Revelation of Blood (21 page)

“Really?” I frowned as I came to a stop in
front of him.

“Some are talking about what it could mean
for their race if you join them,” he growled, folding his thick,
corded arms over his chest. “I don’t like you being here, Morrison.
I think we should talk to Archer about taking you home.”

“Hagan,” I sighed as I stepped toward him,
our faces close so we could talk privately and not be overheard by
other vampires. “They can’t really hurt me without the sword,
remember. I’m the safest person in the room.”

“Still,” he frowned down at me, “I don’t like
it.”

“I appreciate the concern, big guy,” I
managed a small smile as I put my hand on his chest. “I’m going to
say hi to Lochlan, Aoife, and Aziza and get a drink. You want
anything?”

“I’m going with you so I’ll drink whatever
you’re having. I don’t want you out of my sight.”

I nodded my head and knew there was no
talking him out of being my shadow, so I headed over to the bar.
Lochlan and Aoife looked relieved to see me and I took the barstool
a Dark One had just vacated.

“Good ta see ya’, feek!” Lochlan grinned as
he looked me over. “Ya’ doin’ good?”

“Considering the circumstances,” I shrugged
one shoulder. “Looks like we have a full house tonight.”

“Aye,” Lochlan nodded his head and glanced at
the Dark One sitting next to me out of the corner of his eye.

“I’m so glad you’re home!” Aoife sighed as
she slid in front of me and used her hip to bump Lochlan out of the
way. “These boys are starting to get on my last nerve.”

“Ye’ve been on ours for years, dear sister,”
Lochlan growled under his breath as he went to help another
customer.

“I’ll remember that next time you want me to
cover for you so you can go get laid,” Aoife pursed her lips then
looked back at me. “What can I get you to drink?”

“Two Irish whiskeys, please,” I sighed,
motioning my head to Hagan behind me so she knew one was for
him.

Aoife smiled and turned to fill my order as
the guy next to me spoke up. “Hello, sister,” he smiled as he fully
tuned to me. “You must have just arrived back in Austin.”

“I’m not your sister,” I frowned
distastefully at him.

“That’s not what I hear,” he smiled slyly.
“It seems you’ll be joining the Dark race soon. Well, at least
that’s the word on the street.”

“Hate to tell you, dude, but the word is
wrong,” I scoffed as I turned my attention back to Aoife and
watched her pour my drink.

“Hate to tell YOU, sister, but it’s more
right than you know,” he growled as he put his drink down on the
bar. It seemed like he was itching for a fight and I wasn’t
biting.

A deep, guttural growl sounded behind me and
VIP suddenly went eerily quiet as everyone watched our exchange.
Before Hagan could growl again, I slid off the barstool as Aoife
delivered the two glasses. Taking them in one hand, I grabbed
Hagan’s shirt with the other and pulled him toward the PVIP tables,
the only available tables on the second floor.

Familiar, high pitched laughter drew my
attention just then and my stomach sunk. I’d recognize that
annoying trill anywhere. Lola Finch, my murdered ex-boyfriend’s
half-sister and massive pain in my ass, was sitting with a group of
Dark Ones and thankfully, she hadn’t seen me yet.

I turned around and tried to go the other
way, but her voice stopped me. “Well, well, well,” she drawled with
venom, “If it isn’t the bitch who murdered my brother.”

WHAT?!
Hagan steadied me as her words
sunk in and I turned around to face her. “I didn’t murder Jesse.
Who told you that?” I asked, swallowing thickly.

“My new friends here,” she smiled evilly at
me. “They said they used to be friends with a guy named Martin and
that you murdered him too, you psychotic bitch.”

Unfortunately, I remembered Martin well. He
was the Dark One who had helped Amun kidnap and torture me when I
was human. She was right about me murdering him, but I didn’t kill
Jesse; Martin did that.

A hush fell over VIP as Lola stood up from
her table. The Dark Ones she was sitting with were smirking and
they looked intrigued by the potential chick fight.

“I didn’t kill your brother, Lola,” I said,
handing the drinks to Hagan. I wanted my hands free just in case I
needed to defend myself. “Their friend Martin did.”

