Killer Temptation (22 page)

“I think not.” Julian shook his head. “My brother has been staying elsewhere. He supposed it would be easier to convince Lord Sylvestre if you two no longer shared the same room.”

Her brows furrowed. “What do you mean convince Lord Sylvestre, convince him of what?” Her heart pumped loud in her ears.

Now Julian frowned. “Convince him to allow you to leave
Désuet
for good.”

Oh. Oh.
Well, she hadn’t expected that; so much for giving him time to collect his thoughts or whatnot. The tension in her arms grew unbearable, and she fisted her sweaty hands by her side.

“You may as well wait inside, there’s nowhere for you to go. Besides, as if what you’ve done isn’t bad enough. Can’t you leave my brother alone? ”

She swallowed at the fierceness in his eyes. Not from fear, but guilt. She pushed and pushed and pushed; now Tristan didn’t want anything to do with her. “No. I still need to see him.”

“Well, he doesn’t want to see you.”

Julian made a good point. Why would Tristan want to see her?

He hadn’t even told me about this plan
. She bit her bottom lip, forcing back the urge to scream.

Did he even intend on saying goodbye?
Why did this make her want to breakdown and cry? How hypocritical of her. After all, she attempted to escape two days ago. Shouldn’t she be jumping for joy right now? She would be allowed to go home and be with her family. She could return to a normal routine...of waiting on tables, then heading home to mope in her little condo.

No. Stop
. She should not be doing this, regarding her life in a negative way. Tristan’s world wasn’t for her, and never would be. She bit her bottom lip. This place might be different from her world, but Tristan was the reason she feared leaving. The thought of never seeing him again almost made her wobbly knees sink to the floor.

Her heart belonged to him, whether she lived in Tennessee or this underground cave. Although the truth hurt, she couldn’t deny it. He killed her sister, but she still loved him. “I must see him. I will search this whole damn cave if you don’t help me.”

Again, he shrugged with nonchalance. “I’ll give you a hint. I know at this moment he isn’t climbing up a vent.”

The sarcasm in his tone was unnecessary.
She glanced down the dim hall to the torches lighting the space between dark shadows. “I guess I’ll go for a walk, then. This will be good for you, too. Got to stretch those legs.” She hoped her smile appeared bright and mocking.

Fisting the hem of her dress, she strode past him. The shuffled steps right on her heels told her he kept pace. She proceeded through several long corridors and bends, at ease with the dim setting and dark shadows. For the first time since being here, she didn’t find this place eerie.

I must be adapting.
She took in the beauty of how the torches painted green shades over the walls and the numerous shiny stalactites that hung from the rough ceiling. In many ways this place was dazzling. What a shame she only perceived its charm now.

A few vampires passed her in the hallways, adorned in their medieval attire. She gave each one a polite nod. Some smiled back, while others gaped. Maybe they were still a little shocked after how she acted at the
Moitié
Ball, or were surprised to see her out and about since she hadn’t been seen anywhere.

She bit the inside of her cheek, still feeling terrible for calling them demons. The vampires worked hard to make this majestic cave a home, and the few she met were friendly. She had no right insulting them.

A loud sigh sounded from behind. “Turn left,” Julian said in a low voice full of defeat. He must realise she hadn’t kidded around when threatening to search the whole damn cave.

“Why? What’s left?”

“What do you think,” he retorted.

Good
. She needed his help in finding Tristan. She didn’t know what to say when she found him. Perhaps if she convinced him to give her time to…to what, think about this, about their relationship, their future? Could she put the past behind her and share a life with him?

No
, she frowned,
I doubt it
. But if they spoke, and if he admitted he murdered, then maybe...Oh, she didn’t know what to make of her thoughts. Leaving this place was the best thing for them both, and deep down she knew it. But if she must go, then she wanted confirmation from his lips.

And what about closure?
A voice prodded in her mind.

