Chapter 8
8
ESME
T he djinn's magic crawled over my skin, burrowing under my clothes like a thousand slimy centipedes. My own magic instinctively rose to the surface to protect me from this invasion, but I fought it down, afraid it would reveal the truth of what I was if I unleashed so much as a wisp of it.
I didn't know if the vampires could sense magic or not, but my question was answered when I was suddenly wrapped tight in Brogan's arms. The side of my face pressed into the buttons of his shirt with one large male hand, and a deep, possessive growl vibrated against my ear.
I couldn't see Dae anymore, but Brogan was as still as death and as un-moving as stone against me. I turned my head just enough to see Dae appear at Brogan's side, so fast I didn't even see him move. He just suddenly…appeared. "We need to get the fuck out of here," Dae announced. "NOW. And bring her." He pointed at me, and then he was gone again.
Before I knew it, Brogan scooped me up, cradling me in his arms as we raced down the dark street so fast the people and buildings we passed were nothing but a blur of colors. I couldn’t tell if anyone saw us run by, or if we were like a breeze that came and went without much notice. Brogan took a corner and my stomach lurched like I was on a rollercoaster. Burying my face between his neck and shoulder, I prayed to all the gods I wouldn't vomit down his chest.
We ran for what felt like hours, but was probably less than two minutes. I stumbled when Brogan set me down, my head still spinning from the vampire speed travel, and I grabbed his arm and hung on, the other hand braced on my thigh, until the world was still again. Glancing up, I blinked rapidly until my vision stabilized, and saw that we were standing in front of an impressive two-story Creole mansion. As was the style in this part of The Quarter, it was painted a soft pink and had a wrought iron balcony that extended across the entire front of the building.
Brogan's handsome face was suddenly directly in my line of vision. "You okay?"
I started to nod, but stopped when my brain was sloshed around inside my skull. "I'm fine," I assured him. At least, I would be. The oppressive power of the djinn was gone.
"Welcome to Casa de Vampire," Dae said with a perfect Spanish accent. "Where the blood flows freely and the party never stops."
Brogan shot him a look. "Not helping. Also, not true," he told me softly. "The closest we come to a party is when Killian opens the house up at Christmas for the tourists to tour.”
My legs were still a bit wobbly as we hurried through the gate into the back courtyard. The space was larger than I'd expected. There was even a small guest house that was obviously occupied because the inside lights were on. I didn't get to see much more than that though, because Brogan ushered me straight to the backdoor of the main home.
We entered into a short hallway that led to a surprisingly modern kitchen with cinnamon glazed cabinets—some with etched glass fronts—and counters that looked like dark gray stone. The floor appeared to be the original wood, polished to a rich honey oak. My gaze went up and up to the high ceilings, traveling along the crown moulding before falling to the kitchen table and the chandelier that hung above it. On the far side of the kitchen was a sitting room with dark gray furniture and large windows draped with elegant, flowing burgundy curtains.
"Killian," Brogan called out to the empty room. "We have a situation."
A tall man—no, a vampire —with intense golden eyes appeared in the opposite hall between one blink and the next, startling me, although I guess I should get used to it now that I'd been let in on the secret of what they were. His expression tightened when he saw me standing there, and those amazing eyes locked in on mine. But what really shocked me was seeing Lizzy from Ancient Magicks following him at a much slower, human pace, with Wiggles waddling along at her heels.
"Esme?" she said when she saw me. "What are you doing here?"
I forced my face to stay neutral despite my surprise at finding my new boss in a house full of vampires. "It's..." I gave her a little smile and a shrug, "…complicated."
"Isn't it always, though?" she said, as she looked between me, Brogan, and Dae.
The vampire—who must be Killian—continued to study me with those unnerving eyes. After a few seconds, he motioned Lizzy forward, then stepped into the room behind her. I guess he’d decided I wasn't a threat. "So you're the human who's been causing such a stir at my club." He spoke with a slight Irish lilt.
"I've caused a stir?"
"No," Brogan responded.
"Yes," the other vampire said.