“Lies,” she narrowed her eyes at me as she
threw her long blond hair over her shoulder. My eyes zeroed in on
three sets of fang marks on her neck. The Dark Ones had been
feeding from her.
How long has she known them
? The better
question was how long had she known about vampires? “That’s all you
know how to do is lie, Skye. You lied about my brother coming to
see you, you lied about him going to New York; you lied the whole
time. You murdered my brother and tried to hide it, but the truth
always comes out eventually, skank!”

“Those friends of yours are just using you,
Lola,” I said gently. I don’t know why I cared that she was being
fed on, but I did. Maybe it was my past with her brother that made
me want to protect her, I don’t know, but I did…even though she was
a nasty, foul-mouthed bitch, she didn’t deserved to be used as a
pawn in some Dark game. “It’s true, I lied about Jesse but it was
only to protect you from the truth and that is that Martin killed
Jesse, decapitated him, and left his severed head in my car for me
to find the next day.”

Lola paled visibly as she squeezed her eyes
shut, no doubt envisioning the gruesome sight I just described.
“Shut the fuck up!” she screamed loudly before she took a deep
breath and started laughing. “You’re going to pay for what you did
him.”

“Sit down,” one of the Dark Ones next to her
growled and she looked down at him with a mixture of shock and
anger. I guess she wasn’t expecting them to talk to her that way,
but she should have. They didn’t care one snit about her.

When Lola didn’t move, the Dark One grabbed
her wrist and roughly pulled her back down on the couch. She gasped
in pain and cradled her wrist to her chest when he finally let
go.

“Don’t touch her again, Dark One,” I growled,
taking a step toward them.

“What the fuck do you care what I do with
her?” he chuckled. “She wants to see you dead, Hybrid.”

“I don’t care,” I seethed, meeting his eyes
and refusing to back down. Lola or no Lola, I wasn’t going to allow
a vampire to treat a human like that in Archer’s club. “You will
not lay a hand on her again. Not here.”

“Mind your own business you nosy, half-breed
vampire slut,” Lola sneered up at me. “Oh yeah, I know all about
you now. You can’t hide anything from me for long, Skye. And, I can
take care of myself so you can just fuck off.”

“Yes, I can see that,” I said motioning to
her already bruising arm. “You’re doing such a bang up job of
it-”

“Watch your mouth, filthy human,” one of the
other Dark Ones at the table growled at Lola, cutting me off. “I
grow tired of you. Insult our sister again and I’ll cut out your
tongue.”

I made a disgusted face and looked back at
Hagan questioningly. “What the hell is wrong with everyone tonight?
Did someone put something in the Kool-Aid?”

“We were told that you planned on renouncing
the Day Walkers and joining our race,” the one who grabbed Lola
answered.

“That’s complete bullshit,” I scoffed,
folding my arms under my chest. “I don’t know where you guys are
getting your information, but it’s incorrect. I am a Day Walker and
always will be. Why would I renounce what I am? That’s
ludicrous.”

“You will join us soon enough,” the man
smiled mysteriously. “Mark my words, Hybrid.”

“Are you trying to threaten me?” I asked,
fisting my hands down at my sides.

“I would strongly advise against it, Dark
One,” Hagan said from behind me. “She’s stronger, faster, and far
more deadly than even you can imagine.”

“The child doesn’t scare me,” he laughed.

“Then you’re incredibly stupid,” Hagan shook
his head.

“Is there a problem here, gentlemen?” Archer
asked, suddenly appearing at my side.

“No problems here, Day Walker,” the man
smiled as he held his hands out. “We were just saying hello to our
new sister.”

“I’m not your fucking sister!” I growled,
getting angrier by the second.

“Hagan, why don’t you escort Skye to a
table,” Archer said calmly. “She’s had a long flight and could
probably use a drink.”

“Aye, sir,” Hagan said, grabbing my arm and
pulling me away.

I stared at the table of men over my shoulder
and memorized their faces. I had a sneaking suspicion I’d be seeing
them again, sooner rather than later.

“What the hell is wrong with everyone
tonight?” I asked, plopping down at one of the PVIP tables.

“I think you’d better fill me in on exactly
what went down with Atticus in Boston,” Hagan said seriously as he
rested his forearms on the table top in front of me. “It seems they
really think you’re joining them.”

“I’m not,” I shook my head. “I called Atticus
tonight and told him myself. Well, I told Corvus actually. He
answered Atticus’ phone.”

