I shrug, glancing around like I might be able to find a way to escape. My hands are clammy and I feel like I might suffocate.
“How’s Debra?” I ask like an idiot.
“Where did you go after you left? Back on the streets?” He demands, ignoring my question. His nostrils are flaring and his teeth are bared like he wants to rip me apart. “Is that what you’re doing here? Selling the drugs my dad tried to save you from?”
I rip my arm out of his grip, anger finally overtaking the guilt. “If you just came here to try to make me feel bad, you can fuck off. You never even wanted me there, or do you not remember that?”
“You were part of our family and we needed you,” he says, his voice raising loud enough to attract some odd looks.
“Did you somehow track me down just to come guilt trip me over leaving?” I ask.
Reilly is walking over to us. Fuck.
“No, but when you’r name came up in a case connected to the NWR, I volunteered for the task force,” he says pulling his badge out of his pocket. It says JHAPI in bold letters at the top with his picture underneath.
“Howard Z. Brunson,” Reilly reads, leaning over Brunson’s shoulder. “Our JHAPI liaison?”
Zachary whips around, startled, and takes in Reilly. “Who are you?”
“Reilly Walsh, council representative,” he says holding out his hand. “I believe we’ll be working together at some point.”
Zachary shakes his hand but looks like he couldn’t care less who Reilly is. He turns back to me. “I’ve got some follow up questions for you, Olivia. Come to the station tomorrow morning around nine am,” he says, immediately turning to walk away.
“No.”
My answer stops him in his tracks. He turns back, a muscle in his jaw twitching. “Excuse me?”
“Everything I know is in my statement. I have nothing to add. You can read that and watch the interview. I’m not talking to you,” I say crossing my arms.
“This is not optional,” Zachary snaps.
“Am I under arrest?”
He glares.
“I’ll take that as a no.” I glare right back. He doesn’t scare me, never has.
“I’ve found she responds much better to a delicate sort of bribery,” Reilly says, leaning toward Zachary conspiratorially. “She seems to get a bit stubborn if you phrase it as an order. Issues with authority, I think.”
“Shut the fuck up,” I snap at Reilly. He’s not helping.
“Always looking out for yourself first. I guess old habits die hard,” Zachary says, his eyes clouded with something more than just anger. He turns and walks away. Half the restaurant is staring at us, the other half are whispering.
“What?” I challenge the room. Everyone is quick to avert their eyes. I stomp off to the bathroom, I need to pee even worse now.
6
“I must say, I couldn’t really see the family resemblance,” Reilly comments after five minutes of silence.
I don’t respond.
Reilly sighs and shifts around like he’s bored. “What exactly did you to make him hate you so much?”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” I snap.
Zachary being here is like a slap in the face. I still remember that day like it was yesterday. He had answered the door without even checking to see who it was first.
Seeing the men in uniforms, their faces drawn and eyes red, was all either of us needed to understand what had happened. Debra had walked over from the kitchen, looking to see who it was when neither of us answered.
She had screamed. She had begged, and pleaded, for them to tell her it wasn’t true. Zachary had simply crumpled. He sat by the door, face blank, staring at nothing.
And it was all my--No. I couldn’t do this again. The past needed to stay in the past.
“How did you end up sired by some big wig vampire?” I ask, needing something to distract me.
Reilly looks at me from the corner of his eye. “A question for a question, remember?”
I grip the steering wheel a little tighter. “You’re a real piece of work.”
The rest of the drive passes in silence. Reilly’s presence is like an itch under my skin. He’s always pushing, needling.
I was able to warn Javier that he was coming to the clanhouse before we left the diner. I assume Lydia warned him as well. As I pull into the driveway, I wonder if that was the right choice.
What the fuck.
