I Am the Wild (The Night Firm #1)- Karpov Kinrade Page 0,29

whiskey. I savor each sip, enjoying the way it burns as I swallow.

"I had hoped to have more time to explain everything," Derek says, his smile faltering. "This has all happened faster than we expected. I wanted to apologize for my brother. He will never do that again. I give you my word."

Despite his promise, or perhaps because of it, the anger bubbling inside me spills out. I’m not just upset, I realize. I’m royally pissed. “Damn straight he won’t or I’ll shove a wooden chair leg through his heart faster than he can blink!”

Derek stares at me wide-eyed, jaw slack.

Before he can say anything, I turn and glare in Liam’s direction.

He’s studiously ignoring me.

That won’t do.

Won’t do at all.

Downing the rest of my drink, I set the finely etched crystal glass on the table slowly and deliberately and then head straight to over to Liam, getting right in his face so he can't avoid my gaze anymore.

I can feel everyone in the room staring at us.

I stab my finger into his ridiculously muscled chest as I speak with all the authority and rage I can muster. "You had no right to do that, and you will never, ever touch me like that again, am I clear? If you so much as think about doing that again, I will stake your ass so fast you will wish you'd never been born…er…unborn. Or made undead. Whatever. You get my point. Do. Not. Do. That. Again." I say, pushing my fingernail harder against his chest with each word. "Also, you owe me an apology. Or I walk. I'm not working here without one."

He blinks. I don't. I wait. Eyes focused. Heart pounding. My neck is completely healed, not even a scratch, but the memory of the pain still haunts me.

"I apologize," he says, breaking the silence in the room. One of his brothers makes a sound of surprise, but I don't look away from Liam to find out who.

His eyes burn with heat and his muscular chest probably did more damage to my finger than I did to it.

"Why did you do it?" I ask, in almost a whisper. For that moment, as his gaze pulls me in, it feels as if we are the only two people in the room.

"To show you the danger you're in. Be careful, Miss Oliver. We're the good guys, and even we aren't that good."

He turns away just as Matilda enters the room. The look on her face is more serious than any I’ve seen so far. Addressing the brothers, she says. “Your guest has arrived. Shall I show him in?"

"Please," Derek replies. He glances at me quickly, winking flirtatiously before turning his attention back to the library entrance.

The tension in the room ramps up. I have no idea what to expect, since everyone here is so damn tight lipped, but I know it's something big.

My palms are suddenly sweaty, but I can't wipe them on my dress, they'll stain. I consider surreptitiously wiping them on the nearby chair, but I can feel Sebastian’s gaze upon me and I do my best to resist. A moment later he passes me his handkerchief.

"Take a deep breath,” he says. “We have our reasons to be worried, but you needn't fear for anything," he whispers as I gratefully wipe my hands dry.

And then all eyes are on the doorway as Matilda returns, our guest in tow. "May I present the eminent Count Dracula," she says solemnly.

The Guest

It was in my flaws,

I found a much deeper truth—

and it is from them,

I bloom: a black rose.

~ Segovia Amil

The brothers give curt bows, while I stand in shock as a tall, lithe man walks into the library.

The man—Dracula—wears a tuxedo reminiscent of older times. A long cape, coal-black on the outside, crimson on the inside, drags behind his leather boots. His pitch-black hair is slicked back, though one strand falls lose over his eyes, which are almost as dark as his hair. His skin is the palest cream, and though unlined by years, he feels ancient, powerful, and his presence fills the room.

It's almost suffocating, being in the same space with him. I take a step back instinctively, which is a mistake, as his eyes jump to me, devouring me in one glance.

I feel naked.

Uncomfortable.

And way too exposed in a room full of vampires.

Derek steps forward first, taking the lead. "Vlad, welcome to our home."

He nods. "If only this visit were under better circumstances," he says, his accent Slavic and his voice