The Two Kings (Afterlife Saga) (109 page)

“Draven, be reasonable
,
” I said turning to meet his gaze. I could
feel it burning into me so I
might as well look at it, to complete the total lack of co-operation. I was shocked however when I saw him grinning in a smug, self-congratulating way. I frowned.

“What?” I asked trying not to bite my lip at
the sight of a smile that drove
me wild.

“Oh
,
nothing
.
” He shrugged and when I let out a little growl he laughed before elaborating. 

“Just a thought that you didn’t bank on, but me however, well let’s just say it’s going to make for an interesting night.” He made a clicking noise with his tongue and winked at me making my heart
flutter. He played the ‘bad boy’
only too well and it made me want to crumble at the sight. This time he turned to leave and I doubted my arm stopping him
was going to be as e
ffective! So I grabbed his suit jacket instead, making him stop to look down at me with eyes I nearly lost myself in.

“And what is that supposed to mean exactly?” I couldn’t keep the negative tone out of my question, just like he couldn’t keep the arrogant smile from touching the corners of his perfect lips. He then reached for my hand that was still clutching at his collar and uncurled my fingers from the material. He lifted my now free hand to his arrogant smile and kissed it like a perfect gentleman would. His eyes found me over my knuckles and they flashed deep purple at his own thoughts.

“See you soon Keira...I’m looking forward to an evening when my favourite person is the topic of conversation.” My mouth dropped open and inhaled cold air quickly making him laugh as he turned away.

“NO wait! I have changed my mind, I think we should go
.
” The words tumbled out in panic and he turned only his head as the rest of his beautiful body faced towards the frosted glass. He had one eyebrow raised and
again
looked
too sexy for words
. Breathe Keira, just breathe, I reminded myself.

“Relax my love, they’re
only stories
.
” He turned fully now and trailed one fingertip along my jaw line and down to the hollow of my throat. I couldn’t help but close my eyes at the touch.

“Keira stories
.
” He whispered and my eyes flashed open but were met with the empty space where Draven once stood. He had gone without making a sound. I couldn’t help the chill that snaked up my back now my heat source was gone. I looked down to do my jacket back up but it was already zipped shut. How did that happen? Man
, oh man
...he was good!

I swallowed the huge lump that was named Hilary down my dry throat and stood not knowing quite what to do next. This was bad...very,
very
bad.

I took a few deep breaths and when that still didn’t seem enough to make me walk back through the doors I took a few more. I could just imagine Draven smirking at my cowardly behaviour as no doubt he still knew I was out here. Maybe if I waited long enough he would come out and get me. NO, then she would win and I would feel like a fail
ure. I mean this was war right?
Then it was time to fight fire with fire and this time I wasn’t going to be the one burnt...oh no, this time I wa
sn’t going to play by any rules. T
o
Hell
with rules of conduct. To
Hell
with rules of right and wrong. What was fair or not, I just didn’t care anymore. This was going to be the night that Hilary would see a different Keira.

This is the night that Hilary would see the side that plays with Demons and has Angels on her side! Oh yes this time it would be...
oh so different!

OK
,
so my bad arse attitude was fooling no one, especially me. But
Hell
...at least it had made me open the doors and come in from the balcony. I tried not to look at the table that was currently entertaining my own personal nightmare. Freddy’s razor hands and Jason’s hockey mask had nothing on the sight of Hilary flirting with my boyfriend. So I didn’t look. I refused to look. I walked over to the bar and was met by Karmun.

“Hey Chica, how’s m
y favourite human?”
He gave me a smile that instan
tly put me at ease and made me forget my justifiable worries.

“I have been better
,
Karmun
,
” I replied bitterly and for the first time I allowed myself to look over to his table. I saw Draven laughing and I didn’t know whether it was something Hilary h
ad just said or that he had over
heard my comment. I hoped for the latter and knew full well that his superior hearing was up to it.

I walked behind the bar and into the back room that no one but me used. There I took off my jacket and lay it across the back of one of the only chairs in this tiny little space. There wasn’t much room for furniture but there was a small desk that held nothing more than dust. I walked over to the mirror I usually gave myself the once over in before I started my shift and it took me back to the days that my heart beat faster and my stomach held nothing but knots at the idea of seeing Draven. Of course my body still
reacted like that but now I was
with him, it didn’t ever last all night like it used too.

I twisted a loose strand back up into its place and straightened my tie
,
not being able to keep the grin of my face. The recent memory of Draven tugging at it on the balcony at least gave me some more colour to my very pale face. I looked up from my tie and let out a gasp at what I was seeing.

The mirror no longer held my image but was now white and steamy. I shuddered at another memory and almost screamed as words started to form in the picture of mist. It took me back to that night Justin kissed me and what horrors followed with the writing in my truck window. It was the same and yet it felt different at the same time. It was as if someone was trapped inside the mirror world and writing messages to communicate words they could not say. Of course as soon as the words started to become readable I let out my held breathe and my shoulder muscles relaxed.

