by Moore, E. M.
I just couldn’t accept that though. My grandfather had saved me from being an orphan after my parents’ death. That didn’t sound like someone who just wouldn’t care that something had happened to me. Sure, he may not have been there for me emotionally, but he was always there for me in every other way. I had everything I always wanted. That should count for something, right? Maybe Grandpa was working out the logistics to come get me, and now we were running away from Philly all together. Maybe Simon had figured that out, and that was why we came here….
No. I didn’t believe that. I didn’t want to believe it either.
Too many questions, and not enough answers.
By the time I’d thought through everything, and then continued to think it through another four more times, Simon finally slowed. His breaths were labored, the first time I’d ever seen anything affect him. He kept me in his arms, snuggled there like a cocoon until I started to wriggle free. I wanted to face everything that was here headfirst. I didn’t want to be blindsided by it.
He gripped me harder. “I’m just trying to get you used to the sudden drop in motion. Wait a second.”
“Oh,” I said, feeling stupid. Here I had thoughts of vamps jumping from the bushes at me when he was just trying to help me.
He dropped me on my feet anyway, and I turned. A monstrosity of a house was directly in front of me. My mouth dropped as I looked up at it. My family was rich, but even our house wasn’t as grand as this. And this was antique, too, as if everything had an intrinsic value as well as a monetary one.
Simon grabbed my arm and marched me up the stairs. He pushed the door open. Inside was just as antique looking. It was as if we were in a medieval castle with all the beautiful wooden furnishings.
Terror ripped through me as a figure lunged at us.
Simon shielded me. “Oh, calm down.”
The woman jerked to a stop. She had blonde hair and a fierce look. “Master Simon? I didn’t know you were returning today.” She stood straight, holding her hands behind her back.
A door opened in the corner of the room, bouncing off the wall with a deafening boom as it echoed. A man emerged. Tall, cut, dark and dangerous looking. I shrank into Simon, not that his look was much different, but the threat you knew was better than the one you didn’t.
“Simon,” the man said, smiling.
Simon dropped his head into a bit of a nod. “Sire.”
My eyes widened. This must be Galen, the one who saved him from his life without a mother.
Galen’s gaze dropped to me. Taking in our situation, his eyes only narrowed. “You may leave Allison. Thank you for alerting me to the intruder.” The woman, who I could only describe as a guard turned and left the room. When she was out of sight, Galen asked, “Who’s this?”
“This is Delilah Greene.”
The vampire blinked. “Simon.”
Simon shrugged, a dark chuckle piercing the air that made my stomach turn.
“Just what kind of trouble have you been getting yourself into?” Galen asked, sighing.
I clamped my jaw shut, holding everything in. My body pricked in warning. I didn’t like this place one bit. At least back in the human world, I could pretend that Simon was an anomaly. Now, I was faced with someone who was just like him and felt the tremor in my hands to prove it.
Chapter Thirteen
Simon
Even as I walked into the compound, I didn’t understand why I’d brought Delilah here. To settle her here? Because I wanted her with me? None of those things seemed exactly right, so it wasn’t a lie when I told her I needed Galen’s advice. He’d been there for me for so many years. He could probably read my face without me even trying.
Kayleigh walked up behind Galen, sliding her hand around his waist. Delilah’s eyes practically bugged out of her head. Kayleigh was a stunning human, but she was even more stunning as a vampire.
What would Delilah—?
No. My mind was not going there.
“This is Delilah,” I told them, “… and there’s no trouble, is there, Delilah?”
Delilah didn’t even speak. She sat there and blinked at Kayleigh and Galen. I imagined trying to see them through her eyes. They must have been a sight together. I could feel her skin turn cold and step ever so slightly into me for protection.
“Perhaps I should take Delilah into the other room and let you and Galen talk,” Kayleigh said.
