AllFreeNovel
Share Us
There were affirmations of agreement around the table, and Desmond sat back down. The scowl on his face did not bode well.
“Raise your hands for Diana’s plan,” Ares stated. Everyone but Desmond and Charlie raised their hand.
“What’s your concern with the plan?” Desmond asked him.
“Nothing; it’s a solid idea. But I’m going to stay behind where it’s safe,” Charlie said as he cut a look to August. Judas’ second smiled at him from across the table.
“Yeah, I can stay behind, too and keep an eye on everything while you’re gone, Judas,” August offered.
“Charlie should come with us,” Oisín demanded. “A bunch of random, dangerous dudes are about to break into their house unannounced… it would go a long way for them to see a familiar face so they know we come in peace. Witches may not be the most powerful beings, but they are resourceful and nothing to trifle with.”
“Don’t worry, Char, I’ll keep you safe,” Diana said as she hugged her friend.
Charlie rolled his eyes at Oisín, huffing out a long sigh. “I hope you do, babe, cause I’m not trying to die right now. Things just got interesting,” he whispered as he cut a look toward August. Someone had to explain supernatural hearing to him. He wasn’t being inconspicuous at all.
This plan feels wrong. I don’t trust him,Desmond linked me.He’s already influencing Diana, and he’ll get us all killed.
I wasn’t touching that with a ten-foot pole. His issue was equally about his own ego and whatever fight he had brewing with Diana. I did not plan on pissing her off. When I barged in on her secret bathroom excursion with Mal, I smelled her cloying desire. And…I knew she wanted more. Tonight, I planned on capitalizing on her wants.
Desmond, he’s her family. He isn’t going anywhere. We just have to wait and see.
Chapter 13
Turns out, there’s no way to counteract blood magic. No matter what I did, Damon would always be able to find me because we shared DNA. Even if we moved safehouses, we’d always be vulnerable to his attacks. Judas had been gracious enough to move us to Fortuna’s Garden earlier this morning after our house burnt down. There were fortified apartments underneath the resort and strict security protected the entire property like a giant fortress. Vampires were so different from the fictitious ones in movies, TV, and books. They didn’t sparkle, and not all of them were attractive. Most vampires weren’t loners, preferring to travel in covens. The Costa Coven ranged in ‘forever ages’ as Judas explained, because within the past few centuries, many of them had to apply to become members. There were very few circumstances where anyone from the Costa Coven could sire a new vampire without approval from Judas and his executive board. And once you were in, you were made for life. There was no going back. With all their businesses–both above and below board–they were sort of like a mafia. A big, blood-sucking vampire mafia led by an eccentric, reincarnated rock star. By the time we had made it to our suite, it was close to 4am. I picked a bedroom, shucked my clothes, and passed out. Too much had happened, and I desperately needed sleep.
The next morning, I woke up, finding another note on my pillow in a similar cardstock.
Diana,
"You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone for ever."
Jane Austen, Persuasion
Last night gave me a renewed sense of hope. I cannot begin to imagine a life without you now that I tasted you, had you if only for a moment. It may be too late, but I’ll try for eternity to find a way into your heart.
Yours,
Malcolm Knight
I eventually needed to sit and figure out how I felt about Mal, because there was definitely something there that wasn’t previously. But every time I tried, I couldn’t shake that even if he didn’t mean to, he had almost killed me twice. Some of the things he said to me were awful, too. I wasn’t a stranger to men making derogatory comments about me, but that didn’t mean I enjoyed them. Despite all of that, he was trying so hard to earn my forgiveness and it caught my attention. He had been nothing but nice since I came back. After I woke up and had breakfast, I would try to sort it out.
On my way to the kitchen, I realized how beautiful our new home was. The guys and I were set up in a luxury suite with four ensuite bedrooms, a living room, game room, a full kitchen, and a locked room. Olga would have loved the simple, yet elegant design. As soon as the reptile shifters attacked the house, she escaped. Thankfully she was able to mindlink Desmond from her new location to let us know she was safe. We all agree that it’s the best move; until we took out Red and Damon, we didn’t want to put Olga in the crossfire.
Charlie has an identical suite next door that he’d share with Nonna and Angie when they got here. It would be good to have my family so close. Oisín had a single-room suite on another floor.
“Ares, why is this door locked?” I asked him.
He was sitting at the kitchen island, eating a breakfast burrito he got from a patisserie in the casino. He’d gotten me one, too, but I was trying to use my magic to pick the digital lock on the mystery room. Without a fingerprint for the scanner, it wouldn’t budge.
“Newer vampires sleep during the day, leaving them open to attack. I’m assuming that's a safe room for them to rest in, if one was staying here.” Ares wrapped his arm around me, pulling me in for a deep, drugging kiss that had my toes curling. I should be furious with him still, but as fucked up as his method for getting Charlie here was, I was so happy to have my best friend again, safe under our care. “Come sit with me and eat your burrito–I’ll heat it up for you.
He grabbed the oblong container in his massive hands, covering the entire thing. They glowed gold for a few seconds before steam peeked through where the top and bottom of the container met. He put the burrito on a plate, picked me up to place me in the seat next to him, poured me a glass of orange juice, and handed me a napkin.
“I wasn’t sure what you’d like, so I kept it simple: eggs, cheese, bacon, and onions,” he purred into my ear. How did he manage to make food sound sexual?
“Thank you, Ares.” I had no clue how hungry I was until I took my first bite. The salty flavor of the melted Mexican cheeses combined with bacon and creamy eggs tasted orgasmic.
We sat in companionable silence until I was done eating. It was nice, until Ares started talking again.
