Chapter Eight
Chapter
Eight
JETT
Time seemed to creep by. All I wanted was for the day to fly by.
Throughout the day, I’d gotten text messages from Aziz that made me tingle all over.
There weren’t many, but enough to let me know that he was thinking of me.
I thought this was good since I couldn’t stop thinking of him even when I had to do story time.
With it being October, I went with a classic for the little ones called Spooky, Spooky Little Bat.
It was cute for them and they loved it. We’d done a little craft to go with it.
It’s one of my things I like to do with the children that come to the library.
I like to give them a fun activity that matches the time of year.
They created little bat masks to go with the book.
The parents thought it was adorable and took pictures of all the kids as they did this, while also helping if there was a younger child who needed it.
Story time was the only time that Aziz didn’t fully take up space in my head, though he’d still been there.
By the time five rolled around, I was more than ready to get out of there.
Grabbing my stuff, I waited at the doors for the librarian, Amelie, whose full name is Amelie Maganti, to make her way to the doors.
On days that I volunteered, I stayed to the end of the business day, whereas other volunteers didn’t; they only did a few hours.
Amelie was an older woman, her hair stark black with graying streaks within it. She dressed in cardigans and dual-boring very bland dresses every day with the same pendant around her neck. Never does she wear anything with personality to it.
I give her a smile as she gets to where I’m waiting for her, she sets the alarm, and I open the door leading to the outside.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I tell her, and take a breath of the cool, crisp fall air.
“See you then,” Amelie says somewhat distractedly while locking the doors.
I don’t pay any further mind to the older woman, mainly because standing on the sidewalk next to a sleek black car is Aziz. Smiling in his direction, I see him eye the other woman briefly before giving me his full attention.
Neither of us says anything as I walk toward him.
It’s as if words aren’t needed between us to communicate.
Though I don’t miss the way his eyes dart in Amelie’s direction or the way his brow furrows ever so slightly.
I want to ask him about it, but I don’t.
All I could think about was if I could get him to come back to my house and us doing everything that we did the night before.
My body craved to have him touch me as he had.
“Hey,” I finally whisper when I’m wrapped in his arms.
“Hey, little one,” he murmurs, lowering his head to kiss me.
When he kisses me, it’s not subtle by any means. It’s a full-blown kiss with his tongue diving into my mouth. The way he kisses me isn’t gentle or sweet. No, it’s claiming and utter perfection in my opinion.
When he finally draws back, having left me breathless, Aziz curls his fingers along the base of my neck and grins at me. “Have a good day?”
“It was good,” I tell him, feeling heat burn in my cheeks. “I couldn’t really focus as I should have.”
“Why’s that?” he says, shifting us slightly to open the passenger door.
“Because I couldn’t stop thinking about last night.” My cheeks heat further at my admission. I probably shouldn’t have told him that. No doubt it makes me sound clingy, but I find I can’t lie to him. I don’t want to keep anything from Aziz.
Aziz dips his head down to mine again and brushes his lips across mine once more. “Gotta say, like knowing I’m not the only one who has got the same issue. I couldn’t get you out of my head while I was working.”
“Really?” My question is no more than a breath.
“Have no doubt in your mind, little one, from the moment I saw you on the sidewalk and we met, you’ve consumed my thoughts. Last night just sealed the deal to the point I seem only to be able to focus on all that is you.”
A tingle rushes along my body, and I want to jump him right here in the middle of town.
Aziz’s lips tilt farther into a smile, making butterflies flutter in my stomach. “Get in the car, Jett, before I kiss you again. We have plans, and I don’t want us to be late.”
“Plans?” I ask, though I do as he says and get in the car.
Aziz closes the door, rounds the hood, and climbs in behind the wheel. “You’ll see when we get there.”
“Okay.” So much for my wanting to get us to my house and secluded away in my room. “Did you have a good day?” I decide to ask as he pulls out on the road.
“I spent a lot of the day in Asheborne dealing with some things for Orpheus,” he answers.
“How is it you’re able to be out in the daylight?” I blurt out without thinking. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have asked that.”
Aziz glances over at me at the same time settling a hand on my leg.
“You can ask anything at any time, Agápi. I will always tell you the truth. Have no doubt in that. You won’t have to worry if I’ll lie to you because I won’t.
