by Unknown
In fact, he could hear their whispers.
“Thank you, Flynn. That was amazing, and I don’t just mean the kiss,” she said, twining her fingers with his as he led her from the floor. “I will never forget that tango for the rest of my eternity!”
Brogan was about to tell her how much he loved her, but his partner punched him in the arm, breaking the mood.
“That was impressive, Flynn, for a cop.”
Brogan just nodded saying nothing, his guard going back up as the irritation returned.
“Here, I thought you were just a guardian that liked to kill. I had no idea you were a dancing fiend. If this ever got out at work…” She laughed, earning a grin from Malachi. “The other detectives would have loved to see this.”
Brogan felt his chest tighten at being tormented. He took his champagne from Jacques and tossed it back. When he slammed the glass down, he turned to walk away. What he needed was to escape and get a breath of fresh air.
Jolie helplessly watched him leave, and it made her angry enough to peel the skin off the woman before her. When he was gone from sight, vanishing into the crowd, Jolie turned on her.
“Lily!” She couldn’t believe the woman was this mean. What she wanted to do was kick her ass for hurting her detective. “You would think you knew him better than that. You’re his damn partner, and he trusts you with his life. Obviously, you don’t know him well at all. You’re either a bitch or a total idiot.” Jolie spun on her heel, going after her mate.
Lily glanced over at Malachi and Jacques. “What did I do?”
Jacques put his champagne down. “If you knew your partner at all, then you would know the answer to that,” he said, pushing past them to follow Jolie.
Honestly, Jacques didn't know what else to say. In all the time he knew the detective, he’d never seen him lose his cool like this. Nothing ever seemed to make him falter, until now.
He regretted making him face his demons for their family. Obviously, their self-assured mate had a few hidden weaknesses.
Now, he hoped Jolie could heal his heart.
∞ ∞ ∞
Brogan stood out in the garden, his hands braced against the rail of the patio. He wanted to strangle Lily for making a spectacle of something he had been so proud of. It was silly to be this worked up, but no man liked to be ridiculed in front of the woman he loved.
Here, he thought he did a good job, but obviously he didn't. Why it mattered, he didn't know, but there was this little piece of him that wanted Jolie to be proud of being with him. He wasn’t suave like Jacques or had hundreds of years to tie her heart to his. He only had a few months, and it made him worry that he would lose her.
That she would slip away.
He was an idiot. Why Flynn believed he could be more than a cop was beyond him. For those four minutes, he lost his mind and his heart.
When would he learn?
Jolie found him and before approaching, she reached for Jacques, “We’ll meet you at the limo. He needs me alone for now. I’ll bring him with me when we’re ready to leave.”
“Oui, mon amour. I’m sorry that I made him do this. All of this mess is my fault.”
Jolie didn't blame him. She knew where the blame lay, and that was with his partner.
“Flynn?” she called softly.
Brogan didn’t move from the rail. He didn’t want to face her at that moment, but what choice did he have. “Yes?”
Jolie could feel the waves of pain flowing off him, and it crushed her heart. The man had shared something so sweet and special, yet he was made to feel like it was nothing. How could she get him to see that the words tossed out by an inconsiderate woman, who had no clue how special the moment was, didn't matter? “Can we talk, Flynn?”
“There isn’t anything to talk about. I told you that I don’t dance, and that’s the reason why,” he snapped, feeling foolish.
Right then, he felt empty inside. At least, in the sanctity of his own mind, he could carry the memory of their dance forever. It was never happening again, even if it was the highlight of his life.
“Flynn, she was trying to rile you up, and it was wrong. That was the most beautiful moment that I have shared with anyone in a long time.”
“It wasn’t me. Jacques helped,” he confessed, feeling even more idiotic, if that was possible. “I’m barely competent and only know one dance. Trust me, he did all the work.”
Jolie understood. “So, you’re upset because it wasn’t you who was really dancing with me? It was Jacques leading you and showing you how?”
“Yes.”
Jolie moved closer and touched his arm. “Then, you need to rectify that. Dance with me here and now. Let it be you this time. Show me the man you are inside, Detective.”
Brogan tensed at the idea of ever dancing again with Jolie. He couldn’t possibly dance the way she expected him to.
He was just a cop.
A big, graceless, klutzy cop.
“Jolie, I’m not the dancer. I’m the guardian.” He repeated his partner’s words, and they tore at his heart. “Jacques is the suave mate. Maybe you should find him if you want to dance.”
Jolie heard the music start back up inside, and she placed her hand over his on the rail. “I don’t want to dance with Jacques. I want to dance with you, Flynn. Please? Will you give me this one thing, here under the stars? I want to make a memory that’s just ours.” She knew what was going on in his mind and at that moment, she would have given anything to fix his heart. He wasn’t klutzy, lumbering, or awkward.
He was perfect.
Brogan turned to look at her and saw the genuine need in her eyes. Something about her made him break down and go soft. Maybe it was the lavender colored eyes, staring at him in earnest, or the gentle touch of her fingers on his hand.
