Chapter Twenty-Two – Lucian
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
LUCIAN
My eyes trail up her silky-smooth legs, the hem of my shirt just covering her edible behind as she moves at the stove, cooking herself some eggs.
Her hips sway to the music as she sings along.
I’m hypnotised, unable to tear my gaze away from her.
She spins around, singing along to Barry White’s ‘You’re My First, My Last, My Everything’, using the spatula as a microphone while pointing at me.
A slow smile spreads across my face as she blows me a kiss.
“Contacts just arrived,” Silas states quietly in my ear.
“Show them in,” I order.
He nods and disappears to get them.
“You okay with them seeing her?” Talon asks.
I turn my attention to him. “These are biker contacts. Human. They are no threat to us, or to her.”
He gives me a brief nod as two men follow Silas into the kitchen.
The Vale family are the biggest gun and drug runners.
We may be the undead, we may have money, but if we’re to continue to live for eternity, then we need to make sure our money never dries up.
I don’t get up to greet them, only giving them a brief look.
Marcus Vale stands before me, his muscle and right-hand man standing beside him, looking at each of my brothers who surround them.
“I see we have someone new,” Marcus says, eyeing Evelynn with an appreciative gaze.
“If you want to continue to have the ability to see, I suggest you look in the other fucking direction immediately,” I threaten.
He looks at me, surprised at my threat. He isn’t used to receiving threats, and if he does, those people usually don’t get to continue living. His bodyguard takes a step towards me. Marcus holds up his hand, halting him, his gaze never leaving mine.
“Easy, Justin. The man is merely protecting what is his.”
I exhale a breath as if I’m bored with the conversation.
Evelynn spins around, holding her plate of scrambled eggs and toast, completely unaware that the two men entered. She stumbles slightly in surprise.
“Shit. Sorry, I didn’t realise we had guests,” she apologises, reaching over to turn the music down. Her cheeks heat from embarrassment, and she shifts uncomfortably.
“No need to apologise, my dear. We merely stopped by to discuss some business. We didn’t mean to intrude,” Marcus says, bowing his head slightly.
The salt-and-pepper man is renowned for his manner in how he treats women.
If I could, I would have killed him years ago, but it would draw far too much attention to us.
I stand, not liking how much attention he’s paying to Evelynn. “Let’s go to the bar, and we can discuss it over a drink. Let my woman eat her meal in peace,” I forcibly state, gesturing to the entranceway through to the bar area.
He nods. “Certainly. Miss, it was a pleasure meeting you. Hopefully, our paths cross again soon.”
My brothers all stand, surrounding Evelynn in warning, a threat. He tries to school his reaction, but is too slow. I catch the flicker of fear. I can smell it on him.
“Silas, go offer Marcus and his assistant…” I pause.
Justin’s furious gaze snaps to mine while Silas fights back a smirk.
“Go offer them a drink. I shall be there in a minute.” Silas nods.
“Sure thing,” he says, leading them off.
As soon as they are out of sight, I move to her. Just as she’s setting her plate down on the table, I spin her around in my arms to face me.
“Jesus Christ!” she gasps.
“Eat. I won’t be long,” I murmur as I trail my lips along her neck. She exhales a slow, shuddering breath.
“I could have taken my food back to the room so that you could talk business,” she breathes.
“No,” I state firmly, lifting my gaze to hers.
“Is he a vampire, too?” she asks anxiously, looking over my shoulder.
“No,” I answer.
“Prez, I understand you feel like you can’t leave her, but it’s literally the other room. You don’t need a long goodbye,” Viktor sighs.
I pin him with a glare, about to tear him down, when Evelynn lets out a soft bubble of laughter.
“He has a point. Go do your thing. I’m just going to be eating my eggs.”
I reluctantly grunt, releasing her from my hold. “Clutch, Diesel, you both stay with her,” I order, and the rest follow me to the meeting.
“Who knew bikers would carry a fifty-year-old scotch?” Marcus grins, swirling the amber liquid in his glass.
“Okay, Marcus, I don’t want to be standing here talking to you. I’d rather be spending time with my woman. So, I will offer you fifty thousand for the guns, and twenty for the weed. Do we have a deal?” I ask.
“You aren’t interested in the coke? Fresh in, like nothing you’ve ever tried,” he counters.
“I don’t touch that shit. I’m only interested in weed and the guns. I have a contact who is waiting for my shipment. Do we have a deal?” I ask, my tone final, not willing to negotiate.
