Lover's Betrayal: Misfits of the Lore Series (15 page)

The bear smiled, showing off his sharp teeth. “You all may enter.” As Corinne walked by he whispered in her ear, “I hope to see you later. I have a jar of honey that I would love to share with you. A bit of you and my sweet honey would make the perfect dessert.”

“Well then, big boy, let’s hope that I work up an appetite in there.” Corinne waved one last time and entered the club.

Inside, the building looked as filthy as the outside. Over to the right was a door with the words “The Devil’s Den” carved into the wood. They walked toward the door and proceeded down the long winding stairwell that led to the source of the blaring music. Unlike the rest of this dump, the club was magnificent. It was like a gothic dream. Gargoyles were mounted on top of the stage and the walls were made of marble. Red curtains were hung throughout the club.

Olivia looked up at the ceiling in shock as she saw exquisite paintings demonstrating sexual positions, some of which she had never seen or imagined. “The Kama Sutra, cara.” Lucian smiled that devilish grin. “I had hoped to show you all that I had learned, during our marriage. Unfortunately, that was not meant to be. Yet I’m glad to see Daughton never taught you these things. Maybe there is still something I can offer you after all.”

Olivia could not hide her excitement at the thought. Lucian’s sudden playfulness with her left her confused and thrilled. She wanted to embrace it, but the cynical side of her warned her that Lucian would never really take her back. He still hated her. She could not understand why he would be so kind to her now if he truly hated her. There was nothing she could offer him but her heart. She wondered if it was possible that their mating bond was making him feel close to her again. She was definitely drawn to him, but her feelings for him had never waned. Maybe his old feelings for her were starting to resurface. Maybe he was rediscovering his love for her.

Olivia tried to maintain her composure. He heart was beginning to awaken after years of solitude. She reminded herself that her main priority was proving Kaden’s innocence. If this mission could help her get a second chance at happiness, then that would just be an added bonus.

“Where do we begin?” Olivia asked. “Do we start questioning people?”

“That’s a good place to start,” Lucian answered. “I have pictures of the murdered fey. We can ask around to see if anyone recognizes her and could identify who they saw her with the night she died. Let’s meet back here in half an hour.”

Olivia asked numerous people about the fey, and although a few people admitted that they recognized her, no one offered any useful information. She had just started going to the club a few weeks before her death. She attracted attention with her looks, but beautiful women were everywhere in this place.

The half hour was almost up and she was running out of people to ask. As she looked around some more, she saw a man from across the room staring directly at her. His eyes were silver and his hair dark as midnight. He wore an unbuttoned white shirt and tight black leather pants. He had a certain lethal quality about him. There was no denying his beauty. She was drawn to him. She started walking in his direction as if compelled.

She stood in front of him, looking directly into those eyes, which were like mirrors. “Who are you?” she asked the stranger.

“I’m Liam,” he drawled in a sexy voice with a hint of an English accent.

“What are you?” Olivia inquired further. She could sense an unsettling power in this man.

“What I am is of no concern to you, but what I know is.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You and your friends have been interrogating patrons of my club about a dead fey.”

Olivia knew she should be afraid of this stranger. His voice was harsh, but somehow melodic as well. She felt calm even though her brain was trying to tell her to flee. “We didn’t mean to cause any problems. We’re trying to find out what happened to this woman. We just want to solve her murder.”

“I already spoke to the authorities about this. Granted, I told them nothing, but they didn’t amuse me the way you do. As I’m a kind man, I’ll tell you what I probably should have told them. This fey was a newbie and very eager to learn the dark side. She was attracted to danger. She pursued this vampire who reeked of danger and violence. That was like a drug to her. She wanted more and more of it. She pursued the vamp until he gave in and finally he took her to one of the private rooms in the lower basement. Two hours later, he returned alone and left. An hour later, another patron found her dead in the hall.”

“Do you have security cameras in these private rooms?”

