Chapter 17

He is back.



Charlotte left me and Jacque alone. He had no idea that I knew what he had done to my poor distant cousin all those years ago. His dark intense look was making me uneasy, stirring the power in the room. I thought my family was strange, but in comparison to Nathaniel’s we were perfectly normal. On top of that, I hated the fact that Charlotte was on the phone to Nathaniel, the man who’d insulted me and hadn't even tried to make amends since he left.
Jacque cleared his throat and fixed his glasses. I guessed I had to forget about a relaxing bath with a glass of wine. Nathaniel could go to hell for all I cared, but I felt good that his sister was giving him the "bollocking" for the way he treated me.
Maybe I was misjudging Jacque; after all, he killed my distant cousin centuries ago, when all the new spells weren’t fully developed yet. Elves weren’t aware of the danger back then and he was a good-looking vampire.
"This sudden death has probably been very difficult for you, right?" Jacque said.
I wished that I could understand French. I wanted to know what Charlotte was shouting about. On top of that, Jacque was sitting way too close to me. Men were pathetic and complicated. First Jasper, then Nathaniel and now Jacque. The only man who ever wanted to truly make me happy was Quentin, but I managed to fuck that up too. God, I should have burned in hell for that. All I ever wanted was to fall in love with a decent man.
"Nathaniel has hurt me. His behaviour was truly unacceptable. He hasn't been supportive at all. And then he left me, just went to fucking Switzerland. You can go tell Charlotte that she doesn’t need to fix anything. This whole relationship was doomed from the beginning. My grandmother was right after all."
"Your grandmother believed vampires weren’t supposed to be involved with elves?" he asked, looking hesitant, like he was wondering which part of me he would taste first. I knew that kind of look on his face.
"Yes, that."
"Your scent is alluring, but it's a matter of self-control. Besides, my brother-in-law is a dhampir."
I really didn't want to talk to Jacque about this, especially knowing what he had done.
"Right, right," I said, rubbing my hands together. "You shouldn't be telling me what’s right or wrong. My grandmother tried everything to keep me away from Nathaniel and she failed. She went as far as going back in time to the eighteenth century and guess what? There, I saw my little cousin, Gloria, being ripped apart by her vampire lover. And when the vampire came out of the shadow, I saw that it was you!"
I had lost all sense of control, pointing at him with rage. He looked surprised at first. Then he got up, running his hand through his hair. I needed to remember that he was Charlotte’s husband now.
"I admit that in my long lifetime I have killed many elves. You must know that we … vampires are governed by our instincts. Gloria had the sweetest blood I had ever tasted—"
I slapped him then. Maybe it was because I’d had a terrible few days, or maybe because I was mad at Nathaniel and needed to take it out on Jacque. I wasn't planning it and did it impulsively.
He was beside me within a moment, inches away from my face. I had crossed the line and he looked pissed.
"Be careful, little half elf. If you think I won't do anything to you, then you are mistaken. Your little ancestor, Gloria wanted me. She came to me, not the other way around. Our desire was strong, but my instinct won out," he snarled as his dark eyes burned with hunger.
My fingers were charged with energy and I was ready to shoot him with good dose of my magic. Nathaniel had only half vampire genes in him, but Jacque. Crap, this was going to end badly for both of us.
I smiled, not showing any fear. "Try me. I'm not an idiot. I know how to defend myself. Let's see if Charlotte will still love you if you attack me."
All of a sudden, my energy was moving around the room, circulating over our heads. My muscles were tense, and sparks escaped from my fingers. Jacque’s fangs extended, sharp and ready to rip my throat out. I didn't know why I couldn't just let this go.
He was a vampire after all, and there was nothing that my grandma could have done.
"Right, Nathaniel is on the way. He will be back in London—"
Charlotte came back to the room and stopped, looking at both of us, surprised. She noticed Jacque’s fangs. He didn't have time to cover them, but he backed away quickly enough, taking sharp breaths.
“What's going on in here?" she asked, frowning. She was probably aware that the temperature in the room had increased significantly. I stopped paying attention to the fact that Jacque was ready to bite me, because Charlotte had said that Nathaniel was going to be back in London tomorrow.
"Heated discussion, ma cherie. Everything is fine."
"Yes, we disagreed on one particular subject, but it's all right now," I told her, smiling shyly. "So, what did you say, that Nathaniel’s on his way back?"
It looked like she bought it, because she relaxed.
"Oh, darling, I knew you missed him," she said.
"No, I don't miss him, Charlotte. I appreciate what you’ve done, but you don't need to fix anything. Nathaniel disrespected me in front of my entire family, then he left when I needed him the most. We’re done, Charlotte. I'm sorry, but I don't want to see him."
“He's sorry, and I gave him a pretty hard time over le téléphone," she said. "This isn't my business at all, but he would like to talk to you. He told me not to get involved."
I sighed and sat back on the sofa, wondering why everything had to be so complicated. Right now I didn't have time to worry about my relationship.
"Charlotte, I’ve had a long three days and I need to be at work tomorrow. I don't mean to be rude, but I need to go to bed. I really don't want to discuss my relationship with Nathaniel in detail and I can't without getting upset about it," I said, wanting them to leave me alone for now. It was after eleven o’clock and Nathaniel wasn't even here. I should have listened to my grandma. I should have started going out with a respectable elf, not a pretentious, wealthy dhampir who didn't give a fuck about anyone but himself.
We had a rocky past, and yes, the past eight months or so were wonderful, but eight months out of five years is not such a great statistic. Even if I was prepared to go along with the theory that we’ve had a great eight months, I simply couldn’t forget the way he disrespected me in front of my family, or the way he dismissed me, the fact he attacked me in his apartment, or his lack of feeling or concern for me at my grandmother’s funeral.
"Jacque, we need to find a hotel. Julia, we are sorry about this, but I had no idea my brother had behaved in such a way. He loves you, there is no doubt about that. Please, at least talk to him."
She was doing it again, blindly defending him. I’d forgotten that she hadn't been alive for years.
"I don't know what I'm going to do yet, but for now the engagement is off. I didn't want to hide that I haven't seen him for weeks," I told her when she was leaving.
Charlotte nodded and said something in French to Jacque. I was glad when they were finally gone. Fixing my relationship with Nathaniel wasn't a priority. He’d had plenty of time to think about what he had done. He could land on the moon, but I didn't give a damn anymore. I was ready to sacrifice my own happiness to keep the family together. I locked my door, using the magic that Grandma had taught me, and went to bed. I needed to sleep without interruption tonight to be fresh in the morning. I took one of Nicky's pills and drifted instantly.


