Devil's Cut: Immortal Keeper Vampire Paranormal Romance Series

by L. A. McGinnis

  “You did well, Selena.”

  “Yeah, well, you did too. All the random killing was a surprise. A little warning would have been nice.” Then I could have at least closed my eyes and not had all of that gruesomeness tattooed on my brain for the rest of my life.

  “I apologize for that.”

  He reached for my hand, but I drew it away. Violence wasn’t what I’d signed up for. At least, not that much violence. “Of course you do,” I snapped, not even sure why I was so pissed off as I buckled myself into my seat.

  I’d kept my word, survived the vampire apocalypse and now we were on our way back home, my debt completely fulfilled. I should be ecstatic. I’d saved the company, and now all I had to do was bottle and release Dad’s special batch and live out my life.

  Instead, I was…mad.

  I wasn’t even sure why.

  Sure, I was jealous. Jealous of Mara, and of the blonde who looked at Forge like she wanted to eat him up. But deep in the pit of my stomach, I knew there was more to it than that.

  He’d withheld so much from me. Some of the omissions I understood, but others…

  Why not warn me how dangerous this was? Why not tell me about Mara, about why he’d been targeted in the first place? Which led me to jump to all kinds of conclusions about what else he was hiding.

  I mulled over Forge’s many transgressions as my hand found the pendant and worried it up and down the chain, reminding me that Forge was hiding something even bigger from me. The Ouroboros Society. Chosen.

  None of that made any sense to me, and I wasn’t about to ask Forge to explain.

  When I’d gone to him, it was to leverage his sense of loyalty to my family and help me save the company.

  Now I had to ask myself, who was playing whom?

  I’d gotten what I wanted, and kept my part of the bargain. My gaze drifted over to Forge, who was staring out the window. I thought I’d understood the dynamics between us. But for the first time, I wondered what it was that Forge really wanted out of this deal.

  Ever since she’d fastened her seatbelt, Selena had stopped hiding her thoughts behind a blank mask. I saw everything flicker across her face as easily as if I were watching a movie. She was angry with me. She distrusted me. She even feared me, if the sharp tang of adrenaline in the cabin was anything to go by.

  I could guess why—not that I had the ability to change the past.

  “When we get back, I want us to sit down and talk,” I told her, pulling her out of her thoughts. “There are many things I have to tell you, some that I should have told you before Assembly.”

  Her eyes flickered with surprise, then shuttered closed, as suspicion oozed from her. I swore her lip curled, then she settled that damnable mask down over her face.

  “Selena.”

  She turned her head robotically—obediently—toward me, and I suppressed my curse. I should have been honest with her from the beginning.

  If you had, she would have run as far away from you as she could get.

  “I know you have questions after what happened tonight. When we get home, I will tell you whatever you want to know.”

  No reaction, not even so much as a nod.

  To her credit, she’d kept her shield firmly in place, and her lack of trust gutted me. Again, I forced down a curse, and the anger that only reminded me this was my fault. Honesty was not something I was familiar with, since I mostly dealt with my own kind. Part of me had forgotten that when I made my proposal.

  “I’m sorry you were frightened. I’m sorry for what you had to see tonight.”

  I couldn’t read her face, nor her thoughts. I was so used to reading everyone around me, and this silence was maddening.

  “Don’t shut me out, Selena,” I said gently. But she already had, and I was damned if I knew how to get through.

  She turned her face fully toward me, and I winced at the blood, the tangled hair, the beginnings of a bruise on her face.

  “There’s a bathroom, back there.” I motioned toward the rear of the plane, keeping my eyes on that bruise. “Towels, anything you need will be in there. Take your time.” I handed her the bag she’d brought on board. She looked surprised before she took it from me.

  Without a word, she unbuckled her belt, walked to the rear cabin and locked herself inside.

  From where I sat, it looked like we’d both gotten exactly what we wanted, and neither of us were happy.