I shifted my weight from foot to foot as his power swirled around me, but fought the urge to look away when his golden eyes pierced right through me to all of my hidden secrets. Dios mío . There was no hiding anything from this one. If he didn't already know exactly who and what I was, it would be a miracle.
"Killian."
The vampire stared through me a moment longer before shifting his gaze to Brogan. I hadn’t realized my muscles had locked up until he released me from the hold of those eyes. Once again, I swayed on my feet.
Lizzy rushed over and took my arm. "Why don't we sit down?"
I thanked her, and she led me to the table, where I gratefully took a seat.
"Would you like some water? A glass of wine?"
"Water would be perfect," I told her. " Gracias ." I would've loved to take her up on the alcohol, but I needed to stay in control.
As Lizzy walked over to one of the cabinets to grab a glass, Brogan told Killian with no preamble, "Marcus is back."
Lizzy froze with her hand wrapped around the glass still in the cabinet. "What?" she asked him. "When?"
"We felt him just now, close to the Garden District," Dae said.
"And Esme came to the club tonight to find me because she felt him, too," Brogan finished.
Killian's jaw tightened, and those eerie eyes returned to me once more. "Ye felt Marcus?"
My heart began to race and a cold sweat broke out on my brow. Perhaps I should have worded that differently when I went running to Brogan. But I decided to tell Killian the truth, or at least as much as he needed to know.
"He murdered my family in Mexico." My voice came out much steadier than I felt. "I saw it all with my own eyes, and I've been running ever since. When I arrived here, I thought I was far enough away that I could stop and rest a bit while I decided where to go next." It wasn't a complete lie. That had been my original intention. "Then I met Brogan and decided to stay a while.”
"Bloody hell." Killian rubbed his thigh, exchanging a loaded look with Lizzy before coming back to me. "And how do ye know this woman, acushla ?" Though he was looking at me, I could tell by the softness in his tone I wasn't the one he was speaking to.
She set my water in front of me and laid her hand on my shoulder as I smiled my thanks. "I just hired her to help me at the store until Mike is able to come back.”
Killian cocked his head as he watched me take a drink. "Strange coincidence that my club is the one ye like to frequent, and my Lizzy's store is the one where ye just happen to ask for a job."
His words hung in the air, laden with suspicion. But before I could defend myself, Brogan stepped between us, his anger a living, breathing thing.
"Watch your tone, Killian," he growled. "Esme came to me for help. She's not the enemy here."
Killian's eyes flashed with something I couldn't read as they shifted to Brogan. "Ye forget yourself, lad."
He didn't raise his voice in the slightest, or change his tone, yet the threat was evident. Everyone stood frozen except for Lizzy, whose fingers were digging into my shoulder, keeping me in my seat. The tension in the air was so thick I could only take shallow breaths as my eyes shot between Brogan and Killian.
The stories I'd been told about vampires never could have prepared me for the reality of standing in a room full of them. If it wasn't for Lizzy, I didn't know that I'd have had the courage to stay.
Giving her a look of reassurance, I stood slowly from beneath her hand, inching closer to Brogan and resting my hand on the back of his bicep. His muscles were coiled tight beneath my touch.
"It's okay," I told him. "I understand his suspicion. I would feel the same way if the tables were turned, and I have nothing to hide." Well, not much.
Brogan glanced down at me, his green eyes softening slightly.
Giving him a shaky smile, I stepped out from behind him and faced the vampire who I now assumed was the leader of this coven. I ignored Brogan's sound of disapproval and his hand at my hip as I did so. But it sure didn't go unnoticed by any of the others.
"I didn't plan any of this," I said evenly, bringing Killian's unnerving gaze back to me. "If that's what you're getting at. I came to New Orleans to escape the nightmare of my past, not to cause trouble for you or your coven. Meeting Brogan, getting a job with Lizzy...I didn't plan either of those things, they just kind of happened. And I certainly didn't know you knew each other. But I swear to you, on my family's graves, that I mean you no harm." I looked at each of them in turn. "Any of you."
Killian studied me for a long, terrifying moment. No one spoke. Even Wiggles was silent, watching the exchange with his little ears turning this way and that like he was trying to hear what we were saying.
Finally, Killian gave a slight nod.
