“I don’t know. Ask Luc when you see him.”
“I will.”
Although Harley wasn’t sure how much she could trust him. Him or Aiden. She barely knew either of them. She was still a little shocked Aiden was staying with her. She knew he was supposed to be protecting her from Zoe. She wondered if Zoe wasn’t around if he would leave.
Aiden parked out front. They walked in the front door without knocking. It made sense he lived there and worked for the head of the brood.
Harley didn’t know enough about vampire politics to know what the leadership structure was like. There was lots of speculation. Vampires were a closed community.
Aiden led them past the drawing-room, where she had sat yesterday with Meyers. He led them past the room with the fireplace. She had been there the first night.
He led them to a set of double wide doors. Beyond the doors was a dream. The room was bigger than the ballroom she had been in the first night. It was lined from floor to ceiling with books. Some of them were ancient. She could feel the energy coming from them.
Luc sat behind a large ornately carved desk. He looked like a king. It wasn’t his surroundings. It was the way he held himself. It was his poise, his confidence, his commanding personality. He took her breath away every time she saw him.
Today he was wearing modern clothes. She was shocked. He could have passed for any normal human on the street. His skin was not as pale as some vampires.
He rose to his feet when he saw them, walking around the desk to Harley. He took her hand and brushed his lips against her knuckles.
“Good to see you, mi Belleza.”
Harley blushed. He had called her my beauty. She certainly did not think of herself as beautiful.
“The pinkness of your cheeks only adds to your beauty. Please come sit by the fire and have a drink with me.”
For the first-time Harley noticed a black marble fireplace in the library. He led her to one of the chairs sitting around the fire and helped her into her seat.
“Can I get you a brandy to help warm your day? It is a bit nippy outside.”
The wind was blowing a frigid chill today. Oklahoma was windy. It was once known as the dustbowl and she understood why.
“I’d love some brandy, thank you.”
“Aiden?”
“Not my cup of tea, but thanks, Luc.”
Luc smiled graciously at Aiden and went to a small bar that sat opposite the fireplace. The wood looked like it could have been ancient, yet it was well kept. Highly polished mahogany with crystal bottles of liquid sitting upon it. He poured them a healthy glass of brandy.
He handed her the glass before sitting down in the chair next to her. Aiden had produced a soda out of nowhere and was slouched in the chair across from her.
“Luc, do you know anything about the vampires that attacked the college students? Perhaps something you didn’t want Lieutenant Meyers to know about, officially.”
“I have been doing some checking up. I believe the vampires belong to Nikolas Perovsky’s brood.”
“Do you know where I can find him?”
“He lives in Dallas. Don’t go alone to see him. He is a very dangerous man.”
“Aren’t all vampires very dangerous?”
“Yes, we are. Some of us are a bit more willing to be civilized.”
“I’ll take your word for it. I don’t know that many vampires.”
“How many have you met?”
“Not including you and your brood, two.”
“Neither meeting was pleasant.”
“Looks like you survived.”
“Sometimes, I get lucky.”
“Somehow, I think you are being modest, Harley. You’re a fairly well-known witch.”
Before Harley could answer she found herself flung backward, chair and all. She was looking up at the ceiling trying to figure out what was going on. She rolled out of the chair and flipped to her feet to find Luc and Zoe wrestling.
Zoe was screaming at the top of her lungs, “I’m going to kill her. Let me go.”
“Zoe! Cease now, or I will consider this a personal challenge.”
Zoe stopped struggling. Luc got up off the floor. His movements were fluid and it almost looked like invisible hands had pulled him up. He had his hand on Zoe the entire time.
“Why are you back?” Luc ground out.
“I knew she was coming. Why is she here?”
Luc was livid. She could see his eyes bleed into a solid blue. They were nearly neon. The power from his rage swept across the room spilling onto Harley’s skin. She shivered from it. Quickly glancing around, she spotted Aiden standing by the fireplace looking on. The two vampires that had been with Zoe the first night stood in the room several feet away looking on.
Luc’s grip on Zoe tightened; she could see his fingers biting into her shoulder.
“You have disobeyed me, Zoe.” His voice was quiet. The kind of quiet that only comes from an enormous amount of anger. He turned her around so she was facing him.
Harley couldn’t see the look on her face, but her body language still looked defiant. She had no idea why Zoe was so angry with her. She really hadn’t done anything she could think of to piss off the vampire chick. She needed to study more on vampire etiquette.
“You will be punished. Never doubt that I am the head of this brood. I am the master, not you. You have gone too far this time.”
He looked at the two vampires in the back of the room. “Michael, Randolph, escort Zoe to her quarters and lock her in them. Make sure she cannot escape. If she does it will be your heads. Do you understand?”
They nodded and stepped forward taking a hold of Zoe. She fought, kicking, and trying
