Page 6 of Discovery of the Vampire
But that was Kenya for you. She'd always been a bit of an odd duck, even before she was turned. At least from the stories she'd told us. None of us had known her before Killian brought her home.
I guess that was the thing about being a creature like us, though. You could reinvent yourself as many times as you wanted, and no one could say shit about it. If Kenya wanted to trade in her moonlit hunts for a calculator and a stack of ledgers, who was I to judge? It made her happy and provided us with a bookkeeper for the club.
Outside in the alley, I breathed in the cool winter air as I shoved my hands in my front pockets and leaned against the cold brick wall, my eyes on a group of women I recognized from inside who were lingering outside the club trying to decide where they wanted to go next. As I waited for them to leave so as not to draw attention, my thoughts continued to run a mile a minute. And unsurprisingly, they raced right back over to a woman who was nothing but curves and attitude all wrapped up in the prettiest package I'd ever seen. One who couldn't take no for an answer, and kept showing up at the club even after I'd straight up told her to go home. That I didn't date customers.
Or anyone, really.
A low growl rumbled through my chest as my thoughts circled back around to her. That woman was more than just a beautiful distraction. She was dangerous. I'd felt it all the way to my bones the first night I went over and talked to her. Felt it every time she showed up here. Felt it with every seemingly innocent question she asked, even though I tried to avoid her now.
Hell, she was probably just fishing for information. Information that could expose my true nature, my world—or my entire fucking species, if I wasn't careful. And that would be bad for all involved.
I'd pushed her away in an effort to maintain that professional distance I kept with all my "customers." Her touch, her accent, her smile full of dimples and sass, it made me stupid. And a stupid vampire was a dead vampire.
A bitter laugh escaped my lips. What a fool I was, pining after a human like some lovesick teenager. I had no fucking business longing for something as ephemeral as love.
And yet… I sighed deep and gazed up at the overcast sky… that woman had awakened something inside me, something I thought had died a long-ass time ago.
I gave my head a subtle shake. Nah. It wasn't worth it. No matter how much I craved her, it was better to keep my distance. She was up to something. I didn't know what, or why, but I didn't trust her as far as I could throw her.
Well, I could throw her pretty far, actually.
But…yeah. Still no. We had enough shit going on right now without bringing humans who had no idea of the creatures who lived among them into the mix.
The group outside the club finally made up their minds and wandered off, and after a minute, I pushed off the wall and strolled out to the street, deciding to enjoy the cool night air and walk home. Which, actually, I did most every night.
I was at the front door of our home not long after, and even before I went inside I could hear Killian and Lizzy's voices coming from the kitchen. Following the sound, I found them sitting at the island, Killian watching Lizzy sip on a glass of red wine, his eyes focused on her mouth as he quietly said something that nearly made her choke on her alcohol.
"Evening, lovebirds," I said, sauntering into the room and making a beeline for the open bottle of wine. Grabbing a glass, I poured myself a healthy portion. Alcohol didn't do much of anything for me anymore, but I still enjoyed the taste of it from time to time.
Lizzy smiled at me, her dark eyes sparkling with mischief. "Hey there, Mr. Tall, Dark, and Shirtless. How was work tonight?"
I chuckled and shook my head at her as Killian's gaze shot to my bare chest where the top half of buttons of my shirt were undone. A low growl filled the room, and I started buttoning up my shirt before I found myself back outside, and not by walking through the door this time. But Lizzy only grinned. "Oh, you know, the usual. Shaking my moneymaker, breaking hearts, the whole shebang."
Now that I’d covered up most of the bare chest Lizzy had been admiring, Killian arched an eyebrow at me as I took a gulp of wine, his expression a mix of amusement and concern. "You seem a bit off tonight, Brogan," he told me, his Irish accent a bit thicker than normal. And I didn't even want tothinkabout why that would be. "Everything alright?"
Sometimes, the bond between a vampire and his maker was downright annoying. I shrugged, trying to play it cool. "Yeah, man, I'm good. Just a little tired, I guess."
He continued to study my face, and I knew he didn't believe me. Hell, he could probably interpret the turmoil inside of me better than I could. But to his credit, he didn't push me for more answers. Because, except where Jamal was concerned, Killian usually knew when to give a guy his space.
Lizzy, however, was an entirely different story. She leaned forward, both elbows on the counter as her astute dark eyes zeroed in on me in a way that made me shift my weight from one foot to the other. "You sure that's all it is? You've been acting a little strange ever since that dark-haired woman who's always wearing red started coming around the club and plying you with questions."
I nearly choked on my wine as she laughed, the sweet sound drawing her mate’s eyes back to her again. How the hell did she know about Esme?
"I don't know what you're talking about," I mumbled, avoiding her gaze. Dae-Jung probably told her. Fucker never could keep his damn mouth shut about anything.
Killian tore his eyes from Lizzy and turned his stool toward me, his golden eyes boring into mine until I couldn't look away. Heavy waves of power pulsed around me, probing at the shields I fought to keep in place. "Brogan, if there's something going on, you need to tell us. We can't afford any risks, especially with a human involved. That damn djinn?—"
"Marcus," Lizzy filled in, as if I didn't know his name.
"—has been drawing too much attention to us as it is lately,” Killian finished. “And now that he’s gone, I don’t want anything to happen that might draw him back.”
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "Look, it's nothing, okay? She's just a persistent customer who has a thing for me. She’s not the first, and she probably won’t be the last. I’m handling it."
Lizzy and Killian exchanged a look, one that spoke volumes about their doubts in my ability to "handle" Esme.
"Just be careful," Killian finally said, his tone dead serious. “As I said, we don't need any trouble, and humans who ask too many questions are always trouble."
I nodded, knowing he was right. Draining the last of my wine, I set the glass in the sink. "I know. Iknow," I repeated when he just stared at me. "I'll take care of it. Don't worry."
