4 Vamp Versus Vamp (24 page)

“How about Monday we go together to withdraw and sign up for a GED class?”

“I wouldn’t want to do it with anyone else.”

She beamed. “I’m so excited for the future, Lex.”

“You know, I am, too. It’s a little scary to think about, but I also know the unknown can be exciting. It’ll be great to see where we’ll be in ten years.”

“How about twelve when it would have been our ten-year high school reunion? If I
was
human, I would have eaten that shit up. I would have flaunted my success and fashion prowess in everyone’s faces. Can you imagine Jason and Jenny then?” She broke into a fit of laughter. “O.M.G. It’s so wrong, but I’m sure Jason will end up a pot-bellied, washed-up salesman on the brink of divorce or in an unhappy marriage, and Jenny will probably still have her looks but be completely dependent on her husband.”

I rolled my eyes. “My, my, you’re cruel. Maybe we should plan to crash the party, though.” My lips lifted with indulgent mischief.

“Aww. I love you, bestie.” She yanked me into a bear hug. “We’re just there. No matter how different we were at times, we’ve always been on the same wavelength. I love it!”

I squeezed her for a moment before breaking away. “Well, I have a house to go see, and you have a shopping trip to plan.”

“Take pictures. I’ll call you later.” She ushered me out her bedroom door.

I knew without checking that Drexel was behind us, and the guys were waiting at the bottom of the stairs.

“Don’t gander your yullers all in one packle.” Craig smacked Kellan’s shoulder lightheartedly.

“I don’t plan to drain my bank account. I’m just going to look at a place,” Kellan said.

“Uh-huh.
You’re takin’ her, though
,
mate
. Women always gidder your doughballs.”

“Hey!” Mel ran straight into Craig, knocking him backwards.

“Uh, I’ll see you guys later.” I waved at them.

“Good bye, Lexi. Bye, Kellan. Thanks for everything.” Mr. Hartford opened the front door for us.

“No problem. ’Bye.”

“Catch you later, Steven.” Kellan tossed a hand his way.

“’Bye, loves. Don’t piddle it all,” Craig yelled after us.

I looked at Kellan. “He’s your friend.”

“And look at yours,” he countered.

“We really were made for each other.” I smiled.

He pulled me into his side as he escorted me to his car, Drexel in tow.

“I’ll follow you, but don’t try to shake me,” Drexel stated.

Kellan nodded his head. He opened the passenger door for me. It wasn’t long before we were on our way to look at our future home.

Chapter 23

“I can’t believe my best friend is a vampeen.” I gazed out the window as we sped down the interstate.

“Both of our best friends are vampeens.”

I giggled. “You’re the odd man out.”

“Technically, I did still turn like a vampeen.”

“I love you regardless of what you are.”

He laced our fingers together across the console of his car. He lifted my hand to his lips.

We sat in comfortable silence until we got off the exit for downtown Charleston.

“What’s the address?” Kellan asked.

I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket. I chuckled. “Aunt Claire texted it to me. She always thinks of everything.” I passed my phone to him.

“We’ll be a block and a half from the army headquarters,” he stated.

“I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing.”

“I guess we’ll find out.”

He handed me back my phone and focused on the road. Five minutes later we’d found parking a block from the building, since the on-site parking was gated, literally, with a wrought-iron gate obstructing the entrance to the garage.

Drexel opened the door and Kellan held my hand as we stepped into the lobby of the building. We immediately had to pass through metal detectors. The alarm sounded.
A security guard, presumably the ex-army vamp, considering the speed at which he moved towards us and intercepted us.
He had an athletic build that appeared a bit lanky in his head-to-toe black uniform. The scowl on his face said he meant business.

He looked right at Kellan. “What are you packing?”

Kellan pulled out his wallet and flashed something at the male.

The guard lifted his chin to Drexel. “And you?”

Drexel cut his eyes at the guard. “Don’t fuck with me, Sanders. You know I’m still on.”

“What are you all doing here, then?” Sanders pressed, blocking us from further entering the space.

“We’re here to look at a unit for sale. Our realtor should already be here. Claire Maxwell,” I said.

“Wait here a moment.” He sped off to the front desk. I saw him flipping through a log.

“It’s nice in here, minus the uptight security.” I studied the vaulted ceilings with recessed lights and modern pendant lighting. The floors were travertine, and the concierge desk stationed in the center of the space was dark cherry wood with a granite counter. Seating areas had been strategically placed, with the floor-to-ceiling windows on the front of the building offering a nice view of the coffee house and another tall, architecturally exquisite structure.

Sanders returned to us. “I just need to make a copy of your I.D.s, and you’ll be good to go.”

I raised a brow. “Isn’t that a little much?”

He leaned in a little closer, hovering near my face. Kellan tensed beside me and Drexel stepped up next to me. “From the looks of it, you need all the security you can get, little girl. The army doesn’t assign their men to bodyguard vampeens on a regular basis. You must be special. So, unless you’re going to object to me I.D.ing everyone who walks in the door, including whoever is after you, then I suggest you just hand over your photo I.D
..
”

“Aren’t you a pocket full of sunshine?” I rolled my eyes, passing him my driver’s license.

He chuckled. “I’m not all bad, am I, Drexel?” The way Sanders looked at Drexel hinted at a heated past. The only problem was I couldn’t determine if it they’d had a relationship that turned sour or if they’d had a disagreement over business.

Drexel grunted, following Sanders to the concierge desk. He made copies of our photo I.D.s before pointing us to the elevators off to the right side. There was a set of elevators to the left as well, but I decided to follow the directions of the person who actually worked there.

