“I come in peace.”
“Who are you?”
He stepped around the bush that was adjacent to my driveway. “Will you let me explain before you rip my head off?”
“Why do you think I’ll rip your head off?”
“Because of what I need to tell you.”
I crossed my arms over my chest and stared him down as he stood at least five feet from me. “Okay. Spit it out. You have thirty seconds.”
“Renzo sent—”
I was on him in a blink of an eye, pushing him against a tree and holding him by the throat. “Don’t utter his fucking name,” I growled, bearing my teeth.
“You need to hear me out,” he croaked, not showing any emotion. “It’s important.”
We stared at each other, and my eyes narrowed. “Where is he?”
“Chicago.” My grip loosened and he fell to the ground on his feet. “Please let me tell you everything before you kill me.”
“Why would I kill you?”
“Just—please. I could have never come here.”
I crossed my arms over my chest again and narrowed my eyes at his muscular form. I could tell he was younger than I was—in the vampire sense—so even though we had the same build, it wouldn’t be a fair fight, and I would, in fact, rip his head off. “You probably shouldn’t have come if you think I’d kill you. How do you even know me or where I live?”
“Again, let me explain.”
“Fine. Spit it out.”
“Remember you said you’d let me finish?”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes.”
“Renzo sent me to bring Miles O’Bannion back to Chicago.”
My body went rigid again, and I fisted my hands together at my sides while he stood there, like nothing was happening. “You killed Miles?”
“Not on purpose.”
“Start from the beginning. Why did he send you for Miles? How does he even know Miles?” Just earlier we discovered that Renzo knew Miles’s grandmother, so it was possible that he knew Miles and I wanted to hear him explain it.
“Miles is his grandson.”
“What? How is that possible?”
The vampire smirked.
“I know how babies are made asshole, but vampires can’t have children.”
He smiled again. “They can with their true love.”
“How?” I asked again, furrowing my brows and re-crossing my arms over my chest.
“The same way.”
“But how do they know it’s their true love to even get them pregnant?”
“For Renzo, he didn’t know until Gael ended up pregnant.”
“He told you all of this?”
“No. I heard him and Samuel talking about it after he saw the newspaper article.”
“What newspaper article?”
“The one with Gael’s picture.”
“Still not ringing a bell.”
“The one O’Bannion Burn put in the paper after they won the whiskey award last year. Renzo saw the picture, and he knows that Gael had his baby. He wanted to talk to Miles.”
“Talk about what?”
“Well, to see if he was a hybrid.”
“A hybrid?”
“Half vampire, half human.”
“Miles went in the sun,” I stated.
He shrugged. “If he’s part human, I’d think he could go in the sun even if he were a vampire.”
“Why not go after his baby? She’s alive.”
“He was working on it but wanted me to get Miles and bring him back since he was in the States. It was easier than traveling overseas. Plus, she’s old.”
“But you killed Miles instead,” I clipped.
“It was an accident.”
“How was it an accident?”
“Miles wouldn’t come with me, and he couldn’t be compelled. I was trying not to make a scene, but he struggled and got cut. I couldn’t resist when blood started to come out. I tried. I really did, but then I attacked him.”
“He couldn’t be compelled?” I asked, though it was more to myself as I was processing what he’d said. Calla couldn’t be compelled either, and she could go in the sun. Was she part vampire? Surely I’d know. Plus, they clearly aged given Miles was in his fifties and Calla hasn’t said anything about her grandmother looking like Benjamin Button in her old age.
“No.”
“Because he’s part vampire?”
He shrugged. “Maybe. I wasn’t expecting it.”
“But they eat human food. They do everything humans do.” I was still arguing the fact that there was no way Miles was part vampire, or Calla for that matter because every trait was human. They even smelled like humans.
“They?”
I said Calla’s name without speaking, but he’d heard.
“Oh, right. The one who scared me off.”
“Why didn’t you come back for her?”
“I’ve been on the run.”
“From Renzo?”
“Yeah. I fucked up, and I couldn’t go back.”
“Does he know where you are?”
“I’m hoping he thinks I left Burn Falls since I’m standing here now.”
Even if that were the case, Calla would still be in danger since she was carrying Renzo’s blood. “So you don’t know what he wanted to do with Miles and his mom?”
He shook his head. “No, but if I had to guess, it probably has something to do with recruiting them to make it a family business.”
“So he’s still running his mob?”
“Of course. The Chicago Outfits may have had legal troubles over the years, but Renzo is still running things. Even has ties in Russia now.”
“Russia?”
I thought of Athan. He’d never said anything about the Outfits being in Russia with him. Why would he not have told me? Maybe he didn’t know. Or was he here helping because he was still with Renzo’s mob? But then I was the one to call him, and he’d been nothing but a loyal friend to me—I think. I wasn’t sure, and I had a lot to worry about now that this vamp was telling me Renzo has ties with Burn Falls and Calla may carry his blood. Of course, the first human in forever I wanted to have a relationship with was linked to my sire. What were the odds?
