The Devil's Angel (Devil Series Book 2) (22 page)

“Anyway,” Rick said. “It’s about time we all get together. I hate being alone.”

“What are we meeting about?” Lucien asked.

“Seamus has a theory about that. Tell him what you told me, Seamus.”

Seamus was short and stocky with dark brown hair. “I think we’re going to create a community of vampires in Antarctica or somewhere isolated. You know, just to get away from the stupid humans.”

Lucien tried not to laugh. “Where will we get our blood?”

Rick looked anxiously at Seamus.

Seamus shrugged. “There’s walruses and stuff up there. We could get by on that.”

Rick laughed a high pitch giggle.

“Any other theories?” Lucien asked.

“I heard we’re going to take over the world. Wouldn’t that be great?” Rick squealed.

“No,” Lucien said. “Who’s in charge?”

“A really old vampire. We don’t know his name, but we hear he’s the meanest and baddest vampire ever!” Rick exclaimed.

“I can’t wait to meet him,” Lucien said, his voice full of sarcasm.

Seamus looked at him curiously, but Rick didn’t notice.

“Really? Me too! It’s going to be awesome!” Rick said.

“Later,” Lucien said and walked away. He’d heard enough.

Lucien didn’t have to walk far to find the abandoned warehouse where the meeting was supposed to take place. Inside, a few vampires were already there, talking quietly to each other. Dozens of wooden crates were stacked up against gray cinderblock walls, and long metal pipes were spread unevenly over the floor. In the center of the room, several crates had been built up to create a stage; wide plywood slats had been placed over their tops.

Lucien left the warehouse and walked back the way he came. He needed to find a place where he could observe those going to the meeting without being seen himself. Two blocks away on a side street off Clarion, he found what he was looking for—a cemetery next to an old church.

He turned down a cobblestone path, leading toward the church, and then veered off into the graveyard. He sat on an iron bench that seemed to be placed directly on top of someone’s grave. Most of the old headstones were uprooted and leaned angrily to their sides—even the earth gave them no rest.

Tall, gnarly trees and thick bushes lined the cemetery’s property, but Lucien had situated himself in such a way that a small divide in the shrubbery gave him a clear view to those walking toward the warehouse.

A thunderous roar from above announced the storm’s arrival. The sky cracked and poured water all at once. Like other intruders in Ireland’s past, the storm had its way with Dublin.

Lucien closed his eyes, tilted his head up to the moisture, and inhaled deeply. The air smelled pure and untainted with a hint of—lilacs. He jumped to his feet and whirled around. In the deepest corner of the graveyard, next to a tall, cross-shaped headstone, stood Eve.

Eve wore a white, knee-length cotton dress; one shoulder strap had fallen from her bare shoulder. Rain covered every inch of her, drenching her entirely, but she took no notice. Water poured from the tips of her hair and down her arms. The droplets found their course, running in tiny rivers all the way to her fingertips and to the ground below as if she were giving nourishment to the dead below.

The angel in the graveyard smiled.

Lucien didn’t dare move. The sight of her in this place, meant only for the dead, entirely collapsed the world he had so carefully created.

It was Eve who broke the spell first. She walked gracefully among the graves, never lowering her eyes from his. Stopping only inches from him, she took his hand in hers and moved it to her parted lips. She kissed it tenderly.

Lucien moaned in anguish. He couldn’t fight the attraction between them any longer.

Eve kissed his hand again, igniting his skin with a fire that warmed the rain.

Lucien raised his free hands and cradled her face. He leaned his forehead against hers, eyes closed. Eve nuzzled his face with the side of her cheek, but when her breath warmed the skin near his mouth, he turned his head slightly to let his lips touch hers. Slowly, at first. Hesitantly.

He lowered his hands and gripped Eve’s waist for support, afraid he might stumble. Then, carefully, his mouth moved, taking in every part of her lips, the taste, the plump softness. It was overwhelming.

Eve’s hands crept behind his back and pulled him closer, pressing his body against hers. The motion sent an intense wave of pleasure through every inch of him, turning the gentle kiss into one of longing and passion. All sounds faded into the background—even the rain’s touch was unfelt. Together they created a place of light and beauty, one of peace and serenity. Their kiss lasted only moments, but the power it created transcended time and all eternity.

