Revelation of Blood (8 page)

Beverly had done a great job securing my
donors. They were exactly as I asked and she exceeded my
expectations. I was starting to understand why Archer kept her
around. She may have wanted my man, but she was intelligent enough
not to step on my toes when blood and a hungry vampire were
involved. Smart girl.

Javier was exquisite; his blood tasted tangy,
rich, earthy and spicy, and was just what I had been craving. This
time I didn’t allow my venom to give my donor more than a slight
euphoric high. The last thing I needed was two hot, delicious men
blowing their loads again in front of Archer. If the roles were
reversed and Archer was giving gorgeous women orgasms when he fed,
I’d probably have to cut a bitch. Respect. You give a little, you
get a little.

Juan Carlos proved to be a bigger challenge
than I was anticipating and I was dangerously close to losing my
head and giving him the full whammy of my bite. As I fed from his
neck, he whispered seductive little words in Spanish. His blood,
mixed with the smell of his excitement and soft cadence of his
words, was enough to drive me over the edge of sanity.

I blindly reached out with one hand behind
me, desperately needing Archer to take it and ground me with his
touch. Thankfully, he was there in a heartbeat. He held my hand
tightly and stroked my hair as I finished up.

By the time the men had recovered and I
thanked them, Beverly was back to escort them out.

“If there is anything you need, Mr. Rhys, I’m
just a phone call away,” she purred at Archer before she showed the
men to the door and left.

I growled as soon as the door closed and
Archer turned to me with a chuckle. “Is someone jealous?”

“I hate the way she looks at you,” I frowned
as I folded my arms over my chest. “And I don’t like the fact that
I was picking up nothing but jealousy and longing from her emotions
when I read her. She’s got a major hard-on for you and I don’t like
it. I also don’t like knowing that you two have a past. I don’t
know the extent of your relationship, but I can tell she wants more
than you are giving her now.”

Archer sighed and ran his fingers through his
hair as he sat down in the spot Juan Carlos just vacated. He held
out his hand and waited for me to take it. When I did, he pulled me
onto his lap and made me to straddle his hips. “Ms. Reynolds
donated her blood to me a few times.”

I gazed at him with pursed lips and narrowed
eyes. “And?”

“And,” Archer sighed, as he wrapped his hands
around me and pulled me flush against his chest. “That’s it. Before
you ask or even assume, Beverly and I have not slept together.
Before you came into my life, I steered clear of fucking my
employees.”

I took a deep breath and slowly let it out.
His words were a soothing balm for my displeasure and I was
secretly glad that I wouldn’t have to ruin her adorable Chanel
skirt with the sole of my chuck. That skirt was too posh to
withstand an old fashioned Texas ass-whooping.

Archer saw my change in mood and smiled.
“Feeling better since you fed, baby?”

“Much,” I smiled happily as I ran my fingers
through his silky brown hair then lightly kissed his full lips. “I
don’t mind you drinking your fill from me when we make love; in
fact I love it, but let’s try to replenish my supply a little
faster next time. Your girl royally pissed me off and I was ten
seconds away from making her regret she’d ever come into work
today.”

“Skye,” Archer admonished with a tsk as he
fought a grin.

“What?” I breathed innocently as I shrugged
one shoulder. “So I get a little cranky when I’m hungry. I’m a
newborn. You know I’m still somewhat a slave to my emotions. When a
hot chick comes into my man’s house and looks at him the way
Beverly looked at you…in front of me while I’m starving? Well,
she’s just lucky you were around to distract me.” I took his face
in my hands and looked into his eyes. “You’re mine, Archer Rhys;
lock, stock, and barrel baby. I’d never been jealous a day in my
life until I met you. I know what I want, I know what I want to
protect, and I’m prepared to kick a little ass if need be.”

“You love me,” he teased and smiled a toothy,
satisfied grin.

“For life, baby,” I smiled and I realized
that I meant it. I’d love Archer Rhys until my dying breath and
couldn’t imagine myself loving any other man. More importantly, I
never wanted anyone else but him. He was my forever and that fit me
just fine.

