40. Wren

CHAPTER 40

Wren

I t felt like a lifetime ago that I’d left Club Dead.

And maybe it was? Like Vee had experienced, something in me had fundamentally changed since yesterday. Not physically, but I was a different person now. Against the odds, I’d survived the trip to Laurent’s lair, and now I was stuffed with fears for the future, a thousand bad memories, and secrets I could never tell.

Caria was tucked up in a guest room in Vee’s penthouse apartment. Thanks to the drugs, she’d remained more or less oblivious to the otherworldly goings-on last night, and that was the way it needed to stay. Vee had offered a place for her to sleep it off while we dealt with the aftermath—the mess in Blane’s apartment, Lola’s fate, and for me, a very uncomfortable talk with my former beau.

I was dreading that part.

But the thought of walking away and never seeing him again? I hated that too.

“Are you okay?” I asked Vee as I turned the Porsche into the parking lot at Club Dead. Lola was asleep in the back seat, Myrtle too, although I figured Myrtle was only pretending. She was sneaky. And Vee seemed kind of…nervous.

“This is the first time in over two hundred years that I’ve purposely sat in sunlight, and I keep waiting for my skin to start smoking.”

“After everything that happened last night, you should enjoy the fairy-tale ending.”

“Fairy-tale ending? As in, the clock strikes midnight and everything goes back to the way it was?”

I let out a sigh. “If only.”

Vee glanced across at me. “You’re worried about what happens next?”

“How can I not be?”

“I know how you feel.”

“Do you? No offence, but you’re a freaking vampire, and Blane can kill people with his mind.”

“Honestly, I was terrified after Voltaire got his teeth into me. The day after he forced me to marry him, I jumped off the Pont Neuf, and that was when I realised I couldn’t die. And worse, neither could he. It took years for me to get away, and I thought I’d be alone forever, but then I met Jack, and… Now it’s all falling apart again.”

“I can’t believe you’re married to that psycho. I mean, he seemed okay when I first met him. Kinda charming. And then…yikes.”

“He’s a monster. But Blane is no Voltaire.”

“I’m not sure I can trust anyone anymore.”

“That’s understandable.”

Curiosity got the better of me. “How did you and Jack end up…you know? I guess you didn’t list your origins on Tinder?”

Vee choked out a strangled laugh. “Tinder?” She shuddered. “I don’t date. I mean, I didn’t date. The last thing I was looking for was a boyfriend. But my friend died, and he was investigating her murder, and he just kept showing up.”

“I’m sorry about your friend.”

“Her name was Serenity. I miss her so much.”

“Did Jack find the person who did it?”

Vee nodded. “Yes, he did. And then the guy shot him,” she added softly. “Blane’s sisters saved his life, and then my secrets came out. I was going to leave because I didn’t think Jack could possibly want me anymore, but he looked past the vampire thing and saw me. Really saw me. So I stayed.”

“And he’s okay with giving you blood?”

“I only need a little.”

Wow. That must be some relationship. “Does Blane have any…unusual needs?”

“Not that I’m aware of. He comes across as a bit awkward and standoffish, but once you get past his outer shell, he’s a good man. Kind. Protective too, but I think you’ve already seen that side of him.”

“You think I should stay with him?”

“I think you loved him before you found out about the planes, and beneath the unusual abilities, he’s still the same person you fell for.”

“But he tried to keep all that stuff from me. I’m not sure he even told Nevaeh.”

“Because he was scared of rejection. And quite rightly so.”

I blew out a long breath. “I don’t want to get hurt again.”

“Think positive—if Blane finds it hard to meet women, he’s less likely to cheat.”

“Oh, please. What about the three-hour girls?”

“Did you know he called Barry McKee two days ago and told him to clean out his personal suite at Tilt?”

“He did? ”

“Going forward, it’s to be used as a regular guest room.”

“Really?”

“He doesn’t want the three-hour girls. He only wants you.”

Wasn’t that what I’d always craved? For somebody to want me? My parents hadn’t wanted me. Dom hadn’t wanted me. The only constant in my life had been Kayden, but he had a career, a girlfriend, his own hopes and dreams. Blane cared. Even if he sometimes showed it in strange ways, I couldn’t deny that he cared.

And Vee was right—I had loved him.

Maybe I still did.

The man who’d fought a freaking werewolf for me.

“I need to talk with him.”

“Just promise to listen.”

“Ohmigosh! I can’t believe you found a real werewolf.” Aurelia ran across Blane’s apartment and flung her arms around me. “How big was it? Did it walk on two legs or four? This is fascinating .”

“Fascinating? I was terrified.”

“Why? Blane was with you, wasn’t he?” She glanced behind me. “Where is he now?”

“Cleaning up.”

Vee walked past, carrying a still-sleeping Lola in her arms.

“Don’t go into the big bathroom,” Aurelia called. “I put the bodies in there.”

Yeuch, I’d almost forgotten about the first lot of bodies. If we managed to get Lola’s soul back to its rightful home, how much of last night would she remember? I hoped not much at all. I looked past Aurelia to Marianna, still cradling her frozen daughter. She hadn’t moved an inch. Pablo was sleeping on the couch, and judging by the laptop sitting open on the coffee table, it looked as if Aurelia had discovered YouTube.