I smiled at her. She didn’t meet my eyes when she came to take Delilah away. There was that pesky time I tried to kill her, but I’d also brought her back to Galen. You’d think that would mean something, but the fledgling was holding onto her grudge, apparently.
Delilah stepped closer to me when Kayleigh neared. It made me chuckle. The fact that she thought I was less intimidating than bleeding heart Kayleigh made me think I was losing it. “It’s okay,” I told her.
Kayleigh rolled her eyes. “Yes, it is. I won’t hurt you.” She took her by the shoulders gently and walked her into the big room.
Galen turned on his heel and moved back toward his office. I followed him, my brain firing, trying to think of a reason why I brought her here other than that it felt natural to do so. Where else would I take her?
Galen held the door open for me and then shut it when I walked in. He laid a hand on my shoulder. “It’s good to see you.”
“You, too,” I told him.
He squeezed my shoulder and then walked past. “I admit, when you said you were in Philly I was quite worried. I didn’t know whether to come find you or not.” He leaned against his desk and crossed his arms over his chest. “Now I see you’ve brought someone with you?” He arched an eyebrow.
“Delilah,” I said again.
“Yes, Delilah Greene, but who exactly is she, Simon? And why do you have her? I can only venture a guess, but I’d rather not.”
“She’s Greenie’s granddaughter.”
He nodded as if he’d already surmised as much. “And you…?” he trailed off, waiting for me to get to the point.
“I’m ransoming her, Galen. I’m ransoming her for that prick who took my mother’s life.”
“Oh,” Galen said, a frown creasing his lips. “And how’s that going?”
I shrugged. “Not very well. The old bastard doesn’t care that I have his granddaughter. He’s made no attempt to meet my demands,” I growled, and before I knew it, I was shouting, my words coming out in angry clips. “And no attempt to even rescue her.”
“Greenie has no value for life,” Galen said, as if we already knew that.
I growled in frustration as Galen took what I’d been feeling right out of my head and put it into words. He hadn’t cared he’d killed my mother all those years ago, and he didn’t care about Delilah now. What kind of monster just didn’t care about anything?
“And they say we’re the heartless ones,” Galen mused, rolling his eyes. He tilted his head. “So, you went to Philly hoping you’d get some sort of satisfaction out of seeing Greenie dead, but instead, all it has done is make you angrier.”
“He hasn’t come for her,” I seethed.
Galen’s eyebrows furrowed, but as he stared, he seemed to understand something I didn’t. His eyes lit. “Oh.” He stood from his perch on the desk and moved forward. “It’s more than that then. You care for her.”
I closed my eyes. My very being denied it, but at the same time, there was a little inkling inside me that said it was true. How could that be though? Her grandfather killed my mother. She should be tainted by association. “No,” I said. “I just feel bad for her, and I’m pissed I haven’t been able to make him pay. How can I get my rightful revenge on someone who doesn’t care about anyone but himself?”
When I opened my eyes, Galen had his head cocked even further. “She makes you think of you. The little boy who had nowhere to go and nothing to live for. I see why you brought her here now.”
I hadn’t. I hadn’t just then until Galen put it into words.
Galen had fixed
me. Surely, he could fix Delilah too. No one in this world wanted her. She was the little boy who cried over his mom’s dead body knowing she would never wake up again, but also not knowing what to do with a dead body. The little boy who scraped for food, taking anything he could get. He had a miserable existence before, but he knew what was coming would be far worse. “I don’t know what to do,” I admitted.
Galen looked toward the door. “She knows her grandfather won’t come for her?”
My hands clenched to fists. “She thought he would at first. But I sent him audio, video of me torturing her, and nothing has spurred him to respond. I think she understands now.”
Galen’s jaw clenched, and I knew it wasn’t because of what I admitted I’d done to her, it was because of Greenie’s complete lack of interest in her life. “Everyone should have one person in this world who cares whether they exist or not,” Galen said, his anger finally sparking. “Someone who would notice if they were gone and mourn them.”
