dance across the ripples. Trick of the light, she thought. The moon simply illuminated his irises in the same way it lit the river. After all, no one’s eyes actually glowed, especially like that .
***
E xtol reformed on Six Feet Under’s roof, for once, wishing his senses weren’t straight on. On cue, a presence he detested misted in behind him. He didn’t bother to turn around. “Why are you following me?”
“Why am I following your blood trail ? So that you will not bring any further disgrace to the Dynasty Empire, of course,” the Old One spat at Extol. “Months I have spent cleaning up after you! Do I not bear enough burdens on my shoulders? You must add to my weariness?”
Walking to the roof’s edge, Extol stared down, eyeing humans mingling with immortals on the sidewalk. All waited to enter the Goth club for the depraved. Yet, two doors over was a cellar far more interesting than anything happening inside Six Feet Under. “Blood trail? Old One, the security guard is not dead,” he said with a great big helping of sarcasm. “However, feel free to check.”
“Check? You mean, get my Gryphs back on cleanup detail.” The Old One hissed in the way of vampires, his rage heating the already sweltering air. “How can I cover up this murder when the Vojaks are already on property, swarming the scene alongside the werewolves? This time is different from the others. This time, you really screwed up for killing next to your obsession. You know very well that the human male will not survive your bite! Yet you had no mercy to drain him completely. Did you?”
He sure hadn’t. Extol had smelled the human guard’s lust, how he wanted his Molly. For that reason, the human had to die slowly and painfully. Extol’s only regret was that he couldn’t stick around and watch him suffer. “A vampire is always possessive regarding property. At least, that is what you always told me.”
“So you keep saying Molly Shirley is your property.”
“You keep refuting my claim before the Dynasty Empire, hiding my proclamations.” Therefore, he had to take matters into his own hands.
As usual, The Old One ignored him, instead, explaining in placating tones Extol found extremely annoying. “Extol, there is a difference between possession and obsession. Come with me and make your meal with my Donors.”
“I feed from my Donors daily.” Extol waved a negating hand in the air. After months of preparation, he had finally misted Molly a short distance from a bar to the beachside, and miraculously, she had survived it. He wanted to scream his success from the rooftops! And tonight, for the first time since they’d met, Extol had chosen not to wipe Molly’s memories of him. What was the point when things were starting to come along rather nicely? Yes, remember my kiss, my Molly, dream of nothing but me. “I want…”
“You want what? You have anything you can possibly desire handed to you anytime and anywhere.” The Old One lifted his head to the night sky, his hands curling at his sides. “Still, none of what you are blessed with matters. You have left a blood trail everywhere, since you arrived in North America, since you encountered this female mixed blood. You care not that I have my Gryphs cleaning up after you nonstop. You do not care that it is only a matter of time before word of your twisted antics gets around the Dynasty Empire! They forgave you once, centuries ago, when they did not care about humans as they do now. Times have changed.”
Extol sighed. “Regarding Molly, I will be more discreet.”
“Discreet? How can you backpedal from what you have already done, unless you leave this continent and her behind? Might I remind you that you sent a Gryph to collect her from the Alpha of North America! The werewolves are probing nonstop. I’ve shut down any possible leads, any possible gossip within the North American Coven, but Jayce Jordan will not be assuaged until he gets his answers. He is insulted
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