by Deanna Chase
“Okay, but I still say he was just investigating the Influence.”
Maybe she was right. He could’ve been looking out for me. But that didn’t explain why he suddenly turned vampire sometime in the last three months, or why he didn’t even tell me about it, or why he disappeared from my life. In order to turn, he had to have some sort of relationship with Eadric. Powerful vampires like him didn’t turn just anyone. David had never told me about his long-term ties to the vampire world. He’d lied by omission. I had no reason to believe he’d told the truth about anything.
I stood, staring down at Phoebe. “Tell me what happened after Maude had me locked up.”
Phoebe closed her eyes, and I swear she was asking the Goddess for strength, or maybe patience. When she opened them, she put on her no-nonsense face. “If we’d fought, all three of us would’ve been locked up. Once I saw what Maude wanted, I knew she’d never let you leave. You knew it too.”
I didn’t respond.
“David, and I agree with him, walked out so he could formulate a plan to get you out safely. I followed his lead. The first thing he did was call Nathan, who apparently has spent time in the past investigating the Arcane. One of the ways he gets in is by volunteering for testing. I don’t know how he did it so fast, but next thing I knew, David said Nathan got himself recruited for Maude’s latest experiments, and based on Nathan’s intel, we formed a plan.”
“To bust me out?” And ruin our lives and careers?
“What else were we supposed to do? Neither of us was going to let you go through that.” Her eyes flashed with anger.
“Sorry.” I slumped. Her career was in greater danger than mine. I had the store; she only had the Arcane. “I should be thanking you, not biting your head off.”
“It’s okay.”
“Not really.” I gave her a small smile. “Thanks for busting my butt out of there.”
She laughed. “Any time.”
“All right, what did I miss?”
She pulled out her silver beetle bugging device. “I have it all right here, but there’s something you need to know first.”
Now what? The concern in her voice shot a dart of panic through my otherwise numb heart. “What is it?”
She took a deep breath. “Eadric is David’s adoptive father.”
I frowned. “I know. Eadric turned him.”
“No, Wil. I don’t mean vampire father. Eadric adopted David when he was ten. David has been a part of Eadric’s family for twenty years.”
***
An hour later, I stormed into Allcot’s house. Unfamiliar vampires lay draped over the ornate antique furnishings. No one moved, but every pair of eyes tracked me. I stopped in the middle of a sitting room, my hands balled into fits on my hips. “Where is he?”
A flawless teenaged immortal tilted her head. “Who are you lookin’ for, sugar?”
“Eadric.”
“He’s with his inner circle. You don’t want to disturb him.” She flipped her luxurious, Pantene-commercial brown locks over one shoulder and snuggled up to a Greek goddess who appeared twice her age but was just as striking.
“The hell I don’t.” I focused on the heavy vampire energy weighing on me and marched up the grand staircase, following the strongest concentration.
“Wait!” the teen vampire called.
“Let her go, Felice,” her companion said, stroking her arm. “David will take care of her.”
I clenched my teeth at the mention of David but was grateful the older vamp had other things on her mind. In my rage, I’d likely get myself bitten again if they tried to stop me.
At the landing I followed my spidey sense down the hall. Gooseflesh covered my bare arms as the energy pulsed around me. Just as it had during both meetings with the leader of Cryrique.
Eadric was close. Right on the other side of the closed double doors. I’d bet my store on it. Without knocking, I barged in and skidded to a stop.
Inside, the walls were draped in black silk, offset by snow-white carpet. At the center stood a luxurious canopy bed, trimmed with sheers that barely concealed the naked flesh of three vampires.
I stumbled back, my body knocking the double doors closed with a loud click.
A voluptuous redhead moaned under Eadric’s touch while another I recognized as Eadric’s consort, Pandora, peeked between the panels. “Ah, the faery. Eadric, you didn’t mention you’d invited such a lovely morsel.”
“I didn’t.” He lifted his head from Pandora’s neck to gaze in my direction. “But she’s welcome all the same. Willow,” he called, sounding amused. “Care to join us?”
