Foreshadowed (9 page)

CHAPTER 18

            Chaz was still waiting for us outside in the vehicle we'd arrived in and we wasted no time climbing inside. I looked at Alex and let out a deep sigh. "
What
a day."

            Alex grinned over at me. "Yeah. Remind me never to get on your bad side."

            "Yeah, you should definitely remember that," I teased. All this talk about my bad side was bringing Ophelia to mind. "Which reminds me. I wonder why Ophelia decided to warn us about Lucien. Well, besides using it as an excuse to visit you, obviously. You'd think she'd be happy Lucien was planning to lure me into his trap."

            Alex was quiet for a minute while he seemed to contemplate an answer. It felt like forever before he said, "I know she hasn't given you any reason to believe it, but Ophelia can actually be alright sometimes. Maybe she's finally accepted the fact that we're bonded eternally and there's nothing she can do about it."

            I gave him a doubtful look. "Sorry, but I'm not buying it. Ophelia's out for one thing and one thing only...herself. I don't trust her for a minute and it's highly unlikely I ever will."

            Before Alex had a chance to respond, my phone vibrated with a text. I looked down and sucked in a breath when I saw it was from my father, Demetrie. I hadn't heard from him since our wedding a little over a month ago. The message simply said
'call me'
.

            I looked up at Alex. "It's a message from Demetrie. He wants me to call him. That worries me. I haven't heard from him in a month and now he sends me some cryptic message to call him."

            Alex pressed his lips together, his blue eyes thoughtful. "Could be about this whole thing with Lucien, but I would have thought Kathryn would've reported everything back to him by now. I don't know what he could want."

            I sighed. "I'm not calling him back right now. It's been an overwhelming day as it is, and I don't need anything else added to it. I'll call him when we get back to North Carolina. I need a break from the turmoil for awhile."

            To say I was eager to get back to the hotel for a shower and some much needed peace and quiet was an understatement. I was even more eager to get back to the States and our home in Charlotte. A few short months ago, I'd never even crossed the state lines of North Carolina, and now it seemed like I spent more time out of the country than in it. It was strange how life had a crazy way of taking off in unforeseen directions. I was pretty sure my life lately had been the poster child for crazy. Not even a couple of months ago, I had been standing on the sidewalk in front of my new apartment for the first time, thinking the most excitement I was in for was a new job in a new city. What a huge underestimate that was.

            "Well, Brooke," Alex said, as we lay in the safety and comfort of our large king sized bed after a seemingly never ending flight home.  He was leaning over me, absently twirling my long hair between his fingers and looking down at me. "It looks like putting you under extreme stress brings out your new vampire powers. And apparently, you being able to control the elements is one of them. I don't think I have to tell you how incredible
that
is. It's unheard of, actually."

            "It
was
pretty awesome," I said. And the more I thought about it, the crazier it seemed. I'd been so wrapped up in what was happening during the fight at Lucien‘s, that I hadn't truly thought about the kind of power I had discovered.

            Alex's handsome features clouded over. "Unfortunately, when word gets back to the Regency, they aren't going to find it nearly as awesome
.
In fact, it will scare the heck out of them, and when that happens they'll react in one way and one way only-- they'll try to destroy you. And it won't matter that your father is king."

            I shrugged. "Fortunately for me, I can
rain
on their parade." I smiled over at Alex who clearly did not find my joke funny.

            I reached over, letting my hand caress the side of his face, watching as his eyes softened.

            Hmm, maybe a method of distraction was called for.

            Pulling his face towards mine, I gave him a lingering kiss before pulling back and saying, "Surely we can find something better to do than talk about the Regency and their crazy need to control us? If you can't think of anything, I'm sure I can come up with
something.
"

            Alex gave me a cocky grin before flipping me over so that he was on top of me and I was pressed into the soft mattress. "What, exactly, did you have in mind?"

CHAPTER 19

One month later....

           
Things since our return from France had been nearly perfect. Nearly, because there would always be an undercurrent of worry that the Regency would exercise their power and try to tear Alex and I apart. Lucien, on the other hand, had not been heard from since the day I watched the harbor suck him into it's depths... but, drowning was not possible for a vampire, as luck would have it. Which meant he was out there somewhere-- and I didn’t believe for a minute that it was over with him. I was really wishing that I had destroyed him while I had a chance. Perhaps, subconsciously, I was trying to avoid the wrath that destroying him would have brought from the Regency.