Hagan pursed his lips and waited for me to
begin the recount of events. When I was done, he sighed and sat
back in the booth. “I don’t like it. I don’t like this whole damn
situation. I told Ruarc there would be too much attention on you.
Now you’ve got Dark Ones gunning for you to join them.”

“I saw Ruarc in Boston and he said details of
my abilities getting out was inevitable. Something about it being
too sensational for someone to keep to themselves. At least no one
seems to know yet that the sword can kill me, well aside from the
men there that night.”

“Ruarc was right,” Archer sighed as he took a
seat beside me. “No one would have been able to keep you a secret
for long. Some in the brotherhood are still unsure about where your
loyalties will ultimately lie.”

“What more do I have to do to prove myself to
them? I was willing to die so that Amun would. If that doesn’t tell
them I’m a Day Walker, I don’t know what will.”

“Don’t let it bother you,” Hagan said,
leaning toward me a little. “Some are just scared of change. There
has never been another like you in history. Things are changing and
they are just old fashioned. Don’t take it to heart, Morrison.”

I thought about what he said and nodded my
head after a few seconds. “What was that all about?” I asked
Archer, motioning with my head to the table of Dark Ones and Lola.
“Everyone’s talking about me joining Atticus but you were there
when I called Corvus and told him no.”

“Maybe word hasn’t gotten back to them yet,”
Hagan suggested.

“Maybe they don’t care that she said no,”
Archer whispered as he cocked an eyebrow at Hagan.

Hagan took a deep breath in through his nose
and stared at Archer as he tried to have a silent conversation with
him. “
Do you think they’ll try to take her again?”
he asked.
“
We should arm her and put the word out that if any Dark One
touches her again it’s a declaration of war. I’ll go to war for
her, Archer…in a heartbeat. You know I will.”

“Uh…Hagan?” I timidly shrugged one shoulder,
almost apologetically, as I looked up at him from under my lashes.
“I can hear you.” If I had been human, Hagan’s statement would have
made me blush a bright shade of red.

Hagan’s eyes got round and he immediately
looked down at the table. I think he was a bit embarrassed that I’d
heard something he obviously didn’t want me to. “Maybe warn a guy
next time,
dheartháir
?”

“Hagan, Skye drank from me and can now read
minds,” Archer smirked as he raised my glass to him and finished
it.

“Yeah thanks,” Hagan rolled his eyes and
shook his head. “Back to business, brother. What do you want to do
about our little problem?”

“What can we do?” he sighed as he put his arm
on the back of the booth and stretched out. “Wanting her and
getting her are two completely different things. We can’t move
against an entire race just for wanting my mate. Now if they make a
play for her again, that’s a different story.”

“I’m not going to sit back and play nice if
I’m taken,” I crossed my arms under my chest. “Atticus knows this.”
They grunted their skepticism and I continued, “Look, he gave me a
choice guys and it’s not like they were rude to me or anything. The
colony was very welcoming and…polite even. I honestly don’t think
things will escalate. This shit going around the bar, it’s just
talk and wishful thinking. I really think Atticus and Corvus want
to remain on good terms. Maybe the Dark Ones are all here tonight
because they heard I was joining them. When they find out I’m not,
I’m sure they’ll all go back to wherever they came from.”

“Let’s hope you’re right, Morrison,” Hagan
shook his head and downed his glass.

Don’t Cha by the Pussycat Dolls started
playing in Archer’s pants and I cocked an eyebrow at him and fought
an amused grin. “Is there something you need to tell me?”

“Trey,” Archer pinched the bridge of his
nose, sighed, and shook his head as he dug around in his pocket. “I
had him pick you up a new cell phone today.” He handed it to me
like it was on fire and I chuckled as I answered it. Seems my
Archer wasn’t a Pussycat Dolls fan.

“Skye, is that you?” a growl sounded on the
other end and I smiled.

“Hey, Dean! Long time, no talk. What’s up,
hon?”

“Do you know where Archer is? I’ve been
calling him for the last hour and his cell keeps going straight to
voice mail. We’ve got a problem.”

My eyes found Archer’s as my brow furrowed.
“He’s right here. Is everything okay? Did something happen?” Dean
and Archer weren’t exactly friends so his calling meant something
was definitely up.