by Angel Lawson
“Do you remember what he said to you?” Ryan asked.
I rubbed my hands on my thighs, feeling cold even though it was a warm summer night. “He told me he had taken Sasha’s place with Caleb and that Caleb was going to hurt people close to all of us if Grant didn’t give him what he wanted.”
“Did you say anything to him?” His eyes flicked over at me and I could sense the judgment. The alcohol was starting to wear off. He could probably smell it or something. Gross.
“He asked some questions about Grant and his business. I think it was just a way to get me talking. I didn’t tell him anything important,” I said. A memory flashed in my head. “Well, I did tell him that Grant was a prick, but that’s all.”
That earned me a small grin. “Well, you were just being truthful.”
Once inside, I procrastinated. I stopped in the kitchen to get a glass from the shelf and fill it with water from the sink. Walking by my desk even though I knew there was no work. No list. Grant was waiting for me upstairs. He would have seen the journals. He would know that I know.
I finally gathered my nerve and walked upstairs. I raised my fist to knock on Grant’s office door but it swung open before I touched the wood.
Grant stood before me, hair disheveled and sticking on end. His shirt was untucked and the soles of his shoes rimmed in mud. I crossed my arms over my chest and asked, “Can I come in?”
“Of course.” He opened the door wider to allow me to pass. I didn’t fail to notice he sniffed me as I walked by. It was like Joe marked me on purpose to get a rise out of the Palmer men. “I told you not to leave. You don’t seem to understand the gravity of the situation.”
“I do understand, but to be honest I’m just a little overwhelmed and fine—a little spooked.” I glanced at the stack of journals I’d left on the couch, several having spilled to the floor. “Not sure that’s just from the uh, vampire, at the bar though.”
“No, I suppose not.” He picked up the final book I’d read, the leather cord wound tight around it, locking the pages in place. “It’s a bit of heavy reading. I’m just happy you returned at all.”
“Let me help,” I said, dropping to my knees. I was in the middle of organizing a stack when he grabbed my wrist.
“Why did you return?” he whispered.
“Because I’m an idiot.”
His eyebrows came together. “You’re nothing of the sort.”
“I’m a fucking idiot, Grant. You’re dangerous. A killer—you’ve literally killed hundreds of people and documented each one. You’re a vampire. You’ve admitted you want to feed from me. All of that is terrifying.”
“How does that make you an idiot?”
“Because despite everything you’ve told me”―I hold up a book―“and shown me, I still can’t keep away from you. I want to be with you all the time, breathe you in.”
“Amelia,” he whispered and I stopped him with a look.
“I’m not finished. I want those things but I also know that this is big. Bigger than anything I’ve ever dealt with. I just...I have to figure it out a little. Keep a balance. Learn to trust you. Because right now I’m not sure I’m thinking clearly.”
“I’ll do anything you need me to do.” The spark of hope in his voice was enough to crack my heart. We stood inches apart, kneeling on the carpet. My heart was beating—I’m sure he could feel the way it pounded in my chest. He rubbed his fingers over my wrist. He tilted his head and said, “Your heart is fluttering like a humming bird. Are you scared or excited?”
“Both.” I took a deep breath trying to settle myself—my heart beat—my tells. “I think that just like before, when we came to an agreement about working together, we have to have some boundaries in this relationship, okay?”
“Name them.”
“Well, no lies. Ever. Not for my safety or protection. I need to know the truth about what is going on now and I need to know the truth about your past. In order to trust you, I need to understand you.”
“I can do that.” His hand shifted from my wrist and he linked his fingers with my own.
“I’ll stay here with you because of the stuff with Caleb and his new freak, Joe, but you have to give me my space. No lurking or stalking. No creeping around like a weirdo. If you want to see me just ask.” For the first time he faltered and I asked, “Do you have a problem with that?”
