Page 24 of The Vampire's Thirst
“And that is?”
“The Blood Coven created Scath and Darque over fifteen hundred years ago. My kind left your realm, taking the wildings with us, to protect your kind. Humans. The Whorl separates us, but trusted Aeternals go back and forth through portals.”
“The Pathis true,” she mumbled.
“Huh?”
“Nothing. What’s your kind?”
“I’m a warlock. Other breeds are vampires, demons, nymphs. You get the drift. Not human.” He glanced at his D-chip.God. Could time pass any slower? The female was rapid-firing questions at him as if she were reading from a list. On his best days, he didn’t want to be the spokesman for all things Scath.
“Why were Celene and I brought here?”
Tyr slunk deeper into the chair, getting comfortable for what was likely to be a long, painful inquisition. “Not sure. But a bad guy named Cerberus is hunting for descendants of the Blood Coven. You are one. Maybe your Celene is, too.”
“I’m human.” She bit her lower lip, waiting for his answer.
“Maybe. But fifteen hundred years ago, one of your relatives wasn’t.”
She waved her hand. “I’ll think about this later. Now we need to find Celene. Afterward, you can send us home.”
“You might be screwed.” Tyr crossed his arms over his chest. “You’ll stay at the stronghold until we catch this Cerberus and make things safe for you.”
“What’s the stronghold?”
He glanced at his chip again. Yep. Slo-mo. “My headquarters. One of the Scion Firebrands’ places. Others of your kind are there.”
“Other human descendants?”
Tyr nodded. “But some are hardly human anymore.” He rolled his eyes up, mentally ticking off the residents. “There’s Braelyn, Margo, Skyler, Denim, and Nico. Oh, and Lizette but she stays with Commander Jarek at another stronghold.”
Before she could ask another question, Sabine raced into the room. The nymph Firebrand dropped a big shopping bag next to the warlock. She pointed at the human, saying, “You are high maintenance. Please appreciate how hard it is to find … um … tasteful clothes on Scath.” She turned on the heel of her boot and left.
“She’s not very friendly.” Jace leaned forward, sneaking a peek inside the bag.
Like a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat, Tyr stuck his hands into the sack to drag out two scraps of red lace. Pinching each between a thumb and forefinger, he held them on display.Nice. He pictured this female in only the red lacy underwear. “The nymph’s got good taste.”
Jace blushed, a pretty shade of pink coloring her cheeks. “Don’t fondle them. That’s really creepy. And juvenile. Just toss them here.”
He twirled both undergarments around on his finger before flipping them at Jace. After he peeked into the bag again, he launched it onto the bed. “The rest is boring. While you slip into new duds, you can tell me about Celene.” Tyr shifted upright in the chair, waiting.
“I’m not getting dressed while you’re in the room. Scram.” She pointed at the doorway.
Ignoring the gesture, Tyr held a hand over his eyes. “I won’t peek.” His digits slipped apart while a grin spread across his face.
“Shoo.”
When her eyes lit with a smile, Tyr almost clasped a fist to his heart. Despite wanting to see her in the lace panties and bra, he sauntered into the corridor, shouting over his shoulder. “I’ll check you out and be waiting in front.”
What a gentleman. No. What a wuss.
Chapter Six
ThoughCelene Bailey was thrilled Jace escaped, she was lonely without the extra chatter. The house was too quiet. Lort the crazy vampire and his demon sidekicks moved her twice, but she clung to hope, believing her ex-roomie would rescue her.
In the years following her parents’ deaths, the newspapers tagged Celene asThe Daredevil Heiress, but she didn’t feel much bravado as she rose from the bed, slipped into her robe, and plodded to the kitchen.
Rule one. Maintain my strength.She prepped a breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast, and tomatoes. Of the two, Jace had been the cook, but with her friend gone, Celene stepped to the plate, fixing basic meals to keep her healthy. Finished eating, she brewed another cup of strong black coffee, carrying it to the couch.