I couldn’t even if I tried,” he says, stroking along the inside of my thigh.
“To answer your question, I’m not a hundred percent sure how.
In the past few hundred years, I’ve been able to go out on overcast days.
I can be out now for small measures of time with the sun out, but I was to be careful as not to be in it for too long. ”
“I don’t get it. Aren’t vampires supposed to not be able to sustain being in the sun, or they die?” This is all confusing for me.
Aziz gives my thigh a squeeze and takes a turn smoothly, parking behind a building. We definitely didn’t go far from the library. Glancing around the area, I realize he parked behind Dyrk. What were we doing here?
“Most vampires would have this problem. But it also depends on who your creator, or as some call them, master, is and how powerful they are.”
“I don’t understand.” I turn in the passenger seat to better look at Aziz.
He gives me a look and cocks his head. “To better answer that, let’s get inside. I’ll introduce you to Orpheus.”
I didn’t know if I wanted to do that, but I nodded anyway.
Aziz reaches out and palms my cheek in his hand. “You’ve nothing to fear going into Dyrk. No one would dare touch you. If they so much as look at you wrong, they’re dead.”
“You’d kill someone just for looking at me wrong?” I didn’t know how I felt about that. A part of me thinks it’s creepy and wrong, yet another part of me thinks it’s sweet of him to say. Still, I don’t want him to kill anyone because of me.
“I would, but it would be just me that would want to.” Aziz grunts and shakes his head. “Something you’re going to learn is that Orpheus would order it without thinking twice.”
“I don’t understand why. He doesn’t know me.” I’m more confused than ever.
Opening his door, Aziz pulls his hand away. “Come, little one, we’ll finish this discussion inside. You’ll soon understand everything.”
Everything?
What does that mean?
What could I possibly need to know that I don’t already?
Okay, so I don’t know much about vampires or anything supernatural, but that’s fine.
I didn’t think until the other day that it was that big of a deal.
Now, it means something. I want to know what life is like for Aziz.
If I were an ordinary human, I’d be wanting to know what it’s like to be a vampire, but since I was immortal, I didn’t have to question life as a vampire.
Aziz doesn’t wait for my response before he’s out of the car and at my door. I didn’t even see him move. He opens the door, holds his hand out for me to take, and takes my hand to help me out of the passenger seat. Not that I needed it, still, it is sweet.
Holding Aziz’s hand, I let him guide me to the back door of the club. It opens before we get to it, and a man steps out, ushering us forward with a bow.
“Aziz, Orpheus is waiting.”
“Ren,” Aziz greets the other man. “Is Corbin with him?”
“No, Corbin had to push back his meeting,” Ren answers.
“Damn,” Aziz mutters, guiding me past Ren without introduction.
The soft pulsing music filling the club was actually soothing and somewhat erotic in a way.
The walls, from what I could tell, were a dark red, matching the black furniture.
In the center of the tables that were scattered around, there were candles.
I never would have thought the inside of this nightclub could look as amazing as it does, but it suits the name.
To one side, there was a long bar with two bartenders already back there working.
One of them had beautiful blonde hair that shined even in the dimness of the room.
Across the way, there was even a stage set up for a band to play. I didn’t even know they did live music here. I thought that in itself was pretty awesome.
Together, Aziz and I walk past all of this toward another section of the room where there was a row of booths off to the side. None of the ones we passed were occupied. Not until we get to the very last one.
There, sitting with his back to the room, a glass carelessly held between his fingers, sits a man with jet black hair styled to perfection.
He also had a well-maintained scruff similar to Aziz’s.
He was dressed similarly to Aziz in a black button-down shirt with his sleeves rolled partially up.
I didn’t know if he was as tall as Aziz, but my guess was that he was either just as tall or taller.
“Orpheus,” Aziz greets this man, but instead of going past him, he ushers me into the seat across from him. “I’d like for you to meet Jett Boyer. My mate.”
Mate?
Wait, what?
What does he mean by his mate?
Orpheus doesn’t say a word for a long moment, his eyes, though, were locked on me, and a part of me wonders what he sees. Could he read my mind? See me like Aziz could? Know who and what I am?
Finally, Orpheus looks to Aziz and smirks.
What’s that about?
“She’s a beauty, my brother. I see why you were taken by her beauty when you saw her.” Orpheus looks back at me. “I do welcome you into the fold, my dear cousin.”