Was that even an option? Should she take that road again and confront him? The time in the bathroom, he said he hadn’t killed her sister. He seemed so earnest, but she hadn’t believed him. This couldn’t go on. She must admit what she knew and tell Tristan about that night. No way would he deny it after her confrontation, how could he?

The end of the long hallway led to a grand space. She marched through the arched doorway, and found herself in the open plaza she and Tristan passed two days ago.

Ahead of her stood the long, wide staircase with its massive double doors; the entrance to the cave, she remembered him saying. Even now, some vampires and humans walked in and out. She turned her head at the sound of female laughter and spotted a group of vampire women at an outdoor table, chatting and sipping from small teacups. The wet crimson sheen left on their lips indicated blood.

Beside the small coffee shop sat several stores with large windows; a shoe repair, a dry cleaner, and a boutique displaying dark coloured gowns with Cynthia Coté Couture printed on the glass in a traditional French script font.

On the opposite side was an internet café, other bars and restaurants with several humans inside. They must be the human mates of vampires, because vampires didn’t eat chicken, fritters or salads.

And is that a chocolate soufflé on that lady’s plate?
The heated chocolate oozed from the powdered sugar top.
Yum
, even a dollop of ice-cream sat beside the delicious dessert. She could not leave this place until she tasted one. Yeah, what a great excuse to give him.

You can’t send me away yet, Tristan, I haven’t tried the soufflé.
“Gosh, I’m such an idiot.”

“What?”

Oops. She forgot about the annoying vampire beside her. “Nothing. So which way do we head?

“Oh, I don’t know.” Julian smirked, gaze roaming over the vaulted cave ceiling. “We can go left, we could go right. Or, to get straight to the point we can run around in circles.”

“What! Have you been messing with me this whole time? Were you even taking me to see Tristan, or were you just going to send me on a wild goose chase?”

“For a woman who despises him, I can’t fathom why you would want to see him.”

“I’ve had enough of this.” She spun from him.

His tone rose another notch. “Ever consider he is now with someone more deserving?”

She skidded to a stop and turned, heart pounding, ready to burst through her burning ears. “What did you say?”

“Many women cherish the ground he walks on. You cannot be stupid to think sooner or later he wouldn’t leave your cold bed to hop into a warm, welcoming one.”

The lump in her throat was hard to swallow, but she forced the blockage down to release her next words. “You’re lying. He is not like that. Besides, I’m his
moitié
.
Me
, no one else.” Even as she said this, the image of Tristan with her sister sprouted in her mind. He’d immediately moved onto another after her that night. What about here in
Désuet
? All this time, had he been with other lovers?

Slitted eyes zeroed on her. Julian stepped forward, face to face. “Oh, I see how a selfish bitch like you plays. You don’t want him, but no other can have him. Am I right?”

“Shut up. Just shut…” She didn’t finish, too distracted by the commotion coming from the top of the stairs.

The room fell silent, everyone engrossed with the shouting that overcame the plaza. Several people staggered out of the way as two vampires in dark uniforms marched down the wooden staircase with a raving man in their grasp. They each held an arm, but the vampire thrashed as though he were a trapped fly untangling himself from a spider’s web. All eyes watched him struggle in the arms of the…guards, vampire police? Whoever they were, they appeared all business.

“
Lâchez-moi! Je suis bien! J'ai fais une erreur! Une simple erreur!
”

The man twisted, kicked and shoved to no avail. His wild, dark gaze danced around the place as though he were drunk and unable to see straight.

“What’s he saying?” She asked close to Julian’s ear.

He didn’t remove his stare from the man. “He says he made a mistake, a simple mistake.”

When the guards drew closer, the man shot her a look. Desperation shone through his bloodshot eyes. So helpless, so scared…

His eyes narrowed, features shifting from feeble to intense in seconds. He stared, his tongue ran over his fangs. Okay, he no longer seemed afraid. More like hungry as hell. On instinct she shuffled behind Julian—who sighed with utter despair. Did he know the man being dragged away by the two uniformed vampires?

“What’s going on? What are they doing with him?” she questioned.

