by K. M. Shea
“But—he’s from the Drake Family. You…” I trailed off when I realized Killian wasn’t listening.
I had to do something!
I hoped with every corner of my heart that I wasn’t going to die for what I was about to do. I barreled into Killian, smacking into his chest, then stood on my tiptoes so I could reach up and place my hands over his cheeks, pulling his head down to look at me. “Don’t do this, please!”
I wish I could have thought of something more impressive or thoughtful, but I don’t think it would have moved him anyway.
A stifling silence blanketed the gym, broken only by Rupert’s wheezes. Killian stared down at me—his eyes still the bottomless shade of black that threatened to envelop me.
“Fine.” He dropped Rupert.
The vampire hit the ground with the grace of a sack of potatoes, and immediately drew in a deep, coughing breath.
I dropped my hands from Killian’s face and took a step back.
Killian turned on his heels and strode away.
I glanced back at Rupert, who was curled up, holding his neck as he tried to breathe again.
Chances were he’d hate me more if I stuck around to chat, so I hurried after Killian.
I paused at the gym door—I was supposed to be training now—but Celestina made a shooing motion, so I followed Killian out.
Killian didn’t even glance down at me when I joined him, jogging to keep up. “What is it? You got the mercy you wanted.”
“Yeah. Um, are you okay?” I asked.
Killian halted, then looked down at me, his eyebrows furrowed as he stared at me in clear confusion. “What?”
“You were really upset,” I said. “I mean, all he did was clock me one in the head.”
“He disobeyed me.”
“Yeah, you said that, but it seemed like a pretty extreme reaction.”
He blinked slowly, like a cat. “I require my Family to be obedient—and I wish to keep you compliant and easy to manipulate. Rupert threatened both of these things.”
“Killian.” I rolled my eyes. “If you are trying to keep me compliant, I have got some news for you.”
He stared down at me for a really long moment, then the corner of his right lip quirked up slightly. “You are a strange creature. Not long ago you accused Rupert of being the murderer, and yet today you spoke up on his behalf.” He gently cradled my left cheek in one hand, then pushed back my hair on my right temple, inspecting the area where Rupert had hit.
“I don’t get it either,” I admitted. “It just felt wrong.”
“And of course you must strive to live by mere feelings.” His voice contained an ounce of bite that actually made me feel a bit better.
“It’s not feelings so much as a moral code,” I said.
Killian slightly shook his head. “You virtuous idiots disgust me.”
I folded my arms behind my back as I tried to figure out what to say. “Thank you. For listening.”
Killian shrugged slightly. “Don’t make me regret my decision.”
I squawked in irritation. “How am I supposed to affect Rupert?” I demanded.
Killian laughed and sauntered off, moving at a much slower and relaxed pace.
Whatever had bothered him was gone.
I watched his back disappear down the hallway, then turned around with the intention of going back to the gym and getting myself an icepack from the freezer. Even with the fae potion I was probably due for a headache in a few minutes, so it was key I prepared. (And hopefully Josh or someone else had dragged Rupert out of the gym by now.)
As I trotted back, I had to wonder…had Killian really come down so hard just because Rupert disobeyed an order? Or was he—as unlikely as it seemed—concerned for me?
As soon as the thought formed, I laughed. It was so hilariously impossible; I was a little embarrassed I even thought it. Killian Drake was a killing, political machine. There was no way he’d ever come to trust me, much less care for me.
Ruefully, I shook my head as I re-entered the gym, where Celestina hugged me and proceeded to shove another fae potion down my throat. By the end of the day, I’d mostly forgotten about the incident, except for the implications it might have on my suspicions of Rupert.
Unfortunately, in the week that followed another vampire was murdered—the leader of the Flores Family. Despite the vampires pooling their resources—aka their spies—the murderer still hadn’t been tracked down. (Apparently this time Killian had gone so far as to hire a werewolf to sniff out the area, but she insisted she only smelled vampire, which soured the vampires on hiring additional outside help.)
