Page 81 of Hot Vampire Next Door: Season Three

“Of course. I’ll do my best.”

“Your best is only good enough if it gets me answers.”

Bee nods at him. “I’ll figure it out.”

“Good. If you need something in the meantime, ask Jimmy. No expense is too large. Whatever it is, you’ll get it. Keep me updated.”

“I will,” she promises before she veers off, chasing after Damien and Kelly.

“I want to see my sister,” I say, but my voice sounds far away.

Bran says nothing. He steers me through the house, through the French doors and into the Anneliese. He’s silent still as we enter the house and go to the bedroom and finally to the bathroom. He starts up the shower.

“Bran,” I say, my voice wobbling. “I want to see my sister.”

“After you shower,” he says.

“I don’t want a shower. I want to—”

“I can smell Julian on you, Mouse. You reek of his death. I need you to shower. Right now. Please.”

I finally look at him and meet his eyes. There’s no glow to his irises. But there is something else. Some shifting shadow.

Fear.

He’s being gentle. When has Bran ever been gentle with me?

I swallow hard and try not to let my own fear consume me.

“I don’t know what that was back there,” I tell him, the hysteria making my voice shake. “I don’t know how I did it. Maybe it was just a fluke or—”

Steam fills the bathroom.

“Please get in the shower.”

Every muscle in his body is coiled.

Every fiber of him on the edge of vibrating.

I nod and strip off my clothes and get in the shower.

Once I’m beneath the hot spray, some of the tension eases out of my muscles. That is until I hear the bathroom door click closed.

I can feel the distance widening between us.

I stopped Bran in his tracks with nothing more than a single word.

The things you could do, Jessie…

Something tells me Bran Duval isn’t familiar with being powerless.

Everything has changed. Did he expect it to be this way? He knew I had a hidden power. Surely he must have known it was something with some worth, otherwise Julian wouldn’t have gone to all the trouble.

But maybe this is worse than he thought.

Maybe I am terrifying.

I finish up and get dressed. Hair still dripping and knotty, I make my way to the living room and spot Bran in the courtyard smoking a cigarette. I’ve yet to see him smoke, but I’ve smelled it on him.

---