The Watcher, page 37
part #1 of Fleur de Lis Series
“Did Leila join the battle? I asked.
“She did not, but she told Aaron, where they were and how to break in,” Zachary said.
“How long ago did this happen?” I asked.
“Fifteen years after Varg Jonasson's death,” Fernan said. “There weren't many vampires in their Covenant, and after Aaron attacked them, they were almost annihilated. Now, only a hundred and twenty vampires live in Siberia, and they live underground in the city of Novosibirsk.”
“They might be a small Covenant, but they are extremely wealthy and have a powerful vampire named Alik Rykov, who can hypnotize,” Zachary said.
“Like me,” Sebastian said and smiled conceitedly. “And in the past hundred and thirty years, they have built a city underground with hidden passageways. If anyone were to venture inside they can get trapped and easily killed.”
“You were right...another sad story of betrayal,” I muttered, staring at my brother skating, thinking how anyone can try to kill their sibling.
“Jealousy, Skye,” Fernan said, reading my mind. “It has been around from the time of Cain and Able.”
“True,” I said, looking at Fernan. “The first murder.”
“It's Christmas...that's enough talk of murder. Let's take a walk,” Zachary said.
“You are right Zachary,” Fernan said.
My brother approached us from behind, gripping to the back of my seat, startling me. He was still wearing his skates. His nose was beet red, and he was out of breath, holding his cell phone.
“It was...it was, Laura,” Christian said, trying to catch his breath. “She said, she saw this strange guy wearing a hoody, standing in front of her house, by the edge of the sidewalk. He kept staring at our house. When she called out to him. He walked away with his head down, not showing his face.”
“Who's Laura?” Fernan asked.
“She's the neighbor that lives across the street from them,” Sebastian said.
“Did she go after him?” I asked Christian.
“No, she was going outside to smoke a cigarette when she saw him, and she had a few guests in her house,” Christian said.
“Does she know you are back in New York?” I asked.
“No, she thinks I am still on vacation,” he said.
“Do you think she is lying?” I asked.
“Why would she lie about this?” Christian asked with an annoyed look.
“Because she wants you to come home,” I said, narrowing my eyes at him.
“I will send a couple of Guardians to check it out...see if they can pick up his scent,” Fernan said and begun texting on his phone.
“I told Laura not to follow anyone, but to call me immediately if it happens again,” Christian said, grabbing my hot chocolate and finishing the last few sips.
“Mmm, that's so good,” he mumbled, licking his lips.
“Enjoy the rest of the night. I don't want you to worry about this. We have snipers on the rooftops, surrounding where we are, with heat sensor eyewear that can spot who is a vampire or a human,” Fernan said.
“We will handle this,” Sebastian said. “Go take your walk.”
“Can I go back to skating?” Christian asked.
“Of course,” Fernan said and Christian exited, walking funny with his skates.
“John and Cai are in the GE building on the observation deck. Let's go meet them,” Zachary said, placing my coat over my shoulders.
We exited the busy cafe and climbed the stairs, passing the people waiting to enter the rink. We stopped to watch Gabriel painting. Zachary towered over a few tourists in front of us. I being short could hardly see.
“I can put you around my shoulders,” Zachary said.
I hesitated until I noticed a teenage girl was on her father's shoulders viewing the painting with a big smile.
“Okay,” I said, and Zachary carried me from my waist over his shoulders.
Gabriel's painting was a masterpiece, done in oil paint. He even painted a tiny version of Christian doing a flip in the rink. When he finished, he turned around and bowed, keeping his eyes on me. Everyone clapped. I thinly smiled. Zachary took me off his shoulders and Gabriel's eyes still remained at my direction, until a Guardian distracted him.
Zachary and I headed toward the GE building passing the gigantic tree. My heart began to beat fast when I noticed Chris Tanner approaching us. He was with a young woman—his ex-girlfriend that he cheated on me with. They were laughing together, and he was oblivious that I was there. Zachary stopped and held my hand tightly. Chris saw me a foot away from him. He suddenly paused, letting go of Suzanne's hand.
“Skye,” he said, in a nervous voice that seemed to crack.
His girlfriend stared at me, wondering who I was.
“Hello, Chris,” I said.
He hesitated to reply. “Um, this is Suzanne,” he said. “And this is Skye.”
“Nice to meet you, Suzanne,” I said.
“Nice to meet you,” she said, staring at Zachary's sunglasses.
“This is my fiancé, Zachary,” I said.
“Your fiancé!” Chris gasped, looking at my ring, he then glared at Zachary.
“Yes, her fiancé,” Zachary said calmly.
“I am sorry, but we really have to go,” Suzanne said, gripping on to Chris's hand and pulling him away.
“Alright,” he grunted.
“Who the hell is she? And who wears sunglasses at night?” Suzanne asked, loud enough for us to hear.
Zachary began to sing loudly in a sexy voice, “I wear my sunglasses at night, so I can,so I can, watch you weave then breathe your storylines...”
Suzanne and Chris stopped to turn and watched Zachary sing. Tourist also turned around to listen. He sounded like Corey Hart, and one woman in her thirties begun to move her hips. I couldn't stop smiling and giggling. Zachary was a good performer.
