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Jerome came around feeling wild. He leaped at Wilder, took him by the throat, digging in his nails. Wilder landed a defensive blow to his ear, then shoved him back across the bed.
“I could kill you, Wilder!”
“And I could have let you die.”
“You saw what they did to me?”
“I saw.” Wilder pulled a chair up to the bed. “I also saw what you did to that crone. You should’ve just killed her.”
“What did they do to Mary and Darnell?”
“In their coffins, staked and bound like the others.”
“You just watched it being done?”
“It was done before I arrived.”
“Tell me something, Wilder. If she ordered it, would you kill vampires?”
“If a killing was in order, I would.”
“Would you truly kill me?” Jerome tried to read Wilder’s eyes. When he was upset, his brown eyes usually showed more amber. Seems he wasn’t upset.
“I just wanted to see if you were on the mend. I’ll be joining my friends now.”
“Wait.” Jerome studied the sad brown eyes. Was the sadness for him or for Velvet? Velvet had cost him everything then cast him away as if he were a nuisance. “Is the immortal here?”
“No.”
“No? I would have supposed he marched in front like always. He’s the main man these days?”
“What do you care about Rankin?”
“You don’t? I gathered he was the reason she completely pushed you to the side.”
“She never sullied herself with Rankin!”
“Oh, that’s right. She never fucked him back then, did she?” Finally, he got a rise from Wilder. Obviously, the thought of Velvet in carnal bliss with anyone still bothered him. “Your witch is quite the woman.” Jerome left the bed to saunter up to Wilder. “All these years, she hasn’t desired anyone else until now. But I don’t blame her. You are a tough act to follow. But I’m not talking about Rankin.” Was it possible he didn’t know? Wilder was watching him with a guarded expression, also he wasn’t in such a hurry to exit his bedroom at the moment. Jerome tossed his head back and roared with laughter. “Are you really that blind? Of course, she has moved on to someone else!”
“Moved on?” Wilder frowned at him clearly more than annoyed. “Velvet has not-” He swallowed back his words. Jerome laughed at him again. “What, you bastard?”
“You already know, Wilder. You watch her every move.”
“Say it before I break your neck!”
“Now that poor Jasmine is out of the way, how long you figure it’ll take for Troy to get her in bed?”
“Troy!”
“You’ve seen them fight. All the screaming and snarling with just a little blood flow is as close to sex as they could get. But now things are different.”
“So? Velvet can do as she pleases with whomever she pleases. I’m not her father or priest.”
“You’re her vampire. You should be in charge! Don’t you see how it looks? Is she still hexing you?”
“I’ve never been hexed.”
“What about Troy? You think once he starts fucking her, he’s going to allow you to live in the same house with her? Will you be able to leave her, Wilder?”
“I don’t have any intention of leaving her and she will not force me from her side.”
“She’s already forced you from her bed.”
“It’s not like I need sex to survive. And clearly neither does Velvet.”
“You fool, desire isn’t about needing. Desire is about what you want! Velvet wants a man, Wilder. Troy is a man and much more.”
“A man that you want.”
“If I wanted Troy, I’d have had him a long time ago.”
“You mean maybe before Velvet started kicking his ass.” Wilder gave him a slight grin. “Forget it, Jerome. You can’t get me jealous enough to do your dirty work. If Velvet wants him, as far as I am concerned, she can have him.”
“You are lying.” He had to be. Or he was indeed bewitched.
“Have it your way.” Wilder left the bedroom, walked briskly down the corridor then to the second floor. He was just a few steps from the front door when Jerome called out to him from above.
“I will kill her for you more than for myself.”
Wilder turned flashing his eyes. “If you ever so much as nip her again, I will come for you. I will finally take away the life I gave you.”
“I am warned,” Jerome said, backing into the shadows.
~*~
In the kitchen, he poured a large glass of blood from a milk bottle. Gulping it down, he visualized how he’d kill Omar. The cop punked him in his own home. A mere mortal! If he didn’t need the blood so much, he probably would have thrown it up, his outrage was so intense. And his people were contained with crosses and crucifixes while he was allowed to move about freely as if he were nothing. He poured another glass and gulped it all down. She used a normal human just to humiliate him. He wanted to shout and tear her lungs from her chest!
He noticed the phone on the wall next to the fridge. Both his private lines were flashing, but Velvet’s enchantment wouldn’t allow him to call out or receive calls. He wondered if Velvet were so old fashioned that she’d not consider his cell phones? He calmly took the bottle of blood, left the kitchen, and went up the back stairs.
After closing the heavy door to his private quarters, he went to his night stand for a cell phone. Bitch thought she was so damn smart, he thought as he pushed a few buttons. Yes! The phone was ringing!
“Frank Mosby.”
“This is Jerome.”
“Oh, Mister Firestrom! I’ve been calling you the last hour or so!”
“Listen to me! Velvet, along with your partner is here holding me and mine captive. She’s using magic and crosses!”
“What for?”
“Do you need a reason! Get some people over here now!”
“Sir,” Frank interrupted, and then took a moment. “Sir, that’s impossible. All units are reporting to the Grove. Vampires and demons are being picked up. Sir, there’s no way even with the Mayor’s help. We can’t make this go away.”
“What happened?”
“Nine one one. Citizens called the county, reporting vampire attacks. And sir, I think just about every werewolf in Fairlight is down there helping the Sheriff and his deputies round up your people.”
“But this is a city matter.”
“And this city is part of the county.”
“Where are you?”
“At the station.”
“You tell my people to get out of there anyway they can.” Jerome detected a rush of breath from the detective, then silence. “Did you hear me, Frank?”
“Mister Firestrom, I can’t comply with that request. I won’t put my fellow officers in danger. Your vampires are just going to have to face the music. I just thought you should know what was going down. The best thing you can do is get as many lawyers down here as you can to protect these individuals. I can’t and neither can any city cop if the sheriff is allowed to continue taking over. The detainees must be transferred to county and we know that is going to happen after sunrise.”
“You telling me there is no chance my people can escape?”
“Don’t see how. These county cops are equipped with silver ammo and ultra violet ray guns.”
“What?!”
“I swear to God. A kid broke loose and got in the air. One of them deputies aimed his gizmo and that boy sizzled from the inside outward. He was dead before he hit the ground. They won’t tell where they got such a thing from, but I wouldn’t worry about it being mass produced. A thing like that has to cost-”
Jerome ended the call. He couldn’t take any more, because he was now truly sick.