Julian shook his head. “I haven’t seen an addict in years. Oh, what a shame.”

“An addict?”

He turned. “Yes, an addict. It happens when unmated vampires overindulge in blood. Blood is nutritious and vital for vampires to live, but when a vampire abuses the use, it becomes addictive.” A scowl shifted his face. “Like you just saw, that’s how they turn out. That man would not be content with just one person. He would take another and another until a pile of bled bodies lay beneath him. It’s not common, but does happen.” The firmness of his lips and the dark set of his eyes confirmed his grief on the matter.

“I’m sorry to hear that. Is he a friend of yours?” He must have been, why else did he seem so upset.

“No.” He shook his head. “I do not know that man.”

“Oh, I just thought…um, the way you looked at him…”
Just shut up and mind your own business
. “Sorry, I shouldn’t assume—”

“That’s all right. Many years ago, someone I cared about became an addict.”

“How terrible.” It must have been someone close, a good friend or a girlfriend perhaps. “So what happens with the addicts?” she couldn’t help but ask.

“They are sent to a facility and locked up in isolation. Every hour the room is flooded with a special gas, a potion made by local witches that prevents the addicts from flashing out of their confinement. Once a month, they’re fed small measurements of blood. It’s the only way to remove the craving and get them back on a steady diet.”

“Does this method work?”

“In a few cases, yes. But, many haven’t recovered, and no doubt ever will.” Again, darkness met his eyes, as though thunderclouds brewed inside.

How horrible to watch a loved one self-destruct. She understood, as she once worried about Rachel, overindulging in alcohol. Rachel had always gone out, drank to the point where she was legless and unable to control her actions.

The memory made her throat tighten and she struggled to swallow past the lump inside. She turned from Julian, blinked back the threat of waterworks, and inhaled through the burn in her nose.

In the distance, Cynthia stalked toward them, hands twisting together, and biting down on her lower lip. Was that tears in her eyes?

Brianna frowned, striding to meet her halfway. “What’s wrong?” Did she have news on Tristan? Was he hurt?

Cynthia stared, eyes big, round and shadowed with…contrition? “I’m sorry. I am a terrible friend.”

Brianna glanced back at Julian who stood behind her. “Please give us a minute?”

He crossed his arms over his chest, raising a brow.

“Julian, I won’t run off. I need a sec with Cynthia.”

With a final look of warning, he walked off to the side, but at the same time making sure he was within reachable distance.

She turned back to Cynthia with a shake of her head. “What do you mean?”

Cynthia stepped forward and took hold of her hands. “I believed by keeping quiet I could defend both sides, but I can’t let this go on.”

Defend both? Who? Tristan? Me?
Cynthia might as well have spoken in French because she had no clue what the vampire carried on about.

“I ran into Tristan this morning. He was on his way to meet with Lord Sylvestre,” she continued. “He looked terrible. He told me of his plan to send you home. I thought you’d come around, but you haven’t, and I can no longer stand in a corner and let you make the biggest mistake of your life.” Her perfect feminine hands clutched Brianna’s arms and gave a little shake. “You must think back to the night of your sister’s death.”

She shook her head. “I can’t do that. I hate thinking about it.”

“No, Brianna. You must, think very hard about this. You say you saw Tristan, but you must have missed something.” Tears fell down her cheeks like a leaking faucet. Cynthia’s gaze followed the now empty space of where the uniformed men had dragged away that rampant vampire. “I hoped he would get better, I believed it so much because I love him with all my heart.”

Who did she love, the frantic vampire that passed them minutes ago? Tristan…? Her blood fizzed with jealousy.

“You’re confusing me. What’s going on? If you know something, then tell me.”

“I can’t.” Cynthia sobbed. “My instincts tell me to defend and honour, and by speaking to you now about this, I feel as if I’ve already betrayed him. I must go. I have to do something that will with any luck set things right. Just promise me you’ll think about that night.
Really
try and look back, Brianna. And again…” Cynthia swallowed, as though forcing the words out. “I’m sorry.”