Suzanne's jaw dropped, and she glanced at Chris, who couldn't stop staring at me.
“Who is she?” she asked, grabbing his face and pulling it toward her.
“She is an old friend,” he said, and Suzanne grabbed him by his collar and disappeared into the crowd.
The people around us clapped when Zachary ended the song by kissing my lips softly.
“I didn't know you can sing like that,” I said, gazing into his sunglasses.
“There are a lot of things about me that would surprise you,” he said.
“I hope they are all good,” I said.
“They are...and some are naughty,” he said with a sexy side smile. “Are you okay?”
“I couldn't be better,” I said laughing.
I felt relieved—my feelings for Chris were gone—and I had finally made the right choice. Zachary was my soul mate.
“Those two deserve each other,” Zachary said.
“They definitely do,” I agreed.
“Who deserves who?” John asked, approaching us with Cai.
“Did you hear Zachary's performance?” I asked.
“Yes, that voice almost gave me a migraine,” John complained.
“I only heard the last few verses, and I saw the kiss,” Cai said. “Zachary can sing. And I wouldn't think, he would know an eighties song like that.”
“The eighties is Zachary's favorite decade,” I said.
“How do you know that?” Zachary asked me.
“There are a lot of things about me that would surprise you,” I said, smirking at him.
Chapter 24
Unexpected
A memorable holiday had passed, leaving me fond memories of my family in Times Square. Cai and I froze outside with thousands of people waiting for the ball to drop. Guardians surrounded us, including Zachary and John. Afterwards we quickly headed back upstairs to the eighth-floor lounge area of the Marriott Marquis Hotel, where Christian and Sebastian were partying with most of the Covenant. The total of thirty-six guest rooms and all the restaurants were rented by Fernan that night. The lounge area was enormous, modern, with twelve scenic elevators that faced into an atrium, stretching the height of the hotel.
Two weeks have passed since that epic night, and most of us had forgotten to stick with our New Year's resolution. Mine was to try and not eat too much chocolate, but here I was stuffing my face in a chocolate soufflé at the Bon Sejour restaurant.
“Take human bites,” Charlie laughed, fixing his striped fedora hat.
“This is divine,” I moaned with chocolate in my mouth. “You want some?
“I wish I could,” Charlie said with disappointment.
Charlie sat next to me at a circular table with suffering eyes. His digestive system could not handle food without giving him excruciating pain, and he wanted to enjoy Dante's birthday party. He looked dashing wearing a white and black striped suit.
Sebastian had spared no expense on the party. The food was superb, a mixture of Middle Eastern and French style cuisine. There were belly dancers, dressed in luxurious costumes that sparkled with gems. They danced around Dante in the middle of the dance floor, shaking their hips and breasts. Male topless acrobats performed on golden pedestals with fire torches as a Moroccan band played exotic music on a stage. The French restaurant was elegant with modern cream walls and a high industrial ceiling with track lighting. Extraordinary colorful paintings hung on the walls. The antique furniture was French and had detailed designs with silver and gold table settings. Many vampires and humans attended, wearing exotic outfits.
A female, blonde vampire dressed in white with angelic wings that glittered, flirted with my brother on his right side, while another female dressed as a devil in red vinyl, flirted with him on his left side. They were standing next to a tower of chocolate fondue. Christian's resolution this year was to stay single and not date for a year. Looking at him right now was a sure sign that he was never going to stick to that resolution. The females were feeding my brother fruit and pastries dipped in heavenly chocolate with their mouths and cleavage. Christian didn't mind ruining his dark grey Armani suit, just his sneakers. His eyes widened in fear every time he thought chocolate landed on them.
It wasn't surprising to see Suyin Li on the dance floor. She seemed to show up whenever there was a party. She and Gabriel were laughing and dancing with each other all night. I wondered if they were friends with benefits. Their vintage maroon suits matched, except Suyin had removed her jacket, revealing a see-through top, and her heels were five inches high.
Mikael had invited the human brunette that he met at the ice-skating rink. Her name was Liz Reynolds. She was a ballerina dancer and had a stuck-up attitude. She walked with her nose up in the air and wasn't friendly at all, but Mikael seemed to like her…her long legs, anyway. He was dressed formal tonight, not his usual Bohemian style. I guess he was trying to impress her and match her sophisticated style. He even left his jewelry at home.
Zachary was on security duty for the night, guarding the restaurant with other Guardians. John remained at Fernan's house. He oversaw the surveillance room and satellite, making sure Central Park and SoHo were safe.
Tristan and Sebastian approached us, looking like the Rat Pack group, smoking cigars. They sat next to Charlie and me.
“Do you mind?” I asked. “I hate smoking.”
“Sorry, my lady,” Sebastian said, gesturing for Tristan to put out his cigar like he was doing.
“Remember, Skye, we don't get lung cancer,” Tristan said.
“But I can,” I griped.
“I doubt it, being a hybrid, you probably never had a virus in your life,” Tristan said.
I sat there wondering if I had ever been sick with a virus, and I couldn't recall that I have.