“Is he…?” I pointed at Pablo.

“Is he what?”

“You know…frozen?”

She broke into a smile. “Oh, no. Pausing people for a long time drains me, so it was better to leave him awake. He’s just tired.” She pointed to a wonky house made from plastic bricks in the corner. “He’s been busy building most of the day. So, what happened to the werewolf? Do you have pictures?”

The answer came from behind me. “I dropped it off at the Academy. Someone can use it as a science project.”

I whirled to see Blane standing at the top of the stairs, wearing…sweats? They were too short, and he’d paired them with sneakers that reminded me of clown shoes. I couldn’t help it. I burst into giggles.

“What?”

“Where did you get those clothes?”

“From a closet.”

“Laurent’s closet?”

His faint grimace said it all. “I suspect it might have been. Give me a moment to change, and I’ll burn them. Where’s Lola?”

Vee reappeared from the hallway that led to the bedrooms. “Sleeping. Her energy levels finally crashed.”

“Wait, the windows.” Blane leapt to pull down the blinds, but I put a hand on his arm.

“There’s no need.”

“There is, I can assure you. It’s not just tanning beds that Vee can’t tolerate.”

“I’ve changed.” She walked past him and stood in front of the window, letting the sun bathe her in its light. “Everything’s changed.”

“You changed her,” I told him.

Aurelia looked from me to Blane to Vee. “Wait, what’s going on?”

I told her. Between tears, apologies, and the occasional sniffle, I told her everything that had happened since we left Club Dead last night. Vee helped out, and when Joseph arrived with breakfast, he added a few words too. Far from being horrified, Aurelia was equal parts annoyed and intrigued.

“I can’t believe I missed all that! Why did I end up with the second-rate gift? Blane throws flames and souls here, there, and everywhere, and Decima mends people. When I work, literally nothing happens.”

“That’s still pretty special.”

“It’s so boring.”

“Even with YouTube?”

“I don’t understand YouTube. Girls dancing with llamas? Boys wilfully trying to kill themselves by jumping off cliffs? Are they trying to attract Decima?”

“They’d quickly regret that,” Joseph muttered. “Who wants coffee? I brought pastries from Gerard’s.”

“Can we sit on the terrace?” Vee asked.

Aurelia and Joseph followed her outside, and I noticed Aurelia angled her seat so she could still see Marianna and her family through the glass.

“Does the ‘direct visual contact’ thing apply to her too?”

“Yes and no. She needs direct eye contact to stop time completely, but she can slow time by visualising a particular place. Long-distance work exhausts her, though. It’s more likely to happen by accident when she’s emotional.”

“Like, she gets upset, and somewhere on the planet a plane falls out of the sky? ”

“The plane doesn’t fall. It just doesn’t go anywhere, and the airline blames the delay on a strong headwind. Or sometimes it arrives at its destination too fast.”

“And then it’s a tailwind?”

“Exactly.” Blane’s eyes narrowed as Myrtle jumped up onto a stool. “You, outside. This is a private conversation.”

Wow, until today, I never realised a cat could give the finger.

As Myrtle stalked off, Blane leaned against what was left of the kitchen island, and I realised that there were advantages to the grey sweatpants. I forced myself to look him in the eye. That magic dick was the reason I’d jumped feet first into a relationship with him, and I couldn’t afford to get distracted now.

“I did some thinking on the drive from Laurent’s place.”

“So did I. Wren, I know I screwed up. I find it difficult to put things into words, and there were secrets I kept because I feared that spilling them would be worse than holding them close. I didn’t keep things from you because I wanted to hurt you.”

“I know that.”

“And I’ll understand if you don’t want to be with me, but I still need to keep you safe. You’re not going back to your apartment. I’ll find you a place in a building with excellent security, and you’ll need a vehicle too.”

“You’d rent me an apartment?”

“No, I’d buy you an apartment. Real estate is a good investment.”

“It’s a nice offer, but I’ll have to say no.”

“Your safety is non-negotiable. You’d rather have a house?”

“I’m saying no because I figured I’d stay here for a while longer. ”

“Here? With me?”

“Unless you’re planning to move out? But you were right about the kitchen needing a refresh.”

A slow smile spread over his face, and I stepped forward into his arms. Jack Callahan had given Vee a chance, and now I needed to do the same with Blane. As Vee said, he was no Voltaire, and he was no Dominic Winchester either.

And now he was mine.

That now-familiar feeling of absolute rightness spread through me, and I knew without a doubt that Blane would do everything in his power to protect me. Being loved by the devil was the best feeling in the world.

This new life wouldn’t be easy, but I had friends now. Blane, Vee, Joseph, Myrtle, Aurelia. Plus Caria and Kayden, of course. I wouldn’t have to worry about my job, or taking the bus home late at night, or whether I had enough money for groceries as well as rent.

Security.

I finally had security.

The rooftop hot tub was just an added bonus.