We sat silent as the limo drove through the crowded city streets. I stared out of the window at the neon lights and faded stars, unable to stop thinking of Dante. Who knew what had happened to him after I'd left? The misery in his voice had made my entire self wither away. The gloom in his usually spirited eyes made me shiver with the cold fear that I'd never see him again. I shouldn't have left him there.

Raphael shifted in his seat. I glanced in his direction to see him staring back at me.

"Tell me, do you love him?" Raphael asked.

I swallowed hard. The notion of love had struck me many times before, but now that we were truly separated, there was a numbing melancholy in the air.

"I...do," I answered, my heart aching.

Raphael chuckled. "You know he's a rogue. A drifter. I had offered him a pardon if he helped me capture you. Did you know that?"

"Yes." But I didn't know that. Dante had never told me that part.

"He does nothing for you. Why do you love him?"

I turned my attention towards him. "He's protected me. He's taught me things that I didn't know before."

A sly smile spread on his lips. "You are lucky to have survived this long. Without a coven, a fledgling is useless."

"I thought I didn't need help until Dante found me."

"You're lucky he came when he did, then. But I can teach you much more about spiritual feeding than he can."

I huffed and turned back to look out of the window. What a f.u.c.king nuisance this whole situation was turning out to be. d.a.m.n, if only I had said f.u.c.k it when Dante claimed to know who I was in the beginning, things never would have turned out this way. I would have still been up in that motel, feeding and f.u.c.king, all on my time. I would have never known this world existed, nor would I have got to know Dante.

I fought back the stuffiness welling up in my eyes and throat. More waterworks were coming.

What if I never see him again?*

80.

Leather creaked next to me. Raphael scooted closer and wrapped a muscular arm around my shoulder.

"You'll see him, but first we must take care of this little situation of yours." He nuzzled into my neck.

I wanted to push him away, but I let out a heavy sigh of antic.i.p.ation. I just wanted this to be over.*

81.

Chapter Eleven.

Necessity, not Pleasure The limo turned into a darkened driveway, leading to a small house on the west edge of the city. The home was a far cry from what I'd been used to seeing the last few days. A single bedroom shack, it appeared lacking in paint jobs and spectacular scenery. The cracked boards that made up the exterior might have been patched in its earlier years, but not so well as to keep out the cold. And the screen door hung wide open from its hinges, swaying in the breeze.

"I...um. I expected a flashier place," I said.

Raphael chuckled. "I don't need such luxury as the other coven members. Besides, I spend much of my time at Xavier's, overseeing the capture of rogues in my region."

"Really?"

"I come here to enjoy the peace." Raphael nodded.

The driveway ended on the side of the house. Raphael stepped out before the driver could open the doors. I followed him into the lonely home.

Inside wasn't much different. Silhouettes of unlit candles near the door made me feel uneasy. I smelt the dust and old wood of the walls. Staring past the living room into what appeared to be a kitchen, I caught the sound of a hum from a refrigerator or another appliance.

"Please excuse the mess," he said. "I haven't time to clean."

But I saw no mess to speak of. Only open rooms, mostly void of furniture and anything that could make them comfortable.

Raphael picked up a candle from an end table next to the door and, like magic, every candle in the room lit. Everything became visible. Dirt and grime covered the floors and walls, just as Raphael had said. Cobwebs and spiders hung from the ceiling. And the vintage rug under our feet hadn't been dusted in ages, it seemed. It was too big for the room, and bunched up in one corner, an easy target to trip over.

"Why would you want to be alone in here?" I asked, following him through the kitchen.

"I'm not exactly alone. I have Emmett, my loyal butler, with me. And you."*

82.

With his words, my tension heightened. I trailed closely behind his shadowy figure as we entered another unkempt room. The entire house creaked while we walked. A cold breeze swept past me, most likely from the cracks between the walls and floor.

After going in what seemed a circle, he stopped near an entrance to a room. There, I spied a queen-sized bed covered in black satin sheets in one corner. On the opposite side, a long, dark couch stretched the width of the room facing an unlit fireplace.

Raphael approached the fireplace and set the candle on top of the mantle near other ornaments. I stilled just feet away from the door.

"So. This is it?" I asked. "Am I to live here?"

Raphael played with trinkets. "No. I only ask you to stay for the night."

I didn't want him-I wanted Dante-but I needed Raphael. "And you know how to train me to control myself?" Something warned me against it.

He motioned to the couch. "Sit down. Please, make yourself at home."

I hesitated. He turned back to the mantle and picked up a tinted gla.s.s wine bottle. A pleasant aroma of grapes and liquor caught the draught in the room as he poured wine into a crystal gla.s.s.