One way or another, he couldn’t say no to her.
He didn't want to.
“Okay, baby. I’ll do anything for you.”
Jolie moved into his body and laid her head on his strong shoulder. When his arms wrapped around her, she fell into the safety of his embrace.
As the music played, he swayed slowly and seductively with her against him, offering her more of his heart. When she looked up at him, Jolie had tears in her eyes.
“I love you, Flynn, and not because of the dances but because of your courage. I would trade a million tangos for one quiet moment on a secluded patio.”
His heart skipped at her words.
Could this really be enough?”
Would she find his dancing to be enough when she had another mate who was amazing?
“Yes, I would,” she answered, giving away that she was in his mind. “You and Jacques are two different men. I don’t look at you and compare. I know better. While he may dance perfectly, you hold me just right,” she reassured. “Where you think you’re big and awkward, I think you’re ideal. When I’m against your chest, I feel small and protected. You don’t have to be Jacques, my love. You just need to be you. I fell in love with the man you are for so many reasons, none of which are because you’re like Jacques.”
He sighed as Jolie managed to break through his defenses once more.
Going up on her toes, she offered him the opportunity to redo the kiss they shared too. If that wasn’t him, then here was his shot at showing her what lived inside him.
Jolie pressed against him was pure bliss. There was the feel of her long, lean frame against his and the scent of her perfume. It offered him peace, and he never wanted to let that go.
As they continued to sway back and forth on the dark patio, he took her invitation to deepen the kiss. When his hand held her in place, his mouth moved perfectly over hers, sharing his love and adoration.
It was the truth.
She was his heart.
Jolie moaned into the kiss as her detective undid her. There was only one other man who could ever kiss her quite like this, and like Jacques, Flynn called to her.
He was definitely hers.
Jacques was her dark sinner, and he was her sweet salvation. Together, they were balanced in perfection.
When the music stopped, Jolie just let the kiss continue because she was in no hurry to stop him. When her fangs slid into her mouth, he managed to continue kissing her without cutting his mouth.
Practice did make perfect.
When he pulled away, she was left to gaze into his icy blue eyes. They were full of emotion and that compelled her to mark this moment with something he wouldn’t ever forget.
“That was pretty spectacular,” she whispered, as he wiped some lipstick from her pale flesh.
“It was how I felt.”
Jolie’s heart skipped.
“I have something for you,” she added, remaining in his arms and against his body.
“You do?” he asked, confused by her words.
Jolie took off her ring and opened his hand. “When I was a countess in France, it was a common thing to give something personal to a man who had won your favor. I never gave any suitor anything of mine until Jacques, and then none since him. If you will allow me, I want to give you this so five hundred years from now you can remember this moment.”
He stared into her eyes.
“I want you to never forget this, Flynn. This was ours to share.”
He would never forget their dance under the stars, not in a million years. Staring down at the ridiculously large diamond, he closed his hand around it. “I’ll cherish this forever.”
Jolie lovingly touched his cheek. “Take me home, Detective. I wish to make love to my mates and add another memory to the night.”
He wouldn’t argue with that.
Sweeping her up in his arms, Flynn held her against his body as he carried her to the limo.
“Your wish is my command, Countess,” he whispered in her ear as she shivered in the night air.
Jolie was so madly in love that nothing could destroy that joy. She’d found a warrior not once, but twice. All the hell that she had endured was well worth it.
They were worth it.
Lily watched them from the shadowy windows as her partner danced with his mate. She didn't understand them at all. Everything that she had been told about the ancient vampyres seemed wrong.
They were heartless.
Callous.
Hard.
But spying on the lovebirds proved otherwise. You could see the adoration not only on Flynn’s face, but also on Jolie’s.
It didn't make sense.
Did Malachi and the others lie? Could the Harcourte society be trustworthy and just like them?
She continued watching, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on alert. Lily knew they didn't see her, yet she had the distinct feeling that she was being watched.
By someone…
∞
Chapter Twelve ∞
Early Saturday Morning
Once home, Jolie got comfortable on their couch as she stripped out of her gloves. While the men were off getting wine and changing, she would wait for them in the family room. When they reconvened, there was going to be some making out.
Jolie couldn’t wait.
The ride home had been amazing as she spent the entire time moving back and forth between the two men in her life.
First, she would share passion filled kisses with her detective, and then be slid into the other man’s lap to repeat the delicious experience all over again.
Had it not been a short ride, she would have closed the privacy window to take it much further. Jolie had never had wild sex in a limo with a man before. It would have been something to save away in her heart.
When Jacques suggested that they cap the night off in front of the fireplace with lots of red wine, she couldn’t help but agree. It seemed like the perfect way to show both men how they made her feel. She was giddy with excitement and couldn’t wait.
As her thoughts lingered on her men, something on the coffee table caught her eye. Staring down at the long white box, her heart skipped in her chest. One of the men had left her more flowers. Jolie grinned, thinking back to the blood red roses that they had waiting for her in the limo.
Her mates were so damn sweet.