“Not then, but we do now. We originally thought that privacy was best for our patrons. We didn’t anticipate this kind of violence. We probably should have, considering we’re dealing with all types of immortals -- but sex should be about pleasure, not violence. I know now that some monsters can’t differentiate between the two.”

“Can you tell me anything about the vampire that you saw with the fey?” Olivia asked hesitantly.

“He’s a mean bastard who likes to get into fights. I’ve had him thrown out of here several times. I should have banned him from this place, but he’s a well-paying customer and I’m a little greedy.”

Olivia feared this man was describing Kaden, but part of her hoped it could be another vampire and this information could help clear Kaden. “Do you know what this vampire looked like?”

“Yeah. He reminded me of you, except he lacked your amazing eyes. I’ve never seen eyes such a remarkable shade of violet. At times, they even darken to a sexier indigo.” Liam was transfixed by Olivia’s eyes, but then seeing her concerned expression, he focused on the vampire that resembled her. “His eyes were like a forest green. As your eyes are gentle, his eyes were dangerous, but he possessed your unique beauty. He was the darker side of you.”

Olivia’s heart sank. Could he really be describing Kaden, or was he just messing with her? She didn’t know if she could trust this stranger. There was something rather unnerving about him.

She knew she should tell Lucian what Liam had said just in case he was speaking the truth, but there was no doubt that Lucian would just accept this as another sign of Kaden’s guilt. She did not want him to abandon this investigation thinking he had all the proof he needed, especially based off the description given by this mysterious man. There was still more evidence to uncover. There had to be.

Olivia thanked Liam for his time. She reached to shake his hand but he made no motion to grab it. “I would love to shake your hand, but if I did, we’d end up in one of those private rooms and I don’t think that man staring at us across the way would be too pleased about that.”

Olivia saw Lucian standing by the door with Corinne and Lorenzo, watching her closely. “Well, I’m sure I could control myself around you. You may be attractive, but it would take more than a handshake for me to end up in your bed. If you’re arrogant enough to believe otherwise, then that’s your mistake.”

“It’s not arrogance, my dear. It’s knowledge. You see, I can sense that you’re not fully mated, and therefore you’re vulnerable to me. You don’t have the power to resist my touch.”

Olivia was stunned that he knew she was not fully mated, but she refused to let him see he was getting under her skin. “Do you feed all women this line, or am I the lucky one?”

“You’re the lucky one because I’m telling you the truth now rather than taking you to bed and having you regret it later. I would like to think I would overwhelm you with pleasure to such a degree that you could never regret us, but I know that’s not the case. You would lose your mate and hate yourself for falling prey to me.”

“Believe me, I’m not that easy to seduce, and that man over there is the only man whose bed I would consider occupying.”

“Are you challenging me, princess? I can make it so that you let me take you right here, right now with your man watching. Do not challenge what you don’t understand.”

Olivia did not want to admit it, but this man was making her nervous. She still did not believe his claims of seduction, but something inside her told her to back down and not push him any further.

“This has been entertaining, Liam. Thanks for your time.”

“If he ever hurts you, then come back to me and let me offer you pleasure.”

“How chivalrous of you.”

Liam smiled and she walked away to join Lucian and the others.

“Who’s the hottie in the leather?” Corinne asked.

“He’s the owner of the club.”

“Did he have any information about the fey?” Lucian asked in his no-nonsense tone.

Olivia wanted to tell him everything, but she feared how he would respond. Liam did not tell her anything new, so why bring it up again? she rationalized. “He really couldn’t offer much useful information.”

Lucian watched her intensely and Olivia fought to maintain her unsteady nerves. “Well, I guess we might as well leave. It’s getting late anyway. I need to do some more research and figure out where we should go from here.”

“I’m staying,” Corinne said. “I can dematerialize back when I’m ready.”

Lorenzo growled beside her. “I’m staying too, then.”

Corinne sighed and headed toward the dance floor. Lorenzo watched her closely from the back, making sure no one got too close.

“Let’s go, then,” Lucian suggested as he opened the door for Olivia.

