Jackie shivered and cursed him thoroughly in her mind. He knew her too well. Since it had only been about a month since they’d first met, that shouldn’t be possible. She hadn’t been that open with him since she found out his real name. He barely knew her and he definitely didn’t know anything about her past. This feeling of connection had to just be hormones. That was all she was even remotely capable of accepting.
“If anyone asks for a taste,” he murmured, skimming his lips up her neck towards her ear, “say you aren’t for them.”
“I’m not for anyone,” Jackie told him. He lifted his head and she calmly met his eyes. She wasn’t sure what to make of his thoughtful smile.
“No, you really aren’t. That might be a problem later on.” She frowned, trying to pull her hand out of his locked grip.
“Why would that be a problem?” Liam didn’t answer immediately. From the moment she’d walked in the door he’d felt something dangerous moving inside of him. A dark, lethal part of his nature had wanted to claim her so that for the rest of the evening the predators in the room would be able to smell him on her skin, warning them to stay away. Jack had meant to be funny when he mentioned Fascination but Liam couldn’t find it in him to laugh. He was teetering dangerously towards a state every vampire knew to avoid.
“I can’t own you,” he said, tone mild enough but failing to reach his eyes. He released her hand and Jackie took a hasty step back. There was a conversation waiting here that she didn’t want to have.
“No,” she agreed. “You definitely can’t.” Jackie went in search of Izzy and Jack, putting O’Connor firmly behind her.
Chapter Thirteen
IT SURPRISED JACKIE TO realize that she was actually enjoying this party. Izzy had started a running commentary on everything that happened, which made Jackie laugh more than it informed her because it seemed so off base. The theme of her commentary seemed to be that vampires actually were pretty normal. Jackie didn’t buy it. The tension coiled in those immortal bodies was not normal. All the people on a liquid diet in the room seemed almost jumpy. She didn’t socialize with them much, only exchanging a few words with the people Izzy introduced her to. Jackie made a note to ask Liam why everyone was acting so paranoid. Then she spotted Eve Walsch and her polite smile transformed into a genuine one.
“Hey, Eve!” she called, managing to catch the woman’s attention. Eve immediately grinned.
“Jackie! What a surprise. I didn’t think you were the party type.” The dark purple of her dress complimented her skin and she looked just as composed as she did when manning the desk at O’Connor Industries.
“It was a whim,” Jackie explained. “I don’t really have much of a social life so the evening was free anyway.”
“I know what you mean. About this time of night I’m usually curling up with a good Janet Evanovich novel.” The taller woman’s eyes widened with pleasure at this discovery.
“Are you a Ranger or Morelli girl?” Eve grinned.
“Morelli’s cute but it’s Ranger all the way for me.”
“Yes! I knew I liked you.”
Izzy looked between the two women with a puzzled expression. She knew Eve as well but she’d never seen her this talkative and friendly. Then again, Izzy had never really taken the time to talk to her. She very rarely moved outside her own circle of friends who were either party animals or, like Jackie, rocks of Gibraltar. It felt hypocritical of her at times to be so picky about her acquaintances when before she’d hit puberty she had been the math nerd who would have fainted from happiness to gain any kind of friend. On the other hand, those who were persecuted were often eager to persecute in return.
“It’s nice to see you outside the office, Eve,” she told her with a tentative smile. Eve glanced at the donor, confused as to why she was bothering to talk to her now when she never had previously. Jackie felt the tension between them and sought to relieve it.
“Izzy’s a friend of mine,” she said pointedly. It was supposed to mean that they were both decent people and could manage to get along. Instead, Eve had to fight back a giggle.
“Izzy? I didn’t know you went by that name, Isabelle.”
Izzy blushed. “It’s something Jackie calls me. Her way of loosening me up.”
Eve considered that. Jackie didn’t strike her as the type to put up with useless people. There could be more to donors than what met the eye. Still, Eve was inclined to think that Izzy was the exception rather than the rule. “I like it. You should use it more often.”