I nodded. I’d been my mother’s. After that, Galen had always been that one person for me, and I for him. Maybe that was why I hated Kayleigh so much when she first got here. When I could see Galen slipping through the cracks and into her arms more than relying on me. It used to be just us for one another, but not anymore. I was the odd one out in a table made for two.
“What do you want to do?” Galen asked.
“He needs to pay,” I said, my temper flaring. “Not just for my mother, but for Delilah too, his own blood.”
“How do you want to do it?”
“I’d like to see him suffer, Galen. He has no idea what he did to me, and what he’s going to do to Delilah once she really realizes he never had any intention of coming for her. I went to his house after I sent the torture video. Things were carrying on like normal. Delilah’s room had been cleaned and made up like new. But worse yet?” This was the part I hadn’t told Delilah yet. This was the part that really sank home how much he didn’t care. “All aspects of her were gone from the room. No pictures, no mementos. Hell, her scent wasn’t even there anymore. It was as if he completely washed her away from his house.”
“Does Delilah know?”
“No.”
“Why does she think she’s here then?”
I blew out a breath. “I don’t know what she thinks. I just told her I needed to see you and that she was coming with me.”
Galen came up to me and put his hands on my forearms. My tight body relaxed instantly. “She’ll be safe here.”
“I don’t care,” I said, forcing the words from my mouth.
Galen didn’t push it even though both of us knew I was lying. “Let’s get to planning then,” Galen said. I looked up at him, confusion riddling my face. He mirrored my look. “It’s what you want, right? Retribution? Don’t tell me you want to stop now.”
“You’re going to help me?”
“Isn’t it what we do?” Galen asked, a hint of a smile on his lips.
“Yeah, but you’re all soft now.”
Galen grunted in amusement. His mouth opened to say something, but it was interrupted by a loud hiss from the other room.
Galen and I got to the door at the same time. His reaction bolstered because the hiss was unmistakably Kayleigh’s. But for me, it was the reason why she hissed, and that fact that I could smell Delilah’s fear from here.
“She’s not a Feeder,” Kayleigh growled, standing up to Luca who stared down at her.
I needed only to hear that and then I ran at him, barreling through his midsection. We both fell onto the floor in a tangle of limbs.
“Jesus fuck, Simon,” Luca growled, pushing me from him.
I slid across the floor and looked up, anger still pulsing through me. When I looked up though, Luca had his hands in the air and a smile on his face. “What’s up, man?”
I pulled myself to a standing position and went to pull Luca to his feet. When he gave me his hand to help hoist him up, I shoved him back down again instead. “Not yours to play with,” I told him.
Then, we both chuckled. “Alright, I got the point,” Luca said. “Maybe just put a sign on her next time saying, ‘Simon’s property’ to avoid any confusion.”
“Fucking vampires,” Kayleigh said, shaking her head.
I looked up to find Galen right behind her, shielding her while Kayleigh shielded Delilah simultaneously. Delilah was pale, frozen in terror. I pushed away from Luca and went to her, my heart in my throat. “You okay?”
“Fucker tried to bite her,” Kayleigh snapped.
I whipped around to pierce Luca with another stare. He held his hands in the air again.
“It’s not as if you don’t have enough food around here with Simon gone,” Kayleigh said, chastising as if she’d taken on the mothering role to all of us with her new position as Galen’s mate.
“She looked too delectable to pass up,” Luca drawled, his voice sounding off from behind me.
That she did. Always had, and it wouldn’t change.
She looked me straight in the eyes as if I had tried to bite her myself. “How many of you are there?”
“Here? A few.”
“What about everywhere?” she asked, her heart still fluttering in her chest.
“More than you want to know,” Galen said menacingly.
It was true. If humans knew how many of us there were, there would be widespread panic before the fighting began. Some humans already knew about us and fought back when they could. Most other humans just thought they were crazy, which was a good thing for us. Crisis avoided. But who knew what would happen in the future.
