At the door, he pulled the keys from his pocket and unlocked the door. He stayed out of the reach of the light as he opened it for her. “I’ll see you tonight.”
“Okay.”
She heard the lock click as he shut it behind her.
Devon walked back to her car in a daze. Had she just agreed to have dinner with a vampire? Was she really that hard up?
But as she started the engine and made her way back out to the highway, she knew it had nothing to do with desperation, and everything to do with Kohl.
Chapter 5
Kohl wasn’t able to sleep the remainder of the day, not that he ever slept much anyway.
He’d thought he was hallucinating when he saw Devon on his computer monitor. Thought it had only been wishful thinking that the person lurking around outside, face concealed by the hood of their pullover sweatshirt, was actually her. But then she’d looked up, directly at the camera in the trees behind her, before she’d turned and yanked open the door someone had foolishly left unlocked in all of the commotion the night before, and he’d nearly knocked his chair over in his rush to get to her before someone else noticed she was inside the club.
Luckily, Kohl had been the only one monitoring the cameras, and his living space in the caverns wasn’t near the others, so no one saw him run out. For safety reasons, his room was on the opposite side of the throne room than everyone else’s, deep within a cave on the far side of the underground aquifer. The space was large enough for the beast to spread its wings if it happened to get out, but too small for it to escape without making enough noise to warn the others. Not by their choice, but by his. He never wanted to take the chance of someone he cared about being too close and getting hurt. Or worse.
So no one saw him jog up the ramp that would take him aboveground, and no one saw him come back down thirty minutes later and go back to his rooms. He would tell the Master what he’d learned from Devon after their dinner tonight, but he wasn’t telling anyone of their plans beforehand. It may be overcautious of him, but he didn’t want to take the chance of being followed. He loved his coven, but he didn’t trust them. At least, not all of them. Most would do what the Master bade without question. However, some did whatever the fuck they wanted without a care for the consequences, and somehow always got away with it.
As he got ready for his dinner date with Devon, his mind was spinning and his hands were shaking. And one had nothing to do with the other.
Hawke poked his head inside the room as Kohl was getting dressed. “Hey. You want to go to the city with us tonight?”
Kohl finished fastening the buttons on his blue dress shirt and ran his fingers through his damp hair. It was all he ever did after he washed it. “I can’t. Maybe next time.”
“That’s what you always say.” Leaning back against the wall, Hawke crossed his arms and ankles and stared at him intently. “You know I wouldn’t let anything happen, right? I wouldn’t let you hurt anybody.”
Kohl glanced over at his friend, silently debating whether he should tuck his shirt into his dark gray slacks. They had this conversation at least once a week. “There’s nothing you would be able to do if the beast appeared, Hawke.” Looking in the mirror above his dresser, he decided to leave it out.
“I wish you would stop calling it that. You’re not a ‘beast’. You have the blood of the dreki.” Rolling the “r”, he pronounced the word in perfect Icelandic, the home of Kohl’s mother’s people. “The blood of a proud thunder of dragons. Even the Master knows your worth. It’s why he took you in. You’re like his own personal guard dog…or guard dragon. I don’t know why you’re so ashamed of it.”
“I’m not ashamed. But that’s not why he took me in. The only reason he allows me to stay here is?—”
“Because you are also a vampire. You’re one of us. You have been since your mother brought you here.”
“I’m half dreki.” He slipped his shoes on. He was tired of arguing about it.
“Half dragon. And half vampire.” Hawke pushed away from the wall and came to stand near him, picking up the book on his dresser and glancing at the cover without any real interest. “Don’t you realize how rare that is? How rare you are?”
Kohl met his passionate gaze. “Yeah. I do. And so does the Master. And that’s why he keeps me around. He collects oddities. Just like it’s the only reason he keeps that bastard Jaz around with his one fang.”
Hawke snorted, putting the book back where it was. “That’s not why he keeps you around.”
“Okay, it’s because I’m the best chance you all have of surviving if the coven is discovered by anyone who’d want to hurt us. The beast is the only one who’d be able to break us out.”
“I can’t argue with that. You are our best shot.” He grinned and slapped Kohl on the shoulder. “And hopefully, you won’t burn us all to ash while you’re busting us out. As to Jaz…” He shrugged. “I, for one, wouldn’t be heartbroken if he decided to move on to another coven. Or to hell. Whichever. I’m tired of watching his ass all the time. I’m not a fucking babysitter.”
“I hear ya.”
Hawke stepped back and eyed Kohl up and down, as if noticing what he was wearing for the first time. “What’s with the fancy outfit if you’re not going out with us? You’re not working tonight.”
Kohl turned away from the sharp eyes of his friend, and checked out his appearance in the mirror again, smoothing invisible wrinkles. His shirt was tailored to fit him, as were the slacks. He was too large to buy stuff off the rack. No tie tonight, and he’d left the top three buttons open. His tattoo of purple roses—his mother’s favorite flower—peeked out from the open neckline.
Hawke met his eyes in the mirror with an expectant look on his face.
Knowing he wasn’t getting out of there without answering, Kohl debated making up some bullshit story. But in the end, he told the truth. Hawke was like a brother to him, and the only one he trusted implicitly. Plus, he wanted someone to know where he was going and with who. Just in case. “Remember the woman from last night?”
“Devon. The girl from the news.”