Javier is standing on the top step in a black suit with a wine colored shirt. Emilio is to his right in full, ridiculous Victorian regalia. The rest of the clan is spread out like a greeting committee, lined up according to their weird little hierarchy as best I can tell. There are odd gaps here and there, and I realize it’s for the ones they lost recently. I’m not sure if they’re making some kind of statement, or if it’s just a ritual. Knowing Javier, it’s probably somehow both.
Everyone is dressed well. They look polished and the front of the house is practically sparkling. It’s like they prepped for meeting the Queen or something.
I park in my usual spot and climb out of the car. Reilly follows suit and walks toward Javier without waiting for me to catch up. He’s not moving at the insane speeds I’ve seen him use, but he’s moving faster than any human could without sprinting. He makes it look effortless.
“Reilly Walsh, you are welcome here,” Javier says with none of his usual flirtatiousness or flair. He bows low, and every single vampire follows suit.
“Your hospitality is accepted,” Reilly says. Only then does everyone rise from the bow.
“Please join us inside. I can show you the house,” Javier says. “Are you hungry?”
Everyone files in after Javier and Reilly and I’m left standing in the driveway, forgotten. It’s a relief. I was worried Reilly would follow me around like a parasite while I did the checkup.
I walk around to the side entrance I normally use and step inside. This area of the house used to be some kind of servant’s quarters I think. There are a few small rooms, all used for storage now, down a long hallway that connects to the kitchen and a staircase that leads upstairs.
I head upstairs to the usual room and knock once before walking in. All the neckers are already gathered here. Normally I see them more or less one at a time, but judging by the hunted looks on their faces, they’re all hiding in here.
“Is everything okay?” I ask. Surely it’s not just Reilly’s presence that has them so scared.
“Never been better,” Leslie scoffs. She’s a skinny brunette that’s been here longer than I have. She hated me when I first started, I think she thought I had some special relationship with Javier and was all kinds of jealous. Luckily, she got over that real quick when she realized I wasn’t interested. She was a practical sort of person.
“The council representative might come watch part of this, just so you know,” I say as I walk over to the chair I always sit in.
The room isn’t large. There are two high back chairs arranged in front of a fireplace that’s never used and a bookshelf on the opposite wall filled with books in foreign languages. French, I think. There is one narrow window, but it’s blacked out like most of the windows in the house. The only other decoration is a bland landscape painting hung above the fireplace.
I sit down and Leslie takes the initiative to come sit across from me. I’ve developed a sort of ritual with them. It’s intended to put them at ease as much as it is just practical.
Leslie extends her hands and I meet her halfway, palm to palm. All my healing really requires is skin to skin contact. If it’s bad, it’s easiest for me to be touching the wound, or at least near it. For this, it doesn’t really matter.
“Any dizziness, headaches, or nausea?” I ask as I prod at her with my magic, searching for wounds or blood loss. I heal a bruise on her back and scrape on her knee.
“Nah, I’ve been good, and taking those brews you gave us like clockwork,” Leslie says, puffing out her chest in pride. She’s somethin
g of a leader among the others, so I’m hoping they’re all taking them now.
The constant feedings do put a strain on their bodies. The brews I gave them help with absorption of nutrients and ever so slightly increases the amount of blood their body can recover. If they weren’t being fed on regularly it would probably give them high blood pressure.
“Thanks, Leslie. You’re all good,” I say with a nod.
She gets up and the next girl takes her place. More bruises, an unhealed bite mark, slight anemia. It’s never bothered me before, but today I can’t help but wonder what they would be like without my healing. Would they be drawn and anemic? Would the vampires have already asked them to leave?
The next girl sits down. She’s a young, pretty thing with dark brown hair and cheekbones that could cut glass. Her full lips and big eyes make her look like a doll. She smiles and holds out shaking hands. She has probably never been healed before.
“It’s alright, it won’t hurt at all. You’ll just feel a little warm, maybe itchy if I heal something,” I say, trying to be reassuring. Most humans still don’t understand magic, and there is a lingering fear in some communities. People tend to either be fascinated by it or shun it and those that possess it.