“After Gambino was released from prison in 2015, he hooked Renzo up with the Russian Mafia.”
“Doing what?”
“Money laundering.”
Of course. Renzo was always about money. After a few moments, I asked, “What do you want from me?”
“I just wanted to warn you that he may be coming.”
“How did you know about me?”
“I didn’t know that you lived here. I went back to the distillery and heard you and Athan talking with the girl. You and Athan are talked about a lot in the coven, so I know about you, and I followed you here.”
“Why were you at the distillery again? Don’t you think you did enough damage?” I hissed.
“I came back to make sure the cops knew nothing.”
“Why are Athan and I still talked about?”
“No one has had the balls to leave since you two took off.”
“Until you.”
“It’s either go on the run or have my heart yanked from my chest.”
“I’ll do it if you so much as lay a finger on Calla,” I warned.
He held up his hands in defense, the first sign that he wasn’t ready to run for the hills. “If that were the case, I wouldn’t have made it known I was back.”
True. “What’s your name kid?”
“Donovan. Donovan Corbett.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
I paced in Draven’s house as I waited for him to come inside. I had no idea what was happening and why he was so angry all of a sudden. When I tried looking out the w
indow, all I saw were two figures standing at the end of his driveway. What was happening? And why was it taking so long?
Since I was taken aback by Draven’s order for me to get in the house, I’d forgotten to actually look at his house when I came inside. I turned around from looking out of the front window and gasped. It was beautiful. I’d expected his house to be beautiful because I figured that a man that lived as long as Draven had to have good taste and not live like a lonely bachelor. Exposed wood beams supported a vaulted ceiling with a stone-walled fireplace that went all the way up. Giant windows overlooked a moonlit view of the Susitna River, and a rustic, wrought iron chandelier sat in the middle of the room with a brown leather couch and matching armchairs below it in a U shape. It was cozy and homey, and instantly I wanted to curl up on the couch with a fire going while reading a book.
“Oh my God,” I said to myself, running my hand along a table behind the couch, wide-eyed as I looked around. I kept walking and straight into the kitchen where I’d come in from. For a vampire who didn’t need to eat food, his kitchen was spectacular. A huge, brown granite island with two wrought iron chandeliers above it was in front of a giant stove with an arched stone wall over it and counters on either side. The high beams continued in the room, and not only was the stove stainless-steel but so were the rest of the appliances. It was a kitchen built for family gatherings—something Draven would never have—and parties.
Adjacent to the kitchen was a dining room that had a view of the river on one wall, and the other wall was another stone fireplace. A humongous, dark wood table that easily sat ten was in the center of the room with a deer antler chandelier above it. High back, white fabric chairs accented the room and once again I couldn’t believe he had a room this beautiful. I wanted to cook any meal in the kitchen and eat it in the dining room with a fire going.
As I was admiring everything, I didn’t hear Draven come into the room, so when I turned around, I jumped. “You really need to stop doing that to me. That’s twice in one night.”
He cracked a smile. “Sorry.”
“Is everything okay?”
“There’s something I need to tell you.”
“Okay …”
“We can sit in the living room or at the kitchen island. Whatever you prefer.”
“Which room do you use the most?” I teased.
“Actually, I do use the kitchen to heat up my meals.”
“Right. Meals.” I chuckled. “Either room is fine.”
“Let’s go into the living room, and I’ll start a fire.”
“Sure.” I followed Draven into the room, and while I sat on the couch, he put wood into the fireplace and lit it.
“So?”
“There’s been another development.” He stood and pushed up the sleeves of his grey sweater.
“A development?”
“Do you want a drink? I think you need a drink.”
My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “I do?”
“I need a drink,” Draven stated and walked to a cabinet on the wall that led to the kitchen and opened it. He pulled out a decanter of amber liquid and poured it into two glasses. “One second.” Draven dashed off to the kitchen in a blink of an eye. A minute or so later, he returned.
“What’s going on?”
Draven handed me the glass, and after taking a big gulp of his, he started to pace in front of me. I noticed he had an erection, and I realized he’d drunk a blood bag to get his blood flowing so the whiskey would work.
“Will you tell me what’s going on? I think I can handle it given the situation that’s my life right now.”
He set his glass on the wood coffee table and then knelt in front of me, grabbing my hands in his cold ones. After spending four days and nights straight with him, I was getting somewhat used to the icy feeling. “The vampire that killed your father was just here.”
The glass I was holding slipped from my grasp, and before it fell onto the floor, he caught it. “What?” I whispered in shock.
“He explained the situation.” He set my glass on the table.
“What is there to explain?” I hissed. “Did you rip his heart from his fucking chest?”
Draven shook his head. “I wanted to, but he explained what really happened.”
