Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 87185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
“Listen to me carefully, my darling,” Xavier starts. “Stay here and let me handle it.” He kisses my forehead and speeds out of the room before I even have a chance to react. I stand there, more or less stunned.
I find Antonio talking to Delphi and they’re both rather comfortable in the way they’re talking and laughing for people who just met. My brother better not be hitting on my friend.
“Guys,” I say urgently, going over. Security makes an announcement that they are locking the doors to the event hall for our safety.
“What the hell is going on?” Delphi asks.
“There’s some sort of domestic dispute going on inside the hotel, presumably between two guests,” I reply quietly. “One of them has a gun and is threatening to shoot the other as well as anyone in their way. Xavier is going to handle it.”
He’s already out there, I’m sure, and as I scan the room, I don’t see Theo, either. Mabel catches my eye, and I wave her over.
“Is it demons?” she asks, and loops her arm around mine.
“I don’t think so. Not this time at least.”
“Humans can be scarier than demons,” she says.
“You’ve got that right,” Antonio chides. “If there is a gunman in the hotel, maybe we should barricade the doors or something.”
“Assuming it’s just regular bullets,” I start, “the vampires would be able to protect the human .
“But would they?” Antonio asks.
“I’ll protect you,” Mabel says. “Zeke and Devin will, too.”
“There’s more humans than vampires at this hotel,” Antonio mutters and I’m not sure if he’s talking to himself or not. I grab another glass of champagne and drink half it right away.
“Fuck, I hate this.” I down the rest of the champagne and look at my brother. “It’s killing you not to do something, isn’t it?” I ask.
“Yes,” he says, putting his hand on my wrist as a joke. “Stay. I know it’s killing you, too.”
“I’m bored and it’s weird to not run toward the danger.”
“I feel like I should be more scared,” Delphi starts, looking at us like we’re crazy. We probably are, seeing most people run from danger. Wanting to preserve your life as a basic human function that we have repeatedly ignored.
Silence falls over the room as the rest of the crowd learns about what’s going on. Everyone gathers away from the doors. Security goes around securing all exits.
It really is hard to sit still and not spring into action. But I promised myself, and Xavier, that I wouldn’t go running off and put myself in danger tonight. Plus, when it comes to this sort of monster, letting Xavier handle it is best.
And he does.
Within ten minutes, Theo and Xavier have apprehended the gunman, disarmed him, and held him spellbound so he will confess everything as well and cooperate with the cops who put him in cuffs. Not surprisingly, Xavier gets stopped by someone from Channel Nine News. I stand at his side, not having to put on a show to look like I am in awe of Xavier, because I am. There is no denying that Xavier brings a bunch of advantages to being the next mayor, and the current mayor lets it “slip” during his interview that he’s ready to retire but already has someone he’s fully ready to endorse.
As the crowd cheers, something inside of me tells me to look down the street. I do, and what I see makes my heart drop. I blink once. Twice. Three times, Yep. I’m actually seeing what I think I’m seeing.
Marie Dubois.
She’s standing against a building wearing an oversized black hoodie and jeans. Marie’s gaze meets mine, steady and knowing. How long has she been standing out there? The look on her face makes me think she knew exactly where this night was going to lead.
A bad feeling starts to form in the pit of my stomach.
Get it together, I mentally scold myself. I’m on camera and need to look the part of Xavier’s supportive, loving, human wife. Which I am, of course.
Everything fades around me, though, and uncertainty settles into my chest. The news anchor repeats how this was an isolated incident and the people of Charlotte have nothing to fear and thankfully, Xavier Malus was in the right place at the right time and was able to intervene in ways no human cop could.
My stomach tightens.
This wasn’t the work of demons, but was it actually random?
Marie doesn’t smile. She just watches me…like she’s been waiting for me to come up because she knew exactly what was going to happen tonight.
Chapter
Twenty-Seven
Bending my arm up toward my face, I press the tip of my fingernail into the mosquito bite, holding it for a few seconds before moving my nail so a little X appears in my skin. I swear, it’s like all the mosquitos feasted off me while we stood outside for the news interview.