Chapter 9 #2
“Enough, Ezra. Just…just go. I don’t have time for this.
” He didn’t wait to see Ezra leave the house as he turned and walked into the library, closing the door behind him.
It was the same old argument he’d heard from Ezra since the beginning.
He didn’t want to listen to it any longer.
He wasn’t under a spell. He wasn’t blinded by the Variks. He knew what he was doing.
Rafe was standing at the far end of the room, his hands in his pockets as he appeared to be looking over the books on the shelf.
The library was usually maintained as the most decorated room since it would be the one place Philippe dared to entertain other clans.
And for the first time, the room looked plain and threadbare when placed against the decadent beauty of Rafe.
The Arsenault clan was not rich like so many others.
Definitely not like the Variks. Philippe didn’t have much of a head for finances, and many of his clan members weren’t in a position to add to their wealth.
They got by with the basics and Philippe’s main focus remained on giving his people a safe haven from the world.
“I apologize for Ezra,” Philippe started, but Rafe was already waving off his words.
“The Variks are a bit of an acquired taste,” Rafe said as he turned toward Philippe.
“Maybe, but he should still appreciate that you’re risking your life to help us.”
“Which brings us to why you’ve brought me here in the first place. What exactly am I risking my life for? I thought it was for your Piper.”
Philippe motioned for Rafe to take a seat on the sofa, while fighting his own urge to pace. Rafe raised an eyebrow at him as he took a seat.
Philippe’s heart raced in his chest, and he fought the urge to wipe his sweaty palms off on his jeans.
Now that he had Rafe in his home, Philippe couldn’t find the words.
He didn’t know where to start. It wasn’t that he’d told Rafe lies to get his assistance, but he had left a lot of details out of the situation that could have an impact.
And when he found out about the Arsenault clan…
“Have you been making deals with the old members of the Black Wolf clan?” Rafe asked.
“No!” Philippe said on a gasp.
“Or the Humans Protecting Humans League?”
“Of course not.”
“Have you argued for the destruction of my brother before the Ministry?”
“No!”
Rafe relaxed against the cushions and spread his hands in front of him. “Then I don’t see how you have anything to be worried about.”
“Piper wasn’t the first of my clan to disappear,” Philippe blurted out, and he hated how good it felt to finally release those words.
A small frown toyed with Rafe’s lips, and he seemed to hesitate. Not a muscle moved for a couple of seconds, as if he were using all his energy to turn over those words. But to Philippe’s surprise, Rafe patted the cushion beside him, his face relaxing. “Sit. Tell me what’s going on.”
Philippe opened and closed his fists at his side for a moment, then joined Rafe on the sofa. “Piper wasn’t the first to disappear. She was the third.”
“The other two?”
“Discovered dead about a week after they were taken. Their bodies were dumped in the woods not far from Arsenault Manor.”
“Then Piper…”
“Yes, if this is the same person, if she was taken, then she could very well be dead already.”
“Is there something that links Piper to the other two victims? Same maker, possibly?”
Philippe shook his head. He rested his elbows on his knees and dropped his head in his hands.
Everything felt balanced on his next words and he was afraid, afraid that Rafe would disappoint him.
He didn’t want to believe it was possible, but so few within their world would understand what Philippe was doing.
“Philippe,” Rafe whispered. There was something so gentle and tender in the sound of his own name that he had no choice but to look up.
Rafe’s head was cocked slightly to the side as he tried to look into Philippe’s eyes.
“You have chosen a vampire who is loathed by the Ministry, because I refuse to skulk and hide. Do you truly think I’m not going to understand what you have to tell me? ”
“Piper…was different but the same as Erik and Sarah, who were taken and killed,” Philippe slowly ventured.
“Tell me about Piper.”
“She was only twelve years old as a vampire, but she’d been seventy-two when she was turned.
When she was human, she had no family left and had suffered a couple of strokes, which forced her to live in a nursing home.
One very similar to the home we saw while walking her hunting grounds.
Her turning had been a joke for her maker.
He abandoned her shortly after making her.
When I found Piper, she was still struggling to adjust. She hadn’t been given enough blood when she was made to fully rejuvenate her. ”
“So she wasn’t the lethal predator that we all are?”
Philippe shook his head. “Not even close. She didn’t want to be a vampire.