The murder doubled the intensity of the air around Drake Hall, and dinners were now a grim affair. I didn’t see much of Rupert either, but Celestina wouldn’t tell me if he was still in trouble or not, she just reassigned weightlifting duty to another vampire—Gavino, whom I privately called Steely Voice.
He was pretty nice, and he told me Rupert was still alive and a part of the Drake Family, so I wasn’t too torn up about the switch.
Everyone was really on edge, which was why I was surprised and more than a little confused when, about a week and a half after my fight with Rupert, I found myself slathered in suntan lotion and floating in the mythical Drake Hall swimming pool.
It was beautiful, of course. The pool was enormous, and it wasn’t just a lap pool but had two legit waterfalls taller than a human, a big slide, and a spa that I could climb into from the pool. The surrounding patio was just as extravagant with stone tiling and lots of comfortable patio furniture arranged under huge umbrellas that were lined with the same sun-proof lining the vampires used on their personal umbrellas. The pool was fenced in with hedges and a few delicate trellises that were covered with ivy to provide additional sun coverage. One of them even spanned the deep end of the pool.
I should have expected the pool would be gorgeous—couldn’t have anything less than perfect for Killian Drake, including a swimming pool he apparently didn’t use—but I was still more than a little surprised as I floated in the warm water and squinted in the early afternoon sun. I paddled until I had successfully turned around and was facing Killian.
He—along with eight other Drake vampires—was sitting under the shade of the umbrellas. Or rather, Killian was sitting. Everyone else was standing at attention.
“What are we doing?” I asked the master vampire.
Killian took a long drink of his blood pouch—which he was again drinking like a kid sipping a juice box. It would have added to the weirdness of the afternoon, but it irked me to see he somehow still looked stylish. “I already told you. We’re testing to see if the seal on your magic is water soluble.”
I struggled to adjust myself in my inner tube, but when I was tempted to shuck it off Killian gave me the evil eye, so I kept it on even though I knew how to swim. “I might regret this, because this is probably the most enjoyable ‘test’ you’ve put me through, but are you for real?”
Killian was stretched out on a lounge chair, looking indolent and cool even though it was really hot and he was still wearing his black suit. “Would you rather we return to flinging you off buildings? Or perhaps running you until you collapse?”
I pressed my lips together. “No.”
“Then shut up.” Killian went back to his blood pouch.
Disgruntled, I paddled around the pool, returning to my own thoughts.
Rupert was still bothering me. As little as I liked it, I didn’t think he was the killer. I wasn’t stupid: he was a jerk, and he obviously hated me. But he hadn’t fought back when Killian nearly killed him.
If he was really the murderer, there’s no way he wouldn’t have fought for his life. But who else could it be? I didn’t know about the other murder victims, but I was almost positive the slayings that took place on Drake land were an inside job. Who else could get in through all the layers of security? And I wasn’t so quick to write off the werewolf’s complaints about only smelling vampires. But I also
didn’t know who out of the Drake Family it could be.
I’d met nearly all of them, and I got the feeling they all would walk through fire for Killian.
I thoughtfully glanced up at the other vampires who stood around the patio, searching for…I don’t know what.
All of them were stiff. I didn’t think it was the sunlight—I’d seen them running in the afternoon sun before—but probably the situation with the murderer. Neither Celestina nor Josh was present—I was pretty sure they were heading two separate investigations looking into the murder since Gavino AKA Steely Voice had taken me running and done some basic sword drills the previous day instead of them.
They—the vampires, not just Celestina and Josh—needed to lighten up. They were all grim, and it wasn’t a good look on them. (Heck, even their stereotypical deadly expressions were better!)
A plan started to hatch in my mind, and my impulsive side won out, so I paddled over to the side of the pool. “Killian.”
He’d been swiping through his cellphone, but when I called he looked up. “What?”
