

  Which meant I did what any smart girl would do: I completely changed the subject.

  “Where do we land?”

  I hadn’t asked before, because, honestly, the whole situation seemed surreal, and I didn’t really think I’d actually be making this trip. Now that we were in the air, the prospect of an adventure seemed a bit more concrete.

  “Edinburgh, of course.”

  Excitement tickled my stomach as I mentally ticked off at least four distilleries close by. I’d dreamed of Scotland since I was little, from the stories Great-Granddaddy told, to travel books Dad had lying around.

  “What time does this meeting of yours start?” I was already mapping out our route, the shortest distance with the most distilleries. It wasn’t even that hard, since there were so many.

  “Not until midnight.”

  “Wow, good thing that’s not clichéd, or anything.” I watched Forge’s eyes crinkle with laughter. “But good, we’ll have time visit a distillery or two,” I casually suggested. “Since I’m doing you a favor and all, you can indulge me, right?”

  For a second, I thought he’d deny me, but Forge in the air was definitely more laid-back than Forge on the ground.

  Of course, I should have known there’d be stipulations to him agreeing.

  “Only if you manage to keep me from guessing every single thought that pops into your head.” He looked at his watch. “Starting right now.”

  I focused my entire will on my facial muscles, praying my version of inscrutable was the same as Forge’s. It must have passed muster, because after a glance, he leaned back—looking all king of the world—and got serious.

  “First off,” he said, “we have to arrive at eleven thirty, so it’s just shy of clichéd. Secondly, I need to set down some ground rules for tonight.”

  “All right. Shoot.”

  “You do not leave my side. We will be seated together, but you do not leave your chair for any reason. You will read any vampire’s thoughts that are easily accessible, but you will n
ot speak until we are safely back in the plane. If anything happens to me, I have a…friend who will get you out.”

  It was taking a lot of effort to keep a straight face, and I must have misunderstood that last part. “Those are a lot of rules, Forge. You know how I feel about that.”

  That self-satisfied, smug look never left his face. “Your eyebrow is twitching, Selena.”

  I locked down my errant eyebrow. “Plus, that’s too many rules for just one night. I thought this might be fun, but you’re making it sound more like a job than an adventure.”

  I wasn’t prepared for the way his face tightened up. I seemed to have a habit of pissing him of, especially when I wasn’t even trying.

  “This is not a lark, Selena. What I’m asking you to do…” His voice trailed off before he looked away. He raked his hand through his hair before he continued, “Tonight will be dangerous, even more so after you crossed paths with Dobson. The truth is, I shouldn’t have involved you in my affairs, but I was…desperate.”

  I didn’t like where this conversation was going. Forge sounded almost ominous. And the fact he’d allowed the word desperate to slip out meant that maybe this was.

  “What are you not telling me? I mean, I know what I’m supposed to do. But I never asked why.”

  “When there is a serious clan matter to decide, the twenty most powerful families gather in Edinburgh, Scotland. We call it Assembly—think of it as judge, jury and executioner, all around one table. They decide only the most serious cases.”

  “Why are we going to this particular meeting?” My feeling of vague disquiet began to grow, especially when Forge avoided my eyes completely.

  “The Assembly only tries cases that deserve the death penalty.”

  “You are one of the judges?” Please, please tell me he’s one of the good guys…good vampires. Please don’t let me have made a giant mistake.

  “I’m afraid not, Selena. I’m the one on trial.”

  “You didn’t think to mention that right off the bat?” I was waffling between fear and anger, all while trying to keep my face expressionless, because, you know—Scotland trip. If only my dream vacation didn’t involve a meeting with the deadly vampires who wanted to kill Forge.