Page 31 of Cursed Lifeline (Eternal Love)

Thirty

Felix

song a little party never killed nobody | Fergie, Q-Tip & Goonrock

Long Island, New York

“He’s a bootlegger,” the older woman whispers to her friend as they sit on their stools at my bar. “I heard he shot the police chief’s son in cold blood for not allowing his last delivery through customs.”

My glass pauses as I raise it to my lips and listen closer. Shot him? No. But he deserved what he had coming.

The two women behind me have no clue who they just sat down next to. Instead of making it obvious, I swivel my chair in the opposite direction of where they’re standing and lean back to eavesdrop on their conversation.

“That isn’t even the worst of it,” her friend hisses. “I heard he rotates two women. One comes in the morning. The other at night.”

“Shh,” the first lady whispers, “Keep your voice down. I heard that too, but there is no telling if it’s true.”

I catch the eye of one of the women in question, and she gives me a bold smile from across the room as Alfred guides Esme and Evangeline through the crowd. Though Alfred escorts them both, his attention is glued to Evangeline.

Esme blushes as I undress her with my eyes. Setting my glass down, I straighten the lapels of my tux as she maneuvers through the crowd with such grace no one would be able to tell that under that prim and proper facade is a cold-blooded killer. Caelum, Silas and Celeste follow close behind, mingling with the New York City elite who have gathered tonight at one of my elaborate parties.

“That’s not all,” one of the ladies whispers behind me. “Three men are living with him, too. Between the two women and the four men, including Mr. Caldwell, there is no telling what goes on here behind closed doors.”

“Are you implying...”

“Yes! Haven’t you heard? Sharing is the new thing.”

“Sharing?” her friend gasps. “Why, I’d never!”

I take a deep breath and focus on Esme’s approach instead of the need rising inside to teach these two rumor-hungry biddys a lesson.

What they’re saying couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Since arriving in New York, Esme has worked closely with Alfred, Caelum, Silas, and Celeste. When she’s not training from sun up to sundown, I’ve made it my personal mission to make sure Esme’s cared for. From the safety of the west wing of my estate, I’ve employed the most trusted servants to attend to her every need, and my every wish for things I deem necessary she have.

Her evenings are filled with bubble baths, exquisite food paired with the best wine, massages, and reading from a selection of books I’ve personally chosen to stock the elaborate library I had crafted especially for her. Housing over 300,000 titles, I’ve ensured she’ll never lack the companionship of a good story when I am pulled away on business.

When she’s restless, I read to her. When she’s sad she still can’t remember her life before this one, I play the piano for her.

My favorite nights are the ones we spend alone. My hands on the piano keys, her nose in a good book, until she gives me a look I’ve come to know well and I play her body like my favorite melody. I’ve caressed and tasted almost every inch of her skin over this past month. Taking my time. Going slow. Making sure I can exercise control when I need to most. Though I haven’t claimed her virginity, and I’d be lying if I said holding out wasn’t slowly killing the both of us.

Esme smiles as the group finishes their approach, and knowing I’m partly responsible for her happiness makes me feel complete. The only thing that helped me through the last century without her was knowing that one day, I’d be watching her walk toward me again like she is right now. Making her happy, keeping that breathtaking smile on her face, is an added bonus that fuels my need to protect her in this life like I failed to in her last.

“Caldwell,” Alfred calls out. The women behind me startle as I reach out and take his palm, giving him a firm handshake.

“Alfred,” I grin, “can I get you a drink?”

The two women from earlier huddle closer behind us. Silent as a mouse, they stand by, waiting for any bit of gossip they can feast on. Too bad for them, I don’t plan on dropping any scraps at their feet.

“I’ll pass,” Alfred says as his eyes drift longingly to Evangeline.

Reaching to the left, I grab two champagne glasses from a passing server. Offering one to Evangeline, and the other to Esme, my hand lingers on hers, slowly tracing a path down to her elbow. Desperate to have her by my side, even though I last saw her a few short hours ago, I waste no time pulling her a step closer and gently place a kiss against her cheek.