That was all it took to break the ice. Eve began to express her opinions about some of the new donors and Izzy was so often in agreement that they sounded like twins. Jackie laughed more often than spoke since she knew very little about the donors. From what she’d seen, she didn’t get a friendly vibe. There had been a few very pointed glares in her direction after the little show that O’Connor had put on. These were not girls that appreciated competition. Not that she was competition, of course.
The girls weren’t the only ones behaving out of the ordinary. Jackie wasn’t an expert on vampires but, feeling the tension in the room, she could guess something was seriously wrong in mythical creature land. Out of the corner of her eye she could see a very pale, bulky vampire with a round face who looked about sixteen and if his hand tensed anymore he was going to break his glass of champagne. A few yards away from him was another vampire who was taller with aristocratic feature and stunningly white hair but every now and then she could see his foot twitch as though he wanted to start tapping it. Something was off here.
“I hope you don’t mind me asking,” Jackie began softly, leaning close to Eve so she could avoid any supernatural eavesdroppers. “Why is everyone so jumpy?” Eve glanced from left to right before leaning in to whisper in her ear.
“Bodies keep turning up on the news and they’re vampire murders. That means there’s a rogue who wants to shine the spotlight on this community. And in case you hadn’t already guessed, they’re not too fond of light.” She quickly pulled back, faking a light-hearted laugh as though she’d just said something amusing as she looked around once again to see if anyone had been listening. Jackie mulled over what she’d said, thinking of the body count Sofie was keeping track of because she was convinced it had to do with vampires.
“Excuse me? I know this is going to sound like I’m trying to pick you up but I promise that I sincerely think that we’ve met before,” a smooth, cultured voice said from somewhere behind her. Jackie turned around and almost had a heart attack. She knew that face. Warm blue eyes stared at her curiously from a handsome face. His hair was brown and neatly brushed back, something that his son’s hair had never managed to do. The name slipped out before she could stop it.
“Mr. Wallace?”
His eyebrows went up in surprise. “That’s the name I used to go by. Unfortunately I had to relocate after a certain amount of time and Ted Wallace ceased to exist. How did we know each other?” Her throat tightened as alarms went off inside her head. She quickly searched the room for Liam and spotted him in a corner with a small group of men and women engaged in what looked like an argument. Hopefully he would be sufficiently distracted.
“The town around Lake Almanor isn’t exactly a big place. Everyone knows each other’s business,” Jackie replied, trying desperately to smile. She glanced at Izzy who gave her the signal by biting her lip. He was a vampire. Well, she’d figured that out already. Nineteen years and he hadn’t aged a day. She held out her hand, finally managing that smile. “I’m Jacquelyn Chase.” He gripped her hand, smiling back. The name didn’t register. Of course, it wouldn’t have. It hadn’t been her name back then.
“I’m Edward Meyer now,” he informed Jackie, releasing her hand. Edward shook his head resignedly. “I just can’t place you, Ms. Chase. Only a hundred and I’m already going senile.”
“We didn’t know each other very well. Frankly, I’m surprised you recognized me.” She was beginning to re
lax now that the crisis was averted. He didn’t remember and she was safe.
“You have a very memorable face. I should be able to recall… Ah, well. I’ll ask my son later. He’s younger and has a better memory.” Jackie felt a wild panic cutting off the air supply to her brain.
“Is he in town?”
“He goes where I go,” Edward said. He looked at someone across the room and smiled. “I’m sorry but I haven’t fed tonight and my date is getting anxious. It’s been a pleasure. Hopefully I’ll remember you and we can catch up.” He smiled one last time before leaving Jackie to fight off hyperventilation.
“Jackie, I swear the color completely drained out of your face when you met that guy,” Eve said. Her eyes widened when she saw the sheer panic on Jackie’s face. “Oh my God, what is it?”
