waiting around for Sophie’s response.
“I shouldn’t have brought you here. This was a mistake,” he said, spinning and striding toward the main room once more.
“Ephraim, wait. I’m sorry,” Sophie said. She hurried to keep pace with him.
“Sorry for what? For having secrets? For going through my private things without asking?”
At Sophie’s look of surprise, he gave a sharp shake of his head.
“You think there’s anything in this plane that happens without my knowledge? No. I hope you enjoyed playing the voyeur, Sophie. You wouldn’t be the first of my masters who liked that kind of thing.”
“Hey!” She said as they reached the main room. She turned the tables on him, reaching out and grabbing his hand to halt his movement. “Look at me.”
“Sophie, there’s nothing else that needs to be said,” Ephraim said.
When she didn’t let go, he turned back her with a soft sigh.
“I don’t want…” she started, then stopped, biting her lip. What exactly was she trying to say, here?
“You don’t know what you want, Sophie,” he said, extracting his hand from hers.
“I want a lot of things, Ephraim.” Her voice hardened when she thought of Lily; of course her greatest wish would be to get her sister back. “Things I can never have, things I don’t have the strength to fight for. But I know this… I don’t want to be like… like those people in your photographs.”
The hurt and anger in Ephraim’s eyes was like a punch to the gut. He seemed about to respond, then just shook his head and thrust his hand out to her again.
“We have to go back to the Manor.”
“I thought you were taking the full day off to rest,” Sophie said, taking his hand.
In a flash, they were back at the Manor.
“Yeah, well. I’ve had enough rest for one day,” he said. “Besides, you didn’t see how bad it was out there. I think a lot of the humans have already fled, but where will the Kith go? It’s not like werewolves and Vampyres have extended family across the Gulf South to take them in.”
Sophie just nodded, looking around the Manor’s deserted living room.
“Awfully quiet in here,” she said, just as the butler appeared, still dressed in his tuxedo, perfectly pressed.
“Duverjay,” Ephraim said with a nod. “I’m back to resume patrols.”
“I was hoping you were Rhys and Gabriel,” the man said unapologetically. “They haven’t checked in for some hours, though I expect that might just mean a dead cell phone battery.”
Duverjay turned and paced to the kitchen island, drawing Sophie’s attention to the massive arsenal of firearms he’d laid out there.
“Damn,” she said. “Just what are you expecting, exactly?”
“There’s a war raging outside, Kith against Kith. Possessed humans are turning up in droves, Vampyres too. Most of the shifters have headed for the hills, but there are plenty of demons and other evildoers lurking. I want to take as many out as I can from afar before I get pulled into combat,” he said, rechecking the slide on one of his pistols.
“I see,” Sophie said.
The butler gave a soft laugh, shaking her head.
“I doubt that very much. I’m a Berserker, long since retired from the battle field. If I get drawn into what’s happening out there, it’s a last recourse. There are too many of them and not enough of us, and my bear doesn’t know the meaning of the word stop .”
“You’d fight to the death?” Sophie asked, pressing a hand to her heart.
“Without a moment’s hesitation. I just want to make it count, you see. I plan to leave the Manor soon, head down and act as extra protection for the Guardians’ mates. I’ve become quite attached to them all in my time here, and… well, I plan to be with them as long as I can. As long as they’ll have me,” he explained, grabbing a big duffel bag from one of the couches. “I’m loading myself up now. Is there anything I can get you two first?”
Ephraim shook his head solemnly, and
“I shouldn’t have brought you here. This was a mistake,” he said, spinning and striding toward the main room once more.
“Ephraim, wait. I’m sorry,” Sophie said. She hurried to keep pace with him.
“Sorry for what? For having secrets? For going through my private things without asking?”
At Sophie’s look of surprise, he gave a sharp shake of his head.
“You think there’s anything in this plane that happens without my knowledge? No. I hope you enjoyed playing the voyeur, Sophie. You wouldn’t be the first of my masters who liked that kind of thing.”
“Hey!” She said as they reached the main room. She turned the tables on him, reaching out and grabbing his hand to halt his movement. “Look at me.”
“Sophie, there’s nothing else that needs to be said,” Ephraim said.
When she didn’t let go, he turned back her with a soft sigh.
“I don’t want…” she started, then stopped, biting her lip. What exactly was she trying to say, here?
“You don’t know what you want, Sophie,” he said, extracting his hand from hers.
“I want a lot of things, Ephraim.” Her voice hardened when she thought of Lily; of course her greatest wish would be to get her sister back. “Things I can never have, things I don’t have the strength to fight for. But I know this… I don’t want to be like… like those people in your photographs.”
The hurt and anger in Ephraim’s eyes was like a punch to the gut. He seemed about to respond, then just shook his head and thrust his hand out to her again.
“We have to go back to the Manor.”
“I thought you were taking the full day off to rest,” Sophie said, taking his hand.
In a flash, they were back at the Manor.
“Yeah, well. I’ve had enough rest for one day,” he said. “Besides, you didn’t see how bad it was out there. I think a lot of the humans have already fled, but where will the Kith go? It’s not like werewolves and Vampyres have extended family across the Gulf South to take them in.”
Sophie just nodded, looking around the Manor’s deserted living room.
“Awfully quiet in here,” she said, just as the butler appeared, still dressed in his tuxedo, perfectly pressed.
“Duverjay,” Ephraim said with a nod. “I’m back to resume patrols.”
“I was hoping you were Rhys and Gabriel,” the man said unapologetically. “They haven’t checked in for some hours, though I expect that might just mean a dead cell phone battery.”
Duverjay turned and paced to the kitchen island, drawing Sophie’s attention to the massive arsenal of firearms he’d laid out there.
“Damn,” she said. “Just what are you expecting, exactly?”
“There’s a war raging outside, Kith against Kith. Possessed humans are turning up in droves, Vampyres too. Most of the shifters have headed for the hills, but there are plenty of demons and other evildoers lurking. I want to take as many out as I can from afar before I get pulled into combat,” he said, rechecking the slide on one of his pistols.
“I see,” Sophie said.
The butler gave a soft laugh, shaking her head.
“I doubt that very much. I’m a Berserker, long since retired from the battle field. If I get drawn into what’s happening out there, it’s a last recourse. There are too many of them and not enough of us, and my bear doesn’t know the meaning of the word stop .”
“You’d fight to the death?” Sophie asked, pressing a hand to her heart.
“Without a moment’s hesitation. I just want to make it count, you see. I plan to leave the Manor soon, head down and act as extra protection for the Guardians’ mates. I’ve become quite attached to them all in my time here, and… well, I plan to be with them as long as I can. As long as they’ll have me,” he explained, grabbing a big duffel bag from one of the couches. “I’m loading myself up now. Is there anything I can get you two first?”
Ephraim shook his head solemnly, and
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