Marcus’s mouth curves up at the corner. “We have a deal. Maybe more of my clients should have women like yours. It would make doing business a lot more efficient.”
I move in a blur, wrapping my hand around his throat, pinning him up against the wall, his feet dangling off the ground. Silas and Talon move, blocking Justin from interfering. Marcus’s eyes are wide with fear and confusion.
“If we are to continue doing business, I suggest you leave mentioning my woman out of it. I don’t take kindly to anyone speaking about her, looking at her, or touching her,” I growl in warning.
“It was just a passing comment. I meant nothing by it,” he says, unable to keep the panic from his voice.
I lower him to his feet and release my hold, my furious, possessive rage pouring from my stare, never leaving him as he steps cautiously towards the door. Justin is beside him, hand poised on his gun as my brothers flank my sides.
“The guns and weed will be delivered in the usual spot, once payment is received,” he coughs, adjusting his tie around his neck.
“Funds will be deposited within the hour,” I answer firmly. “Pleasure doing business with you.” I nod as they exit the door. Marko and Talon follow behind them to make sure they don’t try anything stupid.
“You need to get a fucking handle on your goddamn emotions,” Silas chastises me.
“I know,” I say through gritted teeth. Every muscle in my body is strung so tight I feel like they could snap. The thought of him even looking at her pumped a molten possessive rage coursing through my body.
“It’s the mark, the bond,” Viktor states, handing me a glass filled with blood. I knock it back, tasting the alcohol within it. I sigh.
“I’ve known marked vampires before and they ain’t never acted this way before,” Rook points out, his tattooed arms crossed over his chest.
“But Evelynn isn’t a vampire, is she?” Viktor counters. “She’s a weak, defenceless mortal. One wrong cut, one snap of the neck, and she’s dead. His possessive and protective impulses are heightened,” Viktor explains.
I hold out the empty glass, trying to fight the urge, the desire to hunt down Marcus and rip them apart. “Another,” I cough.
Silas refills the glass. I knock it back, feeling the muscles in my shoulders slowly relax.
“We need to find the information on Evelynn, the nun, the marking. Now. Or it’s going to blow up. Either by humans finding out what we really are, or for the Anathema to find us.”
“Don’t forget about the fucking Dominion,” Echo adds. “He broke the code by marking her, remember.”
“Jesus fucking Christ, we know, Echo,” Silas snaps.
“I’m just fucking stating a fact, that Seraphine is out there, absolutely raging. Where do you think she will go to seek revenge? It’s going to be one of them,” Echo counters.
“He’s not wrong, and if it’s the Dominion, we need to find evidence that she is of no harm to us or our kind,” Viktor states firmly.
“We need to go to the Oracle’s crypt,” Hex states.
I look to Hex. “Oracle’s crypt?” I press.
He shrugs, rolling around the weird string of beads he carries with him wherever he goes. “Yeah, an ancient library, kept by the Oracle. Nice fella. Reckon we could do it in a day, max.” He shrugs.
I frown, looking from him to Viktor. “Why the fuck am I just hearing about this now?” I snap.
“Because Viktor pissed off the Oracle a few hundred years ago, never returning one of his books,” Hex states with a smirk, while Viktor glares at him with an ‘I’m going to fucking kill you’ look.
“Then take it fucking back, beg for forgiveness, and find an answer for what we are looking for!” I roar, anger pouring through me.
Viktor’s mouth settles into a thin line, but he nods in agreement.
I shake my head. “Hex, you go with him,” I order.
Cain stands. “I will join them. I need to hunt, and also, the Oracle owes me a favour. I hooked him up with Marilyn once.”
“Marilyn Monroe?” Rook asks on a whistle.
“No. Manson,” Cain corrects.
“You’re joking,” Rook smirks.
“I don’t fucking joke,” Cain answers as he heads out.
After Hex, Viktor, and Cain have left, Silas stands beside me.
“I didn’t want to mention it earlier, as you would have lost your shit.” He pauses. “Seraphine was spotted in Velmora,” he grits out.
My jaw clenches, and I nod in understanding. Velmora is a small and ancient town over a thousand miles away; the home of the Dominion.
“How many days do we have?” I ask, knowing they will come to fight, to destroy, to kill Evelynn.
“Three days, max,” he answers.
“Then let’s hope they find the answer we need in the Oracle’s crypt.”