Revelation of Blood (2 page)

“Never,” I grinned wickedly. “I’ll have you
know that sarc happens to be my second favorite –asm.”

Hagan’s eyes got wide with surprise and I
threw my head back and laughed. I loved messing with him. It was a
lot of fun, but I quickly learned never to underestimate him. The
man could dish it just as good as he got it. My face had spent a
good amount of time surprised by his actions and words, too.

I heard Archer’s stairwell door open and
Hagan and I turned to see Archer and our three new temporary
employees filing out. We had been painfully understaffed with
Jameson out on tour and with our beloved Seamus dead. But now that
Archer and I were heading out of town for a few days, we were in
dire need of employees; employees of the vampire persuasion, that
is.

Archer contacted some friends he knew and
scored us Thorin, Aziza, and Nola, three of Grayson Mead’s youngest
children. Archer told me the hotel they had worked at, which had
been owned by Grayson before his untimely death at the hands of
Amun, was sold to a human company last month and they were
temporarily jobless until their
sliocht
leader found them
another within their organization.

“I half expected an unexpected visit from
you, Skye,” Archer winked as he confidently sauntered down the
steps to the bottom floor. “So, I’m taking it you had no luck with
teleportation?”

“Nay,” Hagan shook his head. “Girl has
convinced herself that she can’t do it. Stubborn like that.”

“I am not stubborn, thank you very much,” I
huffed as I raised my chin a bit in said stubborn fashion.

“Aye,” Hagan cocked his eyebrow, “you are as
stubborn as the day is long. I keep telling Ruarc that I’m going to
be the death of you someday.”

“Ha!” I gasped and laughed in surprise as I
playfully swatted his arm. “You cheeky brat. You did not!”

Hagan shook with quiet laughter as Thorin,
Aziza, Archer, and Nola joined us at the bar.

“Love this place,” Nola sighed as she took a
seat two stools down from me. “The cages are totally bitchin’. I
bet nights get crazy in here, yeah?”

Nola was drop dead gorgeous but somewhat a
tomboy. She had a short blond pixie cut and large blue eyes that
stood out on her small, heart-shaped face. I was guessing, by her
lingo, that she couldn’t have been turned longer than twenty years.
She had this distinctive early-nineties look about her from her
flannel over shirt and ripped jeans to her retro Vans skateboard
sneakers. I had liked her as soon as I met her.

“The club gets very busy,” Archer nodded as
he turned to survey the surroundings. “Customers come for the music
but they stay for the drinks and dancers. You might get a bit
overwhelmed your first night at the main bar, but Hunter and Ducky
will be there to give you a hand.”

“No worries, Mr. Rhys,” Nola winked. “I can
sling bottles with the best of ‘em.”

Archer smiled as Aziza spoke up.

“How’s VIP?” she asked in a smoky smooth
British lilt.

Aziza, in her skin tight black jeans, red
cowl neck sweater, and stiletto peep-toed ankle boots, was a sight
to take in. On a scale from one to ten, her five foot, ten inch
body was banging in at a twenty-five. Aziza had dark chocolate
skin, honey-hazel eyes, long curly black hair, a sexy, raspy voice
and a thick apple bottom that made men want to fuck her and women
want to be her. I had it on good authority (my newly acquired
empathy skills) that Aziza was batting for Team T&A. The first
time I shook her hand, I felt her attraction to me. Outwardly, she
hid her feelings well though, and I knew it was only because I was
considered off-limits now that I was the big boss’ woman.

“Things in VIP and PVIP run a bit
differently,” Archer said as he slid his arm around my chest from
behind and pulled me to him. He dropped a few light kisses along my
neck and I bit down on my bottom lip to keep from moaning and
embarrassing myself in front of our new company. Archer and I
hadn’t had sex since I’d been injured and I was positively dying
for a go at him now that I was fully healed. Hopefully, I’d get my
chance tonight. “Lochlan will be here in a few minutes and I’ll
have him go over a few things with you before tonight’s
opening.”

“The tips are killer,” I whispered over to
Aziza with a wink. “Kill-er.”

“Nice,” she smiled widely as she winked
back.

“So I guess that means you’re our new
bouncer?” I asked, gazing over at Thorin.

Thorin was my own personal walking wet dream.
He was tall, ex-military, and built like a brick house. That man
had muscles for miles and an ass that could make even straight men
stop and stare. Thorin knew he looked good, too, but I was willing
to overlook the cockiness on account of the stellar ass and
all.