“Come here, please?”
I couldn’t judge the expression in his eyes because he wore sunglasses, but the lack of movement in his eyebrows told me he wasn’t amused. “No.”
“But I have a question.”
“Go bother Gavino.” He went back to looking down at his phone.
I pressed my lips together and wiggled in my slippery inner tube as I tried to plot. What would get him over here? I planted my palms on my inner tube and lifted myself up, trying to sit on the edge, but the plastic ring was slippery, and I flipped over, going face first into the water.
I laughed when I resurfaced and was encouraged to see Killian had lifted an eyebrow above the curve of his sunglasses.
“I’m sorry, did I disturb you?” I asked, completely unrepentant.
His eyebrow stayed up as he sipped his blood pouch.
I watched him as I kicked my feet on the surface of the pool, splashing water and making a lot of noise.
“You are a pest.” Killian set his blood pouch and phone down, then sauntered over to the edge of the pool. “What do you want?”
“Vampires can get wet, right?” I asked.
Killian shed his sunglasses so he could properly stare at me. “Do you really think I’d have a pool on my property if that wasn’t the case?”
“I’m just checking,” I sniffed.
“You should know your vampire lore better than to think such an idiotic thing.” He rolled his eyes and squatted down so he could lightly cuff the back of my head, which was exactly what I wanted him to do.
The water was almost chest high for me, so I was able to jump pretty high and latch my arms around Killian’s neck. I then pushed off the pool wall, attempting to drag Killian into the pool.
I was shocked when Killian actually tipped forward and fell in, plunging into the water with me—I kind of figured I’d just hang from his neck like a monkey and get a laugh out of the other vampires. But I realized the miscalculation in my plan when I finally put it together that I’d pulled the tall vampire down on top of me. And there were more than half a dozen over-protective and ultra-loyal vampires hanging around just feet away, and while they would enjoy me making an idiot of myself, there was a possibility they might see this as an attack.
Chapter Eighteen
Hazel
Killian planted his feet before he could smash me into the bottom of the pool and stood, dragging me up through the water since my hands were still clasped behind his neck.
Since he was so much taller than me, the water was just a bit over his waist, which meant most of me was out of the water since I still hung from his neck. Water drizzled off his face as he stared at me—his suit soaked through. I shook my head and twisted, scanning the Drake vampires for signs of aggression. It didn’t look like they’d moved an inch, thankfully.
“Well,” I laughed nervously. “Wasn’t that funny? So…goodbye!” I let go and did my best to run through the water to make my escape.
“Not so fast.” Killian caught me by the wrist and dragged me back.
“It was supposed to be a joke—I didn’t think you’d actually let yourself fall!” I babbled.
Killian ignored me and juggled my wrist so he could take off his black suitcoat, which hit the patio with a wet splat when he tossed it.
“I am really, truly, very sorry. I repent, 100%,” I said.
He ran a hand through his dark hair—looking more like a model in an ad than waterlogged like I did.
“I’ll run laps,” I offered when he finally looked back at me. “To show how sorry I am.”
He reeled me in like a fish and pinned me against his chest, then wordlessly walked toward the opposite end.
Oohh, he was going to throw me in the deep end—which was no joke; it went down at least eight or nine feet.
Immediately I changed tactics and wrapped my arms around his neck, clinging to him in the vain hope I’d be too slippery to pry off as Killian drifted into water that was about shoulder height for him—which meant I wouldn’t be able to touch the ground without dunking my head underwater.
“I’m sorry, it was a miscalculation—a boo-boo,” I said.
“Do I appear to be angry?” Killian mildly asked—his chest vibrating slightly as he spoke.
“No,” I glumly said. “But that’s only because you’re about to get your revenge.”
Since I was leaning into Killian—which meant our heads were side by side—I couldn’t see his face, but I could feel his smirk.