“You might be right, but I wouldn't want to take that chance, and I don't like to breathe in second-hand smoke,” I said.
“Touché,” Charlie said. “It's a nasty habit.”
“Did Charlie ever tell you the story of how we met?” Sebastian asked me.
“He only told me, you hired him six years ago, for his knowledge in computers, and his impeccable martial arts skills.” I replied.
“There's a little more to the story,” Tristan said, combing his long fingers through his wavy hair.
Sebastian leaned back to get comfortable before telling the story. “It was a cold winter night, like this one. I was here, eating dinner with Fernan and Dante, by the table next to the front window. Tristan was attending the bar that night. A young woman was walking by with her boyfriend and his two male friends. They were drunk. The couple began to argue, and the woman was hit in the face by her boyfriend. His friends began to laugh and teased her. Then he shook her violently, calling her a slut, and threw her on the ground. Her head hit the edge of the pavement.”
“He had pushed her so hard that she began to bleed and lost consciousness,” Tristan interjected. “But please Sebastian continue.”
“A man with a hooded sweater and a black pea coat approached quickly. He removed the hood from his head and punched one of the guy's in the face and swiftly hit the other guy in the throat. As they came at him he blocked their strikes, and he retaliated with hard blows. One guy cried out for his mom after he broke his wrist and kneed him between his legs. He left the boyfriend for last and smashed his body against the restaurant window in front of us.
“Fernan began to laugh as the guy was thrown to the ground and kicked multiple times in the groin. He then picked up the young woman and told her, he was bringing her to the hospital. Fernan was curious about him and wanted me to find out who he was. He thought it wouldn't hurt to have another human Guardian,” Sebastian said.
Tristan chuckled. “The front of the restaurant watched quietly and the waiter serving Fernan coffee dropped the mug on the floor when Charlie smashed the guy's face to the window. It was pretty hilarious,” Tristan said.
“What happened afterward?” I asked.
“Sebastian followed me and told me he would drive us to the hospital, then he offered me the job with a salary I could not refuse. The rest is history,” Charlie said.
“Way to go, Charlie,” I said.
“I hate men who beat their girlfriends and wives. I had to watch my mom get hit by my dad when I was a little boy, until one night, he broke her neck, pushing her down the stairs. I was six years old, and I couldn't do anything about it. My father went to prison, and I was raised by the foster system. As a child, I was forced to learn how to fight, and for many years after, I took martial arts classes. I worked as a bodyguard at night, and a computer programmer during the day, trying to make ends meet. That night changed my life. Now and then I still beat up guys, who are abusing their women. A promise I made to my mother that I would do anything I can to protect a woman from suffering the way she did.” Charlie said.
“I didn't know Charlie, I am sorry,” I said, looking at him in a different light.
I wasn't expecting to hear that Charlie had a rough childhood. I knew he liked to fight dirty, but now I understood why. It must have been difficult growing up in the system and having to live with the memory of his mother getting murdered by his father.
“It was a long time ago,” he muttered.
A waitress approached us with small liqueur samples and placed them at the center of the table. The tiny crystal glasses came in different colors and the rims were covered in gold.
“Thanks,” Sebastian said.
“What are they?” I asked.
“All different kinds. Pick one and take a chance,” Sebastian suggested.
I sipped one that tasted like Dulce de Leche Liqueur. “Yumo!” I sighed.
Sebastian handed a red one filled with blood to Charlie. “It has a little bit of chocolate liqueur. Try it,” he said.
Charlie sipped it, making a sour pouty face.
“You need to try something new every day if you want your body to get used to the pain. Eventually, it won't hurt anymore,” Tristan said.
“This will be my torture for the night,” Charlie said with a smile.
“Good luck with that,” I said, rising to my feet. “I am going to check out the chocolate fountain. It seems to be calling my name,” I said.
I walked passed and admired the people dancing on the wooden floor. Dante approached me and elegantly grabbed my waist and hand. He led me on the dance floor.
“Did I ever tell you, how beautiful you are?” Dante asked with a drunken slur and glassy eyes.
“No, you have not,” I giggled as he spun me.
“Whoo, I don't think we should spin around too much,” he complained, holding his head and stopping.
“You are right...let's not spin,” I said, trying to hold him up.
“You are lovely,” he whispered in my ear, then a belly dancer grabbed his hand.
Dante began to dance, moving his hips around as more belly dancers approached him.
I finally reached the chocolate fountain. My brother ignored me like I wasn’t there, while the angel caressed his face and the devil glided her fingers down his abdomen. Their eyes were lightly glowing.
“If you drink from my brother tonight, I will cut your hands off and rip out your tongues,” I threatened in low voice and glared at the vampire women while revealing my dagger on the left side of my thigh.
They quickly paused and stared at me with fear before leaving my brother.
“Hey, wait, ladies, where are you going?” Christian asked.
“They are probably going to the powder room to freshen up,” I said approaching my brother.
“Did you try this chocolate?” Christian asked.
“No, but I will.”
“Not too much remember your New Year's resolution,” he said raising his right eyebrow.
“And what about yours...Mr. Casanova. You seemed to be smitten by the angel and the devil.”
