5. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Etienne

He said yes!

I was giddy because Ryker said he'd return at midnight for a nightcap and to talk more with me. In what universe did I find the perfect person, and he seemed to like me, too?

"Out of me way, Etienne."

I glanced over my shoulder to see Georgine carrying two kegs. The few patrons sitting at the bar with gaping mouths had me chuckling. The way she tossed them around as though they were empty always awed the guests.

"Georgine, what have I said about not showing our strength to humans?" I hissed at her in a pitch only she could hear, but damnation! She never listened.

Georgine dropped the kegs on the concrete floor, which echoed throughout the building. She had the audacity to pick me up with one hand and dance a jig with me over her head. The entire bar erupted in laughter, and I was incensed.

" Put me down, now! " That was the beast…roaring.

Thankfully, Georgine did as she was told and hurried out the front door. The beast growled at the crowd. " Pay and get out. "

I couldn't imagine humans moving quicker than those in the bar. " Go away. Now! " The beast grumbled and then relinquished control. I straightened my clothes and smoothed my hair. I'd lost the battle for a moment, but I couldn't afford to allow it to happen when Ryker was with me.

"I'm sorry, but it's time for us to close for the evening. Please come back soon." I plastered on my best human-like smile and ushered the drinkers to the door. Once they were gone, I turned to the staff.

"You're all free to leave for the evening. I'll clean up. Have a good rest of your night. I'll see you all tomorrow."

I told everyone goodnight as they filed out, the humans going out the back door and my family going upstairs to their private quarters. Once I knew they had vacated the restaurant and bar, I rushed to the kitchen and began scouring the leftover pots and pans for the staff to use the next day.

I sensed Ryker DeWitt approaching the front door before he knocked. His heart's rhythmic beat caught the attention of my beast, and he perked up. I dried my hands and hurried through the restaurant. "We aren't going to hurt him. He's kind."

I opened the door to see his sexy grin. "I, uh, I worried you might not have stuck around when I saw the lights were out."

"Not at all. I sent everyone home, and I was in the kitchen doing a little cleanup for the morning. What can I get you to drink?"

I closed and locked the front door, inhaling deeply when I stepped closer to Ryker. Of course, the aroma of his blood was enticing, but his manly scent was also striking. His shampoo and bodywash were warm and spicy, but the underlying scent of his musk had my mouth watering, and not just for his blood.

I want him. Now. We can give him a lot of pleasure and he can give us our heart's desire.

No surprise, the beast pressed forward in my mind. All my powers of concentration pushed down on the beast to quiet him. Yes, Ryker's scent was heavenly. Yes, the sound of his heart beating was like music to my ears, and yes, his blood moving through his veins had my fangs descending without my permission.

I will remain in control. With that mantra in my head, I escorted Ryker over to the bar area and stepped behind it. "Something to drink?" I asked again.

"Oh, uh, I'd like a beer. Anything light."

I nodded and reached into the cooler to collect a frosted pint glass, which I took to the tap to fill. I then grabbed a wine glass and filled it with cabernet from an open bottle on the back bar.

I put both glasses in front of Ryker and walked around the bar, taking the stool next to him. "Congratulations on your matriculation. Quite an accomplishment." I lifted my glass, and he mirrored my actions, the two of us touching our drinks in a toast.

"Did you like law school?" I set my glass on the bar and turned my body toward Ryker to give him my full attention.

He sighed. "I find it interesting, but I think like is a bit far. I wasn't a good student—I have dyslexia and learn differently from other students. It takes me longer to learn the information, but once I know it, I retain it forever. I have so many useless facts in my head it's not funny." He had a masculine laugh I immediately loved.

"So, are you looking forward to taking your bar exam so you can begin your career?" Over the years the family had enlisted the assistance of many lawyers and barristers. Because we didn't age, we had to find new legal representation every decade or so, which was an annoying endeavor.

If we make him ours, we'll never have to use another lawyer again. Yes, the beast was full of practical advice—especially if it served his purposes. I ignored it.

Ryker took a sip from his beer. "I've learned a few things. I'm not thrilled with environmental law, which is what I'm working on right now. The trial is in June, and I'm dreading it. How about you? Have you always wanted to be a restaurateur?"