We arrived at Patty’s Club and Pub with an
hour to spare until show time. Archer was dressed in dark wash
designer jeans and a black t-shirt and I was wearing tight black
leather leggings, my six inch black DIY (Do-it-yourself) Alti Spike
pumps and a black Manky Langer t-shirt that I had previously cut,
ripped, shredded and tied into a backless cropped halter top. I
chose to wear my hair down to cover my naked back and I wore a
little less makeup than I normally did when dressing up for my
shift at The Mausoleum, but it was still quite dark.

We gave the doorman our tickets, held out our
wrist to accept the required wristbands, and headed inside for a
drink. The club had around a hundred people inside already and it
made maneuvering to the bar a bit interesting; lots of side
stepping, shuffling, and ‘pardon me’s. Archer ordered two whiskey
doubles and a PBR chaser for me. I was about to accept my drink
from him when the sound of an acoustic guitar drew my
attention.

Someone was playing the opening chords to
‘Here Without You’ by 3 Doors Down. I tried to see the stage but a
large crowd surrounded us and I wasn’t tall enough to see over the
towering men. Archer nudged me with his elbow and I shook my head
as I accepted the whiskey and beer.

“To a good night, beautiful,” Archer smiled
as he touched his rim to mine and leaned his head down to me.

“To a good night,” I whispered happily
against his lips before kissing them. “
Sláinte
,
handsome.”

“
Sláinte
.”

I downed my whiskey in two gulps and nearly
dropped the glass as Jameson’s perfect voice accompanied the sounds
of the acoustic guitar.

“Are you okay?” Archer asked worriedly,
taking the glass from me and setting it on the bar.

I tried to listen to what he was saying but
Jameson’s soulful rendition had my complete attention. I turned to
the group of guys nearest me and shuffled them to the side a few
feet so that I could take a peek at the stage. Jameson sat alone on
a high, backless bar stool; his acoustic guitar propped on his knee
and his eyes closed tightly as he sang into the microphone in front
of him. His face was full of emotion and what I saw and heard broke
my heart.

‘Here Without You’ was not a happy song; it
was about someone who was separated from the person they wanted to
be with most and had to contend with thoughts and dreams of them to
get by until they could see them again. Hearing Jameson croon those
words made my stomach twist in knots.

“What’s wrong?” Archer asked, lacing his
fingers through mine and pulling me back to the barstool beside
him.

“N-nothing,” I mumbled as I popped the tab on
my can of beer and took a deep pull.

Archer turned my face to his and frowned as
he looked deeply into my eyes. “Something is bothering you. You’re
shaking.”

Looking down at my hands, I realized he was
right.
Well shit
! I closed my eyes and worked hard to put up
a mental barrier between Archer and me. I didn’t want him hearing
my thoughts right now.
The song is probably about someone else;
a girl he met. Jameson hates me. He wouldn’t be singing about
me.

Jameson’s song ended and Archer was
interrupted from his thoughts by the clapping. He joined in and
smiled toward the stage.

“I think I’ll bring our
dheartháir
a
whiskey and surprise him,” Archer smiled as he turned toward the
bar. “I wonder why he’s out here singing with his acoustic. I’ve
never seen him do that before a show. Have you?”

“He’s probably just warming up,” I guessed as
the chords of his next song began.

It was a rocked up version but there was no
doubt as to what the song was. ‘My Immortal’ by Evanescence
vibrated off the strings and I swallowed hard. There was no doubt
in my mind that this song was meant for me; even if Jameson was
unaware that we were here, he was still playing the song for me and
it made my heart ache. ‘My Immortal’ stood as the principal anthem
of the wounded, pained and brokenhearted.

I stood up from my seat and nudged my way
free from the crowd around the bar. My eyes drank him in as I
watched. Jameson’s eyes were closed again as he strummed out the
gut-wrenching tune; pouring out his very soul into the mic. My hand
covered my mouth as I tried to stifle my bubbling emotions. Seeing
him play that song was bad enough but having to hear it made me
feel sick.

His words made me want to find the deepest,
darkest hole and hide away; to run out of the club and lie down in
oncoming traffic, finally putting him out of his misery. I felt
lower than low; like the sludge that grows on slime that sits below
algae at the bottom of a pond.
He’s never going to forgive
me
, I silently told myself.
He hates you, just
listen
!