As I raise my tumbler of bourbon to my lips, Alfred says, “And neither should you. We need to chat.”

Caelum, Silas, and Celeste take a seat at the bar, and I ask, “Can it wait?”

“Afraid not,” he sighs.

“Can what wait?” Caelum questions. Alfred gives him a sharp look, and he says, “Oh!” Quickly glancing at me, he grimaces, sucking in air between clenched teeth. “Yeah, no. It really can’t.”

While Alfred and Caelum whisper amongst themselves about what’s so important, I change my mind and decide to give the eavesdropping duo behind me a little shocking tidbit they can take back to their sewing circle. Brushing Esme’s hair back from the side of her face, I lean close and growl, “You smell delicious.”

Her breathing quickens. Trailing my fingertips down the curve of her ear, then slowly down the side of her neck, I breathe in her mouthwatering scent and whisper, “I bet you taste delicious, too, doll.”

A blush creeps across her porcelain skin.

The women behind us let out a gasp and scurry off. Turning, Esme sets her drink on the bar top and gives me a sly smile.

“What is this scent you’re wearing?” I growl into the side of her neck, just as Alfred and Caelum finish their debate.

“Is it calling to you?” she teases.

“More than you know,” I groan.

“Then I guess you’ll have to investigate further later tonight, Mr. Caldwell, and figure it out for yourself.”

Her eyes hold mischief. I raise my brow in challenge, but before I can respond to her tempting flirtation, someone catches my eye over her shoulder. Dimitri approaches quickly from the entrance of the party. He’s flanked by Talon. Instantly, a sick feeling settles in my stomach.

“Oh,” Celeste purrs as my brothers in the coven catch her line of sight. “Pray tell, who are they?”

“Council,” I grit out. Esme’s eyes lock on mine. Anxious and worried, she holds my stare as I address Alfred, “It’s worse than I thought, isn’t it?”

“It’s not good,” he sighs.

“It’s been worse,” Caelum scoffs.

“The priority,” Silas growls, “Is making sure it never gets that way again.”

I catch Silas’ serious stare and nod in agreement. Celeste pokes Evangeline excitedly in the side as the coven closes in. Grinning from ear to ear, she giggles under her breath when she catches the eye of Talon. Too bad for her, she'll be very disappointed to find out he’s sworn off love. Ever since the woman he vowed to worship for eternity was murdered right before his eyes three centuries ago, he’s committed to never falling in love again, and he’s kept that promise. However, that hasn’t stopped him from enjoying sexual conquests with the opposite sex any chance he gets.

To my surprise, Talon gives Celeste a wicked grin. Celeste, ever the flirt and always looking for an immoral time, winks at him. Talon elicits an immodest growl that has Dimitri and I looking at one another in disbelief. Maybe the two will be good for each other. If anything, to at least scratch a carnal itch that drives a sane person mad if left alone long enough.

Alfred watches Evangeline intently. She blushes as Dimitri’s gaze drifts her way next. My brother’s heated stare devours her as if she’s wearing nothing at all. But once Evangeline notices Alfred studying her reaction, her gaze drops to the floor, and she takes a step back as if she’s instantly reprimanded for enjoying Dimitri’s salacious thoughts.

“We need to talk,” Dimitri hisses as the fae’s gaze falls away.

“That seems to be the trend tonight,” I sigh, crossing my arms over my chest. “Tell me, did Mother send you? Or was it Viktor this time?”

“No one has seen Viktor since the massacre at Notre Dame,” Dimitri says, coming a step closer. “That was over a century ago. You haven’t been home since, either.”

Esme takes a step back, intimidated by my brothers. Her thoughts race, and memories quickly resurface about the night he speaks of. The night my brother Viktor took her life. Shaking my head, I pull her to my side and wrap a protective arm around her waist.

