Page 55 of Discovery of the Vampire
Killian’s voice carried from the living room, cutting through the many different conversations.
“Jesse, Shea, Ryan, and Christian will be here late tomorrow night.”
I stepped into the living room, my boots silent on the old carpet. Not that it mattered, I could guarantee they all already knew I was here. Killian stood near the fireplace, hands in the pockets of the cream-colored sweater he wore over his black shirt and jeans, his expression unreadable. Lizzy sat in the chair closest to him with Wiggles squeezed in beside her, and judging by the sound of his soft snores, the commotion in the room wasn’t bothering him one bit.
Dae and Elias were sprawled on either end of the couch, their usual banter absent, and Angel and Jamal stood against the back wall in Jamal's normal spot. Even Kenya seemed tense, perched on the other armchair across from Lizzy with her legs tucked beneath her. Her warlock mate was the only one missing.
“Brogan,” Killian said, nodding when he saw me. His gaze lingered for a moment too long, and I knew he was assessing me, reading the state of my mind. I avoided his eyes, not that it would help. He could barge into my head anytime he wanted and there would be very little I could do to stop him. “Where’s Esme?”
“Home,” I told him. “So what’s the plan?” I asked, before he could see too much.
Killian narrowed his eyes at me, then faced the room again and continued. “I'll meet them at the airport and bring them here, then we'll decide our next move. I'd appreciate it if two of ye would give up your rooms for our guests, unless they'd rather stay at a hotel.”
Me, Elias, and Dae all nodded. We could crash at the club if needed. We had cots in the storeroom.
"Why are they staying here?" Jamal asked.
"Because the witches are staying out of this one," Angel told him as she shared a look with Lizzy.
I leaned against the doorway, arms crossed over my chest, trying to pretend I wasn’t completely distracted with my own shit. The silence was heavy as everyone turned to look at Angel, waiting for her to continue.
Her eyes traveled from person to person before she sighed heavily and finally gave us an answer. "Judy’s decided the coven won’t involve themselves this time since Marcus hasn’t made himself known to anyone but Esme,” she said, her voice calm but firm. "She says it’s too risky."
"Risky?" Dae snorted from the couch, lounging back with his usual careless posture. Then he shrugged. "Well, she's not wrong."
I interrupted the conversation. “It wasn’t just Esme. Dae and I were with her. We felt him, too.”
“That’s not what she’s talking about,” Lizzy told me. “She means when Marcus went to Esme’s apartment.”
What the hell did she just say? “He was at Esme’s apartment??” I glanced around the room to see if I was the only one hallucinating. “When the fuck did this happen?”
“Watch yer tone, Brogan.”
My eyes shifted to Killian. “When did this happen? And why don’t I know about it?”
“She told us at Lizzy’s shop when our coven met with her,” Angel told me. “Apparently, he was inside when she got home and he told her if she didn’t find his damn book he was going to kill everyone she cared about. Or something like that.”
Shoving myself off the doorway, I headed for the back door. Jesus Christ! I’d just left her at her apartment by herself! My heart beat hard and heavy, trying to break through my ribs as fear wrapped its sour tendrils around my lungs, suffocating me.
“Brogan!” Jamal called. “Where are you going? You won’t get out of the fucking courtyard, man. The sun is up.”
But I barely heard him. The roar of a freight train filled my skull and the world narrowed down to the door in front of me. I grabbed the doorknob, and nearly ripped the damn thing off its hinges.
Suddenly steel bands wrapped around my chest, hauling me back from the sun. At the same time, I was hit hard from the side and thrown into the wall.
Next thing I knew I was on my back on the floor and someone was screaming in my head over the roaring in my ears. Pure rage exploded inside of me, and I bared my fangs with a hiss, ready to fight whatever the hell was holding me down.
Someone was calling my name, but I couldn’t stop. I had to get to her.
“Brogan! Snap the hell out of it!”
The back of my head bounced off the floor as pain exploded in my jaw. I roared with frustration, held down and unable to fight back. With the next hit, I saw stars. But when they cleared, the world around me came back into focus.
“Yer Esme is alright,” Killian told me. “She’s alright! If she wasn’t, ye’d know it.”
“I don’t know that,” I growled.
“There he is,” Jamal said. Rolling off of me, he got to his feet. “Damn, man. You’re stronger than you look.”