It was Eve who pulled away first. She gazed into his eyes with a look that said, “Did this just happen?” He knew the expression because it was mirroring his own.

They smiled at the same time. Lucien wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to his chest. If what he was experiencing was magic, he no longer cared.

“Are you cold?” she asked.

“Quite the opposite. I’ve never felt warmer.” He rubbed his hand across the back of her soaked dress. “But you must be freezing.”

In one fluid motion, he removed his long jacket and wrapped it around her while she remained snug against his chest.

“You shouldn’t have come,” she whispered.

“Did you think I wouldn’t?”

The rain let up, its passion gone, leaving behind only a gentle mist.

“I’d hoped throwing you into a flight of stairs might make you think twice.”

Lucien chuckled. “You’ll have to do better than that. By the way, where did you go? It was like you just disappeared.”

She looked back and forth between his eyes. “I’ll explain later, but right now, I have to see Alana. It’s important I see her, especially before she goes to the gathering.”

Lucien smoothed back her hair. He didn’t know how he had resisted touching her for so long. “Let
me
uncover what this vampire reunion is all about, and then I’ll meet up with you two later to discuss.”

“Alana really wants to go.”

“Tell her not to. If she was at all associated with Michael, then there’s a good chance they know about her, too. I’ll go.”

“Where do you want to meet?” she asked.

He glanced at the old stone church. In front, two stained glass windows dominated the exterior. One portrayed the crucified Christ, the other the Virgin Mary. Vampires didn’t like churches. Just like bad humans, they made bad vampires feel guilty. She would be safe there.

“How about in the church over there?”

She studied it. “Fine.”

“So what do you know about this gathering anyway?” Lucien asked.

She stepped back, but Lucien held onto her hand. “Not much. I spoke to the Deific office about an hour ago. They’ve had to request more help from the other offices because they can’t keep up with the amount of vampires being turned. But they’re not so much worried about their growing numbers; they’re worried because these vampires are methodical in how they attack humans. Kidnapping and torturing their victims is their modus operandi. Someone is teaching them. Michael was supposed to be at this ‘training’ when he was killed.”

“It still amazes me that you have vampires working with you,” Lucien said.

“Why? A vampire is only bad when it gives in to the evil nature of vampirism the same way a human becomes corrupt when it gives in to its own selfish tendencies. Both humans and vampires have to learn to become greater than what they naturally are—to shed the beast within. There are vampires who have achieved this, although their numbers are few. I only wish there were more.”

“Don’t worry about tonight. I will uncover who is behind all of this. You just stay far away, deal?”

Eve nodded.

He kissed her again, but briefly so it wouldn’t be harder than it already was to leave her. “Be safe.”

“I’ll wait inside the church for you. Come for me when you’re done,” she said.

He pulled her back to his chest and gave her a long, tight hug.

“By the way,” Eve asked with a light tone to her voice, “did you fix the hole on my porch?”

He smiled. “No, but I did add another one next to it.”

“Two holes are better than one,” she teased.

Lucien reluctantly let her go and watched her walk into the church wearing his black jacket. He wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Lucien made his way to the abandoned warehouse. Other than a few parked cars, the streets were empty. It was a clear night—the full moon lit up the poor neighborhood better than the street lamps.

A slight breeze filled the air with the smell of vampires. Lucien could sense them as they all traveled to the same destination. They remained hidden in the shadows whereas Lucien walked openly. He did not want to be a part of them any more than he had to.

Lucien was not prepared for what he found inside the warehouse. It was already packed, even though it wasn’t quite midnight. He had no idea so many vampires existed! They were sprawled over crates, perched on ledges of the high windows, while others paced nervously waiting for the meeting to begin. The female vampires huddled together toward the back as a way to protect themselves from the males—they were clearly out-numbered.

Lucien estimated at least two hundred present. He was both shocked and appalled, because that meant there was at least ten times this in the rest of the world. As an old vampire, he knew how dangerous it was to have too many of their kind. It was only a matter of time before vampires became more than just a myth. The humans would hunt them to extinction.

