Afterlight

“No, ma’am,” Eli said politely. He looked at me and lifted a brow, then jammed a piece of bacon in his mouth.

“Good—’cause dat would be bad, right,” Estelle said and looked at me. “’Bout time you knew things, Riley Poe. I always kept tellin’ your Preacher man, dat girl needs to know things, ’specially wit dat crazy blood inside ya, dat’s right.” She walked over and hugged me tightly, and I nearly spilled tea in my lap. “Don’t you worry, girl. If dere’s any one body who can get your brodder back safe, it’s dis boy sittin’ beside you.” She grabbed my face with both hands and squished my cheeks together. “You can trust him, Riley Poe. And, girl, you better eat. Your backside’s gettin’ bony.”

“I can’t, Estelle. Just not hungry.” My gaze slid to Eli’s, then to Preacher’s, and back to my surrogate grandmother, who frowned. “Yes, ma’am,” I said, repeating Eli’s words. “I’ll try.”

She let me go. “Good. Now, eat up.”

I managed a piece of toast with jam, and just as we finished, Preacher turned to both of us. “Dos boys have gone underground, and Riley here knows dos places better dan anyone. She’ll take you, but only after a day or two.” He looked at me. “I know you’re anxious to do somethin’ and you’re itchin’ to fight. But you gotta wait, girl. Your brodder won’t long recognize you as his sister anymore, right? He might know somethin’ is familiar, but not your person. If you go too early, he will know you, and dat could mess things up. You watch each odder’s back, you and dis boy here, and don’t go dere for long. Just long enough to get noticed by odders and dey let you back in. Dat’s where dos boys will be—dem bad places. Easier to bring victims back to dem bad brodders if messed up wit da drugs. Right?”

I nodded. “Yes, sir, okay,” I said, knowing messed up really meant fucked-up. The thought of going back underground, slipping back into a crowd I’d long ago left behind, made me sick. But I’d do it, and no one but me would know how it killed me to go back to the place I’d worked so hard to escape. And not just the clubs; it was rarely the clubs themselves. It was just certain crowds, and I knew Preacher meant dos people. And it was in those crowds that I became mixed up with the wrong guy. It’d ended way worse than just a broken heart or an overnight trip in the tank. I pushed the painful memory aside and glanced at the clock. “Oh, gotta run. Shop opens in a few.” I kissed Preacher and Estelle good-bye, and we left.

“We’ll spend the next day or so going over changes,” Eli said as we crossed the cobbles to Inksomnia’s back entrance. “There are things you’ll need to know and expect. I don’t want you sucker punched.”

“What about you?” I asked.

“Don’t worry about me.”

Out of nowhere and all at once, a thought struck me, and it hit so hard I nearly gasped. I turned and looked Eli in the eye. “A young guy was found murdered a few days ago. Nineteen years old, about to leave for Parris Island. I’d inked him the day before.” I knew in my heart the answer, but I asked anyway. “Did Seth and his friends do that?”

“No,” he said without hesitation. “But they helped Valerian and Victorian find him, or they lured him. There are more victims, Riley. The bodies just haven’t been found yet.”

My stomach lurched at the thought. All I could think about was Zac, and how sweet and respectful he’d been. And so ready to join the marines. Eli watched me cautiously, and I couldn’t take my gaze off him. Blue eyes stared at me beneath long, thick, dark lashes, and I noticed the faint shadowy presence of scruff on his jaw and over his top lip. Skin so blemish free and creamy, any girl would be envious of it. He hardly looked like a killer, but I knew at one time he certainly was. And now my brother was one, too. “I want you to tell me this is all going to be fixed,” I said vehemently. I grabbed his forearms and shook hard, urging him to give me the answer I wanted to hear. Needed to hear. “Tell. Me.”

“We’ll fix it,” he answered, and somehow, I believed him. There was still so much I wanted to know about him, and so many questions that plagued me. Hopefully, tonight I’d learn more.

Leaving Eli in the living room with Chaz, I hurried through a shower, dried my hair, pulled my red-streaked bangs into small clips, and let the rest hang down my back. Worn, distressed jeans with a brown leather vest that left my tattooed arms exposed finished my wardrobe for the day, along with a pair of brown, slouched, heeled leather boots. I grabbed a wine red velvet choker from my dresser, tied it around my neck, and left the room, where I pulled up short and froze. Phin, Luc, and Josie Dupré had joined their brother in the living room, and now all four regarded me. “What’s up?” I asked, walked to the fridge to grab a Yoo-hoo, and gasped the moment I opened the door. The whole top shelf of my refrigerator was lined with small, plastic, yellow bags, and I knew without asking what they were. I wasn’t squeamish or anything, but . . . damn—that was just messed up. I grabbed my drink and quickly closed the door.