“I hear Seamus was a good man,” Thorin nodded
his head once and everyone but me (I still wasn’t familiar with
vampire customs) crossed themselves reverently at the mention of
his name. “He left some mighty big shoes to fill, but I aim to do
my best by you all.”

“Seamus was a wonderful man,” I whispered
sadly as I stared down into my wine glass, remembering his gruesome
death.

“I’m sure working the entrance will be boring
work for someone with your particular skill set, but I appreciate
you filling in for us just the same,” Archer said as he rubbed my
arm and kissed the top of my head, no doubt mentally picking up on
my inner turmoil.

“I’m happy to do so, sir,” Thorin nodded
again before his eyes briefly darted to mine. There was sadness in
his eyes and his emotions spoke of his own experience with
loss.

“Feel free to grab a drink and make
yourselves comfortable in VIP,” Archer said, changing the subject.
“Lochlan, Hunter, and Quinn will be here shortly to go over your
duties and answer any questions you have before we open
tonight.”

I gave each of them a warm smile before they
turned and made their way up to the second floor. Archer then
turned me around on the barstool to face him and gently cupped my
cheeks.

“You have to stop thinking about that night,”
Archer whispered as he looked deep into my eyes, obviously reading
the guilt I was feeling over Seamus’ death. “It was not your fault,
Skye.”

I shook my head, disagreeing with him, but
said nothing. This was a tired conversation and one that I didn’t
want to have again. Seamus’ death was on my hands, no one else’s.
If I had been more careful when I ran out of The Mausoleum the
night Amun kidnapped Trey, Seamus would still be alive today. It
was a regret that had played over and over in my mind during the
last two weeks.

“Come on,” Hagan rumbled, getting up from the
bar stool beside me. “Break time is over. You should be busy
training right now, Morrison, not thinking about all the pointless
shit you can’t change.”

Glad for the interruption, I leaned forward
and placed a chaste kiss on Archer’s lips before I got up and
followed Hagan to the dance floor.

Archer took the seat I had just vacated and
settled in to watch my progress, or more accurately, lack
thereof.

Five minutes later, Quinn, Lochlan, and
Hunter showed up and took the new-hires to their prospective
stations to train. Twenty minutes later, my own training with Hagan
was interrupted by a commotion at the front entrance.

“Let me through, please,” a familiar female
voice demanded and I froze. Quinn was doing his best to try and
keep the unexpected guest out.

“Something wicked this way comes,” I heard
Hunter whisper from behind the bar.

Archer immediately got up off the barstool
and strode toward the doors. My knees felt wobbly and I grabbed on
to Hagan’s arm to steady myself.
Oh no!
What the hell is
she doing here?

“Dr. Morrison,” Archer greeted smoothly.
“What an unexpected surprise.”

“No time for fake pleasantries, Mr. Rhys,” my
mother barked sternly. “Where is my daughter?”

I swallowed my panic and finally found my
voice. “Mom? What are you doing here?”

I watched my mother’s eyes frantically search
for me and when she finally saw me across the room, her face looked
relieved.

“Where the hell have you been, young lady?”
she demanded angrily as she pushed past Archer. “And why haven’t
you returned my calls? I’ve been worried sick about you! I hear
nothing from you for almost a month? You make me drop everything to
fly up here and when I go to your house, Nikki tells me-”

She stopped talking mid-sentence and her feet
slowed as she approached me. “Your eyes…” Her face became confused
and she was staring hard at my colorless globes; gone were the
hazel eyes I had entered her world with.

I watched as her faced morphed from confusion
to shock and then absolute horror. “No,” she gasped as her hand
flew to her mouth, her head shaking side to side as she took a few
slow steps backward. “Nonono. Tell me it isn’t true. Tell me it
isn’t true!”

“It’s true,” Archer said gently, his eyes
finding mine as steely sorrow filled his eyes. “I’m sorry,
Doctor.”

Anger flashed across her features and she
quickly turned on him. “You’re sorry? Sorry? YOU TURNED MY
DAUGHTER?!” she furiously screeched as she threw her expensive
Hermes bag on the ground.

I swallowed thickly at the sight. Panic
seized me and I knew Mama had to have been unforgivably livid if
she threw her purse like that without any thought to the thousands
of dollars she invested in it. Mistreating any high fashion item,
especially her favorite Hermes bag, was something she’d never, EVER
would have done under normal circumstances.