  19

  I shut the door then locked it, knowing that the flimsy barrier would pose no obstacle to Forge if he decided he wanted to get through. After looking around the bedroom—Forge’s bedroom—I sank into the nearest chair, burying my face in my hands.

  I didn’t know how I was supposed to feel about what I’d seen tonight. Didn’t know if I was capable of feeling, since I only felt numb.

  At the moment, I hated Forge, but he was right. I had to get cleaned up.

  There was something oddly sensual about showering in Forge’s shower, and I sat back in the chair to get dressed, since sitting on Forge’s enormous bed seemed way too intimate. I wanted to put as much distance between me and him right now, if for no other reason than to sort everything out for myself. Death and vampires and a secret society that I, apparently, was a member of.

  Inspecting myself in the foggy mirror, I concluded that at least I wasn’t all bloody, and that was about as optimistic as I dared to be. My clothes were clean, but wrinkled, my hair was dripping wet, and yes, there would definitely be a bruise on my cheek tomorrow. This was not how I’d expected this trip to end.

  I’d had grand plans for Scotland, just like I did with everything in life, and ending up further embroiled in Forge’s life hadn’t been part of it. I’d done this to save the company, and in that, at least, I’d accomplished my goal. Extricating myself from what was looking more and more like a trap would be harder.

  A gentle rap on the door, and I paused as Forge asked, “Do you need anything, Selena?”

  “No. I’m good.” I was pissed I had to answer at all. I’d intended the flight back to Philly to be silent. At least on my part. I threw tonight’s ruined clothing into the trash and zipped my bag closed. Sitting out there with Forge for six hours was a daunting proposal, but I could certainly keep my mouth shut until we landed in Philadelphia. Then I’d never have to see him again.

  I pressed my ear to the door and didn’t hear anything, so I eased it open and found Forge on his cell with his back to me. I chose a seat by the window, as far from him as I could get, and plugged in my music then jammed the earphones into my ears. Instantly, the even hum of the plane was eclipsed by reggae.

  Forge made no move to engage me, instead making a series of calls that seemed to last forever. Watching Forge out of the corner of my eye proved difficult at best, and at some point, my head bobbing to Peter Tosh, I fell asleep.

  The next thing I knew, I was lifted up and carried, my face pressed into Forge’s chest. For a second, I breathed in his cologne before I remembered to be mad at him.

  “Put me down,” I demanded, although there was little heat in the order. My mind was foggy, full of competing images—Forge tearing a heart out of a chest, Forge holding me like I was the most precious thing in the world—that I was trying to sort out, while my heart engaged in a similar tug of war.

  “In a moment, Selena,” he said, his face turned toward something ahead of us. I twisted just in time for him to set me into the back of a long, dark limo. I pressed my bag into my side, getting my bearings as Forge slid in beside me.

  “Take me home,” I told him, not wanting to spend another second with him. “Four-seventy-three Brookline Road.”

  Forge rapped on the window. “Take us home. No stops.” The car sped up slightly and made a turn, heading away from the city.

  “We’re going the wrong way. I want to go home, Forge,” I insisted, folding my hands in my lap. Mostly so I wouldn’t slap him in the face. “My home, in case I wasn’t clear.”

  “You will. Once y
ou and I have hashed this out between us.”

  “Hash what out, exactly? I kept my word, and you bailed out the company. You lied to me about pretty much everything in the process, but who am I to judge? Maybe that’s how you do things in your world.” My emotions were swinging wildly all over the place, from hurt to betrayal to general anger. “As far as I’m concerned, things between us are over.”

  “They’re hardly over.” A grim smile twisted his mouth, one that I couldn’t quite decipher, and my heart sank, as it looked like he meant to have his way. “Aren’t you even a little bit curious about what happened tonight? I’d like a chance to explain, but only if you’re willing to give it to me.”

  Just like the bastard to back me into a corner, betting on my sense of fair play.

  “One hour,” I said. “One hour and then we part ways.”