After several minutes of observing the crowd, Lucien considered most of the vampires to be newbies. He sensed only a few older ones present and most likely they were there out of curiosity. He didn’t recognize any of them, but this didn’t surprise him.

At least a dozen beefy vamps patrolled the room, stopping fights whenever one broke out, which was about every minute. Vampires were not meant to be in the same room. It was like stuffing hundreds of male grizzlies into the same cave—eventually they would start killing each other.

Someone grabbed Lucien’s shoulder. He spun around, ready to tear off a head.

“Easy there,” Rick said, moving his long, boney fingers off of Lucien’s shoulder.

“Don’t touch me,” Lucien said.

“Sure, my bad.” Rick looked around the room. “Isn’t this exciting?”

“Yeah, it’s a freaking riot.”

“Look, there’s Sean!” Rick waived madly. “Sean! Hey, Sean over here!”

Sean looked over, but turned the other direction.

Rick shrugged. “I guess he didn’t hear me. You want to sit down over there?”

He pointed to an empty crate near the center stage.

“I’m sitting in back.” Lucien turned around and walked toward the rear of the building.

“Yeah, the back’s good. I like the back—it’s not so crowded,” Rick said, jogging after him.

Time moved slowly. If he could describe hell, this is what it would be, with Rick playing the devil. Lucien longed to be back with Eve. He’d never deliberately put himself through such torture, but he’d do it over and over if it meant Eve’s safety.

Without warning, the lights turned off, and throaty growls filled the room. Not sensing any danger, Lucien waited patiently. A spotlight appeared in the opposite corner, lighting a path to the center stage. A vampire, his head covered by a towel, seemed to magically appear in the center of the beam. His shoulders slumped forward and his arms swung like a gangster as he shuffled toward the stage, escorted by an entourage of tall and muscular vampires. A few whistles burst from the crowd, then a few yells, and soon the whole room was filled with shouts and cheers.

Lucien looked around incredulously. He couldn’t believe they were playing into this! Evidently, someone had been watching way too much Ultimate Fighting Challenge and was trying to copy every aspect of the professional fighting venue. As a vampire, he’d never felt embarrassed until now.

The vampire with the towel finally reached the center stage. He jumped on top and waited in the darkness, muscles lean and tight, chest heaving up and down. As soon as the spotlight encased his tensed body, he shook off the towel and raised his arms into the air, letting out a monstrous roar that seemed to shake the building’s foundation.

Lucien stumbled back, unable to comprehend the ghost before him. There, standing in all his mock majesty, was his brother Aiden. Without thinking, Lucien let out the angriest feral cry his inhuman body could produce. Even though the other vampire’s combined voices were much louder, Aiden snapped his head in Lucien’s direction. It took all the mental strength Lucien had to force himself off the crate.

Aiden recovered and continued to egg on cheers from the vampires. He moved in a circle with his hand to his ear, his other arm waiving in circles, enticing more screams from the crowd.

Lucien’s fist’s balled up tight, and his face contorted into animalistic rage. He couldn’t fathom how his brother was still alive!

Aiden’s sandy blond hair was slicked back into a ponytail, and his dark eyes danced wildly through the crowd, absorbing their energy until Aiden, too, was jumping up and down like a wild monkey. He ripped off his shirt, revealing a long serpent that twisted around his lean torso.

Lucien noticed a few of the older vampires try to walk out the door, but the guards stopped them. He was glad he wasn’t the only one who found this spectacle absurd.

On the stage, someone handed Aiden a microphone. The guards motioned everyone to be silent.

Aiden spoke: “Fellow vampires.” He paused for effect, his voice growing louder. “Fellow friends.” Finally, his voice boomed, “Brothers and sisters!”

The crowd exploded. Screams and whistles punched the air. The guards silenced the group again.

Aiden continued, his voice smooth and calm: “Throughout time, humans have ruled the earth. We have tolerated their existence because they give us the one thing we need—blood.”

A few anguished cries echoed through the room.