            Anna had recovered fairly quickly and she and Ethan had returned to the States within a week of us. Ethan was still Ethan as far as I was concerned. Still arrogant, with the same I-don't-give-a-damn attitude. But, there was a contentedness just below the surface that hadn't been there before. Maybe he had been so ornery before because he hadn't been happy with his ever changing slew of women.

            Anna, seemingly, had changed that for him. I was relieved that she'd adjusted rather well to her transition from human to vampire. There
was
a slight altercation where she’d tried to attack Brad in the initial days after she was turned, but other than that, she hadn't had any problems. And just as the rest of us, her transformation was pretty remarkable. Really, I didn't think it was even possible for Anna to get any more gorgeous... but it happened. I'd been a little worried about Kyle's reaction to her being turned, but he'd seemed relieved when he found out. She was essentially all he had left of his pre-vampire life and I think the fact that her days were numbered as a human had bothered him more than he’d liked to admit. She had been his younger sister and at the point she was turned, she'd already out aged him by a year. And in true sibling form, she had liked to tease him about that every chance she got.

            When Alex and I entered Kyle's bar, The Crimson Tide, we were lucky to even be able to press our way in. I could see Anna and Ethan at our usual table at the back of the room, but the crowd was so tight it was a struggle to move two feet ahead. The band playing on stage was the same one whose front man had been dating Macy, the vampire Brad had destroyed. From the way he was practically serenading a girl close to the front of the stage, he was already over it.

            As we inched our way towards Ethan and Anna, I ignored the way the females around us couldn't seem to take their eyes off of Alex, some even pressing against him
accidentally
in the crowd. It took everything I had not to roll my eyes. I had been a lot of things in my life, but desperate wasn't one of them. And besides, Alex didn't even seem to notice. I guess hundreds of years of admiration would make you immune to it.

            Tiring of the slow progress, Alex pulled my body flush against his and plowed us through the masses, the crowd literally parting around him. That was one way to do it; though I doubted it would have worked for anyone else.

            When we finally reached our table, I sat down next to Anna and asked both her and Ethan, "What's the deal with the crowd tonight? It's kinda out of hand."

            Alex and Anna exchanged a glance and I was immediately suspicious. Anna looked over at me. "Well," she drew out. "Rumor has it that there's going to be an awesome vocalist guest appearing with the band tonight. One that’s pretty well known in the vampire world."

            "Really?" I said. Well, that would explain it. I knew there had to be some reason for such an unusually large crush of people. The band onstage was great and performed at this bar a lot, but never to a crowd this big. I also noticed that the population tonight, which was usually a pretty even mix of humans and vampires, was predominately vampire. "Who is it? Anyone I know?"

            Ethan and Alex both laughed and Ethan replied, sending Alex a conspiring look, "Yeah, you could say that. Just wait and see."

            Errr. I
despised
surprises. Rarely did anything good ever come out of them. Usually, it was something someone knew you wouldn't be happy about, so they put off telling you under the pretense that it was a surprise. I looked warily at Alex. He grinned over at me showing the dimple in his left cheek that always succeeded in making me want to lean over and kiss it. I sent him a silent message.
Stop distracting me. I'm trying to figure out what you're hiding.

           
His smile grew wider and I gritted my teeth. He was enjoying this entirely too much.

            He sent me a message of his own.
I can't help it if you have a one track mind.

           
I wrinkled my nose at him.
You can be so infuriating.

            I think you meant to say irresistible, not infuriating.

            I nudged his leg playfully with one of my black heels.
Gracious, you sure are cocky. I don't know why I put up with you.

           
He winked at me.
Oh, I know why. It’s because I’m so great in the…

           
I quickly cut him off.
If you say ‘sack‘, I’m going to hurt you.

            I was going to say ‘in the kitchen’, but since your ever naughty mind brings it up, then yes, that too.

           
I rolled my eyes and turned my attention to Anna who'd been tugging at my arm. As I listened to her tell me about some girl Kyle was dating, whom she didn't approve of, I barely registered Alex getting up from the table. It wasn't unusual for him to make rounds talking with people he knew. The band had just returned to the stage from a break and I had to cover my ears when the females in the room began screaming. Geez, it wasn't like the band hadn't been playing all night. Now, all of the sudden, they were trying to break a sound barrier with their screeches. My back was facing the stage and I didn't bother to turn around when the first chords of the song they were playing began. I did, however, perk up a bit when I realized it was an acoustic version of a song. They were my favorite kind; and apparently the favorite of many other girls in the building too.

