by E. J. King
“If you say so.” I leaned against the steering column. “He kidnapped you Grace. Is this some kind of weird Stockholm Syndrome thing?”
Grace glared at me. “No, it’s not. William had me brought here for a good reason. He never forced me to do anything I didn’t want to do.”
“You haven’t slept with him then?” I said. Even as the words left my mouth, I wished I could take them back. It was really none of my business and I already knew the answer. Hearing her confirm it would only be twisting the knife in my chest.
“He’s my boyfriend,” she said in a shaking voice. “I love him, Cole.”
“Love him?” I nearly laughed. “He’s really done a number on you, Grace.”
She looked away, staring over the water. “I don’t expect you to understand. I hardly understand it myself. I just know how I feel and I know that what William and I have is real, even if it doesn’t make any logical sense.”
“I didn’t bring you out here to judge you,” I said, feeling bad about my comments. “I’m just trying to understand.”
“It shouldn’t be that hard for you. I mean, you’re here as Drake’s companion.” She looked at me, confused. “I didn’t even realize you were interested in that sort of thing.”
“You mean vampires or men?” I said with a laugh.
“Both.” She returned my laugh.
I had expected this. “Drake and I aren’t together in that way, Grace. We have a deal worked out, but it doesn’t include sex.”
“It’s none of my business,” she said, blushing again.
“Well, considering what I asked you about William, I owe you an honest answer.” I had thought all night about what I was going to tell Grace. The deal I’d worked out with Drake meant that I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone, not even Grace, about my ties to the Guardianship. If I told her, she would tell William. I’d made the hard decision to keep up the companion charade with Grace. “The whole vampire thing is still new to me, but it’s not all bad.” I gestured back toward the land. “This place is amazing.”
“It really is,” she agreed with a smile before turning serious again. “What was the deal you made with Drake?”
“He came to me and said he could help me find you, that he knew where you were being kept. In exchange for letting him drink my blood, he would bring me to you.” It was the lie that Drake and I had agreed upon. It also wasn’t completely a lie. I did donate blood daily to Drake, just via an intravenous draw and not fang-to-skin contact. “He told me about this place and that humans are safe here. I wasn’t sure if I could believe him but if it meant I got to see you again, it was worth the risk.”
Grace stared at me in shock. “Why would you do something so stupid just to see me?”
“You’re my best friend, Grace,” I said. “Also, it wasn’t just to see you. I had to make sure you were okay. You disappeared so suddenly, I really had no idea what happened to you.”
“I’m fine,” she said. “You shouldn’t have made that deal with Drake. He can’t be trusted, Cole.”
“And William can?” I countered.
“Yes.” She didn’t hesitate with her answer. “Drake tried to kill me, Cole. He violated the rules of the Darkness and tried to kill me. He turned Norah into a vampire.”
I froze. “Norah? She’s here, too?”
“She is. Drake abducted her the night he took me. He kept her hostage against her will and then eventually escaped with her, only to turn her into a vampire.” Grace stood, coming closer to me. “Drake is nothing like the rest of the Blackwoods. His only goal is to steal the Darkness from William and turn it into a place where vampires can do whatever they want, including kill humans.”
I wasn’t surprised by this revelation. Though I’d been defending Drake for the sake of perpetuating our lie, I didn’t trust him. But I still didn’t trust William, either. “If what you say is true, I am sure that William will stop him.”
“He will,” she said firmly. After a pause, she smiled. “So, what did you think of the party last night?”
“It was interesting. Nothing like homecoming,” I said with a chuckle. “I didn’t stay much longer than you and William, though.”
“Went to bed early?” she teased.
“Actually, I went for a walk on the beach with Kathryn Blackwood.” I laughed again at the disbelief on her face. “Trust me, that’s not how I thought my night was going to go either, but it was kind of nice. Kathryn is very entertaining.”
Grace winced. “Please tell me that wasn’t a sexual innuendo.”