"Aye, I believe ye,” he said gruffly. "But ye’ll forgive me if I don't entirely trust ye yet."
A little of the tension left my shoulders, and I inclined my head in understanding, keeping my expression carefully neutral as I said, "Of course. I'd expect nothing less."
Killian's acceptance, however grudging, was a vital step. But I knew I still had a long way to go to earn the trust of these vampires.
Especially if I wanted their help to finally put an end to Marcus. Because no matter what Brogan told me earlier, I was still better off with them than alone. And, apparently, Marcus had messed with them before. So perhaps they knew more than they were letting on?
Killian took a seat on one of the stools at the island, and I resumed my place at the table, Brogan coming to stand behind me with his arms crossed over his chest like a bodyguard. Lizzy raised her eyebrows at Dae in question, but he just shrugged and leaned against the counter on the other side of the island.
"How long have ye known about us?" Killian asked me. "About what we are?"
"My people tend to believe in the myths others would dismiss, therefore I'd already heard of the legends about your kind. Of course, I took the stories I heard with a grain of salt, not believing, but not not believing. At least until I wandered into your club and saw with my own two eyes."
"I have to admit, the fact that ye figured us out so easily is making me rather nervous."
I hurried to reassure him. “I’ve been at your club nearly every night since I arrived in New Orleans. I've watched the customers and how your people handle them. I don't think you have any reason to be nervous. They're having fun and they're there for the show. That's all. Besides,” I glanced between him and Dae. “If anyone was watching too closely, couldn't you just make them forget?"
Much as they did when they took women into the private room at the club. I suddenly wondered if Brogan, or any of them, had already done that to me. It hadn't occurred to me before now, but it was very possible.
Killian's eyes flicked up to the man standing behind me as he answered my unspoken question. "As Brogan should've done with ye.”
"That was the plan until we were interrupted by Dae, and then Marcus," he answered from behind me. "Though it wasn't a problem until now."
A stab of betrayal ripped through my chest. He was going to make me forget tonight? Forget what? The club? Him?
"I think we should stick to that plan once we have all the information we need from her." Killian spoke as if I wasn't sitting right there.
"No!" I shot up from my chair. "No," I told Killian more calmly. " Por favor . Don't mess with my mind. The memories I have aren't all pleasant, but they're mine, and I'd like to keep them."
"Why?"
The simple question took me aback. "Why?" I repeated.
"Yes." He shifted on his stool, crossing his arms over the cream-colored sweater he wore with his black jeans. "Why should we allow ye to keep your memories? Memories that could now endanger my family."
Think, Esme. Think! "Because I can help you kill Marcus. I just can't do it alone."
"How?"
Shit. I'd walked right into that one. "I…I…." Shit . "I can share what I learned about him when he targeted me and my family recently. Surely, that has to count for something."
Killian's voice held a dangerous edge. "Why should I care what happened to yer family? Or what happens to ye, for that matter?"
Lizzy shot him a look, and he lifted his hand toward her before she could say anything. Narrowing her eyes, she sat in the chair beside me and carefully lifted Wiggles onto her lap.
The vampire got up from his stool and came to stand directly in front of me, forcing me to look up at him. "Why should I risk myself and my family for ye ?”
"Because it's not just about me. Because I want to stop him before he kills anyone else." My hands clenched into fists at my sides. "He's already taken everything from me. I won't let him hurt more people. He'll come after you, too."
"We don't know that.”
"I do."
"How?"
"Isn't that why he's here?"
The only other possible reason for his presence was me. That he'd found me that quickly. The thought was terrifying.
"Killian." Lizzy rose from the table and went to stand beside him, saving me from having to answer. "We can't ignore this. If Marcus is really back..."
"I know, acushla ."
Killian's eyes narrowed when he tore his attention from Lizzy and brought it back to me. "And how do we know ye’re not working with him? That this isn't some elaborate trap?"
"Because I would rather die than help that monster." The words tasted like venom. "Test me however you want. Read my mind. Whatever it takes to prove I'm telling the truth. But we're wasting time." I would just have to take the chance that he’d see more than I wanted him to.
He studied me for a long moment, then he turned and strode from the room without another word, leaving the rest of us staring after him.