As I think of a witty response, Talon hungrily eyes Celeste. Meanwhile, Evangeline steals a glance at Dimitri who steps towards her with earnest intent. But Alfred blocks him, quickly side-stepping and coming between the two of them. He earns a growl from my brother, but he doesn’t back down.

Good for him.

“Why would I go home?” I sigh. “I have nothing to say to my mother. And I can’t say I have much to say to the three of you, too.”

“We had no part in...”

“You didn’t stop it, either!”

Dimitri eyes me angrily. “And if we could stop it now?”

Surprised, I glance at Alfred.

“There has been a development,” he says. “It involves Viktor. The coven. Your mother. I’m the one who called Dimitri here. Though now I wish I hadn’t.”

Dimitri grins viciously at Alfred before hungrily eyeing the fae at his side.

“Your mother,” Dimitri says, “Has been working endlessly for the last century to find a way to break the... burden her previous mortal life has bestowed on you and the woman you love.”

My brother’s eyes lift to Esme, and I release a primal growl, cautioning him to tread lightly. We’ve talked since the train ride here about the curse, but there are still things I haven’t exposed about the past. Mostly because I want to protect her, and that includes allowing her memories to return at the right time so we can work through everything calmly when she’s ready, with the hope of finding a better future than our past.

“Ember Jade,” Talon grins as his eyes finally peel themselves away from Celeste. “Ring a bell, Felix?”

When I don’t answer, his smile grows.

“No, I would guess not. Someone who’s turned his back on his family for the last century wouldn’t be privy to inside information, would they?”

“My family turned their back on me first,” I hiss, drawing attention from the crowd around us. “Maybe if things had turned out differently, I wouldn’t have had to...”

“Blinded by the past only tangles you in webs you can’t fight your way out of in your future,” Dimitri hisses, repeating a line I once told him at Esme’s father’s house over a century ago. When neither of us says a word after a tense moment, he sighs, “I seem to remember Talon warning you once this was trouble.”

“And I’ll tell you what I told him, as next in line to the throne and highest up in this council, you’ll hold your tongue before I silence it myself.”

“Your position is only a threat if you intend to claim it. For your mother’s sake, for the coven, I hope you’re finally ready to take your place. Because it might be your only chance at keeping Esme alive this time.”

I take a step forward in challenge, but Esme places a calming hand on my arm, stopping me from saying something I might regret later.

“I think it’s best we retire to a more private setting,” Evangeline worries, glancing around us at the heads that have turned and are now intently watching the brewing brawl that is destined to erupt the longer I have to stand here and listen to my brothers list my faults when they are just as much to blame.

“Marvelous idea,” Dimitri grins.

Reaching around Alfred, he takes Evangeline’s arm and laces it through his. Alfred objects, but Dimitri has already started to whisk her away into the party.

“Will you show me the way,” he asks her innocently as if he doesn’t know what he just did. With heated, angry footsteps, Alfred follows close behind. “With someone as beautiful as you guiding me, I confess, I’m bound to follow you to the ends of the earth.”

Caelum scoffs, “The earth? To hell and back would make more sense.” Talon eyes him angrily. “For your kind, that is.”

My brother takes an intimidating step forward, and Caelum holds up his hands in surrender before scurrying off after Alfred, Evangeline, and Dimitri. Silas quietly studies Celeste and Esme, then finally turns and strides off after the group when he’s concluded it’s okay to leave them alone. Celeste shrugs and follows suit. Talon panics like a little puppy and tails Celeste like he’s just been given a bone he’ll never let out of his sight again.

Interesting.

Turning to Esme, I take her face gently between my shaking palms and say, “Madness in great ones must not unwatched go.”

She sucks in a shuddering breath and nods her head.

We’ll listen to their council.

But Esme and I both know There's a divinity that shapes our ends, rough-hew them how we will.

If we stand a chance at rewriting history, we need to finally uncover who’s behind all of this.

After all, whoever controls the past controls the future if we’re ignorant and by fault, subconsciously allow it.