  I was still staring out the window as he answered, “Whatever you want, Selena.”

  20

  When we arrived at Forge’s newly transformed mansion, I felt a bite of fear as the car rolled up to the front doors. Several things had occurred to me during our ride here, and call it paranoia or an overactive imagination, but none of them were good. I could be a loose end as far as Forge was concerned, especially now that I’d seen the unbridled violence he was capable of.

  What if you’re nothing but a complication? It sounded ridiculous, even to my overly suspicious self, but after tonight, I wasn’t discounting anything, no matter how wild.

  I also knew I’d never be rid of Forge until he had his say. Not that I cared what he said, since obviously his track record spoke for itself.

  “Come, Selena.” He offered me his hand—now pristinely clean and manicured—and I ignored it, getting out on my own and stepping past him. No matter what he said, or how he said it, I was walking back through these doors in an hour, with my hands washed of Mr. Bastian Forge forever.

  There was a fire going in the library and a pot of tea and sandwiches set out on the enormous desk. I didn’t know who’d put them there—magic, maybe—but they smelled delicious. I helped myself to a sandwich and dragged a small chair closer to the fire, figuring that would put enough room between me and Forge, and me one step closer to the door.

  “I want to apologize—”

  “Let’s skip past your second attempt at an apology and fast-forward to the part where you explain how Scotland turned into a blood-fest. That’s something I would have liked a heads-up on before I boarded the plane.”

  When his lips tightened, I half regretted the way I was acting, but then I remembered all the things he’d withheld from me and notched my chin higher.

  “I should have,” Forge said. “I withheld information from you because I knew the truth would spook you. While you thought you knew me from stories you’d heard, there is no way to prepare a human for the level of violence that exists in my world.”

  I finished my sandwich and looked longingly at the plate across the library. “You could have at least tried, Forge. What would have been worse? Me having some idea of what was coming, or to be completely blindsided?”

  “I agree.” He lowered his head. “I should have trusted you. I should have allowed you to make the decision. I didn’t know whether I could trust you yet.”

  “Now look where we are,” I grumbled, finally crossing the room for another sandwich. “I don’t trust you anymore,” I told him flatly, then watched his face as I nibbled away at the crust. “To be honest, I don’t know if I ever can.”

  Instead of looking guilty, he looked eager, his face showing a trace of anticipation. “I said you could ask me anything,” he reminded me. “I meant it. What do you want to know?”

  My list would take all night, but I settled for the one thing that was still a complete mystery to me, yet seemed to take precedence in the Forge is a total liar department.

  “What is a Chosen, and who appointed you my… What did you call yourself? My Immortal Keeper?”

  His eyes widened slightly, and he rose to stoke the fire.

  He’s already thinking of a way around it, to explain it away. I checked my phone. Forty minutes to go, and I wouldn’t even look back.

  “The Ouroboros Society is very old, and not exactly in the public eye. We have nothing that holds us together except for our philosophy. We believe in nurturing and developing special abilities in humans. Anyone from a skilled cellist to a stem-cell researcher—when we come across a deserving human, we protect them. We teach them, whenever possible.”

  “Which means you only agreed to help me because I had an ability you wanted to exploit.”

  “No more than you wanted to exploit my friendship with Ambrose to get what you wanted.”

  Stalemate on that one. While on the surface, Forge had my motives right, there were a hundred other reasons I’d gone to him, and would probably—given the circumstances—make the same choice again. Not that I was proud of what I’d done, but nor had I lied about everything.

  “What, exactly, is a Chosen?” I lifted the pendant. “Do we all wear one of these?”

  “Yes, all Chosen wear the pendant.” He turned away from the fire and walked to the desk, giving me a wide berth. He pulled something out of his pocket and set it on the table, the gold glinting in the firelight. “Patrons wear something similar. It’s usually quite subtle—these cuff links, for instance—but the jewelry will always have the symbol on it.”