I can’t express how it felt to know that four vampires sat casually in my living room, taking turns petting my dog and watching TV. It was just . . . freaky. And I’m not sure my brain would ever fully wrap around the entirety of it.

“Morning,” Luc and Phin said, almost at the same time.

“Your tats are sick,” said Josie, staring at my inked arms. She looked at Eli. “Can I get one?”

“Later, Josie,” said Eli, and gave me a casual glance. “You intrigue them.”

I really wasn’t sure what exactly intrigued them. The unique aged claret running through my veins? “Great. Okay, well . . . I’ve got a client in fifteen, so I have to go. You guys can help yourself to whatever.” I really didn’t have anything a vampire would want, I suppose—except my blood—but I didn’t know what else to offer.

“Thanks,” Phin said with a grin. “But we just stopped by to bring Eli his . . . breakfast.” He grinned. “We’ll take you up on that later, though.”

“Can’t I stay with you?” Josie asked Eli, and shot me a quick glance. “I want to watch her.”

“Not today, squirt,” said Eli. They seemed so normal, just like other brothers and sisters, that it seemed weird to think of them as vampires. I supposed no matter what, they were still siblings. “But maybe another day. And you’ll have to ask Riley.” He inclined his head toward me. “She’s the boss.”

Josie looked at me with wide blue eyes. “Could I?” she asked. “Please? I won’t get in the way, I swear.” She nearly squirmed where she stood, dressed in a Go-Go’s T-shirt, skinny jeans, and high-tops.

I shrugged. “Yeah, sure.” I smiled. “Cool shirt.”

Josie beamed. “Cool band.”

“Damn straight,” I agreed. “Okay, I seriously have to go now.”

Luc looked at me and smiled. “La paix hors.”

In the next breath, they were gone, and I literally heard Josie giggle just as the downstairs door closed. I would never get used to that. Eli stood, watching me, amused. “He said, ‘Peace out.’”

“Oh,” I responded. “Okay, come on.” Running against the clock, I hurried downstairs, Eli and Chaz on my heels. At the bottom of the steps I turned, and Eli stood on the step above me, not quite a foot away.

“Look,” I said, grasping the wooden handrail and looking up at him. “You’re about to meet one of my favorite people in the entire world. She’s very buoyant, optimistic, and sweet—and she’s my best friend. She’s already freaked about Seth, so don’t make it worse by staring at her all day, okay?”

Eli’s smile was subtle but effective. “Why do you think I’d stare?” he asked.

“Because you stare at me constantly,” I answered.

He drew closer. “Are you freaked-out?”

I fought the ever-growing urge to touch him and instead glared at him. “No.”

Again, he smiled. “Good. So what are we going to tell her?”

I cocked my head and stared, keeping my voice down. “A big fat freaking lie, that’s what.” I poked his chest. “I can’t tell her about . . . your heritage. I believe because your father proved it to me—in my mind it’s indisputable. Hard to grasp, but I can handle it. I’m not sure if Nyx would be able to. For now you’re just an apprentice hanging out for a little experience. That’s it. No connection to what she witnessed with my brother. He’s gone to rehab on Da Island. Got it?”

“Understood,” Eli said, then, with his forefinger, grazed my angel wing. “You look”—his gaze raked over me with appreciation—“amazing.”

Why that compliment affected me, I haven’t a clue. But it left me a little breathless, a little shaky, and, strangely enough, wanting a lot more. “Thanks,” I answered, and tried to seem like it was no big thing, but Eli’s smile proved he knew otherwise. I rolled my eyes, turned around, then stopped again. I regarded him. “You’re not going to be tempted by Nyx, are you? Because if you hurt one little hair on her head—”

“She’s safe,” Eli interrupted. “I’ve got Gullah blood in me, too, don’t forget.”

“One more thing,” I added. “Nyx is a hugger. She hugs me every time she sees me. She will hug you. It’s what she does. So just . . . deal with it.”

Eli’s blue eyes gleamed. “Yes, ma’am.”

The moment I opened the door, Nyx, just flipping the OPEN sign in the storefront, turned. In total Nyx fashion, her huge blue eyes lined with heavy black liner widened. “Riley! Oh my gosh, I’ve been so worried! How’s Seth?” she asked, hurrying across the room and launching herself at me. I hugged her back as tightly as she hugged me; then she pulled back and studied me, seeking answers. “Is he going to be okay? Have you heard from him today?”