I wasn’t about to be swindled into letting him go, so I squeezed even tighter. “I really didn’t think you’d let yourself fall in,” I grumbled.
“It seemed harmless.” Killian positioned himself so he was under the shade of one of the trellises—which cut the intense sunlight. “And you looked thoroughly pleased with yourself at the moment.”
I didn’t relax my grasp, but the stiffness left my body. “I didn’t realize until you were in the water that my actions could possibly be misinterpreted.”
“As what? An attempt to baptize me?” Killian snorted.
“No, you—or your backup—could have thought I was trying to attack you!”
Killian laughed. Not his scary laugh that was deep and dark, but a lighter sound that made his chest buzz and lasted a couple of seconds.
I didn’t think I’d said anything that funny, but as I adjusted my grasp on his neck—this time grabbing a fistful of the collar of his white shirt, which was almost transparent in the water—I glanced at the other vampires.
Their stance had actually relaxed, and I saw a few of them had the tiniest of smiles tugging at their faces—making them look a lot more…well…alive than I’d recently seen them.
“Hazel Medeis,” Killian said when he finished laughing. “You are, first and foremost, a virtuous idiot. You would never attempt to attack me in my own home, much less at my own pool. Out on the streets if I was already in a fight, perhaps. But you’re far more likely to sell off information about me to the highest bidder.”
“What? I would not!” Outraged, I loosened my hold on Killian so my arms were no longer wedged around his neck and I could lean back and peer up at him.
Killian’s smirk was back. “Not even to secure allies for House Medeis?”
“Especially not then,” I stressed. “If I can’t keep Medeis running without breaking trust I don’t deserve it.”
“You would abandon your friends and family to the dubious care of your cousin?”
“I never said that!” I frowned at Killian. “But if I go around sneaking and lying, I won’t be any better than Mason.”
“As I said: a virtuous idiot.” Killian shifted his hold on my waist so I was more secure and not in danger of tipping back if I let go of his neck.
I studied his face, frowning slightly as I traced the set of the muscles around his mouth and the jaded look in his eyes.
“What is it?” His smirk took o
n an indolent look. “Captivated by my fathomless charms and smashing good looks?” He moved his hand up my back and tugged me closer.
I switched my grasp to the front of his shirt collar and planted my palms on his upper chest so I could resist. “No, thank you,” I said sourly. “Your severe pride is incredibly off-putting.”
“Even if it’s true?” He tugged harder, almost making my elbows buckle.
“Stop it,” I fussed.
“What, don’t you wish to try and turn me to the path of the righteous with a soulful hug?” He was outright grinning now—which was a bad sign for my health. “Not many could resist me, and it’s your duty as a woman of great virtue.” Though his tone sounded honest, there was just enough sarcasm in his words to let me know he still thought I’d sell him out—or stab him in the back—if the chance arose.
“I’m hurt you would think I’m that stupid,” I said. Despite my false bravado, being this close to him was starting to make my heart pound harder, and my fingers were registering that the muscles beneath my hands were pleasantly cool in the beastly hot summer air. (No judging—he’s sinfully gorgeous!)
“Virtuous idiots are not known for their intelligence.”
I kept my eyes on the sky—which was way safer than watching water drip down Killian’s arrogantly straight nose. “If this is your idea of hitting on me, I’m pretty sure you’re going to be forever alone,” I grumbled.
“You think I can’t hear how fast your heart is beating?” Killian asked, his voice turning silken—another bad sign for my health. “Now it is my turn to be hurt.”
“My heart always beats faster around you because I never know what torture you’ll inflict on me next,” I complained, telling a convenient half-truth since I’d rather die than let Killian know I was very aware how attractive he was.
“You bring up a valid point.” I peeled my eyes from the sky to gawk at Killian, and almost immediately regretted my decision since his hair had already started to dry, giving him a roughish look he didn’t usually sport.
I wasn’t so far gone, however, that I forgot his worrisome declaration. “I did?”