           
Ethan was smirking at me and seconds later I knew why. The smooth, husky voice of the singer was captivating.... and familiar. I whipped around in my seat to see Alex standing on stage, with an enraptured audience, and a voice that was surely causing goose bumps to pop up on females all throughout the room. My mouth dropped. His eyes found mine from across the room and I knew the words he was singing were meant for me. I was so stunned that I could do nothing but bite my lip and stare. I'm not sure if I even heard the words to the song, I was so hypnotized by the sound of his voice. The message, I think, was about loving someone more than they would ever love themselves. Hmm, more of him trying to convince me of my worth. I would never see myself through his eyes, so he was probably winning a losing battle, but I had to hand it to him-- he was good. Because by the end of the song he had me believing whatever he wanted me to believe... and all the other girls in the room too.

           
Alex sang several more sets with the band before leaving the stage to ear deafening cheers from the crowd. I was shocked. How was it I didn't know something like this about the man I was married too? It seemed like I was missing some huge puzzle pieces of his life.

            I turned around to see that Anna had practically melted into a puddle in her chair. Now it was Ethan's turn to roll his eyes. I cleared my throat and asked them both, "How is it I'm married to this guy and didn't know this about him?" Talk about being an overachiever. I needed to make it my mission to find
something
the guy wasn’t good at.

            Ethan gave me a wry grin before saying, "Well, you've only been married to him for less than two months, for one. But he's well known in the vampire sect for melting a heart or two with his voice. He use to sing with the band playing tonight a long time ago. And I'm talking before you were even born-- so don't feel bad. Hell, I've known him for hundreds years and he still manages to throw me for a loop every now and then." 

            "I never would have guessed it. The last place I’d expect to find him would be on stage blowing a crowd of adoring females away with a seductive ballad." I shook my head in disbelief.

            Ethan shrugged a shoulder. "When you've been around as long as we have, you find diversions to pass the time."

            "Yeah, well this tops any surprise I've ever had," I said as Alex walked up to our table, leaning over me to kiss the top of my forehead, before plopping down in the chair next to me. I looked over at him. "You may have just changed my opinion of surprises." I climbed to sit in his lap and gave him a lingering kiss on the lips. I was not big on pda's, but after that heart stopping serenade, he deserved it. How was it fair that he could sing like that and look so mouthwatering at the same time? "I think you may have every girl in this place in love with you."

            "That's a shame, because there's only one girl I'm in love with and she's sitting on my lap."

            I bit back a smile and said, "Well, she's a lucky girl."

            Ethan spoke up interrupting us and reminding me that it wasn't just Alex and I in the room. Because, honestly, I'd forgotten. Ethan's voice was laced with sarcasm when he said, "Do I need to remind you there are other people sitting at this table? Not to mention hundreds of others in the building."

            I sent him a glare, which he returned. Despite our playful banter there was an undercurrent of affection between us. I was probably the only person on earth who could get away with talking to him the way I did. I loved Ethan like a brother and despite what he said about not letting himself care for others, I knew he cared about me. It was nice knowing two of the strongest vampires in existence had my back.

            I slid off of Alex's lap, making sure to tug my long sleeved blue mini dress into place. I'm sure I would hear about that, too, if I didn't. As soon as I was in my own chair, it seemed like the flood gates opened and it was taken as an open invitation for every other female in the vicinity to stop by and gush over Alex's performance. I wanted to be annoyed but, quite frankly, I couldn't blame them. Besides, Alex was doing a good job of brushing them off nicely.

            I reached over and grabbed my phone when I heard it vibrating against the table. Glancing at the screen, I saw that it was Demetrie. Sighing deeply, I sent Alex a silent message.
My father’s calling. I guess I need to take this call.
I’d never returned the text Demetrie had sent me in France. Alex nodded, but his eyes followed me intently as I stood and made my way to a less noisy hallway in the rear of the bar.

            Demetrie answered my call on the first ring. “Brooke?”

            “Yes, it’s me?” I wanted to make this conversation short and sweet. I had no idea how much of a hand he’d played in the latest incident with Lucien and I had no need for a fatherly chit chat.