“No…ah, no thank you.” I yanked the doors open. They slammed behind me. I leaned against the door and waited for my heart to start beating again.
“Willow?” David strode toward me from the opposite end of the hall, shirtless, his hair damp. “What the hell are you doing?”
His faint cypress scent reached me before he did. I held up a hand, keeping my distance. He looked too damned sexy, and my traitorous body was responding in a way my head did not approve of. I was mad at him, not to mention he was a vampire. “I intended to have a conversation with your maker—oh, I’m sorry, I mean your father.” I averted my eyes, feigning interest in the gleaming wood floor. “But he’s a little busy at the moment.”
“Uh, yeah. I imagine he is.” The irritation in his voice vanished, replaced by something close to embarrassment.
“Forget it. Eadric’s bedroom activities are of no consequence to me.” I stepped forward, shaking a finger at him. “But you have some serious explaining to do. What the fuck is going on, and why have you been lying to me?”
His shoulders stiffened as he took a deep breath. “Phoebe told you.”
I crossed my arms and glared.
“I…” He grabbed my hand and pulled me down the hall. “Let’s talk in private.”
His fingers squeezed mine gently, and despite my instinct to pull away, I couldn’t. There was no pain, only comfort and familiarity. Back at the Arcane, when I’d blurted his touch didn’t hurt, he’d only stared at me in confusion. Of course he had. He didn’t have any idea what I’d been talking about.
When we reached the opposite end of the hall, David paused to glance at our joined hands and gave me a curious look.
“What?” Butterflies danced in my stomach.
“You’re letting me hold your hand.”
The question in his tone made me try to pull away, but his fingers gripped mine.
He stepped closer, invading my personal space. “What did you mean earlier when you said my touch didn’t hurt anymore?”
“I…nothing.” Crap. No one was supposed to know about my intolerance to vampires.
Lifting my hand, he pressed it against the door and trailed his fingers over my palm. “Does this hurt?”
I shook my head, not trusting myself to speak. A ripple of unwanted pleasure ran down my arm, and I tried to pull back.
He held tighter and clasped my other hand. “But it did before, right? That’s why you kept pulling away?”
It wasn’t the only reason, but it was the main one. I nodded.
Dropping my hands, he stepped back, hurt showing in his deep blue eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Shoot. Now I’d gone and wounded a vamp. I sighed. “I don’t tell anyone. It’s not just you, it’s all vampires. Well, not you anymore for some reason. If word got out…”
He stared at me for a moment. Then he took a deep breath. “I see.”
I shrugged. What more was there to say on the subject?
David produced a key and unlocked the door. The modest sitting room was furnished with a leather couch and matching armchairs. I scanned the walls, noting the black-and-white landscape photography, and nodded. “This is your space, isn’t it?”
He glanced back in surprise. “Yes. My room is through there.” He gestured toward a connecting door. “How did you know?”
I felt my brows pinch as I stared at h
im with my you’ve-got-to-be-joking look. “I dated you for a year.”
His lips eased into a sexy half smile. The same one that made me say yes the first time he asked me out.
All my earlier anger returned, and I fought back the impulse to sucker punch him. “A full year, David. In all that time did you not once think it was appropriate to inform me you’d been adopted by a vampire?”
His smile disappeared and he took a step back. “I couldn’t. Just like you couldn’t tell me about your intolerance to vampires.”
I narrowed my eyes. “That’s not at all the same. My disability puts me in danger.”
“It is the same. We live in different worlds. Live by different rules. Revealing information has consequences.”
“Like what? Did you think I’d leave you? Judge you? Or think less of you? It’s not like you had a choice.”
“You don’t understand.”
I took two steps, stopping inches from him. “That’s the problem. You never gave me a chance.”
He stared down at me, his eyes intense, and sighed. “I did have a choice. How could I tell you I chose to live with Eadric? That I was forever bound to him?”