“No, not in theory it’s just all that stuff, it’s difficult for me to rein it in. It’s part of my nature, part of the uh, compulsion.” If he could have blushed I suspect the tips of his ears would have been bright pink. “This relationship stuff is new to me, Amelia; you’re going to have to help me with the tricky parts.”
God, this man.
“We’ll work on it then. Together.”
He brought my hand to his lips and pressed his cool lips on my hot skin.
“I’d really like that,” he said.
A chill ran up my spine, down my arms and into the pit of my belly. He felt so good it was scary—that would be the challenge here—one I wanted to deal with head on. I stepped back, avoiding the books on the floor, and sat back on the couch. “Okay, I’m ready.”
“For…?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Everything. Tell me everything. Starting now.”
“Now?” he asked?
“Now.”
Chapter 10
Grant
I rubbed my hand over the back of my neck and sat next to Amelia on the couch, taking a moment to mentally edit my words.
Amelia rolled her eyes. "Seriously? Already you’re trying to lie?”
Fighting my instincts I said, “Let me preface this with the fact that everything you want to know is off limits. My whole life is part of an unspoken but enforced code created by The Council for survival. So all the worry and concern you have about doing something dangerous? It’s real. And yes, it’s bigger than the both of us.”
“I’m willing to take that chance.”
I raked my fingers through my hair. "Okay. I'm going to tell you everything that I know. But understand this is really hard for me." She nodded and I continued, “After so many years with my family and experiencing failure in my beliefs, I decided to live life differently. The days in New York, when I completely succumbed to my base desires, were clearly a low point. After a while, the kills did nothing for me and my behavior became unforgivably reckless. Miles found me and convinced me to come home.”
“You went willingly?”
“Not exactly. But I knew deep down I couldn’t keep going like that. Miles essentially put me through vampire rehab and I got back on my feet. It wasn’t easy and it wasn’t fast. I had relapses. I spent a lot of time alone.” I look at my hands. “Eventually though I tried to find comfort with others and began pushing myself in other ways, physically and mentally. You may not have noticed but I have a slight touch of OCD.”
“The Post-It-Notes were a bit of a giveaway,” she said with a smile.
“After I got my urges under control—like really under control, I decided I needed to do penance for the harm and destruction I’d caused. I wanted to cultivate and develop my human side.” Amelia shifted on the couch, her eyelids drooping with exhaustion (and alcohol). I knew better than to suggest we stop. Instead I pulled her legs onto my lap so she could recline.
“After thinking about it long and hard, I decided to use the abilities that came with my change for the greater good. I didn’t have to act like a monster. I had free will. What I did have that most others didn’t was increased strength and speed. I had an obsessive need for order and management. Business was changing and we needed a front person for The Palmer Foundation. That provided an excellent opportunity for me to hide in plain sight. At first it was just basic stuff. Stopping small crimes, but then I noticed a trend of nomadic vampires passing through the area. They’d come in, feed and kill, and leave. Not only was this behavior risky for the carefully crafted lifestyles my family had created, it went against the atmosphere I
wanted to create in this community.”
I explained in detail what Caleb and Sasha had done. The murders, ritualistic sacrifice, and spilt blood across the city. I confessed that Caleb revealed that these losses were due to an unexplainable vendetta against me and possibly the whole family. Rage and anger boiled beneath my skin as I recounted my failings. “I am trying to keep everyone safe,” I said. “You, the family, the community, but he’s beating me. I don’t know how but he is.”
“But you killed Sasha,” she prompted.
“Yes, but she’s only one head of a snake that will grow back again.”
“Like Joe.”
“Exactly.”
She frowned and asked, "So what you're saying is that Caleb is murdering people and turning humans into vampires to create an army to fight you?
“It seems like they want to take control over this land or something. Honestly, I haven’t pinpointed his agenda yet. It’s all very unusual.”
“He wants me as part of his army?”
