Page 57 of Discovery of the Vampire
The room fell quiet as the gravity of the situation sank in. I retreated to the doorway and leaned against it, crossing my arms and ankles so I didn't launch myself across the room at Killian. He wasn't the one I was angry at either. No, that fight was with myself. Not him.
And maybe Esme for keeping secrets from me.
“As I said, Jesse, Shea, Ryan, and Christian will be here tomorrow night,” Killian continued. “And as a half djinn himself, Jesse has a better chance than anyone at beating his father, so let's just wait for them before we continue this discussion. Until then, I want everyone to get some rest. We’ll need clear heads for what’s coming.”
Kenya stood first, stretching her arms above her head before giving Killian an encouraging smile. Jamal and Angel followed, heading toward the backdoor to go to Jamal's guesthouse. Lizzy lingered for a moment, her dark eyes flicking to me before she picked up Wiggles and followed Dae after kissing Killian.
"I'll be there in a moment," he told her.
When only me, Killian, and Elias were left, Killian fixed his golden eyes on me. “What happened with ye and yer witch?”
"Why would you think something happened?"
"Because ye're here." He pointedly looked around the room. "And she's not."
Elias looked back and forth between the two of us. "What's going on?"
Killian raised his eyebrows. "Do ye want to tell him? Or shall I?"
"Tell me what?" Elias asked me.
When I didn't immediately answer, Killian sat down in the chair Lizzy had vacated and leaned back, casually crossing his legs. "Everyone will know very soon. Ye might as well tell him."
I rubbed the back of my neck, trying to dislodge Killian’s stare as I faced my friend. Elias continued to watch me, his brow furrowed in confusion. Shit. I didn’t want to say it out loud. Once he knew, it would make it real, and I didn’t know if I was ready for that. But Killian wouldn’t let this go.
I cleared my throat, my voice coming out rougher than I intended when I admitted. “I think Esme’s my mate.”
Killian snorted. "There's nothinkin'about it. She is."
Elias blinked, his usual smirk faltering. “Your mate? Like...matemate?”
“Yes, Elias,” Killian said dryly, his gaze still fixed on me. “Her blood calls to him. She’s his fated mate."
I clenched my jaw, ignoring Killian. “I didn’t know for sure until last night.”
“And now that ye do,” Killian said, leaning forward, his elbows on his knees, “have ye told her what that means for ye? Forbothof ye?”
I shook my head, my fingers curling into fists at my sides. “No. Not yet.”
“No?” Elias echoed, his voice rising in disbelief. “You haven’t told her? Brogan, do you even?—”
“I know,” I snapped, cutting him off. My chest tightened, everything I hadn’t said pressing down on me. “I know what it means. I don’t need you spelling it out for me.”
“Clearly, ye do,” Killian said, his voice calm but laced with steel. “Because if ye truly understood the gravity of this, ye wouldn’t be keeping it from her. Ye can’t survive without her, Brogan. Not anymore. Not once ye’ve tasted her blood. And I know that ye have. I can smell her blood in yer veins.”
“I know I can only feed from her now,” I ground out, my frustration bubbling up. “But what am I supposed to say? ‘Hey, Esme, by the way, I’m basically a ticking time bomb unless you stick around forever and let me feed from you like a blood bag? How the hell is that fair to her?”
“Fair?” Killian’s voice rose, his gold eyes blazing. “Since when does fate care about fair? This isn’t aboutfair, Brogan. It’s about survival. Yer survival. Whether ye like it or not, ye’re tied to her now. And it's not like she won't get any benefits out of this joining." He moved to the edge of his chair, leaning toward me. "Ye can give her eternal life. She'll be more powerful with yer blood inside of her than she ever could be without it. She could help us. Truly help us! Ye need to tell her.”
I gritted my teeth, the truth of his words sinking in like a knife. He didn't know what he was asking. “I’ll tell her. I just... I need time.”
“Ye don’thavetime,” Killian said, standing abruptly. “Marcus ishere. I have no idea why he's been lying low until now, but I'm glad he is, because it gives us time to prepare. Jesse and the others are arriving tomorrow. Esme deserves to know she's not alone in this anymore. And if ye don’t get yer head out of yer arse and tell her the truth, ye’re going to regret it. And I have a sick feeling we will, too.”
I didn’t answer. What could I say? He was right, and we both knew it. But how could I ask her to carry this burden with me? How could I even begin to explain it? "She hasn't had my blood yet. She can still live a normal life."
In the span of a heartbeat, Killian flew out of his chair and crossed the room to stand toe to toe with me, his anger pulsing with power. Adrenaline filled my veins, and even Elias jumped to his feet, alert to anything that was about to happen.
"Ye may not give a shite about yer life, but I do," Killian growled. "And I will NOT lose ye because ye're too afraid to confess your sins to the only one who could truly absolve ye—Esme. Yer witch is strong,” he continued, softening his tone. “And she’s smarter than ye give her credit for. Even I can see that. She deserves the chance to decide for herself.”
