Expecting Eternity (Vamp Life #2) (8 page)

Successo
r of Sanuto…I really didn’t like that title one bit.

“
So, you gather information, but don’t interfere?”  I’d heard about people like this before.  “Like Illuminati?”

“Ahem.”  He cleared his throat.  “We are a newer coalition, in how you would measure time anyway.  When warranted, we have been known to take matters into our own hands.  I’m putting myself at risk just by sharing this information with you.”

I believed him.  I did.  There was still no way I was letting him close to me.  “I don’t understand.  Why were you leaving if you didn’t kill her?”

“
Sanuto was a tyrant.  Antonio seems a welcome change as leader of the vampires in this area.  And you?  Well, you are a victim of circumstance.  I see no threat to humanity, nor does the Coalition Against Vampire Extremists.  Or CAVE as we’re often called.  I had been summoned to return to our headquarters to report my findings.”

It was all mindboggling.  The more I thought I had things figured out, the more I realized I knew nothing.  “
You used my friend to gain access into my life.  You may not be a murderer, if what you say is true, but you’re still scum.  She cared about you.”

Roger flinched.  Good.  My words had stung.  “
I cared for her, too.  My lifestyle would never have been good enough for her.  You don’t leave CAVE.  I wish it could have been different.”

“Why did you join the organization?”  I didn’t know if we’d ever meet again, so I began to pry whatever information I could. 

“I became privy to the existence of vampires during my college years.  We are not out to stop all vampires.  I would not be racist against your kind.  I’m no stranger to the pains of such treatment.”  He spoke as if he’d given this speech before.  “There are good and bad in all races.  Black, white, and everything in between.  Vampires are no different except they are prone to corruption because of their innate power.” 

“
Power corrupts.”  I said softly.  It was true.

He smiled.  “I want to help make sure no one gains absolute power. 
Forgive me.  I must go.  Once again, I deeply regret your pain and the loss of Ashley.  CAVE does not suspect any vampires at this time.  As I said, humans can be as evil as vampires.” 

I wanted to know more, but he had opened the door and left without another word.  A sharp pain shot through my side and
I slumped down onto the arm of the nearby sofa.  Stress was not doing me or the baby any good.  I worked my way around to sit on the couch.  Beads of sweat dotted my forehead.  After the pain subsided, I planned to find my phone and call Marc.  I never got around to it.

When I heard the front door opening, my eyes opened wide.  Frantically, I reached for the gun on the coffee table. 

“
Evelina, it’s us.” Antonio moved in front of Fate, shielding her in case I fired the weapon.  The movement was so fast it was almost imperceptible.  It shouldn’t have been to me, another vampire.

I lay the gun on the table, burying my face in my hands for a moment then ruf
fled my hair in frustration.  “Jesus.  I’m sorry.” 

“Did something happen?”  Fate pushed past Antonio
without fear and slid into the spot beside me on the couch.  She gave me a side hug, putting her head on my shoulder. 

“Roger…he came by the house after Marcus left for work.”  I said.

“What?”  Both of my friends called out.  Antonio looked outside, surveying the perimeter before shutting the door and walking over to us.

The gun was still in my view and
my frown deepened.  “I don’t think he did it.  He was telling me about some group called CAVE.  Have you heard of that, Antonio?”

His brown eyes opened wide. 
“Pazzo.  I should have known.”

“I don’t know
.  What he was saying about the group seemed to make sense.”  I gave a small shrug.

“Of course he would make it sound like it
was a good thing.  The truth is they need to stay out of vampire business.”  He eyed me intently.  “It is unlikely he committed the crime against your friend, though.  I don’t see how their organization would gain anything by harming her.”  I watched him pacing.  “Unless there was some motive we don’t know about.”

Fate had a bewildered expression on her face and we
both waited for her reaction.  “I told you something was weird about him months ago.  I don’t know why a group of people would live in a cave.  What’s a pazzo?”

“A crazy pe
rson, amore.”  Antonio told her.  The slight sting in my heart when I heard him refer to her affectionately caught me by surprise.  He looked at me until I broke eye contact.  “Why don’t you go pack up your things?”

“Oh, right.  Antonio asked me to join him on his business trip!”  She had a skip to her step as she ran to her room.  I hadn’t seen her so excited in a while.

Up until that point, I’d resisted confronting Antonio about his relationship with Fate.  “Do you think it’s a good idea to get her hopes up so high?”

“What do you mean?”  The irritation in his voice was evident.

“She’s barely an adult.  You know she’s falling in love with you.”  I kept my voice low and he came closer.  It wasn’t like he couldn’t hear me from where he was before.

His face was only a few inches from mine.  “It hurts, doesn’t it?  Very painful to see
someone you love with another person.”

Yes. 
I swallowed hard.  My mouth was dry.  Was he trying to hurt me by dating Fate?

“I like her,
Evelina.  Let me have that much.  Everything else I care for has been taken away.”

“Do you think I need my hoodie?”  Fate asked as she came back into the room.  “What’s going on?”  She asked when she saw the two of us so close.

Antonio placed his hand on my stomach lightly.  “The baby kicked and she wanted me to feel.”  More lies.  His hand lingered for a moment and he smiled faintly. 

At least it was a little white lie, but they do tend to grow out of control before they can be stopped.

“Oh, my gosh.  I want to feel.”  Great….  Fate placed her hands on me as well.  Her lip pooched out into a pout after a few moments when she didn’t feel any movements.  “Oh well.” 

“And yes, bring your jacket.  You may get cold on the plane.”  Antonio told her.
  She nodded at her boyfriend and headed back to her room.

It wasn’t any less than I deserved and I certainly had no right or reason to be jealous.  My mind could tell me these
things as much as it wanted.  It didn’t make my heart ache any less.  There was nothing left to say, or so I thought.