Kellan punched the call button. “Why does he rub me the wrong way?”

I didn’t reply. Instead, I faced Drexel, watching him closely. I waited until we got on the elevator to ask. “Personal or business?”

He pursed his lips, refusing to hold eye contact with me for longer than a second. “Both.”

I tried to picture the two men together. They were the opposite of each other. Drexel was muscled with bulk, while Sanders had a leaner build. Drexel had short dark brown hair and brown eyes, whereas Sanders had overgrown blond hair and piercing blue eyes. Drexel was rougher around the edges, while Sanders was more polished. They both were about the same
height and had equally hard alpha personalities, but I felt like Drexel would be the one to crack first in a fight.

I slipped my hand into Drexel’s, giving it a gentle squeeze. He gazed down at me, his face a mask to the emotions I knew were brewing inside him. He faced the front of the elevator but left our hands joined.

We stepped out onto the sixteenth floor. We were deposited into a mini lobby with a few club chairs, tables, and plants. There was a hallway on the right and left that dead-ended at a narrow floor-to-ceiling window, allowing light to stream in. From what I could tell, there appeared to only be four units.

Aunt Claire opened the door on the left side of the right hall and waved us over. Drexel immediately dropped my hand at the sight of her. Kellan slung his arm around me and headed towards her.

“Come on in, guys.” Aunt Claire welcomed us into the space.

My chest constricted as we entered the space; my serum level rose just enough to make me aware of it. The condo was exactly like the pictures, though perhaps it was a little roomier, and it was exactly as Jack had shown us. I numbly browsed the rooms; my fingers skimmed every surface.

Kellan finally cornered me in the kitchen. “
Knowing what we do, do you still want it?
”

I bit my lower lip, searching the layout for any visible flaw. I couldn’t find one, though. In truth, I knew this was the perfect place for us, but I didn’t want it to be. Jack’s vision had tainted my dream. I understood now how knowing the future tended to ruin the present.

I locked eyes with Kellan. “
What do you want?
”

“
I want to be with you.
”

“
How about a useful answer?
”

“
I love it, but I can tell that you’re hesitant.
”

“
I’m hesitant about what’s set to happen here, not about the place itself.
”

“
Then we won’t hold a prediction against the condo.
” I caught his double meaning.

“
We really shouldn’t.
”

I kissed him, colliding my lips with his. We instantly connected. I hadn’t realized how tense I’d been until he pulled me into his body, secured me in his grip, and eased my fear. Every touch
was of confidence, of reassurance. We knew what the future was. While it plagued our present, it also gave us an opportunity to prevent it and to change the future.

“
Don’t worry, babe. I’m not going anywhere.
”

“
I’ve learned that we don’t know the number of days we’ll be granted. Just because we have the opportunity to live for eternity doesn’t mean we actually will.
”

He tilted my head back, his lips drifting over mine with an easy grace. “
The future is never set in stone until it happens.
” He withdrew his lips, keeping his arms around me. “
What do you say?
Would you like to live with me in our own home, Miss Jackson?
”

I smiled up at him. “
Yes, I would.
”

“
Do you want to look at any other places?
”

I shook my head
‘
no.
’

He kissed me once more. “Claire, we’d like to put in an offer.”

“You don’t have to offer on the first place you see. We can take our time and look at a few others for comparison.” She closed the gap between us.

“We wouldn’t move forward if we weren’t sure about it,” Kellan stated.

She looked at me inquisitively. I nodded my head, answering her silent question. “Well, then. Let’s put together an offer.” She gathered some papers. “How low below asking did you want to offer? Remember to leave room for negotiations.”

We all turned to the door at the sound of it opening. Drexel was there in a second, greeting the intruder.

“Hello.” He brushed past Drexel. “That won’t be necessary, Claire,” Will said.

“What are you doing here?” I knew my face reflected the shock I felt. He was full of surprises.

“I’m handing you the contract to this property and the keys.” He placed a few printed pages on the island, along with four sets of keys and two key cards.

“How did you manage this?”

He grinned wide. “Easy. I own this building.”

“But — ” I began.

He held up a hand. “Lexi, your life has been my life’s work. It’s my job to ensure every detail falls into place. This just happened to be one of those details.” He slid the keys towards us. “Now
I just need you and Kellan to sign here. It’ll take a few days for all the legal stuff to get done, but feel free to move in right away.”

I opened and closed my mouth several times, trying to register everything.

“When did you buy this building?” Kellan asked.

“I didn’t. I was the one who had it built. I’ve owned it since the beginning. I knew this day was coming.”

“Well, you’ve certainly made this an easy transaction.” Aunt Claire stuffed her papers back into her manila folder.

Will analyzed me for a moment, his face etching into a frown. “Lexi, I’ve always had your best interests at heart. I know the prediction better than I know myself. I also know that you’re meant to be here. Your purpose is bigger than mine. I’m merely facilitating things. I knew I had to be the one to own this building because otherwise there was a chance that someone would have occupied this unit. I’ve made sure this unit never sold. It’s been sitting here, waiting for you. And now you must move in, and you and Kellan must create what you’re supposed to here.”

I felt like his words were coded with a message, but I was too frazzled to figure it out. “Thanks, Will. We do appreciate it. I was caught off-guard, though. I thought we were coming here to look at the unit and make an offer, not come out with keys and more of your riddles.” I chuckled near the end. He would be the perfect person to think up
Jeopardy
answers.