Chapter 43
Forty-Three
SOPHIE
Lucca’s butler, a human in his forties named Gerard, takes Igor and Tish to their room while I follow them with Vaughn.
I need to know where they’re staying just in case.
This situation is too surreal to me. A couple of months ago, I was given the mission to infiltrate Lucca’s inner circle and kill him.
I was certain accomplishing the first part would be nearly impossible, yet here I am, welcomed into his home.
Though killing him is not part of the plan anymore—truth be told, it never was.
Maybe I refused to end him because he was responsible for Boone’s demise.
The adage “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” never rang truer.
Lucca’s mansion is twice as big as my father’s.
We pass several closed doors in the hallway before turning a corner.
The décor screams old money. Vintage wallpaper in a deep burgundy color covers the walls, and there are oil paintings hanging from them.
All the windows are shut—naturally—and framed by heavy curtains.
Gerard stops in front of a dark wood door, opens it for Igor, and steps out of the way so he can enter.
“Thanks,” Igor says.
Tish zooms in before he can and exclaims, “Wow. This is nice! Dibs on the bed.”
Igor shakes his head. “You’re sleeping on the floor, pest.”
I peer inside and see the four-poster bed and Tish already making a nest for herself with the many pillows lying on it.
“Don’t kill each other, please,” I say.
“Can’t make any promises,” Tish replies.
Gerard frowns. “Shall I prepare another room for your familiar?”
Igor looks over his shoulder. “That won’t be necessary.”
“Are you sure?” Vaughn pipes up. “I’ve experienced firsthand Tish’s savagery. Ten-ten, don’t recommend.”
Igor glances at Tish briefly. “I’m sure I can deal with her if she gets out of hand.”
“You wish,” Tish replies, but she seems relaxed, so I don’t worry too much.
“See you later, then,” I say as I close the door.
Gerard turns to us. “Do you need anything before I retire for the day?”
“I’m good.” Vaughn glances at me. “And you?”
Butterflies awaken, and he’s not even doing anything. “Yeah, I’m good too.”
“Very well. Have a good rest.” Gerard turns on his heels and walks away.
Vaughn takes my hand. “Come on. My room is two doors down the hallway.”
I let him steer me in silence. I’m suddenly nervous to be alone with him again. Not that I fear him. I fear myself. I don’t know if I’m over getting triggered, and I’d hate to have an episode under Lucca’s roof.
Vaughn opens his door with a flourish of his arm. “Welcome to my fortress of solitude.”
“Your what?”
He shakes his head. “I’ll add comics to the list of things you must become familiar with.”
“Must?” I lift one brow.
His cheeks turn pink as he rubs the back of his head. “Well… you don’t have to like all the things I do, but I still want to share them with you. You can totally share your passions with me.”
I rise onto my tiptoes and kiss him on the cheek. “I’d love to know everything about you. Starting with your bedroom.”
I walk in and let my eyes explore the space. The walls are painted light gray, and the furniture is all dark wood but modern. Vaughn has posters of rock bands in sleek black frames hanging from the walls, which adds pops of color to the room.
He walks over to the closest poster and says, “This is my band. Nocturnal.”
“Oh.” I stop next to him and look at the picture.
I see Vivi front and center, singing, and Vaughn standing on the left side of the stage, focused on his guitar. There’s a guy with shoulder-length red hair to the right of the stage, playing guitar, and a redheaded girl playing the drums.
“Who are they?”
“That’s Cheryl and Karl. They’re siblings if you couldn’t tell.”
“Human?”
Vaughn looks at me. “No. Wolf shifters. Karl is also Manu’s familiar, and Cheryl is a hybrid.”
“I don’t understand. What’s a hybrid?”
“A wolf shifter and a vampire.”
My eyes widen. “Oh my God. I didn’t know that was possible. So does that mean she was sired?”
“Yep.” He nods.
“But not recently, right?”
“No, many centuries ago.”
“Where are they now?”
“In Ellnesari.”
“I thought everyone had returned.”
“Everyone but Manu. Vivi was able to create another portal with Solomon’s help, but it closed too soon, so only Karl, Cheryl, and Ronan were able to cross it.”
“Were you planning to go?” My voice comes out squeaky.
Vaughn touches my face. “No, but considering the Elder dragon wanted to kill us all, I would have. But now I’m glad the portal lost its power before I could. I didn’t want to leave you.”
I relax. “I’m happy you didn’t go.”
“That spell you cast against the Elder dragon was awesome, by the way.”
“I didn’t know I had it in me to do. I couldn’t let her harm you.”
“And it almost cost you too much.” His eyes grow serious.
I step into his space, wrapping my arms around his waist. “I’m still here, and that’s all that matters.”
He rubs his thumb over my lips. “Are you tired?”
“Not in the slightest.” I smile.
“Good.” He steps back, then walks to the acoustic guitar mounted on the wall. “I want to play something for you.”
“Won’t we disturb the others?”
“Nah. The walls are soundproof.”
“Really?”
He gives me a cheeky smile. “A necessity when you live with a mated vampire. Saxon and Aurora can get pretty loud, and they’re always doing it.”
My face becomes warm. “Most vampires are horndogs.”
He takes the guitar from its peg on the wall. “I noticed. I’m not, though.”
I cross my arms. “Really? Are you telling me that since your change, you haven’t slept with your blood donors?”
Imagining Vaughn with any other female—human or vampire—annoys me like crazy.
His eyes round. “Uh… I’m not sure if I should answer that.”
“Why not?”
“Because your eyes have a tinge of red in them.”
My jaw drops. I didn’t realize I was that jealous.
“If you must know, I only did it once, and then I refrained. I didn’t feel right sleeping with anyone. They were already giving me their blood.”
“No born vampire feels guilty about having sex with their food. You’re still in touch with your human side.”
“Perhaps.” He shrugs. “Or maybe I knew the woman of my dreams was about to walk into my life.”
My heart does a backflip, then beats away inside my chest.
He sits on the floor by the foot of his bed with guitar in hand, then points at the edge of the mattress. “Come closer.”
“What song are you going to play?”
He smirks. “Maybe I should continue with the Disney theme and sing the Beauty and the Beast song?”
“If that’s what you want to sing?” I sit down.
He shakes his head but keeps his grin in place, showing his adorable dimples. “No, I wanted to sing one of my favorite tunes. The lyrics are special to me.”
“Why is that?”
“Because I’ve always wished to find someone who would make me feel like the lyrics of this song. You have to listen to understand what I mean.”
“All right. What’s the name of it?”
“‘Iris.’”
“Let’s hear it, then.”
He closes his eyes and strikes the first chord, hooking me in an instant. The intro is like a delicate dance between fire and ice, with each strum of the guitar igniting a fiery passion within me. And that’s before he starts to sing in a raspy, sexy voice.
His eyes connect with mine, and I understand now what he meant. My heart overflows with emotion, bringing tears to my eyes. I never thought it was possible to love someone as fiercely and completely as I love Vaughn. It’s like our love was preordained by the stars.
When he finishes the song, I’m a sobbing mess. He sets the guitar down and pulls me into his arms. “I love you, Soph.”
“I love you too, Vaughn.”
He smiles from ear to ear, and it lights up his face, but it’s the tears in his eyes that seal the deal for me. I’m certain I’ll forever be safe in his arms.