CHAPTER 21
FRANKIE
∞
“Listen, kid, I don’t know what else you want me to say. I told you already, I went out to have a smoke, and I saw the vamp lying there behind the garbage bin.”
“Here’s your drink.”
I startle at the sound of the waitress next to me and shake my head. “I didn’t order anything.”
“It was bought by that gentleman over there.”
She points to a guy hovering near Alex, and he gives me a small smile.
“Oh…thank you.”
I take it from her and set it on the table as she turns away from me. I turn back to the guy I’m talking to and frown at him. “You mean to tell me you didn’t see anyone else out there.”
“No. I’m telling you the alley was empty when I got there.”
“So, what’s to say you didn’t do it yourself?”
“Are you fucking kidding me? Do I look like I could take out another vamp?”
My eyes drift across his body and he’s right…he’s scrawny as shit. “Noted,” I mumble.
“Chess?”
My entire body freezes at the voice behind me. It feels like all the blood is rushing out of me. My eyes dart to the side, and all the air feels like it’s being squeezed out of my lungs when I see Jullian step around in front of me. “It is you,”
he laughs. “Look at that. You look sexy as shit.”
He glances at the vamp across from me and turns back to me with a smirk on his face. “Are you on the clock? Am I interrupting your little sex work moment. Reverting back to being a blood whore? Are you not getting paid enough by Adrian as it is?”
He tilts his head back and laughs at his own attempt at a joke.
I can’t move. I need to get away from him, but I feel like I’m glued to this fucking couch as he leans in towards my face. An evil grin pulls across his mouth, and I feel his hot breath on my cheek as his lips brush against my skin. I’m choking down the bile that’s rising in my throat with him this close to me, and yet, I still can’t move.
“Jullian.”
Jullian pulls back enough to glance up behind me.
Wren.
“King Valkyrie,”
he sings, standing back up to face him. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?”
I feel the couch shift behind me as Wren grips his hand into the edge of it. “I’m here on business, Jullian.”
“Oh?”
He glances back down at me and grins widely. “Look at you! Upgrading your talents to the royals now, are we? I’m proud of you, Chess. That’s a smart move.”
I feel Wren’s breath against my ear. “Get up,”
he says quietly.
I don’t even question it. I get to my feet and try to squeeze past Jullian. “I see you have her trained well. I mean, I think I did a pretty good job in making her obedient. You should be pleased.”
Jullian reaches towards me, and I try to shy away from him, clipping myself on the edge of the sofa.
Wren grabs me and tucks me up against his side. My entire body is shaking as I fight back my emotions. I can’t get out of my own head. I’ve gone twelve years without seeing him and I thought I was strong enough to handle it if I did, but in one second, all of those mental walls came crashing down around me…rendering me completely broken and useless.
Wren drops his arms from around me, but I just can’t pull away from him. I feel like if I do, I’ll break even further, and the last thing I want to do is cry in front of that mother fucker Jullian. I grip into his shirt, and I feel his hand brush lightly against my back. I glance up at him and I can feel tears burning my eyes as he looks down at me with concern clear on his face.
He shifts his attention back to Jullian, settling his hand gently at my lower back. “Mind your tongue, Jullian.”
“Ooo, protective of your new whore, are we?”
His hand on me tightens and I can feel every muscle under me ripple. A pulse of power snaps out of him and I see the club lights flicker from it.
“You are never to speak to her again. Do you understand me? Don’t come near her, don’t look at her, and don’t ever fucking touch her again.”
“You don’t get to tell me what to do. She doesn’t belong to you, King, or don’t you know…she’s been branded. You don’t own her. She’s owned by Adrian, and I guarantee that if I asked for it, he would send her off to me without a second thought.”
“She’s mine. Adrian is under my command, and he will do no such thing.”
“Why are you so interested in a tainted human whore?”
“Don’t call her that,”
he snarls.
“Have you fucked her yet? Have you fed on her then? I hear she’s great at both, so I think you’ll get your money’s worth at least.”
I can feel the tears now streaming down my face. For Wren to be acting this way, he must know. He dove into my past…far enough to know about Jullian. I don’t understand why he’s protecting me right now…comforting me, but I’m thankful for it. I didn’t think I would ever be thankful for a vampire to be coming to my aid, but I don’t feel like Wren expects anything in return for it. The anger still rippling out of him is palpable.
“Her debt…I’ll settle it myself.”
I look up at him in complete shock. His jaw is clenched tightly and his eyes shine with barely contained fury as he glares at Jullian.
“That debt is hers to settle, not yours.”
“Money is money, Jullian.”
I see Alex step in next to Wren, pulling his attention from Jullian. Alex looks furious as he glares at Jullian as well.
“I don’t want your money, King.”
“Alex, take her.”
Alex tries to pull me away gently from him, but I grip into his shirt further. He glances down at me and reaches his other hand up to my face, wiping the tears lingering there gently with his thumb. “Go with Alex, Francesca. I’ll take care of this.”
“Please,”
I whisper. “Please don’t make this worse.”
He looks at me confused but gives me a small smile. “I won’t. I promise I’ll make this right.”
He leans down and presses his lips gently to my forehead before Alex pulls me away from him.