“Get your head out of the gutter, Grace. Just because you snuck away to get sexy with a vampire doesn’t mean everyone did.” I noted how she blushed and looked away and decided not to press the issue. “Anyway, we had a good talk. If William is anything like his sister, I can see why you like him.”
“Does Cole Sanders have a crush on Kathryn Blackwood?” Grace asked, eyes widening.
“Nice try, Wick. You should know that Cole Sanders doesn’t fall for anyone, let alone a 500-year-old vampire.” I gave her a smug look that made her laugh.
“Too bad. Kathryn would love the drama of having one of Drake’s companions crushing on her.” The boat rocked hard and Grace nearly tumbled into me. “How long do we have to stay on this boat?”
“We can go back anytime you want, but we won’t be out of vampire-earshot when we are back on land,” I cautioned her.
She nodded, impressed. “Good thinking, Sanders.”
“Not just a pretty face,” I said.
We stayed on the boat a little while longer, talking about Grace’s time in the Darkness. She told me about the fun stuff– trips up the mountain, parties at the estate, and days spent on the beach. After a while, she also filled me in on the latest drama between Drake and William. I wasn’t sure I was ready to side with William, but I could at least understand why she was so determined to hate Drake.
When we were all caught up, I steered the boat back to the dock. Grace was helping me tie up the boat when I heard her gasp.
“What’s wrong?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.” She gave her hand a little shake and resumed tying the rope. “I just injured my wrist earlier.”
“Let me see.” I grabbed her hand before she could stop me. Two faint holes were in the process of healing. “That’s an interesting looking injury.”
She yanked her hand away. “This is why I should never be allowed in the kitchen.”
“That’s a cooking injury?” I said doubtfully. “Looks more like a fang marks.”
“It’s not,” she snapped. “I can’t believe you are still going there.”
“What the hell do you expect, Grace? You’ve got a mark on your hand that looks exactly like a vampire bite and you’re shacking up with one of them.” I threw up my hands. “If you want to lie to me about it, fine, but don’t expect me not to call you out on your bullshit.”
Grace took a step closer to me. Several humans close to the docks were looking in our direction, intrigued by the yelling. “It’s not a bite, Cole. It’s important that you believe that.” She gave me a very pointed look. It was the closest that she would come to acknowledging that I was right, but that the she needed me to keep her secret.
“Sure, if you say so.” I nodded to let her know that I understood. “You would tell me if something was wrong, wouldn’t you? If you need help, I will do anything you need.”
“Nothing is wrong, I promise.” She reached over and squeezed my hand. “You’re a good friend, Cole.”
“No, I’m your best friend,” I said with a forced grin. I didn’t like the secret I’d been asked to keep, but I would do it if that’s what Grace wanted. That didn’t mean that I wouldn’t kill William if I ever saw him feeding on Grace, however. I just hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
GRACE
My morning with Cole was not exactly what I had expected. It was clear that he didn’t approve of my relationship with William, but t
hat wasn’t what bothered me. I was more upset that he was clearly keeping something important from me. His story about Drake didn’t make sense. Why would Drake bring him to the Darkness, especially if Cole wasn’t performing all the standard companion duties?
I couldn’t force Cole to tell me whatever secrets he was keeping, so I pretended to go along with his lies. I had to hope that eventually he would trust me enough to be honest. In the meantime, I was just going to enjoy having my friend living in the same place as me.
When we ran into Kathryn on our way back to the Blackwood Estate, I happily agreed with her suggestion that we head up to the mountain for the night. It would give everyone a chance to relax a little bit and it would give me more time to dissect Cole’s new persona.
William was less enthused by the idea. He had a lot of work to do before the recall vote and leaving for even one night seemed like a waste of time to him. I understood his concern, but insisted that it would be a good opportunity for us to observe Drake in close proximity. We would all be forced to spend time together and Drake might slip up and reveal something about his plan.