“Come on, Jackie, breathe,” Izzy commanded, refusing to let her own panic show. One woman on the brink of hyperventilating was enough, especially when it was Jackie.
“Izzy,” she whispered. “Izzy, that was Danny’s father.” The younger woman almost tripped in her stiletto heels.
“Holy shit.”
“Wow, Isabelle, I think that’s the first time I’ve ever heard you curse.”
Jackie’s eyes swung toward the young woman leading a pack of four donors towards them. There was an artificial perkiness in the way she moved. Her long, curly blonde hair bounced a little too perfectly and her red mouth was a little too plump. Her blue sequin dress clung tight enough for Jackie to worry about its structural integrity. She stopped within a few feet of them, her followers gathered in a clump behind her.
“Hi, Angela,” Izzy said and Jackie immediately detected the strain in her voice. This was one of the women making her friend’s life a nightmare. She straightened up and got a grip on her careening emotions. Her problems could wait.
“Your friend isn’t looking too good,” Angela noted with a light smile that didn’t match the concern in her voice. “She might be a little old for this kind of excitement.”
Jackie raised a brow. “Sure it’s not past your bedtime, kiddo? You seem cranky.”
A ripple went through the small group of donors, part gasp and part giggle. Angela’s face lost some of the honey and sweetness she’d had when she approached them. “In case your vision is failing, you should know that I’m all grown up.”
Jackie looked her new enemy up and down. She moved past Izzy to stand directly in front of Angela. With great satisfaction, she tilted her head down slightly to look into her face. “Not that grown up.”
Eve snickered. Angela looked like she was about to have a meltdown and Izzy knew she needed to separate the two women before Liam got wind of the incident brewing.
Angela scoffed “Could you get any more jealous?”
“Jealous,” Jackie repeated softly. Izzy didn’t know why but something had changed in her friend’s voice. She sounded older and a thousand times more tired. “You would think that. After all, you’re probably ten years younger than me if not more. You’re a very pretty thing but until you allow yourself to grow that’s all you’ll ever be. A thing.” Jackie shook her head. “No, I wouldn’t trade places with you. No matter how hard my life becomes at least it is my life. I have friends I trust and I know exactly who I am. Can you say that?”
The younger woman was speechless. In fact, during that silent moment Izzy realized that most of the idle chatter had died down. Every vampire in the room had been listening in on the conversation between Jackie and Angela.
Oh, shit. Jackie knew an awkward silence when she heard one. Apparently vampires had really good hearing after all. She tried to think of something light and maybe a little humorous to say to break the silence but nothing came to mind. Then her vampire knight in gray silk wrapped an arm around her waist.
“Follow me,” he murmured against her ear so quietly that she almost didn’t hear him. She caught a look of Izzy’s worried face as well as a few shocked expressions amongst the partygoers as he swiftly led her away from the scene. Jackie had trouble keeping up with his pace in heels and an even harder time trying to remember the various twists and turns of the hallway. O’Connor took her down a spiral staircase and unlocked the door by punching in a password on a keypad embedded in the wall. Wherever she was going, it wasn’t a place that O’Connor wanted open to the public.
The door swung open and Jackie bit down on her lip to keep from gasping. O’Connor’s taste for the elegant and expensive was more than obvious in this very large bedroom. The thick carpet was the color of storm clouds. Jackie glanced at the wall that was almost entirely window, framed by thick crimson curtains. She thought they were underground but apparently this room had been partially built into the cliff where O’Connor’s house perched. This vamp had serious privacy issues if he needed a lair underground. It wasn’t bad for a lair, though. A stone fireplace stood on the far side of the room along with two high-backed chairs and what looked like an antique desk in the corner. There were locks on the drawers and not a scrap of paper on the desk’s surface. Paranoia at its finest. The very sleek black laptop seemed out of place in this world out of time O’Connor had made. To Jackie’s left was a very large bed. Screw king-sized, this thing was orgy-sized. The coverlet was dark gold as were the pillows although two small, round pillows were the color of fresh blood. She saw most of this by the light of the moon since O’Connor hadn’t turned on the lights.