“I think he wants you to hurt me. His ability to link to my mind and thoughts allowed him to realize early on that you were special to me. He feels slighted by me in some way. You’re a pawn for him in this game,” I explain.
"What makes you so important to him?"
I absently twisted the silver and turquoise ring on her right hand, and said, "Caleb is convinced I have something that is his."
“Did you cross paths with him before? Steal a girlfriend before you turned? Cut in front of him in line at the grocery store?”
I narrowed my eyes in confusion. “We don’t go to the grocery—another joke?”
“Someone has to lighten this up a little.”
“I’ve lived a long life and remember very much about it. But Caleb doesn’t fit into anything that remotely makes sense. He may just be insane.”
I lifted Amelia’s hand into my own, feeling her soft, delicate skin. She opened her mouth to speak but closed it, relaxing back into the leather cushion. Her heart thrummed and once again I located the spot I searched for on her wrist. I zeroed in on the pulsating vein and covered it with my thumb. I lowered my head to listen, brushing my hair against her bare arm.
"Why do you keep doing that?" she asked, her voice truly curious.
"Because I like to feel your heartbeat. Your life," I answered, skimming my fingers across her wrist and up her arm. She shivered but I could see the faint smile playing across her mouth. "I can hear it, you, through the entire house. Sometimes even outside." I wait for her to react. To panic at my intrusion but she stayed with me. "Your heartbeat has become my compass. At first though, it taunted and provoked me. It betrayed you, when I thought you were defiant to me, but now I'm at a loss when I can't find it."
Her eyelids fluttered shut, a sign of trust and submission. She lay before me, open and willing. I pushed further, making sure she understood what I was implying, “You have no idea what is like to desire someone like this.”
First a smile and then full laughter escaped Amelia’s mouth. I stared at her. "Is this funny?"
She shook her head and said, "No, but you're wrong. I have some idea what it’s like."
I rolled my eyes at her pluck. "You can, you say? When I’m with you I am completely overwhelmed by the desire to find you. To hunt you. I want to consume you. I have never in all my years wanted anything or anyone more than I want you."
She extracted her wrist from my clutch and pulled my hand towards her, resting it on her knee. "So when you say you want me, what you really mean is that you want to eat me, right?"
I narrowed my eyes at her crassness, and said, "Yes," in response.
"And you don't think I understand this…desire?" she asked.
I focused on the woman in front of me. What she was saying. I followed her every movement. She pulled my hand up to her nose and inhaled, mimicking my actions from earlier. "Grant, I haven't lived as long as you, clearly, but I have been around people, other men, and none of them have ever appealed to me the same way you do."
I started to protest but she stopped me by holding up a hand and guiding my palm and fingers flat against hers. "Do you feel this between us?” she asked. “The energy? That has nothing to do with me being your dinner, although it does have everything to do with me and you."
I shook my head. "You say this…but part of our allure is to be very attractive to humans. It’s how Sasha lured you away from the bar. It’s why Olivia makes you feel so comfortable."
"Well, Olivia does smell nice,” she admitted. “And Elijah and Ryan do have a, uh, definite appeal…but that really has nothing to do with their scent as much as…well they are both very handsome." Handsome? I thought, fighting back the jealousy. She raised an eyebrow at my alarmed expression. "Including these things none of them make me feel the way you do. You're the one I want Grant, do not misunderstand."
Comprehension dawned on me and my shoulders tensed. "Some of what you're feeling isn't just blood lust although I accept that it exists. But when two people are attracted to one another other things come into play. Chemicals and hormones," she continued. "Don't deny me my feelings."
"I won't," I whispered, eyes focused hard on her mouth.
"This terrifies me," she said. I attempted to pull away but she clutched my hand. "Not because you are a vampire, but because I’ve never felt this way, either. I feel like I’m ready to jump in this thing head first with you."
Her eyes locked with mine, steady with resolve. I took a breath and asked, “Even if it's wrong?"
"Is it? Is it wrong?"