I pushed past him as I stood and then started to pace. “He explained? What was there to explain other than he’s the reason my father’s dead?” A tear slid down my cheek.
“It was an accident.” Draven stopped me from pacing and cupped my cheeks as he looked into my eyes.
I laughed sarcastically staring back at him. “An accident? How was it an accident?”
“Take a few sips of the whiskey, and then I’ll explain. Just like the night you found out that I’m a vampire, I’ll tell you everything.”
“There’s nothing to explain, Draven. He killed my father and deserves to die.”
“It’s so much more than that, and while I agree with you, I think we need him.”
“Need him? Why do we need someone who kills innocent people?”
“Let me explain.”
“You won’t sugarcoat it?”
Draven pressed his lips against mine. “No. You need to know everything.”
He dropped his hands, and I returned to the couch. After Draven handed me my glass, I downed all of it and not just the few sips he’d recommended. Once it was empty, he took the glass back and set it on the table. Like he had done before, he knelt in front of me and grabbed my hands.
“Don’t leave anything out.”
Draven smiled warmly. “I won’t, sweets.”
I took a deep breath and tried to prepare myself. “All right. Let me have it.”
“Renzo is your great-grandfather.”
“What?” I shrieked. “How is that possible?”
“Apparently vampires can knock up their true loves.”
“That can’t be true. She married my great-grandfather after that picture was taken on Valentine’s Day, and she had to be pregnant in the picture since my grandma was born in August. She wouldn’t have just met my great-grandfather and then married him almost immediately after.”
“Are you sure about that?”
I thought for a moment. “No. I don’t really know her story.”
“It’s possible—just like with Mary—that Gael got pregnant before she was married.”
“But how can vampires have babies with their true loves or whatever? You don’t produce semen.”
“I’m still not sure how it’s possible, but Renzo saw the picture of your great-grandmother in the paper and knew that she was the mother of his daughter.”
My eyes widened. “Is my grandma in danger then?”
He paused for a moment and then whispered, “Yeah.”
I bolted off the couch for the second time. “We need to call her. We need to go there.”
“Usually I would ask Athan, but there’s more you need to know.”
“Right,” I said. “Why was my dad—Wait, why wouldn’t you send Athan now?”
“Let me keep going from the beginning.”
I started to walk in front of the fire again as Draven continued, “Renzo saw the picture in the paper and read the story of how OBB is a family business run by your father. He remembered that Gael had his baby—I still don’t know the details—and he sent Donovan to bring your father back to Chicago.”
“What?” I whispered.
“Donovan said that your father wouldn’t go willingly and couldn’t be compelled.”
“What?” I whispered again and turned to Draven. “My dad couldn’t be compelled just like me?”
“Right.”
“So he wouldn’t go, and Donovan killed him instead?”
“Donovan tried to force him to go. There was a scuffle, and your father got cut somehow. I don’t
know how old Donovan is—how long he’s been a vampire—but he said that he couldn’t control himself the moment he smelled your dad’s blood.”
More tears slid down my cheeks as I remembered seeing Donovan over my father’s body and everything that happened afterward. “Of course he wouldn’t go. How did they think he would just up and leave everything? Leave his family on Christmas?”
“Because Renzo doesn’t care. All he cares about is himself.”
“I hate him.”
Draven grinned. “I hate him too.”
“Now what? Why did Donovan tell you all of this?”
“Because he’s now on the run.”
“Like you and Athan.”
He nodded. “Yeah, and he warned me that Renzo might send someone else or he might come himself. He doesn’t know your father is dead.”
“Am I still in danger?”
He stopped me from my pacing, grabbed my wrist, and brought me to his chest. “I will never let anything happen to you—ever. But yes, once Renzo finds out that your father is dead, then I imagine he’ll look into his children.”
I looked up into his dark eyes. “You told me that older vampires are stronger. He’s much older than you and Athan. How can you protect me from an old vampire and his coven?”
“I’ll do everything I can if it comes down to it. That’s why I didn’t kill Donovan. He told me he’ll stick around for a few more weeks so he can be another set of eyes and ears—keep an eye out for Renzo if he decides to come here. We both know that when Renzo wants something, he gets it. It’s only a matter of time.”
“I don’t like this.”
“I don’t either, but my world is different from yours. And while I don’t agree that Donovan should have killed your father, he didn’t do it on purpose. Whether you like it or not, vampires are killers. It’s the blood that keeps us immortal. I fight it, but not all of them do.”
We were silent for a bit while we stayed in each other arms. I replayed everything in my head, and it was on the tip of my tongue to tell him that I loved him because Draven was a good man. Even if we weren’t true loves, I knew without a doubt that I loved him. We weren’t a perfect fit—him being a vampire and myself being a human—but that didn’t mean I didn’t want to be with him. Draven had walked into my life for a reason. I could feel it in my soul.
Burn Falls Page 20
