Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 59151 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 296(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59151 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 296(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
Lucas nods. “I understand.”
“You are, of course, permitted to defend yourself. Will you be taking Archie’s seat on the board?”
“Hell no.”
“Lucas.” Rose sighs. “One way or another, someone will need to represent your territory. Even if the rules are relaxed, we hope to continue working together for the betterment of our kind.”
“I am not spending the rest of eternity in fucking board meetings.” He wanders over to stand at my side. His vintage suit is trashed. The formerly white shirt smudged with ash. “It was good to see you both. Hopefully next time we can have a proper visit and not talk business.”
Javier just waves him away.
“You picked the worst damn time to wake up. It would have been simpler if you’d stayed asleep,” says Rose. “You know that, don’t you?”
“I know,” says Lucas. “But it was time. Or near enough.”
“Time for what?” I ask as we’re heading out the door. I do my best to keep any lingering fear out of my voice. And any hint of a freak-out off my face. Lucas doesn’t seem the type to appreciate either.
The trip back through the bar is even worse this time. Patrons are no longer content with just whispers and stares. We’re actually getting growled at. Which is rude. In all likelihood, they’re members of Archie’s family.
“Time to live, Skye,” he says, throwing an arm around my shoulders. As if his night of killing has made him merry. Such a psychopath. “It’s time for us to live.”
Behind the scarred door in the basement of the house in the Hollywood Hills is a network of rooms. It’s a little like Batman’s lair, but with fewer bats and no technology. It’s actually quite homey, with paintings, black-and-white photos, and tapestries on the walls. And all of the furniture is antique; there’s even a chandelier.
The door opens into a sprawling, grandiose living room with a collection of Chesterfields, chaise lounges, and wingbacks. There’s also a long wooden table that seats twelve. A wall of books that appear to be even older than the ones upstairs, and several cabinets full of curiosities. A wide hallway leads off from the room. That’s where the bedroom is, along with a variety of other locked doors.
Lucas heads through his bedroom and into the attached bathroom upon our return, with me following close behind. We didn’t talk much on the drive back to the house. I think I was in shock. But now I have questions, and lots of them. As much as I resent Lucas, he is my sole teacher when it comes to the undead and this new life of mine.
“Are the heart and the head the main ways to kill vampires?” I ask.
“Yes,” he says, shrugging out of his filthy suit jacket and toeing off his shoes. “Plotting my downfall already?”
“A girl needs her hobbies.”
He snorts. “Hold on to your sense of humor, Skye. It’ll serve you well in the centuries to come. Fire and sunlight can also kill, but you need sustained exposure.”
“I don’t suppose you have any magical rings that enable us to walk around in daylight?”
He stares blankly at me.
“Just asking.”
“A talisman like that might well be possible, but it would take a lot of power to create. I’ve never met a witch who liked me that much, or one who was that powerful.”
“Shocking that they wouldn’t like you.” My head is a mess of thoughts and feelings. It really has been a hell of a night. “You mentioned runes back at that vampire bar.”
“A druid I knew needed some fast cash and agreed to work on this place when it was being built. He etched runes into the stone walls down here to protect and keep. Think of it as casting a spell.”
The bathroom is immaculate black and white, with cool fixtures straight out of the 1920s. In particular, a big, old claw-foot bathtub looks inviting. The shower is suspended over it with a curtain to keep the water from splashing onto the floor.
“There are druids too?” I ask, my brows raised. “The protect part I understand, but what does keep do?”
“This world is bigger than you know. Much more than humans and animals walk the Earth. As for the runes, look around.” He gestures about us. “Notice how these rooms aren’t as stale and dusty as you’d expect after being closed up for seventy years?”
“The ones aboveground are, though.”
“I usually have staff to deal with upstairs. The runes are concentrated down here in my real home.”
“And I was the first person to disturb you in seventy years?”
“You, Skye, either ignore your instincts or have a very strong will,” he says.
Neither sounds like a compliment.
“As far as humans are concerned, the protection tends to discourage the curious and dissuade thieves. The runes will only outright stop another preternatural creature without an invitation. That’s enough questions. Go away now.”