I press my palms to hers and almost flinch as my magic spreads through her. Her back is a mass of bruises and there are claw marks on her arm that I couldn’t see under her cardigan. The back of her head is bruised too. She’s lucky she doesn’t have a concussion.
“What the fuck happened? Why didn’t they send you to me?” I demand.
The girl glances back at Leslie before she answers.
“It’s not big deal, we knew you were coming today. Javier didn’t want to bother you,” the girl stutters in a thick southern accent.
“Who hurt you? They shouldn’t be losing control like this.” I don’t want any more vague answers today, this is ridiculous. They should be taking better care of themselves than this. Javier shouldn’t have kept her from me.
“It—it doesn’t matter. I’m fine, and you can heal me now, right?”
“Just tell me—”
“It was Patrick, alright?” Leslie interrupts. “Javier asked for a volunteer, she stepped up. She got hurt. We just didn’t want to upset you. We know you two are friends or whatever.”
I shut my eyes for a moment and take a deep breath. They’re not really the ones I want to be yelling at. I’m going to have a very blunt conversation the next time I see Javier.
I heal her quickly, the magic leaves me in a rush and I feel...fine. I should be more tired than this. It wasn’t anything extreme, but my healing magic has always been weak and quickly depleted. I took barely any of the magic when I stole it. I refuse to worry about it now though, there’s enough going on today already.
The door opens as the girl is standing and Javier walks in, followed closely by Reilly.
“Olivia performs the checkups here,” Javier explains, stepping to the side.
Reilly looks around the room, and at each of the neckers, before settling on me. “Please continue.”
Leslie has to shoo the next person to me. It’s a young man, another new arrival. He holds his hands out like the others, but they are shaking. I grasp them firmly and smile at him reassuringly.
I don’t have to heal him at all. If he has been fed on, it was brief and healed up on its own. He’s in perfect condition. I release his hands and he hurries to the back of the room. Everyone stays still and quiet, waiting to see what the vampires want.
“Any of my clan’s servitors would be happy to feed you,” Javier says, gesturing broadly at the room.
I look at them, huddled in their groups, and disagree. A few look eager, but more of them look scared. Leslie is one of the eager ones, she’s standing a little in front of the others. She’s wearing a low cut black shirt that accentuates her best assets. Her blue eyes are taking in Reilly’s clothes, his hair, and his easy confidence. I look away and swallow down something that feels like jealousy, which is ridiculous. I’m obviously still upset with the break up with Tyler, and not thinking straight.
Reilly walks towards the group, taking his time and looking at each of them in turn. I wonder what he is looking for. A certain smell? Does he want them afraid? Is he looking for someone that will let him do more than feed?
He stops when he gets to Leslie. “What is your name?”
“Leslie,” she purrs.
“May I feed from you?” He asks, holding out his hand.
She places her hand in his and nods.
“Please take him to the front room, Leslie,” Javier instructs.
Leslie nods and leads him away, her hips sashaying and proud smile on her face. My stomach twists uncomfortably. It’s ridiculous, he’s not going to hurt her, and it doesn’t matter to me who he feeds from.
Javier clears his throat and I tear my eyes away from the closed door. “Can I assume Patrick is staying with you?”
“Yes, and he’s fine so far. Upset, but fine,” I say with a shrug. It’s really too bad I can’t heal emotional damage.
“Come with me,” Javier says, tugging on my elbow. The neckers begin whispering as soon as we step out of the room, I’m sure they have tons of new gossip to dissect.
Javier leads me through the house to his room and waves me inside.
“I wanted a little privacy. Reilly won’t be able to hear us from this far away,” he says as he closes the door behind us. He doesn’t continue though, simply walks to the window and sighs.
“Javier, out with it,” I say, leaning back against the door and crossing my arms.
“You need to convince Patrick to come back here. It’s not safe for him to be away from the clan, feeding without supervision. I don’t want to have to force him to return,” Javier says, his face blank and his posture relaxed.
