Page 5 of Last Note
Dumbfounded by her reaction, I stood there like an idiot, letting her get away. When humans start reaching for me this time, I turn my murderous gaze their way, forcing them to shrink back, some of them tripping over each other. Now they see the danger they stupidly ignored before. I just need them out of my way.
Lucien is right on my heels when I burst through the front doors, almost taking the bouncer to the ground in my haste. The line is nonexistent now, and everywhere I look while turning in place, only empty space meets me. Whirling on the bouncer, he stumbles a step back when I get in his face.
“Where did the woman go?” A muscle ticks in my jaw.
“What woman?” he stutters before catching himself. “Calm down, dude. The club is full of them. Go find another, they were eyeing you like you are their last supper. You can even take a few of them home.”
“Where did the woman go?” Taking hold of his jacket, I lift him off the ground, and his eyes widen comically. “The one with the violin.”
“Put him down, Étienne.” Moël comes out of the club. I didn’t even know he wasn’t with us. “I’ll tell you where she went.”
“And you know how? You’re psychic now?” Lucien chirps, mockingly.
“While the two of you idiots were arguing and scaring humans off, I actually went to ask questions.” Moël looks pointedly at my hand still clutching the shocked human, and I let him go, setting him gently on the ground again. “Her friend is the bartender’s sister, which is why they were here. And one of you needs to wipe this guy’s memory.” He tilts his chin at the gaping bouncer.
Lucien jumps at the opportunity, excited by the grim satisfaction he always gets from messing a human’s head up. I leave him to it, walking up to Moël. Anticipation vibrates like a war drum in my chest. She will not get away. But before I ask further questions, Moël stiffens, his blue eyes flashing dangerously. Lucien growls menacingly, appearing next to us instantly.
That’s when I feel them.
“They found us.” Moël scans the area, his hands sliding under his jacket and pulling out two short swords.
“It was about time.” Lucien cracks his neck, rolling his shoulders. His fingers transform into wicked claws, and he grins. “Je m’ennuyais.”
I want to punch Lucien for saying he was getting bored. I have no time to deal with my kind. I need to find the girl. Alas, it was not meant to be.Not tonight,I tell myself grimly, pulling out my own daggers. The court that was once my home keeps sending assassins to kill us. They never succeed, but that has never deterred them from sending more. Each time, the number grows, and each time they meet the final death.
“Est-ce qu'on les tue tous ou on en garde un comme pantin?” Lucien grins at us.
“You don’t have to ask, kill them, all but one. Maybe this time we can find out some useful information.” Anticipation is drumming through me for the impending fight. I never realized how much I needed it. “But not as a puppet.” Watching him with a frown, I don’t miss when he rolls his eyes at me. Another thing they learned from humans.
“J'aime quand tu me parles gentiment.” His mouth twists in a grimace.
“It’s a pleasure to say nice things to you.” His eyes narrow at that. “I guess I won’t need humans so I can feed.” Grinning back at Lucien, I stroll casually, leaving some space between the impending fight and the club.
When the three of us stop, back to back with each other, I see the shadows moving, bodies forming out of thin air. My grin grows. I will definitely not need humans to feed for a long time after tonight.
4
Melody
“You wanna tell us who was the hottie?” Vi fans herself, widening her eyes. “Holy crap girl, that was sex on a stick.”
I force a chuckle, doing my best to act indifferent like I’m not shaken to my bones. What happened back in the club was something out of a fairytale, or maybe a nightmare. Just depends on how you want to look at it.
“You only saw one? And I have no idea.” My voice comes out shaky, and it’s impossible to slow down the thundering of my heart. “One second I was knocking the drunks on their asses, the next he popped out of nowhere in front of me.”
“You did what?” Vi, or Viola as is her real name, gawks at me.
“They were touching me what was I supposed to do?” Sounding defensive, I grind my teeth at the memory. “You know I hate it when someone touches me. Well, someone other than you.”
“The hottie did some touching, too, from what I had a chance to see, but I didn’t see him on his ass.” There is no accusation in her voice, but I still get frustrated.
“Yeah, well, you dragged me out of there before he had a chance to get introduced to my little friend.” Using my fake Godfather impersonation when I say“little friend,”I blink innocently at her, and she bursts out laughing.
“You’re such a goof!”
“Thank you, thank you.” Giving her a mock bow, I join in her laughter. “I’m here every Thursday.”
Shaking her head, she leads me across the parking lot to her bright yellow VW Beatle. In the comfortable silence between us, my mind goes back to the god-like specimen that apparently got lost in the club. But he spoke to me, which makes me think he might be mentally challenged. I thought that checking a guy out slowly from head to toe just so you can assure yourself that you’re not dreaming only happened in movies or romance novels. I’m happy to report I thought wrong.