The drive back to Julian’s was deathly silent. Olivia’s head was still spinning from that odd conversation with Liam. Lucian was obviously tense, as he held the steering wheel so tightly that it looked like he would rip it off at any moment.

Lucian pulled up in front of Julian’s house. They sat there in silence until Lucian finally turned to her. “I know there’s something you’re not telling me, Liv. You don’t have to hide your attraction for the club owner. I have no claim over you.”

Olivia was stunned that he thought she wanted Liam, and hurt that he did not feel he had a claim to her anymore, as if this was confirmation that they were no longer connected. “I have no interest in Liam.”

“Liam. Is that his name?”

“Yes, but that means nothing. We just talked for a few moments…”

“It was more than a few moments. According to you, he had no information -- so what did you talk to him about for so long?”

Olivia did not know how to respond.

“Look, Liv, if he was just flirting with you then that’s your business and not mine. I have no right to pry. I just need to know that you’re telling me the entire truth about what he said to you regarding the murdered fey. I need to be able to trust you -- and I’m sorry, but I still struggle to believe in you. Let me know that I can trust you again, Olivia.”

Olivia knew that her only chance for happiness with Lucian had to start with honesty. Secrets and lies destroyed them before. There was no way they could come back from that again. “He told me that the fey flirted with a vampire and pursued him. He finally acquiesced and they left together to go to one of the private rooms in the basement of the club. Two hours later, the vampire returned alone and the fey was discovered dead an hour after that. He also said that the vampire looked like me, but with green eyes.”

Lucian sat there quietly, thinking about what Olivia said. Although she initially withheld information from him, she finally came clean. He could understand why she wanted to keep it to herself as it incriminated Kaden even more, but she agreed to work with him to discover the truth whether or not it was the truth she wanted to hear. He could not work with her if there would be lies between them.

“You should have told me this when I first asked you, but your initial reaction was to lie to me again. I’m glad you finally told me the truth, but Liv, I don’t understand why you lie to me so easily. Why you break promises to me. I don’t know what’s real with you. I look back to when we were kids and I struggle to understand what was the truth between us and what was the lie. Was any of it real, or were you just pretending? Are you capable of honesty?”

“Lucian, please. My feelings for you were never a lie. Everything I have ever done was because of my love for you. I know you don’t believe that, but it’s true. I wish I could prove it to you. I know you can’t trust my words. I wish you could trust my heart. You used to know it so well.” Olivia hated that resigned look on Lucian’s face. As if he had completely given up on her, given up on them.

“I thought I did, but now I think that was just an illusion. I don’t think I ever knew you. I spent my entire childhood with you, revealing every part of myself to you and thinking you were doing the same. Now I look at you and see a stranger.”

Olivia did not stop the tears that flowed from her eyes. “I don’t recognize myself anymore either. I can’t expect you to know me when I don’t know me anymore. I’m so sorry, Lucian, for so much. I know it’s not enough, but I am. I hope one day that you can find it in your heart to forgive me.”

Lucian wished he could tell her that he forgave her just to remove that pain from her eyes, but it would be a lie. That was not what either of them needed now. “Thanks for finally telling me the truth about your conversation with Liam. Now it’s getting late and I have work to do. Good night, Livy.”

Olivia sat there for a moment longer, but then she got out of the car and Lucian sped off, leaving her there in the darkness alone again.

She entered Julian’s empty house and decided to relax with a long hot bath. She should eat something, but her stomach revolted at the idea. She searched her luggage for her journal. It had been weeks since she last wrote in it, but seeing Lucian again stirred her desire to express her feelings for him in words. She had hundreds of these journals that she used to write letters to Lucian. This was her only comfort—her only way to talk to him without seeing the simmering disdain in his eyes.

May 2, 2010

My Dearest Lucian,

I can’t tell you how happy it made me to see you again. For the first time in a long time, I felt my heart beat. A sign of life when I otherwise thought mine had ended. You allowed me to feel something good again. That moment of happiness I owe to you. All my happiness I owe to you.