“YOU TURNED MY ONLY CHILD INTO A
VAMPIRE?!”

“You’d better go calm her down before this
gets ugly, Morrison” Hagan whispered quickly, giving me a little
push from behind.

“Mama, please let me explain,” I whispered
gently as I tentatively reached out to touch her arm, her gaze
still locked with Archer’s, when what she had said finally began to
permeate my mental shock.

“Wait. You know what he is?” I asked,
confused.

She whirled around and her angry eyes bored
into mine. “Of course I know what he is! I’ve known about their
existence since I was your age.”

“How?” I breathed.

“My senior year at MIT was spent secretly
studying the brain and nervous system of a vampire volunteer,” she
sneered. “Not that I ever planned on having that discussion with
you or anyone else! What I want to know right this instant is why
you are now one of them?”

Her eyes suddenly got wide and the look of
anger slid into one of worry. “Did someone force you? Did they do
this to you against your will or…or did you ask for this?”

Not waiting for an answer, she grabbed me by
the elbow and started dragging me toward the exit as she mumbled
rapidly. “I knew I should have put a stop to you working here the
moment I found out you were hired by one of them. I am very
disappointed in you, Skye Everleigh. How could you let these
disgusting-”

“Mom, please-”

“-foul creatures corrupt you!”

Archer stepped in front of her, blocking her
way, and held his hands out in front of him to stop her. “Dr.
Morrison, I assure you that-”

“Get out of my way! I’m-”

“Mama, my arm. You’re hurting m-”

“-taking my daughter and you are never to see
her again!”

“Grace, if you will please let us
explain-”

“Do not SPEAK TO ME! How dare you-”

“Mama, please-”

“-speak to me after what you’ve done?! You
have-”

“Your daughter was unfortunately-”

“-single handedly RUINED HER LIFE! You’ve
turned her into-.”

“Mom stop-”

“-caught up in a situation and we tried our
best-”

“-a blood sucking MONSTER! You killed my
sweet, innocent-”

“-to save her using the only option available
to us. You have to understand-”

“Let go of me-”

“-little girl! I am going to make you pay for
this, Archer Rhys. I don’t-”

“-it was either turn her or allow her to
become something much worse. We-”

“-know how yet, but I swear to you that you
will pay-”

“-had no choice, Grace. We did our best
to-”

“Mom, stop,” I tried again, but it was no
use; she and Archer were locked in a verbal battle of wills and no
one was paying me any mind. My elbow ached from the surprisingly
strong grip my mother had on it and I increasingly needed her to
let me go. My temper was starting to get the better of me the
longer the vocal match went on.

My mother was yelling about how Archer had
ripped my innocence away and Archer had his arms crossed
defensively over his chest, having given up on trying to be nice to
her and instead telling her he had done her a favor by keeping me
alive. Things were rapidly getting out of hand and no one would
listen to me. Finally, I had had enough of being manhandled by my
mom and listening to their ridiculous back and forth barbs. My
temper snapped and I proceeded to lose it.

“Goddammit, Mother!” I yelled as my eyes
flickered pitch black in anger. I roughly jerked my arm out of her
grasp and forced myself between her and Archer. “I said stop! I am
NOT a child anymore and you can’t just waltz in here and treat me
like one. I am a grown ass woman and what I chose to do with MY
life is MY choice.”

Her face registered shock at my words, but I
couldn’t stop. There were things about our relationship that had
been bothering me for a long time and once the verbal floodgates
opened, there was no stopping it. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my
mother with my entire being, but she was utterly overbearing
sometimes.

“Your “sweet, innocent Skye”, as you so
frequently like to put it, stopped being so sweet and innocent the
second she gave up her V card at fifteen to Schyler Smith in the
back of his ’69 Oldsmobile Hurst! Oh, don’t look so shocked,
Mother. Open your eyes. I am ME, dammit! I swear and drink and have
sex, sometimes with more than one person in a week, if the mood so
strikes me. I like metal music, whips and chains, and handcuffs. I
love tattoos and piercings and bad boys and most recently, I LOVE
VAMPIRES! I am sick and fucking tired of hiding who I am from you.
I was always scared that you’d be disappointed in me and God knows,
nothing on this planet is worse than Dr. Grace Evelyn Morrison when
she’s disappointed in someone. I am tired of trying to live up to
your perfect idea of the person you think I should be.