I swallowed thickly, my eyes burning with
unshed tears, as I turned to go back to the bar. Truth was, I
wanted to be anywhere in the world but right here listening to his
internal torture. What I did to him was unforgiveable and I had no
right to show my face here.

Archer was moving through the ever increasing
crowd and was only a few feet away. He stopped in front of me,
handing me another beer and whiskey.

“I’m going to take this one over to Jameson,
baby,” he said as he leaned into me. “Do you want to go with me and
say hello?”

I quickly shook my head and made an excuse.
“I’m going to check out the merch booth real quick. There’s a Manky
Langer t-shirt I want. I’ll find you in a few minutes.”

Archer kissed my cheek and I watched frozen
with fear as he approached the stage. Jameson’s eyes were still
closed but it only took a few seconds for him to sense Archer near.
His eyes popped open in surprise and he smiled down at his brother.
I could tell that Jameson had missed Archer and was genuinely happy
to see him.

Jameson flawlessly finished the song and
flipped his guitar around on its strap so that it rested against
his back before hopping down and hugging Archer tightly, patting
his back a few times. Jameson accepted the whiskey from his
brother, then reached over by his stool and picked up a half empty
bottle of his own favorite brand before draining the shot and
refilling his and Archer’s glasses.

They talked for a minute and I was about to
turn around when a tell-tale frown appeared on Jameson’s face. I
knew right then that the conversation had turned to me. Jameson’s
head snapped up and he scanned the crowd, looking for me.

I was so terrified of him seeing me and
wanted to turn tail and run, but my feet were cemented in place.
Fear is a total bitch sometimes. Jameson’s eyes passed over me and
I breathed a sigh of relief. To my horror, they snapped right back
to me and zeroed in. Like they were all suddenly conspiring against
me, the crowd around me picked that moment to shift, leaving me
fully exposed to him. His eyes swept slowly down my body and back
up again, taking their time on the trip. I wrapped my arms
protectively around my bare stomach and waited for the condemnation
I was sure to see in his eyes. To my immense amazement and shock,
it never came.

He stared at me for a while longer then
looked back to Archer and never glanced my way again. I didn’t know
whether to be relieved or hurt. I settled on a mix of the two and
tossed back my shot before chasing it with the entire can of
PBR.

I politely elbowed my way to the bar and
ordered up another double whiskey while Archer and Jameson visited.
The bartender must have sensed my inner turmoil because he slid me
another PBR on the house and told me to cheer up. I nodded my head,
thanking him, and tossed back the double before shooting the beer.
A minute later, my head started to feel fuzzy and I knew I had a
buzz. Sadly, being a vampire made it hard to catch an actual buzz
and even harder to keep it for very long. Either way I was happy
because my nerves were starting to finally calm down.

A hand rubbed my back and I glanced up to see
Archer behind me. “You doing okay?” he asked, concern heavy in his
voice.

“I’m buzzed,” I smiled as I signaled for
another round for Archer and me.

“I bet,” Archer smiled and leaned down to
capture my mouth. “You taste like Pabst,” he grimaced.

“Give me two seconds and I won’t,” I giggled
as I held up three fingers.

The bartender set our order in front of me
and I downed the shot and leaned back into Archer’s side. “What
about now?” I asked, puckering up.

Archer chuckled and pulled me off the
barstool. “Mmm. Whiskey. Much better, baby,” he purred, pulling
back from the kiss. “Grab your beer. Jameson is going to play one
more song before the band comes out.”

I wanted to dig my heels in and refuse to go,
but some sick part inside of me was obviously a glutton for
punishment. Archer and I joined a small group that had amassed in
front of the stage. Jameson took a final swig from his bottle
before he cleared his throat and began the next song.

I didn’t recognize the tune at first and
smiled up at Archer in relief.
Maybe he’s done torturing me
,
I silently hoped. I started to relax and enjoy the performance, but
was suddenly slapped in the face by the verbiage. Looking back, it
had to have been the alcohol that caused me to not pay close enough
attention to the opening. Jameson was singing ‘Rest in Pieces’ by
Saliva and his eyes were only for me.