I lifted her hand to my mouth. I pressed lips against the back of her hand. Shivers traveled down her spine and she shivered with pleasure.
"It's wrong," I whispered.
"I know," she replied with the most sincere yet determined grin on her face.
Chapter 11
Grant
The moment between us ended when I told Amelia about Laurel’s murder.
“She’s dead?” she repeated, her face turning pale.
“Yes, Caleb—or one of his people was involved.”
I struggled to find words of comfort. All I felt was rage and annoyance at allowing this to happen. One step forward—two steps back, was how it worked with Amelia. I’d never reveal all the darkness that surrounded me, but I couldn’t keep it from her either. It was the harsh reality we both would have to accept.
Amelia gripped the edge of her seat. “I just saw her, you know? I stopped in to get a drink and we talked.”
“I’ll make him pay,” I told her, clenching my hands into tight fists. I should be out there now, tracking him.
“They warned her about this. Her family and church told her this could happen.” Her voice grew soft—strained. “I shouldn’t have encouraged her. She would’ve been safer in Lost Cove.”
“Her death is on my hands,” I said. “Not yours.”
She looked up. “How can you say that?”
“Remember the stories Laurel told you about Lost Cove and the vampires? Every word of it was true. I personally agreed to the covenant between the Melungeons and my coven. It’s my job to protect this area and the humans that live in it from vampires. Especially the Shifters.”
“Do you think Caleb knew about her?”
“I don’t know if he’s aware of her affiliation to Lost Cove or what that means. I have to assume he attacked her because she has a connection to the two of us.”
Her nose turned pink and her eyes grow glassy. Fighting back tears she said, “Laurel was a good person. She deserved better than to be slaughtered and left in an alley.”
“You’re right.”
One look at Amelia proved the weight of the night had taken its toll. Dawn peeked through the windows and I was aware she hadn’t slept in over 24-hours. She wiped her eyes, attempting to rub away the burn of exhaustion and grief. To my relief she asked, “Can you show me to my room? I think it’s time I got some rest.”
I hopped to my feet. “Of course.”
/>
I led her into the hallway. Stopping at the second on the left, I pushed it open and said, “I think this will be suitable.”
She’d been in this room before. It was one of my standard guest rooms Amelia was required to maintain. She’d been the one to stock the bathroom and make sure the linens were fresh. She nodded and agreed, “Yes, this will do, thank you Grant.”
“I’m so sorry about Laurel,” I said with my eyes cast down.
Amelia sighed and to my surprise stepped closer. Without hesitation she wrapped her arms around my waist and leaned into my body. Reflexively, I did the same, tightening my arms around her shoulders. She felt and smelled so good—for once not triggering my vampire desires but a different one—one that simply wanted to be there for her. I reached up and stroked her golden hair, wanting this moment to never end.
~*~
Over the next several days a new routine replaced the old one. After Amelia’s first night sleeping at my home, she and Olivia went to her apartment. There they packed up her belongings for an extended stay to ‘house sit’. Although Amelia didn’t tell me herself, I gathered that she wasn’t ready to announce our relationship change to her friend. The lack of disclosure didn’t hurt. The less people that knew, the better.
She arrived back with a full suitcase, enough to prove she was serious about what was happening. To prove she was serious about me.
“Did you suggest he also leave the apartment?” I asked, carrying her bag to her room.
“Yes, after the situation in the bar he had no problem agreeing to stay at Jess’. Not that it took much prodding anyway.” She flashed me a knowing smile.
I’d planned on giving her time to unpack and get situated but she turned with her hands on her hips and said, “Ready to show me the rest of this place?”
“It’s not as interesting as you’d think, but I’m happy to give you the behind the scenes tour.”
Amelia slipped her hand into mine and I took her back to my office, but this time away from the mementos and secrets. “This is my desk,” I said, pulling out the chair. She sat down and ran her hands over the mahogany top, while eyeing the computers.
