Chapter 13 #3
With those texted words came a rush of worry but also love. He could feel his twin’s concern and reassurance. Bel would always be there for him. No matter how important his research was, he was willing to drop everything to help Rafe.
Nothing for now. Meeting with Z in Boston right now. Will be home later tonight.
Witchcraft nonsense, Bel shot back, causing Rafe to snort.
Bel didn’t buy into all of Zelda’s magical claims, which was ironic since most of the things in their vampiric life could only be chalked up to magic. Bel stubbornly claimed that it was still a matter of science. They just didn’t understand it all yet.
Rafe didn’t give a shit if it was magic or science so long as they could get it to work in their favor.
She says Aiden is returning soon, he replied in text.
There was a long pause before Bel answered and it was simply, I hope she’s right.
They all felt a little lost without Aiden, which was strange.
When their mother was a vampire, Aiden couldn’t come anywhere near them without risking another of her violent episodes.
But even if he wasn’t physically close, they knew he was watching over them.
They knew he would be there as quickly as he could if there was a problem.
Even from a distance, he felt a part of them.
Even if he and Julianna never married, Aiden was family. He was a Varik.
But since she was murdered, Aiden felt distant and lost. Rafe understood.
He’d loved Julianna immensely and had been forced to be apart from her for too many years.
They never got their shot at happily ever after with all the fireworks and sunset walks.
They’d had only a couple of short years, and then everything went to hell.
Too short a time for humans and even worse when one of them was a vampire.
Just a blip on the screen in their long lives.
Rafe was just hoping that if they could get Aiden to join them in Hartford, they’d all be able to help him heal. To move forward. While he might like to argue with his brothers at every turn, Rafe agreed with them on one thing. They were stronger together.
Shoving away from the wall, Rafe started for the coffee house door again, but it was already opening, and Philippe was stepping outside. His expression was drawn, and he looked as if he was lost in thought, not even noticing that Rafe was standing directly in front of him.
“Not good news, huh?” Rafe murmured as he grabbed the edge of the door.
Philippe’s head jerked up, and he stared at Rafe for a second. He shook his head. “Sorry. I—”
“Don’t worry about it. She can be a lot.”
Rafe moved so that Philippe could step out of the open doorway. The vampire winced at the cold wind.
“Do you want to head back now? It’s a long drive. Plenty of time to think.”
“Yes, please. If you don’t mind.”
Rafe smiled and pointed in the direction of the parking garage where he’d tucked his car.
They walked in silence for several minutes, accompanied only by the sound of their footsteps on the pavement and the rush of the cars.
Rafe was expecting that silence to continue until they were nearly to Hartford, but he was surprised when Philippe spoke after just a couple of blocks.
“How did you meet her?”
“Hyde Park Christmas market. London,” Rafe said, looking over at Philippe with a smirk.
He shoved his hands into his pockets and lifted his shoulders to his ears against the wind.
“I was wandering around one night and I spotted this little old lady selling handmade ornaments and decorations. Some copper was giving her grief.”
“And you gave her a hand.”
“Definitely not,” Rafe said with a delicate sniff. “She had everything under control. Was giving the man a piece of her mind before he could finally shuffle away with his tail between his legs.”
Philippe’s laugh warmed him and helped to erase some of the lines of worry about the blond vampire’s mouth. Rafe was happy to tell a hundred extravagant stories if it meant Philippe would laugh and smile at him.
“Then how…?”
“She caught sight of me and knew I’d been there with the intention of butting in to help her.
She remarked I was smart for knowing to hold my tongue, but she appreciated that I wanted to assist her.
Gave me a little hand-carved cat for my mother.
” His voice softened at the last bit of the memory that left him wondering if the cat was still among his mother’s possessions.
She had been staying with Bel when she’d been killed. Bel would have all her possessions, but Rafe had no idea what Bel did with any of those things. Had he given them all to charity? Burned them?
Rafe shoved that line of thought aside. It wasn’t the time or place. Later. He could ask Bel later what happened to her things.
“Did you know then?” Philippe asked, drawing him back out.
“That she was a witch? God, no. I was barely aware of vampires at that time.” He smiled at his companion again. “I was still human when I met her for the first time. Aiden didn’t turn me for another two years.”
“Oh my,” Philippe breathed. His expression was a little unsteady when he met Rafe’s gaze again.
“I’ll admit that until tonight, I wasn’t entirely sure that I believed in witches.
I’d heard whispers, but people have talked about a lot of crazy things over the centuries, and I’ve seen little evidence that any of it’s true. ”
Rafe led the way into the well-lit parking garage, climbing the concrete stairs to the second floor. He spotted his black beauty right where he left it and tapped the fob in his pocket to unlock the doors.
“As far as I know, Zelda is the only one I’ve met. There are probably others, but I’ve yet to see them, and I doubt they’re as old.”
“Or as powerful?”
Rafe paused at the front of the car and scratched his jaw.
“In terms of power…” He stopped again and shrugged.
“I don’t know how powerful Zelda is. She’s never really done anything that I’ve seen.
She’s given me helpful warnings and advice over the years, and that’s enough for me.