I shrugged. “So what? You were a kid. You can’t be held accountable. If the courts weren’t so corrupted, a vampire could never adopt a child.”
“Listen to me, Willow. It’s not like that.” David kicked a table leg, and a glass lamp shattered on the floor. “This is why I didn’t say anything. You’re so prejudiced when it comes to vampires. And then I was turned. What would you have said? I spent two months trying to figure it out, then I thought…Well, I figured it would be better to just let you think I didn’t care.”
I shuffled back, putting more distance between us. My chest constricted. “You didn’t…you were scared about what I would say?”
He turned away and nodded. “Yeah. I guess so.”
A knot eased in my stomach, and even though my head demanded I should be angry at everything he’d omitted, my heart said something else. He hadn’t stopped caring. If anything, he’d cared too much.
David stood there in only his jeans, looking sexy as hell, but his expression was lost. Almost dejected. The pain of whatever he’d gone through by straddling two worlds was clearly taking its toll.
I hesitated, wanting to wrap my arms around him, but still wary. A lot had happened. I’d been so angry at him for leaving me, for keeping me in the dark, for not being honest. At the same time, I understood—at least partially—why he’d kept me at arm’s length.
He turned to face me, hands stuffed in his pockets, shoulders hunched. I couldn’t help but still care about him. I took careful steps and slid my arms around his waist, resting my head against his shoulder. “I don’t know what I would’ve said if you’d told me, but right now I’m okay with it.”
His arms circled around me and after a moment, he bent and gently brushed his lips against mine.
The pain and stress of the last week took over, and I couldn’t stop myself from sinking into the kiss. The chill of his tongue on my heated mouth stirred an unexpected response deep in my center. Everything fled my mind except the feel of him. My David, familiar and yet new at the same time. I was tired of being scared. Tired of being hurt. Tired of letting everyone else control my destiny. All I wanted was to feel something good. To feel his body against mine. I moaned and pressed closer.
“Willow,” he whispered.
“Hmm?”
“This is probably not a good idea,” he said as his hands worked their way into my hair.
“You’re thinking too much.” I clamped my teeth over his lower lip and nibbled.
His breath caught short, and a second later he lifted me in his arms, carrying me toward his bedroom door. I gave him a wry smile and buried my head in his neck as he crossed the threshold.
The door slammed as David pressed me against the nearest wall. His lips were on me, sucking and teasing as they moved to nuzzle my neck.
“Careful. You don’t want to get bit,” a soft voice said.
David froze.
I twisted and spotted Allcot. All the anger I’d possessed earlier in the garden came roaring back. “You bastard!” I spat at Eadric, struggling to untangle myself from David’s arms. “Let me down.”
David kept an iron grip, not appearing to be bothered by my attempt. “Did you need something, Father?”
Eadric leaned back against the doorframe and shrugged. “Not at the moment, but your girlfriend appeared to want an audience with me. I can see she found a suitable way to occupy her time.”
“David,” I warned. He loosened his hold, and I slid to my feet. I stepped in front of him, glaring at Eadric. “Using your son to get to me, Allcot? How do you live with yourself?”
“Wil.” David rested his hand on my shoulder.
“Oh, right. You’re not alive.” I crossed my arms over my chest.
A slow smile spread across Allcot’s stony face. “She’s perfect, Davidson.”
Chapter 18
I spun to stare at David, then shuffled to the side until both vampires were in my view. “Perfect for what?” My words came out clipped, my tone dangerous.
David closed his eyes. When he opened them, he glared at Allcot. “Agent Rhoswen is an upstanding member of the Arcane. She deserves to be spoken to with respect.”
The unexpected display of support helped ease a bit of the tension strumming through my muscles. It was the first time David had displayed even a hint of defiance toward his father. Though I had a feeling Eadric spoke to everyone any damned way he pleased. He was that powerful.
Allcot chuckled, rolling up the sleeves of his black silk shirt. Dressed in wool pants and shiny black loafers, he was completely unruffled. No one would’ve guessed he’d just risen from a ménage à trois moments ago. “I doubt after today’s events, the Arcane agrees with your upstanding-member analysis.”