You look beautiful my love

Remember not to work too hard or

you w
ill have your boss to answer t
o

See you soon

Vixen

D x

I don’t know how he managed to write
perfect script in vapour covered
glass but he did. It wasn’t fair that even like this his writing made mine look like the scribbles of a child in comparison. I en
ded up walking out of the
r
e
giggling to myself and biting my bottom lip in between the little snorting noises I was making. Karmun eyed me curiously but remained silent on the matter. This was a small factor compared to my other audience
,
that even though was across the room, I could still feel his eyes taking in my reaction to his
private
message.

I managed the rest of the night without giving into my natural impulses and looking his way. I don’t know how but I could almost taste his displeasure at this an
d felt as though I had paid
him back for earlier. Now I was the one being smug. However it didn’t last long as my mind kept twisting into why’s, wants and what’s.
Why
had my cousin been asked here? How I
Wanted
her to leave and most importantly,
What
was it that she was telling the man I loved?

My cousin’s presence wasn’t the only difference in tonight’s shift. I wasn’t allowed to waitress tonight. Well to be exact there wasn’t much I was allowed to do! Karmun soon informed me that due to Draven’s new guests, he didn’t think it wise for me (as a human) to be serving them quite so so
on. He wanted them to get ‘used’
to my being here.

I had sulked for a few minutes and then gave up trying. I mean
,
he may be my boyfriend
,
but he
was
also my boss. So instead I was to help Karmun behind the bar. It didn’t take long for me to feel more in the way than help. Not with me keep having to ask him questions on where things were and what drinks go in what glasses. It wasn’t exactly like any bar I had ever worked behind before. For one I had no idea how he knew which drinks were being ordered?

“I’m being more of a hindrance than help
,
” I said to him half an hour into my shift and bumping into him for the seventh time in three minutes. He just laughed and smoothed out his silken hair with both hands. Karmun
had
lush coffee coloured skin and large almond shaped golden eyes that looked like honey. His black, long hair hung perfect past his shoulders and never once seem to get in the way of his job. Mine
,
no doubt would have been caught in everything if down and drinking from glasses to find meter long hair curled up in was not an appealing thought. These were just one of the many reasons that I almost always kept it up and firmly out of the way. Unless of course I was with Draven, then I never seemed to have a choice in the matter as it was obvious how he preferred it to be.

He soon shrugged off my worries and gave me a reassuring smile.

“You
’re
too kind to me you know
?
” I said quietly as he pour
ed
drinks into exquisite looking silver goblets.

“Oh Keira, what a sensitive soul you are. Actually it’s nice to have the company again
.” He said this and I
could have sworn I saw a hint of sadness in his eyes. One he was trying to hide.

“Again? Were there
two of you behind here?” I asked
,
although I could tell it made him uncomfortable to speak of. He looked like he wasn’t going to answer at first but when the silence got too much he answered me.

“Yes, before you came. Do you remember when you first came up to the VIP?” He asked me and made a gurgled noise as my answer. Did I remember? How could I ever forget. That was the night that changed my life forever...you don’t forget things like that easily.

“Well
,
do you remember when I told you we were short staffed due to...” He looked like he couldn’t finish so unbelievably I finished for him. Unbelievably
,
because my memory is not one of my strong points.

“Compromising circumstances
!
” This had been a term he had used on my first meeting with him and I had thought it odd back then to use that explanation of someone rather quitting or getting sacked. I couldn’t ignore the flinch I saw his body displayed as I repeated his own words.

“You have a good memory Keira. Yes me and Constantine made a...a good pair
.
” He looked so full of pain that I couldn’t help it when I place
d
a hand on his arm.

“I’m sorry
,
” I whispered and this brought his eyes out of his own personal response and they flew back to mine. He then slowly looked down and stared at my hand touching his. I didn’t know whether I had gone too far by my comforting gesture but when he smiled I no longer felt threatened. I still removed my hand in case it was in fact unwelcome.

“Why are you sorry?” He asked in earnest and I wondered at the answer. I mean I didn’t know the details. So I answered as honestly as I could.

“I can see that this Constantine must have been a dear friend to you
.
” I said without meeting his eyes
,
that didn’t look natural being so serious.

“He was...IS... more than a friend to me
!
” This time the way he said “IS” had me looking up and I couldn’t help but take a step back at the sight of his anger. Karmun was all air and summer breezes but like this all trace of calm was gone and in its place was the darkest of storms. When he noted my response the deep creases in his face smoothed and his eyes widened from the harden slits they were.

Then it was as if we had never had this conversation. He gave himself a laugh and a shake before continuing with the night ahead.
I may have only been human but i
t didn’t stop me from knowing his light-hearted mood was touched with a fake coating that hid something painful that he tried to bury
deep
within him.

I knew from that moment I would never look at him in the same way. I would never forget those honey eyes close to spilling over with a devastated emotion of loss. I knew those eyes. I knew that look and I knew that pain. Only where his was for another, mine had been for the loss of myself. Staring at yourself in the mirror for hours, searching for a face you once knew, was what made time flash by in the years that followed my living death. After what happened with Morgan I felt the strongest part of me die and it was only the heart of another that brought me back to life.