Here, they were carrying on the seduction by leaving her another present.
It had to be Jacques. The way to her heart was roses. It’s why she filled their garden with them. Jolie was enamored by their alluring scent, the feel of them against bare flesh, and the way they made her feel loved.
As she lifted the box to her lap to give a tug to the ribbon, something immediately seemed off. There was a strange energy surrounding them, and her heart skipped. When Jolie looked inside, she was confused. Instead of finding more beautiful flowers, what she found sickened her.
Lying in the white tissue paper were dried dead ones. Gone was the lovely scent, replaced with the odor of decay. Knotted around them was a scraggly ribbon that looked old and dirty.
She was confused.
What was this all about?
As she lifted them from the box, something brushed past her hand and fell to the floor. Jolie still didn't understand as she reached down to retrieve the item. In her palm, she stared at the object in horror.
It was a decayed finger.
Jolie was repulsed as she stood, dropping the bouquet. This wasn’t a gift from the men in her life. Suddenly, recognition dawned. She’d seen those flowers before. In fact, they were a gift from Jolie to a lost loved one.
Rage filled her.
Genevieve had been in their home and left a twisted present for them to see.
The scream, which broke from her lips, was horrifying and blood curdling. Gone was her control as she thought about her deceased friend.
Then, more anger washed through her.
The truth stared Jolie in the face. Someone had let her enemy into their sanctuary.
This was the ultimate insult.
The fury in her bubbled up and overflowed as the predator in her broke free. Someone, who she trusted, had gone behind her back and aligned themselves with the vampyre who wanted her dead.
It was painfully difficult to swallow the truth. Jolie, Jacques, and Flynn had been betrayed. Someone would pay.
Before this was over, the guilty would suffer at her hand.
Even if it was the last thing she ever did.
Jacques heard her scream as he began pouring the wine in the kitchen. It was a howl of pain and rage. Everything in him went ice cold.
Immediately, he dropped the bottle and raced for his mate, a very sick feeling was growing in the pit of his stomach.
Brogan was just slipping out of his tux jacket and shirt in anticipation of their evening, when he heard an ear-shattering scream. Instinctually, he grabbed his gun lying on the bed before going to find Jolie and Jacques. Something bad had just happened to his family, and he needed to get to her side.
Neither man could breathe when they found her. There was their woman, standing in the middle of the room over a box of dead roses. In her shaking hand was a decaying finger. Already, the anger began rolling through her body. Tiny bursts of energy viciously whipped and crackled around the room.
Brogan stood with his mouth and shirt wide open. He had never seen anything like what was erupting in the family room. Glass shattered, and the house shook to the foundation.
Holy shit!
He wasn’t sure if he should be amazed or scared out of his mind.
Jolie spun as the fireplace erupted in an explosion of flames. It was as if the mouth of hell had opened.
“What’s wrong?” Brogan screamed to Jacques, as they were dropped to their knees by the energy flooding out of her.
“I don’t know,” he yelled back, as they tried to crawl toward Jolie, all while trying to avoid the flying glass that was popping all around them.
Brogan grabbed the white box that went flying toward them, and even he could smell the death in the room. “What was in here?”
The vampyre wasn’t sure, but he knew one thing, they
were in big trouble if they couldn’t calm her down. Jacques saw the coffee table start to shake, and he knew it was going to slam into Flynn. If anything happened to the man, Jolie would never forgive herself. Diving onto him, they rolled to the foot of the couch, trying to escape its trajectory.
“Shit,” yelled Brogan, as he grabbed the card lying inside the vile box.
“I will send you the human in pieces.”
Jacques read over his shoulder, and he wasn’t surprised. They had been betrayed. This was one sure way to put the mistress over the edge.
Hell continued to break loose around them, even as the family came running into the mêlée. Flynn waved them back, hoping to save them from the barrage of broken items swirling around the room.
Before they could leave, Jolie howled in rage and pointed at them accusingly. “WHO HAS BETRAYED ME?”
The house shook again, causing the family to back up even more. Each one of their faces told the tale. They were scared shitless.
And they should be.
Brogan wasn’t sure what was going on. This was all new to him, but from the look on Jacques’s face, he was pretty sure the man knew. “What the hell was in that box?”
“Those were the roses that Jolie put on Louisa’s grave. It appears that Genevieve has gotten into our house,” said Jacques, getting sick. Now, they weren’t safe.
Focus went back to Jolie as she stormed toward the family, fangs bared and eyes bleeding black as night.
“WHO HAS BETRAYED ME?” she bellowed again.
At her words, there was a surge of power and the window behind her exploded, embedding glass into her body, the walls, and anyone too close to the energy.
When she didn't even flinch, they knew how much control the rage had over her.
“Shit,” said Brogan again.
“SOMEONE HAS LET THE ENEMY INTO MY HOME!” She stared at them all accusingly. “WHO WAS IT?”
A glass hutch exploded into tiny pieces and Zola began to weep along with Mina. It had been a while since they had seen this much anger from their mistress.