Liam released her then moved quickly, lighting candles that were scattered around the room and then setting a fire in the hearth. He believed in technology and the advancement of the world. That didn’t mean he didn’t also believe in nostalgia, although it was difficult for him to be nostalgic about the human life he barely remembered. His sensitive nose had gotten used to the smell of candles a long time ago and every now and again he wanted it back. He glanced at Jacquelyn who was staring at the only other door. It led to a bathroom, a dark place to rest, and a closet with a small refrigerator packed with blood for those rare occasions he wanted to work without a living source of blood interrupting him.
“Okay, Batman, what’s with the secret lair?” she asked, searching for a way to ease the tension.
“What was with jumping down Angela’s throat?”
Jackie glared. That was a definite no to the change of topic, then. “She pissed me off and I snapped. I forgot about the room full of immortal eavesdroppers while giving a very young and very silly girl a dose of reality.” Jackie hesitated a moment. Why was she defending herself, exactly? She was the one who’d been verbally assaulted. And why the hell had O’Connor dragged her off to some private little corner where he could chastise her?
“Was it necessary to tell her off in an extremely public place?” Liam asked with a deliberately mild tone of voice. Nevertheless, he knew he was in trouble when her eyes narrowed on him.
“Since she felt it was necessary to come after me in an extremely public place, yes! By the way, Mr. O’Connor, why do you have a preference for girls who barely know themselves?”
He blinked, a little stunned by the path this conversation had taken. “Excuse me?”
“I’ve noticed that the women you choose to surround yourself with are struggling for a sense of identity. Is it because you can’t handle too many complex women around you at one time? And Jesus, a person would think you’d be a little more worried about why all the vampires in there acted like there’s a ticking bomb beneath the floor. Or do you just not give a shit if it’s not about you?” She was pushing at him. Jackie knew it and also knew it wasn’t entirely wise. Unfortunately, the panic she’d felt when Mr. Meyers, formerly Wallace, had left her put Jackie in an unstable place emotionally. When she felt vulnerable, she tended to strike out. Plus, O’Connor never helped her stay in a calm state of mind.
“Jacquelyn,” he warned, eyes narrowing at the words that had actually managed to sting him.
She glared right back. “I’m not going to be lectured for defending myself. We�
��re done here. Good night, Mr. O’Connor.” Jackie turned on her heel with every intention of storming dramatically out the door.
“My name is Liam.”
She could feel that he’d moved although there hadn’t been any sounds to indicate it. There was a presence just behind her, icy cold and vibrating with energy. “So is O’Connor.” She didn’t know if she should move or not. The door was within reach but she couldn’t predict what he would do if she went for it.
“I want you to call me Liam.”
She already had once this night and she didn’t intend to do it again. It was one of the personal barriers she intended to keep between them at all costs. Jackie glared at him over her shoulder. “I want you to call me Jackie but so far that hasn’t influenced you in the slightest.”
“I prefer Jacquelyn,” he replied with a shrug.
She smirked. He’d gone and made her argument for her. How considerate. “And I prefer Mr. O’Connor.”
“Unless I have my fangs in you.” On a whim, he let the humanity drain out of his eyes until he had Jacquelyn pinned under the pitch-black gaze of a vampire. Her pulse accelerated and he ran his tongue over his elongated canines. He knew something had upset her tonight - something she refused to tell him. Liam had felt it, a welling up of despair and agony. He knew without asking that she wouldn’t let him inside her defenses in order to share what had so hurt her, so he would have to get in some other way.
“I’m not in the mood for donating blood, O’Connor,” Jackie said, willing herself to believe it. Unfortunately she wasn’t very convincing. An angry, desperate chunk of her wanted to let Liam O’Connor have his way with her for as long as he liked. She remembered only too well how he had driven every thought out of her head.
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