It didn’t take long to convince William, probably because he didn’t have a better plan. He asked me about my morning with Cole and I filled him in quickly on the highlights. When I mentioned to him that Cole and Kathryn had been spending time together, he looked stunned.
“Really? Kathryn?” With a shake of his head, he said, “This should be an interesting trip.”
We left on our own, heading up to the mountain before the others. William wanted us to have a chance to get settled before the chaos would descend. He set us up in our usual room, the one that made me feel like I was about to tumble down a mountain at any minute. William and I took full advantage of being alone in the house, not caring at all about being quiet. I lost myself in the moment and in William.
“You have the best ideas,” William said later, stroking a fingertip along my arm as I rested on top of him.
“And to think you didn’t even want to come,” I teased. “I am surprised that the others still aren’t here. It’s getting late.”
“They arrived about an hour ago, love.” He laughed when I lifted my head to glare at him. “Don’t worry, they didn’t hear anything. I only heard them because of my enhanced vampire hearing.”
I relaxed a little. “That reminds me, when do you think you’ll need a recharge?”
“We’ve got some time,” he said, looking uncomfortable. “I’d prefer to wait as long as possible. I don’t want to take advantage.”
“You’re not taking advantage when I’m offering,” I reminded him, kissing his cheek. “Should we put on some clothes and join the others?”
“Soon. Let’s wait just a little bit longer, okay?” He pulled me to him for a long kiss.
“Now, you’re the one with the good ideas,” I said, melting against him. As much as I knew that we couldn’t stay hidden away all night, I really wasn’t looking forward to leaving William’s arms. It was the only place in the world that I felt safe. “Not to change the subject, but did you see Norah today?”
“I did.” William smiled. “When we get back tomorrow, I’ll take you to her.”
“Really? She’s doing that well?” My heart thumped happily.
William said, “I’ve never seen a human handle the transition as well as her. If she does well with you tomorrow, I think we can assimilate her into the community.”
“That’s great news.” I kissed him again. “Thank you, William.”
“No need to thank me. It’s my fault she was in this mess to begin with. If I hadn’t sent Drake to get you, she never would have ended up in our world.” William froze, eyes darting to the door.
“What?” I asked, fully prepared for someone to burst into the room.
“The weres are here.” He sighed and gently rolled me away, kissing my neck and shoulder. “I need to greet them. I’m really sorry.”
I sighed loudly and stretched before sitting up. “Duty calls, Premier Blackwood.”
William was already out of bed and getting dressed. I took a few seconds to appreciate the sight of a naked William Blackwood before doing the same. He took my hand as we left the room and whispered. “Don’t wander off with any weres tonight, okay?”
“Excuse you?” I said with a laugh. “What kind of girl do you think I am?”
“That’s not what I meant,” he said with a frown. “I just meant that I don’t know how the weres are going to react to your scent. They have an even better sense of smell than vampires and your blood is especially potent.”
“Gotcha.” I tried to sound calm, but my body tensed.
“Hey, it’s going to be fine.” William put his arm around me, sensing exactly how I was feeling. “I’m not going to let any of them get close enough to you to do any harm.”
I leaned into him, thankful for his comforting presence. We had exited the hallway and I could see our new arrivals mingling with the vampires in the open living space. I spotted Cole in the corner of the room, looking uncomfortable but also adorable. When I saw Kathryn staring at him, I realized I wasn’t alone in my thoughts. She was clearly smitten.
“Thanks for joining us,” Alexander said loudly. Nearly everyone in the room turned to watch William and I make our appearance.
Despite dying a little inside, I kept my head up and looked him right in the eye. “I’d like to say I’m sorry we kept you waiting, but I don’t want to lie.”
Alexander stared at me for a beat and then laughed. “When did you develop a sense of humor, Hardwick?”
“I’ve always had one, it just usually gets buried under my contempt for you.” I smiled sweetly at him.