“He hates you right now,” I say quietly.
Javier’s face falls and his hands tighten into fists. “I know.”
“He’s really not in control?” I ask. I have to know for sure. “He seemed upset yesterday, but not violent.”
“It comes and goes. I thought the same and I tried to let him feed from someone directly, but he--” Javier shakes his head. “He threw her across the room and then tried to kill her. I had to stop him, for his own sake, and I hurt him. I should have stopped him from leaving too.”
Patrick had left that part out. Perhaps he really was still somewhat feral. A surge of hatred for the NWR, for Martinez, and for Chevy swelled up inside of me. They had no right to hurt any of us like this.
“I can try to talk to him, but he said he had left the clan. That’s usually final.”
A muscle in Javier’s jaw twitches. “Until I accept his renunciation it means nothing.”
“Alright.” I don’t know what to say or do. Javier is not quite what I’d call a friend, and I don’t really care to sit around and talk about our feelings.
“So, is Reilly staying here, or can I leave?”
“He said he was staying with you,” Javier says. “He also brushed off all my attempts to persuade him to stay here instead.”
“He’s such a pain in the ass,” I grumble.
“Be careful of Reilly Walsh,” Javier says, standing back up straight and pulling himself together. “I cannot protect you from him, no matter how fond I am of you, or how much I value the work you do for me.”
“Fond of me are you?” I say with a smirk.
Javier winks. “Yes, terribly fond. You’re my favorite witch.”
I roll my eyes, but I don’t really mind it.
“I’ll see you again week after next. And just send them to me if they need healing next time,” I say, opening the door. “I don’t like it when you wait.”
“As you wish,” Javier says, joining me. He slings his arm around my shoulders as we walk down the hall. I elbow him in the ribs and he removes the offending appendage.
“I wonder how long he’s going to take,” I say, glancing at the time on my phone. I
want to check on Patrick, I don’t like leaving him alone for this long. “Do you think he’d be offended if I just left?”
Javier frowns at me. “Perhaps, don’t risk it.”
“You’re no fun when you’re like this, Javier,” I say. “I’m going to go wait in the kitchen.”
Javier nods and heads over to a necker that has been trying to get his attention.
I head downstairs. Some of the vampires are milling around whispering among themselves. Ada Talbott, a more senior vampire nods in my direction, but the others all give me a wide berth. Patrick is the only one that ever attempted friendship. I’m not sure what the others think of me.
I’m not sure what I think of them either. Some of them take after Emilio with their lace and Victorian dress, others just look like the average person on the street. Only a few seem to have gone goth. They keep their fangs extended constantly, which honestly makes them look ridiculous.
I slip into the kitchen and look around. I’m not hungry after that big meal, but I could use a drink. I pull open the fridge and poke around. Water, boring. Lemonade, but that just doesn’t sound good right now. Way in the back I finally find a beer.
“Thank god,” I mumble as I pull it out and pop the top off. It’s cold and exactly what I needed. I take a long swallow, tilting my head back.
“You make it look delicious.”
I cough and sputter, glaring at Reilly standing across from me in the kitchen.
“That was fast.”
“I was feeding, not fucking her,” Reilly says, shrugging one shoulder.
I laugh despite myself and shake my head at him, which earns a smile.
“You are ridiculous,” I say before taking another long drink. I guess I need to finish this quickly.
Reilly tilts his head. “I don’t know that I’ve ever been described as ridiculous before.”
I shrug and take another drink.
“Why aren’t you staying at the clanhouse?” I ask, twirling the bottle in my fingers. It’s been bothering me since Javier told me.
“I prefer to stay close to my assignment,” Reilly says.
Close, right. I wonder if he pulled Leslie in close when he fed, or if he just bit, sucked, and walked away.
Price of Magic: An Urban Fantasy Novel (Witch's Bite Series Book 2) Page 5
