Page 30 of Discovery of the Vampire
At least, that's what I told myself.
He saw me coming and turned away, disappearing down the dark hallway. Clenching my teeth, I followed, pushing my way through the throng of bodies, desperate to reach him. We needed to talk. He could be angry at me all he wanted…after we dealt with the bigger problem.
"Brogan, wait!" I called out, but he didn't stop.
I stood there, staring at the closed metal door he’d slammed in my face, my chest heaving as I fought back the tears burning my eyes. I wanted to barge into the room, to demand that he talk to me, but when I tried the knob, it was locked.
Tears stung my eyes as I turned away, the pain of this second rejection taking me by surprise. I blinked rapidly, trying to clear my vision, but the ache in my chest only seemed to intensify with each passing second. Drawing in a shaky breath, I willed myself not to break down completely. For a moment, it appeared to be a losing battle. But somehow I managed to pull myself together.
Straightening my spine and throwing back my shoulders, I held my chin high as I fought my way through the crowd to the bar where I'd left my coat. Grabbing my jacket off the back of the chair, I shrugged it on. I’d be damned if I gave any of these women the satisfaction of seeing the pain coursing through me.
"Leaving already?" Elias asked, his dark eyes seeing way more than they needed to.
I avoided his gaze, not wanting him to see the tears I could barely hold back. "Yes, I'm not feeling well," I told him by way of explanation. My voice sounded small and pathetic, even to my own ears.
Elias frowned, his brow furrowing with what almost looked like concern. "You okay, gorgeous?"
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak, and gave him a quick smile. Then I turned away, my focus on the door, desperate to escape before the tears could spill over. The cold night air hit me like a slap when I stepped outside, stealing my breath, and I wrapped my jacket tighter around myself and started walking, my vision blurred by the tears now streaming down my face.
The streets were quieter now, most of the revelers inside the bars and clubs. I barely noticed my surroundings as I walked, my mind empty. I just wanted to get back to my apartment. If Brogan wouldn't talk to me, that was fine. Let him pout. I knew where their home was now. I would go there and speak with Killian directly. I'd talk to Lizzy about it tomorrow, and she’d commiserate with me on how males could be entirely too pigheaded for their own good and maybe she’d help me feel like I'm not so pathetically alone in this world.
By the time I reached my apartment, my feet were aching but my tears had dried, leaving salty tracks on my cheeks. I fumbled with my keys, my hands shaking from the cold and exhaustion. The door swung open and I stepped inside, ready to collapse into bed and think through my plan. Yes, tomorrow, I would talk to Lizzy and feel her out about whether she thinks Killian would be receptive to meeting with me. We didn't have much time. The djinn was already here. If I was smart, I'd have already left this haunted city. But if there was still a chance I could get revenge for my family…
I flipped on the light, and my heart stopped. There, lounging comfortably on my couch as if he lived there, was the djinn. The same one who had murdered my family.
Marcus.
I turned to run, but I was too late. The door slammed in my face with a resounding thud, effectively shutting me inside the small room. My heart raced as I stared at the closed door, panic rising in my throat. I didn't try to open it. I knew it would be no use—he would have made sure of that. Slowly, I turned to face him, my breath coming in short, shallow gasps as I met his dark, menacing gaze.
He smiled a slow, predatory grin that made my blood run cold. "Hello, Esme," he purred. "I've been waiting for you."
13
TALIN
Iwatched as Aunt Judy and the others argued, not bothering to interject my opinion. No one would listen to me anyway.
I was the youngest here, but only in age. And even though I wasn't a kid anymore but a grown ass adult, the family still looked at me that way. Which I didn't think was fair at all. Lizzy was the newest witch. She didn't even know how to control her magic or what all she was capable of, yet her opinion held more weight than mine just because she was like forty or something.
I hid a yawn behind my hand. Okay. Maybe not quite forty. And, I had to admit, she still looked damn good for her age. Also, I really liked her.
But that was beside the point.
However, itwasthe truth that our aunt was just trying to suck up to her so she would stay in the coven. We all knew it. Which Icouldunderstand. Our power was in numbers. The more witches we had, the better.
"We need to call Luukas," Lizzy said. "Let him know it's back so he can tell Jesse. We promised we would when they were here last time.”
"Won't his spirit helpers, or whatever the hell they are, tell that warlock his daddy's back?" The sarcasm in Alex's voice was hard to miss, and I stared at him for a minute, trying to decipher his true feelings by his expression. Was he threatened by another male witch after being the prince of the coven for so long? Or was he just feeling protective, and this was his way of showing it? It was hard to tell with him.
Either way, my cousin tended to be impulsive. We'd have to keep an eye on him. If he was smart, he'd take this time to learn from Jesse. After all, they both had the djinn's blood running through their veins, Alex much more distantly, but still.
"Alex, that's enough," Judy scolded him. Then she sighed, rubbing her forehead with her fingertips. "Lizzy is right. We need to tell them."
"Did you tell your mate you were planning to call Seattle?" Angel asked Lizzy.
Lizzy ignored her tone and didn't give her the attention she so desperately sought as she shook her head. "I'm not calling. Killian is."
My eyes went back and forth between Angel and Lizzy. There was still some weird kind of tension going on in that relationship. I didn't know where it came from, but I was sure Angel had started it. She always did. I could see why the vampire, Jamal, was attracted to her. Why fate had chosen her for him. They both had the same "fuck you" kind of attitude.