“Cousin?” I blurt, looking at him with wide eyes. Did he just say cousin?
“Well, technically, if you want to get to the gist of it, we’d be second cousins, but who wants to get into all of the logistics?” Orpheus cocks a brow and raises his glass to his lips.
“We’re family? How?” My mind is whirling with thoughts of what he’s shared, alongside Aziz calling me his mate.
Orpheus releases his glass, waves a hand in the air, and I feel something, but I didn’t know what it was. Thankfully, I don’t have to ask because Orpheus explains.
“I’ve placed a barrier around the table, no one can hear the rest of our conversation.
It’s one of my many talents.” He smirks and lifts the glass back up and takes another sip before continuing.
“To answer your question, I’m the bastard son of Hades.
A son he hadn’t thought possible to happen, but here I sit.
He’d given me many gifts, including the ability to turn others so as not to be alone as others are.
And you, dear Jett, are the daughter of Apollo.
One that he cherishes above all others.”
I feel my cheeks heat at the mention of me being my father’s cherished daughter. I knew he had other children. None of which I’d met. He never talked to me about them.
“How do you know this?” I find myself asking.
“I see the light of your aura shining. It’s the same as your father’s. He’s bestowed upon you his gifts.”
Gifts?
“The only thing he’s done is give me immortality. He didn’t want me to die as my mother did.” Now, why did I share this?
Aziz tenses next to me, and his arm around my shoulders tightens as he holds me closer. The feel of his touch makes me feel better. His touch is calming a part of me that is feeling overwhelmed.
Before either of them can say anything else, I ask the other question that’s in my head as I shift my gaze to Aziz. “What did you mean when you called me your mate?”
His eyes flash, that red coming into them for all of a split second, then it was good again.
“He drank from you while the two of you were . . . how do I put it . . . horizontal and in bed together,” Orpheus spoke first. “Though I might share, my brother, it’s not complete. Not until Jett has also drunk from you.”
“What?” I breathe, my eyes widening as I jerk my head between the two of them. “What do you mean it’s not complete?”
“We’re mates,” Aziz mutters, getting my attention. “Sibley foresaw it. I wasn’t going to try to rush you into completing it by drinking from me.”
Looking deeper into his gaze, I could tell it hurt him that I reacted the way I had, even as subtly as it was.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, ignoring the fact we weren’t alone.
“I’m not used to any of this. I was raised as a human.
Apollo made me immortal on my twenty-fifth birthday.
He didn’t want me to die at the hands of an enemy.
I don’t know anything about this world. Even if my best friend is a psychic and her mom an oracle. ”
Aziz seems to relax, though it’s ever so slightly. “I’ll help you, little one, but you’re my mate. As I told you in the car, I won’t lie to you. I’d never hurt you.”
“I know you wouldn’t.” That’s something I knew without a doubt, deep in my soul. He would never hurt me.
Aziz’s body relaxes fully, and I shift to lean more into his side.
Thankfully, Orpheus and Aziz change the subject. They do it by Aziz asking, “Ren said Corbin had to reschedule the meeting?”
Orpheus nods. “He did. Karsyn needed him. He explained she connected with the earth and something happened, though he didn’t explain exactly what that something was.
We’re meeting with him after the full moon.
” Leaning slightly forward, Orpheus keeps going.
“I believe whatever it was that got to Karsyn has to do with the Blood Moon.”
“I was able to get my hands on one of the blood witches,” Aziz remarks. “She didn’t say anything that we didn’t already know, but I think I might have found the mark I need for this to all be handled and dealt with.”
“What are blood witches?” I blurt out, not knowing what they’re talking about.
“They’re abominations who need to be eradicated from this earth,” Aziz answers. “The librarian is one of them.”
“Amelie?”
“She was wearing a pendant around her neck that reeked of magic,” he explains. “Dark magic. The kind the blood witches use.”
“Oh,” I draw out on a whisper.
I would never have assumed Amelie to be a witch. I’ve only ever seen her as an older woman who ran the library. Still, I couldn’t imagine her as anything else.
So, what if he was wrong?
No, there’s no way Aziz would be wrong. As he said he’d never lie to me, so if he says it’s true, then it’s true. But I don’t understand why it’s so important to them and why blood witches need to be eradicated.