"Care for a drink?"

Shaking away my trepidation, I lightly stepped inside and sat on the leather couch.

Raphael offered the gla.s.s. A sparkle lit in his cool blue eyes. I marvelled in their beauty and at the strength in the man who stood before me. Absolutely magical.

"You wonder why I enjoy this loneliness? I guess I've just been awaiting the day that Dante comes to his senses," Raphael said and turned back towards the fireplace once I'd tipped the gla.s.s to my lips.

"Dante?" I braced my lips around the smooth edge of the chalice.

"Why yes. He was my betrothed, after all."

"What did you say?"

"Don't get me wrong. I've loved him just as you do, but the past sixty-four years have been difficult for us both." He fixed his gaze on me and caught me nibbling on my gla.s.s. The liquor touched my lips, but I couldn't drink it. "Ever since Carmella died. You do know of your grandmother, yes?"

I clanked my fangs against the gla.s.s and lifted an eyebrow. "Of course. Dante told me."

Raphael took a drink. "But has he told you everything?"*

83.

"There's more?" I'd really hoped there wasn't-everything was too confusing already.

"Yes." He set his drink on top of the mantle and strode towards me. "You've seen the last of the sanctums in Aurora's bas.e.m.e.nt. Who do you think helped us escape those walls?"

"M-my grandmother?"

He leaned in. The bitter scent of alcohol invaded the s.p.a.ce between us. "Yes, Malachi.

Carmella was not only a witch, but a saviour, if you will. She helped the Order build a trust between vampir and human. Donors were her idea. Blood bags and scientists and the whole spectrum to keep us safe from our enemies. Those ideas came from your grandmother. Using magic, we built that trust with my fellow council members."

"We?" I breathed.

Raphael nodded. "We. I, too, was born a warlock. Though it was through Carmella's teachings that I learnt of my strong heritage."

How could my grandmother have been in league with such creatures?

"Carmella was a beautiful woman. Not only here," Raphael continued, brushing his fingers along his face, "but here." He tapped his heart. "Years after the violence, she spoke of a grandson yet-to-be born. I truly hadn't believed until you fell into my arms some eight years ago."

"So you tried to kill me?" I asked bitterly.

A devious grin spread on his lips. "Unsuccessfully, mind you."

"Why?"

"Malachi, it wasn't against you in any way. I just couldn't allow another vampir with your strength anywhere near the council."

"But I have no strength. Not like you," I breathed.

"Yes," he said as he knelt above me, straddling my legs. "You do. An enchanter's magic combined with spiritual l.u.s.t and, Malachi, you are able to deal great damage if you learn how."

Raphael cupped my face in his hands and I swallowed hard. The familiar spark flared through my skin. My cheeks grew hot. My c.o.c.k twitched.

s.h.i.t, I hope he didn't feel that.

"B-but I don't feel like I'm a danger to anyone...but myself."*

84.

"Oh, you can be. And our goal will be to curb it before it becomes a problem. Tonight, you will deliver to me the extra energies that you have acquired through your training," he said, trailing his hand down my neck.

"T-training?" I stuttered, feeling like a b.u.mbling idiot.

"The work you did at Aurora's. You fed on energy while running and seeking, did you not?"

I nodded. I'd gathered plenty, if I included all the times I'd fed from Dante and all the wonderful nights between us-and the not so wonderful lesson of how I'd been created.

"Transmit your spiritual energy to me." Raphael's eyes sparkled in the light.

I caught myself staring aimlessly straight into his beautiful blue gaze. I couldn't breathe, nor could I move under his weight. He had me trapped under his guard.

"Don't you realise I've barely even touched you and you're already devouring my l.u.s.t?" Raphael asked, his eyebrow c.o.c.ked.

"I'm not feeding..."

I trembled underneath him. Thrusting closer, he pressed his taut chest into mine. I tried to shift but found myself frozen.

"Oh, but you are, my friend." His breath wafted against my cheek as he nuzzled close.

"Release it."

"No," I gasped. A pain, harboured deep within my core, spread along my limbs.

I slammed my eyes shut before the burn swelled through my face. My heart sped, and I trembled violently under his forceful weight. The gla.s.s slipped from my hand and shattered on the floor next to my feet. No. I had to learn control.

Raphael huffed, moved away and walked back to the mantle to pick up a small vial filled with red fluid.

He opened the cap, letting the corrupt scent escape. "This is a special kind of blood given to us by a friend," he said, approaching me. "This will help you find the strength you need."