The muscle in David’s neck flexed. “You know what I meant.”
My gaze traveled back and forth from father to son. Allcot, still standing against the frame, kept his cocky, devilish smile in place. Only the clenching of his right fist indicated he was annoyed at David’s reprimand. I had no doubt if any other vampire spoke to Allcot in that tone, they’d be snail food.
David kept his head high, his eyes trained on his father. He wasn’t backing down. If Allcot challenged him, I’d be in the middle of a vampire smackdown. Again.
Allcot straightened and stalked toward David, his electric power making my skin itch. Although David’s broad shoulders and height gave him the advantage, his father’s very essence dripped with danger.
“Hey, now.” I jumped between them, holding my arms out as if I could stop either of them from ripping the other apart. Look what happened last time I got between two snarling vamps. “There’s no need for this. I’m certain we’re all capable of a calm, rational discussion.”
Neither spoke, but Allcot stopped his progression toward us, raising one curious eyebrow. “Your loyalty to Davidson bodes well for your survival.”
“Father,” David warned again.
I did a mental eye roll. The testosterone in the room was enough to complete a sex change. “Can we go in the other room to talk?” I pointed toward the door. “I’m sure we’ll all be more relaxed.” I would be.
Allcot took a step back, bowed slightly, and swept his arm in invitation. “Ladies first.”
Vampire balls. Now I had to walk right past him. Gritting my teeth, I held my head high and strode through the door, praying he couldn’t sense the fear threatening to take over. The first rule of dealing with vamps: Never turn your back on them. Especially this one.
Allcot fell into step right behind me, close enough his cool breath chilled my ear. I shivered and kept walking.
Back in David’s bedroom, I heard the rustle of a wardrobe opening and prayed that meant he was putting a shirt on. As gorgeous as his chiseled chest was, now was not the time for distractions.
I headed st
raight for one of the armchairs. Settling into the soft, rich leather, I crossed my ankles and eyed Allcot. He lounged back on the couch, his foot propped over his left knee.
David emerged, dressed casually in jeans and a long-sleeved navy thermal shirt. The way he used to dress before he turned vamp. I bit the side of my cheek to keep from commenting. Memory lane was closed. He glanced between us and took the chair next to me.
I gripped the arms of the chair, waiting. “What am I doing here?”
Allcot glanced at David, his lips twitching.
“Did your brain freeze in a prepubescent state when you turned?” I huffed out a frustrated breath. “God, Allcot, you act like a twelve-year-old. Not everyone is totally consumed by sex every second of the day.”
David caught my eye, and I swear he had to hide a smile. Did he think I was being funny?
Eadric leaned forward, elbows on his knees, his cold blue eyes piercing me with his gaze. “I assure you, if I wanted you in my bed, you’d be there…willingly.”
Every muscle in David’s body stiffened.
I gave Allcot a blank stare. “What is it you want from me then, since clearly I’m not begging to join the harem in your bedroom?”
Allcot glanced at David and gave him the tiniest of nods. David unclenched his fists, visibly relaxing. Was that some sort of acknowledgment on Allcot’s part that I wasn’t destined to be one of his groupies? As if I’d ever be part of one of his undead lovefests. No way was I going anywhere near his freak show.
“Well?” I prompted, tired of the power play.
Allcot shifted forward until he was perched on the couch, staring me in the eye. “I have a proposition for you.”
I raised a skeptical eyebrow.
His lips turned up in that cold smile of his. “Considering your current predicament, you’ll probably want to consider our offer.”
Our current predicament, indeed. Phoebe and I were in a quandary. We couldn’t go home or to work. Maude would find us there. Then I’d be a test faery again. I had two options: listen to what Allcot had to say or run. New Orleans was my home, where my store was, and the only place I’d felt comfortable since Beau died.
I didn’t want to run. “I’m listening.”