Besides, what do I gain by getting on her bad side? ”
“But you felt it, right?” Philippe stopped and lifted his hands.
He rubbed his fingers together as if he was feeling something in the air that Rafe could see.
“When we were in the coffee house, I could feel something. It was different from our power, but big. Like the whole world was holding its breath, waiting just on her permission to keep on spinning.”
That was an accurate description, if strange. It did feel as if all of existence was waiting on Zelda’s pleasure. God, he hoped that wasn’t true.
“Yes, I felt that too.”
They climbed into the car, and Rafe deftly maneuvered them out of the city.
Philippe settled deep into the plush leather seat and seemed to watch the passing blur of lights out of his window.
But then, Zelda likely gave him a great deal to think about.
Rafe wanted Philippe to talk to him, to feel that he could turn to him for advice and comfort, but he had to remind himself that both Jullien and Ezra had served as sounding boards and pillars of advice for far longer than he and Philippe had known each other.
It was more likely that Philippe would keep his thoughts to himself until he reached Arsenault Manor.
If he was so damn logical, why the hell was he suddenly jealous of Jullien and Ezra?
Because it came down to the same thought that had shaken him earlier. He didn’t want to share Philippe.
“She had no specific suggestions as to who was hunting the Arsenaults,” Philippe said suddenly, breaking the silence that had engulfed them for nearly thirty minutes.
“I’m sorry. I should have warned you that Zelda is rarely into giving specifics.”
Philippe released a low chuckle. “Yes, I noticed that pretty quickly. It certainly adds to her mystery.”
“She claims it’s partially a matter of the hard facts that she does know and reading the magical ripples of people’s decisions.”
“In short, things change because people can change their minds.”
“Sorry,” Rafe repeated.
“Don’t apologize. She might not have been able to give specifics, but she was able to confirm some fears I’ve had. She warned me that I’ll need to face some hard, ugly facts about my clan.”
Rafe had to bite on his tongue to keep his thoughts to himself.
He’d been wanting to suggest that Philippe’s problem could be coming from within his clan, but he was afraid the clan leader wouldn’t hear him out.
Rafe felt better knowing Philippe was at least considering it on his own. It was a step in the right direction.
Glancing over at Philippe, he found haunted eyes watching him under the warm glow of the dashboard lights. “She also said that I can still have the things I want most, but it will mean making a very difficult decision.”
Rafe sucked in a breath and jerked his gaze back to the black road in front of them. His hands tightened on the steering wheel until his knuckles threatened to crack. What had she meant by that? What did Philippe want most? Could he even want Rafe half as much as Rafe longed for him?
“Did she offer any advice?” Rafe asked after a few seconds. His voice was rough and deep.
“Don’t fuck up.”
They both laughed loudly, breaking the tension that had squeezed into the car with them.
It was a little easier to breathe now, even if he didn’t have any new answers.
Zelda had made him feel confident that he and his brothers could find their way through their current quagmire.
She could have easily been including Rafe’s dilemma with Philippe in with that mess.
“Thank you for arranging that meeting,” Philippe said softly. “She has given me hope.”
“I’m just glad my illustrious contacts could finally come in handy.”
Any comment Philippe might have made was cut off by the ringing of Rafe’s cell phone through the speakers. Lola’s name flashed across the screen and Rafe frowned. Lola only called when there was a problem.
“Lola,” Rafe said, answering the call.
“Problem at Blush,” she snapped.
Rafe gritted his teeth. “I’m at least thirty minutes from the city. Can it hold?”
There was a long pause before Lola finally said, “Maybe.”
“If it can’t hold, then call Marcus now.”
“This isn’t a Marcus problem.”
“What—”
“It’s Gideon,” Lola added, cutting off Rafe’s question. “There’s a claim.”
Rafe’s heart stammered for a second, then shot off as rage flooded his system. “Fuck!” Rafe snarled, hammering the heel of his palm on the steering wheel. “Thirty minutes, Lola. If you can’t hold the vamp, call Marcus. He will back me on this. You fucking call him!”
“Got it.” She ended the call without another word. The only sound in the car was the roar of the engine as Rafe pressed on the accelerator, plunging them faster down the road. He had to return to Blush as quickly as possible.
“What can I do?” Philippe inquired. His soft voice almost made Rafe jump. Somehow he’d managed to forget that he was in the car.
“Nothing.”
“Rafe, please.”
He nearly snapped at the clan leader but caught himself at the last second. This wasn’t Philippe’s fault. There was no reason to take his anger and frustration out on him. This was a problem of his own creation, and he should have taken care of it ages ago.
“I can’t take you back to Arsenault Manor. I need to go directly to Blush. Can you arrange for a ride from there?” Rafe said evenly.
“Yes, of course. Is there anything else?”
Rafe stiffly shook his head. He appreciated the offer, but this was something he needed to do. He didn’t doubt that if necessary, Marcus would ride in and take care of things. Probably with more grace and efficiency than Rafe ever could. But in the end, Gideon would be protected.
But Rafe didn’t want his older brother sweeping in to clean up his messes. Not this time. Gideon was his. Lola and Ryder were his. He would protect what was his personally.