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The interior of the Dupré House was enor into anyone, if that hat you wanted As va the middle of the day; the rest of the ti with Savannah’s society Elise loved antique shops Gilles loved to go to the shooting range and had a
I stayed with Eli; there was no question about that fros and ledof the third floor, to a -sized bed with intricately carved posts and headboards, and a gauzy white bed curtain It wasperfect Gilles and Elise were on the first floor; the others had rooms on the second floor Philippe the butler had a room in the back of the first floor, and stayed with the Duprés twenty-four seven He was a cool enough guy, and I always caught hi out my inks Pretty damn funny if you asked me I bet he wanted one himself
So while my days were filled with boot-cahts were filled with edging the darkest, seediest places in the historic district, and tracking the boys The Arcosesit more difficult to keep an eye on the for trouble would certainly find sos, alcohol, even wo killed; we’d prevented several others fro out after dark; I used to be one of them After Kelter Phillips’ death, the Panic Rooue and the Asyluills Rarely did Eli let ht; he’d watched h Luc had toned his skills down to match my mortal ones Still, Eli was severely protective overhand to the ass and he’d scatter the crowd just to find out which one did it Honestly I’d dealt with scuuys were pathetic, and it didn’t take ’s back, or twist a set of nuts until the jerk squealed like a girl Eli didn’t like others touching me; he secretly loved how ht in the Dupré House, and Eli had left o speak to his father "I won’t be long," he said, his eyes caressing oing anywhere" I wasn’t usually a bubble-bath type girl, but damn This wasn’t an ordinary tub It was a copper tub, and it was freaking huge
Who could pass that up? So I closed ainst the air pillow, and honestly, I didn’tin another vampire’s lair would keep the drea What orse was that, after the incident with the detective, we’d sort of forgotten about telling Gilles Rather, Eli forgot--which surprised et I just wanted to be spared the huether, and the drea through a dark, dense wood Everything around ray, desolate, colorless, yet the forest was alive I ran, frightened, barefoot, auzy white slip with thin satin straps clung to an to fall, and soon the slip was coh I didn’t knohether I was running to so I was afraid As I passed trees, I noticed him He wore black breeches tucked into tall black boots, and a white gauzy shirt with billowy sleeves and laces at the neck His pale, flawless skin was in stark contrast to the darkness of his hair, and dark brown eyes followed ed fro to move at all This time, he was alone No other woman Just him, me, and the forest
No, I sensed another--anotherI continued to run until I tripped over a root hidden by fallen dead leaves He was suddenly there, pulling asped at his beauty That hen I heard the shrieks overhead, above the canopy of the forest I knew the winged, fanged creatures were back, and they wanted me I also knew him now: Victorian I didn’t want him to know I knew "If you want your brother freed, you must come to me," he said, and his eyes turned opaque "I want you for s I’ve showed you are my dreams Come to me, Riley Poe, but don’t tell the others Come alone, and I will set your brother free of his curse Your life for his" He stroked h the sheer wet ret it" Upon my chest he laid the bud of an unopened, bloodred rose
My eyes fluttered open, and I found myself still alone in the massive bathroom The water had turned tepid; the bubbles had dissipated A breeze drifted in through the open floor-length , and when I glanced at the water,beside me was the unopened bud of a bloodred rose Victorian’s words rang in rabbed the bud, and stepped out of the tub How had he been here without the others detecting him? Creepy Sincerely creepy Why was he so obsessed with me?
It would be a last resort I’d try the Duprés’ way first I wanted to actually be around after my brother recovered But in the end, if it came down to it? Yeah, hell yeah, I’d trade ht to envision the Arcoses froh away for me not to have seen their faces in detail--not until they’d transfor that the beautiful guy in uys at the warehouse They were--what had Gilles said? Twenty-one and twenty-two? I was having porn dreams about a twenty-one-year-old? Oh, Father
Like I was saying: Every day was spent training Though I certainly wished that I’d never have to actually use any of my new skills, I worked hard and hoped that if it caht we’d run the streets, stalk the clubs and the alleys outside of clubs, and search abandoned buildings We’d not been able to find the Arcoses since that night at the warehouse, and ti out Soon they’d be fully restored, and Seth’s quickening would be over He’d kill He’d becoo to the Duprés’, and Eli and I would head to our little slice of heaven on earth He was the only thing that could relieve my mind of the problems at hand, the only soul who could comfort me There wasn’t a word to describe sex with Eli; I’d tried several out, and all fell short The man literally made me lose my mind His look alone turnedfor release It wasn’tI couldn’t define So I sadly felt would
When the drea while I ide-awake--that hen I knew the shit was about to hit the fan I don’t kno he did it, but soes, visions, requests At first, I’d turn around to see who’d spoken to me I’d find myself completely alone The words were always seductive: Come with me I want you I need you Let me touch you Feel me inside of you Kiss me Take me Love me forever
The words rattled me; I didn’t knohat to expect, or whether he could hear me if I responded I never did; I just kept them to myself
The day Preacher showed up at the House of Dupré with a dozen Gullah, I knew our ti short I made a solemn vow to learn French once this was over Whenever Preacher and Gilles got together, it was all they spoke
"The quickening is al to theht when they’d shown up "Preacher says the Arcoses are nearly fully rejuvenated" She looked atsure we protect you"
I had onblack Lycra tank, and beneath the black leather jacket I’d stashed multiple silver blades in the various pockets and holsters Yes, all that leather in the dead of August I was as hot as hell, but it was good protection Eli had loaded me up, and when the hole didn’t quite fit the blade, he made it fit I had two stuffed into each boot I just prayed I didn’t impale myself It was just past sundoe left
Weby several places with no luck Not one sign of Riggs, Seth, or the Arcoses We checked the docks; nothing We even checked the warehouses at the west end of River Street Nothing We ran nearly all night--even once Eli checked in with Ned Gillespie, who claimed zero vampiric activity froot back to the house, and not once had we spotted a single hoodie My sto to fruition I wasn’t going to let it happen And that hy I caain But for
We walked into the slass of "V8," and I sat down and looked both of the the herbs so that "
"No," Eli said inored Eli’s pleas and searched Gilles’ light blue gaze "Please You knoould work And we have no ed "I want rily "Riley, hell no"
Gilles’ stare didn’t waver; he looked nowhere else for approval "You are a reckless warrior, aze bored deeply into mine "Do you fully understand what it wouldyour special herbs?"