Page 15 of Secret of the Vampire
MINE.
I felt that truth with every fiber of my being, and it both energized and terrorized me. Keira was my witch. And it shamed me that, at times, when I was in a particularly dark place, my broken spirit demanded retribution for the years of complete and utter hell she had put me through. Luckily, I was a mated vampire, and those instincts would never allow me to harm her.
Because she was also my angel. The one who had saved me from the hell of my own mind. Keira owned my heart, my body, and my soul, but perhaps not all of me. Not yet.
Today, I was grateful she slept. She worried about me, with good fucking reason, and she didn’t get as much rest as she should.
Turning on my heel, I left her naked in my bed and went to the closet to pull on a pair of flannel pants and a T-shirt. There was no need to wake her for this. I was barely holding it together as it was. If she were involved…
Barefoot, I padded silently out of the bedroom, shutting the door quietly behind me.
The warlock was waiting for me, sprawled casually in my favorite armchair. The fact that he was already inside the locked apartment caught me off guard, though it shouldn’t have.
Jesse’s appearance was much changed without the hooded robe he liked to hide within. But even in black dress slacks and a dark short-sleeved pullover shirt, his aura oozed power. He, like myself just moments before, stared out at the lights of the city, his golden eyes burnished with memories of other places and times.
I walked past without acknowledging the warlock’s presence, trying—and failing—to ignore the chills that raced across my skin when the male rose and followed me into my glass-walled office. I hadn’t been this close in proximity to the other male since the night we’d sent the demons back to hell. And there’d been too much activity that night for anyone except Keira to notice my weakness.
When Jesse joined me inside, I closed the door, flinching when the latch clicked into place. The mechanism resounded in my eardrums loud as a bomb, and I had to remind himself of where I was. I left the lights off, not wanting to startle Keira if she happened to wake and came looking for me. Taking my seat behind the desk, I struggled to keep my hands from tightening into fists as I waited for the other male to speak. Not that it would matter if he saw. The warlock could sense my fear. And it was nothing I could help.
But it was a matter of pride.
Jesse pressed the tips of his fingers together under his chin and regarded me calmly. “So, we are doing this in secret?”
“For now.” My voice sounded sure and even, and for that much I was grateful.
A smile teased the corners of the warlock’s mouth. “There’s no need for such subterfuge, vampire.”
Vampire. I repressed a shudder as shards of ice slid up and down my spine. Flashes of terror, too sharp and too horrifying to be called memories, crashed through my mind. My teeth began to hurt and I felt a sting as my fangs left punctures inside my lower lip. With great effort, I released the tension in my jaw. This was the first time I’d been truly alone with the warlock since Leeha’s dungeon.
I wondered if I would always react this way when we were in the same room.
Jesse cocked his head to the side, narrowing his eyes, peering straight into my deepest secrets. Or so it felt. Then he sighed with impatience. “There’s no need to fear me, Luukas.”
There was no sense in trying to deny it. “Is there not?”
“No.” Jesse’s tone was final. “Shea would never forgive me if I ever did anything to harm you or the others. And for her, I would do absolutely anything. Even give up my only chance at besting my father.” He paused, and my mind went back to that night we sent Jesse’s demons back to hell. “However, know that if any of you hurt her—physically or emotionally—I won’t hesitate to protect her.”
The warlock’s condescending tone struck a chord and I found myself leaning forward in my chair, upper lip lifted to bare my fangs. Anger, rather than fear, drove my movements this time. “Shea was part of this family long before she met you, warlock. And she will be a part of this family long after you’re gone from her life. Don’t think to sit here and threaten me or my vampires in my own home.”
Jesse leaned back in his chair and smiled. “And there’s the male I met all those years ago. Before Leeha broke you.”
“Leeha did not break me.” I stared him right in the eye. “But you nearly did.” The words stuck in my throat, and I wondered why I would admit anything to this male, especially a weakness. But perhaps admitting it was the first step to recovery?
One side of the warlock’s mouth lifted in something resembling a smile as he rubbed his forehead with the tips of his fingers, but there was no humor in his eyes. “This isn’t getting us anywhere,” he muttered. Taking another deep breath, he met my steady gaze. “The past is what it is, vampire. I did what I believed I needed to do at the time. And I won’t apologize for it. I’m sure there are similar things you’ve done in your past?” He paused, waiting expectantly. When no answer was forthcoming, he rolled his eyes and continued, “Can we not try to move forward? I am on Shea’s side, which means I am on your side. And, as you well know, I can be quite the ally to have.”
“Yes. As long as you remain my ally.”
“You have my word.”
“As long as Shea is alive.”
That twist of his lips was back. “That is correct.”
I sheathed my fangs. The male was right. Having him on our side would only be a boon to us. However, I would never trust him as I did the others. Still…
“I guess that will have to be good enough.”
Jesse sat forward in his chair. “Now that we’ve talked about our feelings, can we get down to the business of killing my father?”