Delilah took in a deep, shaky breath. It sawed out of her before she did it again and again. She swayed on her feet and Kayleigh slowly lowered her to the couch. She sat next to her. “I know. It’s a lot to take in.”
“You’re all vampires,” she said, as if she were losing it. She knew we would all be vampires. Well, except for the feeders, possibly, but what did she expect?
Kayleigh tried to calm her, but Delilah forced herself into the couch to try to get away from her.
“Simon…? Simon!” a high voice rang out from behind us. I turned just in time to see one of the new feeders fly across the room. She launched herself into my arms and I caught her.
“I’ve missed you,” she said, practically purring as she slid down my body.
“Hey now,” Luca said. “I thought I was keeping you company enough.”
The girl chuckled. “But of course, but you know how I like my different flavors.” She gave Luca a wink and then looked around me, finally seeing Delilah on the couch. “Who’s this?”
“Delilah,” Delilah answered, eyeing me the entire time.
Red hot jealousy rose inside her. It made me furious. Not at her, but at me for letting this happen. I’d felt similarly when I’d invited the railway worker into our room. I’d done it plenty of times before and had never been overcome by something so insipid as jealousy, but Delilah was different.
She stuck out at her chin. “Who are you?”
“Sasha.”
“You’re a Feeder?” she asked, struggling to get the word out.
“Feeder. Lover,” she shrugged as if this was just another casual conversation. It kind of was in this house.
I moved toward Delilah, but she moved away. She found herself pressed against Kayleigh and stilled a moment before pulling herself up and then flipping herself over the back of the couch. “Stay away from me. All of you.” Her eyes darted to each one of us like we were an imminent threat. She even grabbed a vase off a nearby table and held it up like she would chuck it at someone.
I couldn’t help myself, I laughed.
She launched it at me. Surprise only took me off guard for a second before I plucked it out of the air and placed it safely down on the coffee table in front of me. “Delilah, did you really think throwing a vase at me would stop me from getting to you if I really wanted to?”
I stepped closer, and she took another step back. “D
on’t, Simon. I want to leave.”
Fury washed over me. Leave? I’d brought her here. Here. To my fucking home, and now she wanted to leave? A growl ripped from my throat, and I was in front of her in an instant, my hands at her chin. “And go where?” I seethed. “Back home? To a man who doesn’t even want you?”
Behind me, I heard Kayleigh urging the others from the room. Sasha balked, but eventually, Luca enticed her with a quickie in his room. If only Delilah had heard that. She’d understand it wasn’t about feelings with the feeders, it was all just about how we made one another feel. Why else would she want to go if it wasn’t about jealousy?
Soon, we were alone again.
“You don’t know that he doesn’t want me,” she said. “You probably took me here right when he was closing in on you. Actually, I know you did, Simon. I want to go home.”
Understanding dawned. This was about trust. Something happened that made her not trust me. Anger seized control of me, made worse by the fear brewing underneath. I didn’t want to lose her. She was the only person who’d ever made me feel like maybe I wasn’t a monster. Not even Galen had done that. In fact, we used to pride ourselves on being monsters until he woke up one day and decided that Kayleigh was more important to him than that. Maybe that was what was happening to me now. If so, I couldn’t lose her. “And what makes you think I would even let you go? I took you, remember? Took you when you had your little plaything pressed against your pussy while you murmured my name over and over again. You don’t want to go anywhere, especially not away from me.”
She shook her head. “This isn’t right,” she said, her voice quaking. She looked all around the room as if something or someone would save her. “Vampires, and Feeders who missed you,” she said. “This place isn’t real. It’s disgusting.”
“So, that’s the real reason, isn’t it?” I asked, glaring at her. “You’re jealous. You’re making this big scene because you think I’ll bow down to your every wish. You think I’ll relent and give up who I am. I won’t, Delilah. This is who I am.”
