Page 24 of To Crave Darkly
“What does that…” I didn’t get to finish my question before Cesare butted in. He was really starting to grate on me with his holier-than-thou attitude.
“I am sure you have lots of questions, but now is neither the time nor the place, for I am engaged elsewhere. Farrow, see that she is comfortably established and then bring her to me after dinner.”
He didn’t even look at Jasper when he spoke to him, just swept his pompous ass from the room, leaving a whiff of arrogance behind in his stead. I blinked rapidly as I tried to make sense of the whirlwind introduction that man had just put me through. I still had no idea who that man was. The only impression he had given me was that he was full of self-importance and thought himself above the rest of us.
Jasper visibly relaxed as de Santis left. The tension left his shoulders and he took a deep breath before turning his penetrating gaze at me. I felt like a child who was about to be told off for acting up in front of their parent’s friends. Like I was an embarrassment.
“What?” I jibed like an angsty teenager.
Jasper ran his hands through his hair in frustration, clearly trying to keep a hold on his temper.
“Look, you’re in my world now and things are different here than they are out there. Here, being a smart-ass in front of de Sanits could get you killed.”
“Who is he? King of the vampires?” Sarcasm dripped from my words. I thought I was being funny, but I clearly wasn’t judging by the this-is-a-serious-situation look he was giving me. “Holy shit, is he actually King of the Vampires?”
“He might as well be. So, if you like your head where it is, don’t piss him off.”
I did happen to like my head where it was so perhaps caution should be adhered to. Jasper was right; I had been thrown into his world. Well, in actual fact, I had been attacked and then kidnapped into it, but who’s keeping score?
“What is this place?” I asked, looking around the room.
“Like de Santis said, you are in his home. This is the Conclave.” It was starting to irritate the hell out of me that he kept saying things like I knew what they meant. I made a “go on” gesture with my hand. He was going to have to spell it out for me because if I didn’t start to get some answers soon, I was going to be pissed.
“The Conclave is a safe haven for all Dark World supernaturals. It is also where the Circle meets and where the Elite operate. It is hidden from the human world, or as we call it the In-Between, so that we can stay safe from those that would do us harm.”
“Whoa, back up a bit. There is a whole lot about what you just said that makes no sense at all. What the hell is the Dark World? What do you mean by the Circle and the elite?” I was so confused. How on earth was I going to get my head around all this? Wait, was I even still on Earth?
“The Circle is like your human government and the Elite are the protectors. We keep order and eliminate threats when they arise.”
My eyebrows shot into my hairline. The way he said ‘eliminate’ made me think he was more than a peace keeper. “You’re an assassin?”
His jaw clenched. “If I need to be.”
Suddenly, the quiet stoic demeanour he carried made sense. No wonder he was so closed off. I guess trust wasn’t a virtue to carry if you had to go around murdering people. I’d never met an assassin before and my curiosity was piqued. Which was dangerous because it always led me to do or say something stupid.
“What’s it like? To just kill someone on command?”
Like that. That was a textbook example of a stupid thing to say.
The muscles along Jasper’s jaw visibly ticked. I was surprised I didn’t hear his teeth crack under the pressure. Why did I have to go and open my god-damn mouth?
“Do you have a death wish?” he snarled as his eyes flashed bright with anger. Yep. I’d gone and pissed off the ass-kicking, murdering vampire and he was now looking at me like I was his next target. If looks could kill, a tombstone would have materialised on the spot. I backed away slowly from him which seemed to shake him from the grips of his anger.
He brushed his hand over his face like he was trying to scrub away the murderous thoughts racing round his mind. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and when he looked at me again, I could tell he was calmer. His eyes had settled back to a serene blue, like two pools of a still ocean and I was getting lost in their depths. Jasper coughed nervously, breaking the weird tension that was hanging in the air.
“Lori, we don’t have time for this now. De Santis has requested your presence and he doesn’t like to be kept waiting.” Jasper focused his intent gaze on me, and I could see the pleading look in his eyes. He really didn’t want to upset the King of the Vampires. I was about to make a witty retort, but Jasper cut me off with a huff. “Just get dressed.”
“Fine,” I snapped. “Have you got any fresh clothes for me? Or shall I just walk around naked?”
Jasper’s eyes flicked hungrily over my body, and for a second, the memory of him pressing his weight between my thighs flashed before my eyes. Heat crept up my neck at the thought of Jasper’s lips against mine, and judging by the way his pupils were dilating, I guessed he was thinking of it too. He swallowed slowly and my eyes were drawn to the way his Adam’s apple bobbed in the column of his throat. I had the urge to reach out and taste his skin there.
“You’ll find some clothes in a bag in the bathroom.” His gruff voice brought me back to reality before my traitorous body made me do something stupid. I didn’t trust myself to say anything so I just nodded.
“I’ll be back in half an hour.” He turned and started to leave the room but I called his name before he made it to the door.
“Thank you for saving me,” I muttered to his broad back. He looked over his shoulder at me, surprise marring his brow. I got the feeling he had never been thanked for anything before. Perhaps he hadn’t. By all accounts, he was in the habit of taking lives, not saving them.
“You’re welcome, Lori,” he said softly before leaving me to wash the day’s events off.