I chuckled. Over the years, I'd held many titles and positions. I'd done everything from farming to working on the railroad to shipping to digging graves and many odd jobs in between. We'd all done whatever jobs we could for money—even stealing from time to time. It was all for the benefit of the family as a whole, not for our personal gain.

Over the years, we've amassed a fortune in many different parts of the world because we couldn't stay in one place for too long lest humans begin to question our lack of aging over time. I wouldn't say I'd done any of it for myself, not even the restaurant.

"No. I've worked many odd jobs over the years, but I can't say any of them were my passion projects. How about you? If you could choose what you want to do, what would it be?"

Ryker stared into his beer glass, lost in thought. I hoped my question hadn't been too intrusive. "You don't have to answer me. I just think about what I'd want to do if I could do anything . Maybe it's just my bored mind wandering. Ignore me."

Ryker finished his beer and turned to me with a smile. "I'd like to be the director of a nonprofit that helps families. I didn't grow up with one—I was in the foster system, and many of the foster families had ulterior motives for taking me in. Most of it was the money, and they made no bones about making sure I knew I was a burden."

His words touched me deeply. My coven was made up of members who weren't related prior to meeting Killian. We'd all been changed by Killian, and not for the right reasons, but we supported each other and walked the eternal path together. I was grateful for them, and my dead heart was pained for Ryker.

"I'm sorry about that. I don't know what's wrong with some people. I'm unable to father children. That's a gift I'll never be blessed with. It's a shame people take it for granted."

I stood from my stool and walked around the bar to pull him another beer. He's making me even more thirsty. Don't you want a taste, Etienne? Do I need to remind you that you're a vampire? I rolled my eyes at the beast.

I grabbed the near-empty bottle of cabernet and took it with me to make it appear as though I were drinking from him— with him . My mind was playing tricks on me.

"That's very true. If I met a fairy or a genie and they could give me three wishes, I'd wish for money, which usually isn't allowed in most of the fairytales I've read. I'd make sure struggling families had resources so their children didn't go to sleep hungry at night or cold in the winter. I'd ensure kids had access to green spaces outside the city where they could just enjoy themselves and not worry about being harmed in ways I don't want to consider."

Ryker took the glass I set in front of him. "Thank you. I'm sorry to bend your ear about this crap. Just the ramblings of a man facing a mountain of student loan debt."

After taking a drink, he turned to me. "So, tell me about yourself. Have you always lived here in New Orleans? Do you live in The Quarter?"

"I, uh, live on the third floor. My family and I live upstairs. We sort of stick together." It wasn't a lie.

Just a taste. Let's just get a taste. It won't hurt him.

"That's nice, I guess. Don't you wish you had your own space? I can't wait to get out of the house where I live with six other people. It's a constant struggle for privacy." His beautiful eyes showed the longing in his soul for something more than what he currently had.

"There are many things worse than a lack of privacy. Loneliness and loss can destroy a soul." I remembered when I left the coven when I was younger. Being unable to form relationships outside of my family because of the beast had made the time unbearably lonely, and losing Farrah… I never wanted to go through any of that again.

"You sound like a man who knows of what he speaks. Did you have a restless period?" Ryker's smirk was sexy, my desire spiking.

"I did when I was younger. My, uh, my father was the head of our family. He suffered from mental illnesses that made him hard to live with, so I would leave for months" —decades— "at a time until I realized that by leaving my siblings alone with him, I wasn't protecting them. Finally, I decided the only way to keep my family safe was to get them away from Father." I wasn't telling the full story, but it was more than I'd ever told another human.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know my family well enough to know if that was in my future. I admire you for protecting your brothers and sisters. I'm sure sacrifices were made to achieve your goal, Etienne."

Ryker studied me for a long moment before he leaned forward and brushed his soft, warm lips over mine. It sent a jolt through my body unlike anything I'd known.

Give us one taste. Just a small sip, you selfish asshole.

I pulled away and slid my stool back far enough that I couldn't reach him. He was beautiful and my soul longed for him, but the beast would only do him harm. It was time to stop playing with fire.