“Your human is growing on me, brother,” he said, slapping William’s shoulder. “Whatever you two were doing in that bedroom, keep it up.”
“Thanks for the tip,” William muttered. His eyes were scanning the room and I knew he was looking for another brother. I had already found Drake across the room, standing between his two female companions.
“I need a drink,” I said.
William eyed me suspiciously. “Really?”
“Yes, really.” I nudged him out of the way and headed for the kitchen. Alexander made some comment about me finally being fun, but I ignored him.
The kitchen only had blood and hard liquor, so I poured some whiskey into a glass and took a tentative sip. It burned like I had swallowed fire, but that didn’t stop me from taking a second sip. Someone had followed me to the kitchen and I just assumed it was William. When I turned around, I discovered I was wrong.
“You might want to slow down,” Cole said. “With the altitude, that’s going to hit you harder than it normally would.”
“Good,” I said. “The sooner this kicks in, the better.”
Cole glanced quickly at the doorway and lowered his voice. “Wanna go outside?”
“It’s cold,” I said.
“So put on a coat.” He rolled his eyes. “Don’t be such a baby, Wick.”
“Excuse me for not wanting to freeze to death,” I grumbled.
“Wait here.” Cole left the room and came back a minute later with my coat. He tossed it at me. “There ya go, princess.”
I glared at him before following him to the backdoor. “How did we ever become friends?”
“Easy, you had a big crush on me. I’m devastatingly handsome.” He opened the door for me with a big grin on his face.
“Actually, it was your humility that won me over,” I joked.
It was even colder outside than I had anticipated. It was also dark, but the sky was speckled with a million stars and a giant moon.
“Impressive,” Cole said, looking up. “Should we be worried about the house full of weres and the full moon?”
“The same magic that keeps the sun from hurting the vampires also keeps the weres from being forced to change during a full moon,” I explained. It was unnerving how matter-of-factly I was able to talk about the supernatural rules of
the Darkness. “A few of the weres will probably transition while they hunt, but as long as we don’t wander into the woods we should be fine.”
“I feel completely reassured,” Cole joked. Lowering his voice, he said, “Let’s move a little farther away from the house.” When we were several yards away and almost in the trees, he stopped. “I think this should be far enough.”
“Are you going to ask me if Kathryn likes you? Because I don’t know, but I can ask William to ask her after homeroom.” I looked at him, expecting a laugh. I didn’t get one.
“Did you know that while we were on the boat this morning, William paid a visit to Victoria Covington?” he asked bluntly.
I took a quick step back, like I’d been shoved in the chest. “What? No, he didn’t. He went to visit Norah.”
“He visited Norah later in the day.” Cole glanced nervously at the house. “Do you have any idea why William would visit Victoria after Drake made those allegations about her?”
Of course, my brain was able to imagine a dozen different reasons William would visit Victoria and all of them made me nauseas. “If he did visit her, I’m sure he had his reasons.”
“Which he didn’t bother to tell you?” Cole said pointedly.
“Did you bring me out here just to tell me this and try to make me jealous? Or doubt William? Because not only is that not going to work, but it’s really making you look like a jerk,” I said hotly.
“Don’t flatter yourself. I don’t spend my days dreaming up ways to denigrate your boyfriend, Grace.” He rolled his eyes. “It’s not like that’s even possible, anyway. You clearly don’t want to hear anything less than wonderful about him.”
“I’m well aware of William’s faults,” I said angrily, “but I trust him. If he visited Victoria, I know that he had a good reason.”
Cole laughed coldly. “What could go wrong with trusting a vampire? Isn’t that how you ended up in his fangs in your body?”
“Go to hell, Cole.” I wanted to storm away, but Cole was standing between me and the house. Hastily, I chose to head in the other direction. A few feet into the trees, I knew I’d made a terrible decision. It was too dark and I couldn’t see more than a couple feet in front of me. I could hear twigs snapping all around and the temperature seemed to drop twenty degrees.