She’d already lived too much of her life alone, and now she felt that she was looking at eternity alone.
She hadn’t been with us long before she disappeared.
She was still coming around to the idea of seeing the clan as her family. ”
“She was an easy target, then. Slower. Less likely to recognize when she was being stalked.”
“Yes.”
“What about the others? Erik and Sarah. Were they both older humans when they were turned?”
“No. The opposite. They were both in their thirties as vampires, but…Erik was turned when he was only seven. Sarah was ten.”
“Children?” Rafe said on a gasp.
Rafe knew the rule as well as Philippe. It was illegal to turn a human child into a vampire.
Because their bodies would never grow older, the vampire children wouldn’t be able to easily survive on their own.
They would be dependent upon others. These poor creatures also risked drawing the attention of humans, which was strictly forbidden, even if Rafe liked to skirt along that particular rule.
Philippe watched the muscles in Rafe’s jaw flex and jump as if he were grinding his teeth. He was staring straight ahead, but Philippe could easily guess that he was lost in thought, turning over the information Philippe had given him.
“Are there any others like Piper among the clan?” Rafe asked. His voice was tight and stiff, as if he were very carefully choosing his words.
“No.”
“What about children? Any vampire children running around?”
“No.”
The silence stretched uncomfortably between them for nearly a minute before Philippe finally cracked. “Please, say something.”
“I need to think on this.” Rafe shoved off the couch and paced away.
He thrust one hand through his hair. The muscles in his shoulders seemed painfully tense, but his voice was so careful when he spoke.
“These three were chosen for a reason. It can’t be simply because they were the easiest targets.
The others you said were in their thirties.
They would have had some skills to survive that long. ”
“Rafe, please, we are past the diplomatic nonsense. Talk to me. Truly talk to me.”
Rafe stopped with his back to Philippe, his hands balled into fists at his side.
He spun around suddenly. “How the hell could you keep this from me?” he shouted.
“Keep this from my family. You say that you want our help. That you want an alliance. But you’re keeping this kind of critical information from us.
Piper isn’t some random disappearance. You’ve got a murderer picking off your clan one by one. ”
Philippe jumped to his feet and took a couple of steps toward Rafe. “And what exact critical information are you so disturbed about? That I’ve built a clan on the outcasts and broken among our people? That the vampires who shouldn’t exist in this world have found a home among the Arsenaults?”
“That’s not it at all,” Rafe snapped.
“Do you worry that my clan is not strong enough to be an ally for the Variks? That we would be a burden?”
“No, I’m worried that someone has targeted you. I’m terrified you’re going to be killed protecting your clan!” Rafe shouted directly into Philippe’s face. “I’m worried you don’t have enough clanmates strong enough to stand beside you and fight!”
Philippe rocked back on his heels at Rafe’s words, his heart giving an excited little jump in his chest. It took his brain an extra second to catch up with the rest of Rafe’s words.
“How could you not trust me with this information?”
The hurt in Rafe’s voice had Philippe moving again.
He lifted his hand to cup Rafe’s cheek, forcing him to meet Philippe’s direct gaze.
“First and foremost, I have to protect my clan. All my clan members are outcasts or wounded in some way. They struggle to survive on their own—most wouldn’t be welcome among the other clans.
But they’ve found a home with the Arsenaults.
With time, they thrive here, but they need the safety I can offer. ”
Rafe’s eyes suddenly widened and when he whispered “Gideon,” Philippe knew the last pieces had clicked into place for Rafe.
“Yes, when I saw you with Gideon, I knew you’d understand. He’s beautiful and sweet.”
“But because of his…deformity…” That word came out choked and Philippe could guess it hurt Rafe to even say it because he didn’t see Gideon as anything but perfect the way he was.
“He’d be alone and vulnerable without you.”
Rafe turned his head and pressed a kiss to the center of Philippe’s palm. He swore he could feel the heat, the gentle brush throughout his entire body.
“Most vampires would see my clan as an abomination. They would see us as something to be destroyed. I’ve never trusted anyone outside my clan with this information. Even if your brothers choose not to form an alliance with us, they cannot tell anyone what you’ve learned.”
“The Variks will have no problem with your clan.”
“Even though we aren’t the strongest?”