  “You’re like my…patron?” That term sounded almost benign, nor did it mean the same thing as “keeper.” Maybe I’d gotten the wrong impression from Forge’s over-the-top reaction, when he’d practically claimed me as his in front of the others.

  He put his hand over his heart and gave me a half-bow. “At your service.”

  I ignored him, but it was becoming harder to keep my hatred burning bright.

  “Does this make things dangerous for me in any way?” I remembered how the Elder had looked at me, as if he couldn’t wait to sink his claws into me, and how Dobson had leered at me.

  “An enemy would recognize it, yes. But allies will also protect you if they know you are Chosen. All the members don’t know each other, but that symbol unites us in purpose.”

  “My abilities.” I veered off onto a wild tangent: “Are they from Ambrose, or are they completely random?” I held my breath as Forge considered this.

  “No. Ambrose had a way about him, but wasn’t blessed with your specific ability. His gift was knowing what someone was thinking—but it was only a feeling, he said, not the capability to read thoughts word for word, as you do. He and I certainly never communicated mentally. Still, his intuition came in handy when we arrived in the new world.”

  “Why don’t all vampires employ someone with this kind of ability, then? I’d think they’d all have someone who can read minds by their side, if only to even the odds.”

  “Your kind is so rare that most of my people have never seen your like. Most vampires despise humans, and so, would never form an alliance with them. They think of your kind only as sport and food.” Forge shot me a pointed look. “Especially the vampires who attended Assembly.”

  If he thought he was being forthcoming, he was wrong. This was even more reason for me to be mad at him for withholding the truth and letting me walk into a freaking bloodbath.

  “Some of us, though, are intrigued by humans. The society is proof of that.” He rubbed his hands up and down his thighs. “I know you don’t trust me, Selena, and you have good reason. I should have been more honest with you, but I haven’t interacted with humans in a very long time. The only reason I agreed… I was intrigued by a woman who would break a two-hundred-year-old agreement. Once I discovered you could read my thoughts, all I thought of was how I could use you to give me an advantage over the Elder.”

  “Finally,” I muttered. “The truth.”

  “I’d like to hear it come out of your mouth, for once, since I’m the only one laying everything out on the table. You manipulated me as well to get what you wanted.�
�� Forge sounded testy, and my temper rose a notch, too, as I picked up on the slight vibration in his voice. “You could admit it.”

  I could. I just didn’t want to.

  My hand strayed to the necklace, and I began worrying the pendant along the chain. I would have torn the thing from my neck had Forge not reminded me, sternly enough that I knew he was serious, to never take it off.

  “Could it be genetic?” I asked instead, with no intention of admitting to anything. “Were there any Langstons in between me and Ambrose who had special abilities?”

  “I wouldn’t know, because all the other Langstons followed directions and stayed away from me.”

  Well, okay, valid point. “Still. Can this be a genetic trait of some kind? I find it hard to believe my ability’s a random fluke.”

  “I don’t think that either, Selena.”

  We sat in silence for a minute, having finally come to an agreement over something.

  “This ability of mine…” I was getting paranoid now. “Would it be valuable to any other vampire? One who might want to use me like you did?” Use being a rather loose term for feeding me, training me and taking me to Scotland. Oh, and saving the company that I loved in the process.

  However, it was the wrong word, because Forge’s face grew pinched. I thought I saw a shadow darken his skin, but then it passed, and his expression grew clear again.

  “You would be targeted, if a vampire knew for certain what you were,” he admitted, and my nervousness faded somewhat.

  The reflection of flames flickered in his dark eyes, while the gold light threw his face into sharp contrast. He looked tired, not bothering to watch me expectantly anymore. He was withdrawing from me, turning into the Forge I’d met that first night. It was obvious this conversation wasn’t going the way he wanted, either.

  I totally understood how he felt when he added, “Now that the Elder has seen you, there’s no doubt he’ll be curious.” He shoved his hands into his pockets, and didn’t sound any happier than me when he added, “Which is why you’ll be staying with me for the time being.”