Antonio bent down and kissed my
lips.  “We’ll always have Venice.”  He left the room with a stoic grace to join his new love. 

For a brief moment
, his words were romantic.  Bittersweet.  Then, I found myself wondering how many times he’d seduced a woman with lines from popular films, music, books, or poetry.  I mean, really, altering a line from a classic? 

“
Hopeless.”  I said to myself.  Fate didn’t stand a chance against his charm.

That night, Marcus and I were lying quietly in bed.  He’d been
mad at me most of the evening for opening the door when Roger had stopped by. 

“Are you asleep?”  I whispered softly. 

After a moment, he grumbled sleepily, “No.”

The question was weighing on my mind.  “Have you ever seen
Casablanca?”

“I don’t know what that is.  If you’re going to make me watch it, it better not be anything like the time you made me sit through
Phantom of the Opera
.”  He slid his arm over me and I could tell he was drifting off again.

I smiled
to myself and relaxed.  Sometimes we liked the same things and it was great.  Other times, I was the most content when he was the yin to my yang.

The double date I had been dreading was finally upon us.  There was a honk outside and I looked at Marcus in exasperation before turning back to the mirror and tugging on my dress.  He was sitting with his back against the headboard watching me. 

“I’m not going.  They want us to go out to a fancy, expensive restaurant and won’t even come to the door.  I mean, teenagers honk the horn.  Not mature adults.”  In all honestly, I had no desire whatsoever to go to dinner with
Taya and her date even before the rude greeting.  Marc had insisted that I needed to get out.  Didn’t he realize that I looked like Shamu?  Was he blind?  I wondered, almost out loud, but I resisted the temptation.

My husband let out a long sigh.  “You’re hot.  Stop worrying so much.”  He was wearing nice jeans, not his usual grease stained ones
full of holes.  A dark sport jacket was over his button up shirt.  “Look at me.  I dressed up just for you.  You have to go.”

I looked him over and I couldn’t argue.  “I just wish this dress fit better.  How much weight have I gained in the past week since
I bought it?”  Marcus laughed, not maliciously, but with simple amusement.  “Fine, let’s go.”  I told him as I gave one last tug at the red silken fabric. 

The p
regnancy was moving forward and I was at about eight months.  Fate still lived with us when she wasn’t jaunting across the globe with Antonio.  There’d been no sign of Roger or arrests in Ashley’s murder.  We all continued forward because we had no other choice.  Life went on. 

Taya
had called and invited us out to dinner at a recently opened restaurant called Chez Christophe’s Amour.  It wasn’t an invitation we could readily turn down since she’d already made the reservations.

Marc opened the door of the sleek Lexus for me and helped me sit down in the back.  I
didn’t know a whole lot about cars, but it appeared to be pricey. 

When Marcus climbed in his side
of the car, he let out an admiring whistle.  “Nice car, man.”

Taya
leaned around, grinning at us.  “Christophe, this is Evelyn and Marcus.”  She ran her hand along her date’s leg, giving a small squeeze.  “This is Chris Girard.  He owns the restaurant.  How else do you think I got reservations?”  She laughed.

Christophe….  I had barely put two and two together when
he gave me a glance and I finally saw his face.  He shifted the luxury car into gear before speaking with his heavy French accent.  “Pleasure to meet you, Monsieur and Mademoiselle Hart.  I do hope you will enjoy the evening at my restaurant.”

“Likewise.
  It’s not usually my kind of place, but Evey deserves a fancy night out.”  Marcus said as he reached out to take my hand.

I still hadn’t said anything. 
Taya gave a small smirk before turning to face the front.  Christophe.  My Christophe was dead.  I’d seen him die at Versailles.  I rolled down my window and drew in a deep breath. 

“Are you alright?” 
Taya asked from the front.  Smug bitch.  I thought to myself.  There was no way it was coincidence that she was dating one of my former lovers.  She apparently had a taste for my men.

Marc’s expression was troubled.  That was all he needed.  Another man I’d slept with in our lives.  I
mustered up a smile.  “I’m fine.”  I forced myself to relax.  “So how did you and Taya meet?”

The venom of my thoughts didn’t translate into my spoken words, thankfully. 

“
Through a mutual friend at Le Bourget Airport in Paris a couple of years ago.”  Christophe said simply.  “It was a brief encounter, but I believe it stayed with both of us.”

“I’d like to say I was instantly attracted to his personality, but it
was really just how sexy he is, especially with that accent.”  Taya laughed happily and Christophe grinned. 

She was right, though.  He was attractive. 
His dirty blonde hair was cut conservatively and he had a small mustache that suited him well.  I hoped we’d have a moment alone to discuss how he survived the attack and fire.  He had to be a vampire, but I couldn’t discern it myself.  One thing was certain.  He wasn’t as shocked to see me as I was to see him.

Marcus was oblivious to anything out of the ordinary.  He was too busy examining every aspect of the interior of the car.

We arrived at the restaurant and a valet parked the vehicle.  Christophe slipped his arm around Taya.    As we entered the building, I was able to get the full view of my friend.  I mean, I guess she was my friend.  What would be more appropriated?  Accomplice?  Anyway, I was green with envy.  Her silver dress hung on every curve perfectly. A mid-thigh slit was on the right side.  To put it bluntly, I was pissed off.  I wasn’t used to being second best.

“Please tell me this place doesn’t have like thirty different pieces of silverware.”  Marc grumbled into my ear.
  He didn’t seem to be admiring Taya’s figure as he had when they first met.  Smart man.

I smiled, hiding my inner turmoil.  “I’ll help you.  Don’t worry.
”  The brief rundown I gave him of what each utensil was for only made him that more distraught.

He shook his head.  “What the hell did I get myself into
?”