***


I showed up at work fifteen minutes late due to traffic. The sky was cloudy, and I felt depressed leaving my apartment this morning. Kate had the day off, but Alexandra and Sara were already waiting for me to open up. I apologised and wrestled with the lock for some time. The reporters were finally gone. The Elves Association were conducting their own investigation and Dannika had no news. I was planning to visit Dad straight after work to bring up the contract and the mysterious letter. There was no point speculating, and he probably knew more than me.
"Sorry I'm late. I had a very hectic weekend," I told them when the lock finally opened.
"Is everything all right, Julia? You seem nervous." Sara said, tripping on the carpet in the entrance.
"I'm fine, just stressed. Come on, let's get on with it," I said, trying to ignore the fact that Sara noticed my bad mood.
I reminded myself that I needed to call Ella this evening. We had a lot to catch up on and I owed her an apology. This mystery about her blood and its royal connection hadn’t gone anywhere. We both needed to talk it over and decide on what to do next.
I started going through my emails. Just as I predicted, the morning dragged, and we didn't have any clients due in until later. Lucinda called after lunch. Apparently, some of the workers were organising a union meeting and she was concerned. She then began complaining about Kelsie. Apparently since she started going out with Michael, she had been cutting corners at work. Lucinda wasn't happy, and I felt like she was exaggerating as always.
I was used to her rambling; after all, her life was centred around work, which was quite sad. Lucinda was annoyed that Kelsie was happy.
When I had a bit of time, I called the station and asked for Dannika. She was out, and Stewart told me that she wasn't going to be back until late. Kate texted me with a reminder that I had to go to the police station and report that Jasper had used a compulsion spell on me. I was reluctant, since I’d assaulted him and then made a run for it. The police wouldn't be interested in any speculation. They needed to lock him up, but without evidence I knew that was going to be difficult.
It was dark and miserable outside when I finished work. I grabbed my stuff, wondering if Charlotte and her serial killer husband were planning to bother me again. I didn't like the fact that she managed to convince Nathaniel to speak to me. This wasn't the way I wanted it to happen. He was supposed to show his own initiative.
I needed to do grocery shopping tonight, and I had a few more phone calls to make. A few elves who knew my grandma got in in touch with me while I was at work and I wanted to talk to them.
When I reached my car, I nearly turned around. Nathaniel’s limo was parked outside the building. I hadn't seen Roberto since Nathaniel had left for Switzerland. This could only mean one thing: Nathaniel was sitting inside, waiting for me. My heart gave a giant thump in my chest, and my magic was back, tingling behind my ears. I hesitated, because I knew I wouldn't be able to stay calm. He was here because of Charlotte.
I didn't need to hear what he wanted to say. I was doing just fine without him being involved. I decided to form a plan in my head and follow each step, never deviating. I was going to get home as quickly as I could, park in my space, get out and walk towards my building, pretending that he wasn't there.
I was so focused on my plan that I never heard him exit his limo. "Julia, can you stop for a moment? We need to talk. Don't make a scene on the street."
My body temperature shot up yet again and some sparks escaped, smashing the bulb of a street lamp nearby. I had to admit, I missed him like crazy, but I was hurt. I reached my car door, clenching my keys in my hand and got inside as quickly as I could. I wasn't a woman who he could give orders to. If he wanted to talk to me, then it would be on my terms.
I started the car and drove off, boiling with anger. The black limo was behind me. My mind was blank, and I didn't really know what I was going to say to him. Charlotte had called him and that was the only reason he was here. We had nothing to discuss. My anger wouldn't fade away because he suddenly decided to give a fuck.
It took me another forty minutes to get home. The traffic was horrendous at that time of the day. I lost the limo and thought maybe Nathaniel had changed his mind because I was behaving irrationally.
I got out of the car and instantly knew I was being watched. I looked around the street, using my energy to determine if someone was out there, waiting for me. A moment passed, and no one appeared. Then, strong hands clasped my mouth and waist. My heart stopped. Jasper had come back. He was here to finish what he’d started in the forest.