Page 29 of Discovery of the Vampire
I took a deep breath, gathering my courage. It was now or never. "I'm abruja."
"Abruja?"
I nodded, feeling a strange mix of relief and apprehension at finally revealing my true nature to her. "Yes. My family comes from a long line ofbrujasin Mexico. We're…different from the witches you might be familiar with."
Lizzy leaned against the counter, her expression curious. "How so?"
I braced myself for her judgement. Perhaps I would lose this job after all. "Our magic…isn't like yours. It can be light. Or it can be dark. Some believe we put curses and hexes on people. And that we practice blood magic."
"And do you?" She tilted her head in curiosity. "Practice blood magic?"
I smiled wryly, deciding it was best not to answer that question. "We tend to keep to ourselves. It's not exactly safe for us to advertise what we are."
She approached me, reaching out and squeezing my hand, offering silent comfort. "I'm sorry you felt like you needed to hide your true self from me. But you don’t have to anymore.”
I blinked back the tears that threatened to fall. "Thank you. It's been...difficult."
Her other hand joined the first, and for a moment we just stood there with our hands clasped.
I swallowed hard, my mouth suddenly dry. "And are you okay with this? With what I am?”
"Of course, I am. Why wouldn't I be?"
I thought of Brogan's reaction, the way he'd looked at me like I was something to be feared. "Not everyone is as accepting as you," I said softly.
Lizzy's expression softened as she figured out who I was talking about. "Ah. Well, in this place, you don't have to hide who you are. You're safe here, Esme. I promise."
Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes, and I blinked them back. I wanted so badly to believe her, to trust that I could finally let my guard down. But after seeing her with Killian last night, that trust didn't come as easily as I would like.
12
ESME
My back hunched against the cold, I made my way to The Purple Fang in a little black dress, black heels, and a short red jacket. I wasn't a fan of bright colors and rarely wore them. But I liked red. The color of blood. The color of life. And of death.
The club was already open, and I watched as a group of young girls nearly fell over each other trying to get past the bouncer as I approached. But the doorman—a human?—stopped them short, and I had to wait as he checked everyone's IDs before I could get in. He recognized me when I got to him, and waved me right in.
Inside, the music was loud, and Dae—the vampire I'd met the other night—was on stage. I stared at the large dragon tattoo on his back for a minute, fascinated by the way the flex of his muscles made it appear to move on its own, before I scanned the room, searching for Brogan. But he was nowhere to be seen. As I made my way to the bar, ordered a drink, and settled in to wait, butterflies battled a fight to the death in my stomach.
I wasn't sure what I was doing here, or what I would say when I saw him even though my mind raced with possibilities, each one more nerve-wracking than the last. He was surprised and upset when I’d last seen him. Would he regret his words and be happy to see me, his face lighting up with that charming smile I'd grown so fond of? Or would he stand his ground, his eyes cold and distant, confirming that he’d truly meant every painful word? I couldn't bear the thought, but I also couldn't bear the uncertainty.
So, here I was, needing to know if he’d meant what he'd said, or if the connection we'd built in the short time we’d known each other was enough to get us through this. The truth, no matter how harsh, was better than this limbo of doubt and longing. I just…needed to know, even if the answer wasn't what I wanted to hear.
Thirty minutes passed, then an hour. Once I warmed up, I took off my jacket and hung it on the back of my chair. The place was busier than normal, the crowd in front of the stage extending almost all the way to the bar. "Why so many people?" I asked Elias when he brought me another drink. The female who usually worked in the back was helping him tonight, covering the other end of the bar.
His gaze skimmed over the crowd. "Mardi Gras is coming," he said, as if that explained everything.
And perhaps it did. This was my first time in New Orleans, but I, like most of the world, had heard about the festival leading up to Lent. "When does it start?"
"Parades will kick it off in a few days, and it just gets better from there." He smiled, flashing his fangs at me, as he took my cash and went to check on the other customers. This time, a chill ran up my spine, now that I knew how real those fangs were.
Was I completelyestúpida? Sitting in this place surrounded by vampires?
The answer to that question was a resounding YES. And yet, I stayed, nursing my drink, watching the dancers on stage between the raised arms and waving money, but none of them were Brogan.
Two hours later, he finally emerged from the back room, his hair tousled, his expression dark. My heart rose to my throat, gagging me, when I caught sight of the young blond woman with him.
I slid off my stool, my heart pounding so hard I thought it would crack my ribs, and started toward him. If he wanted to feed from other women, or do anything else for that matter, there was nothing I could do about it. I had no claim on him. But I still needed him to help me, and I could still help them.
