Chapter 13
Allister
Gathered in my twin's room, my blood brothers were quieter than usual. Each of us had something on our minds and I was willing to bet the majority of us were contemplating death. Valentine's death in particular.
"He needs to die," Drake growled, pounding his fist against his thigh where he sat at my desk.
"Now, let's not be so hasty." Antoine held a hand up. Our leader had cooled down quite a lot since our last meeting. Still, it was surprising to hear him not agreeing with Valentine's demise.
"You just want him to get away with it?" Drake gaped, his hands waving around in agitation. "That fucker is just gonna come after her again. He won't stop. Not until she's dead."
"Drake's got a point," I interjected with a nod, shifting on my bed. "Valentine is a singular creature. Once he has a taste for someone, he won't quit."
Rayne snorted next to Wynn on the couch. "Well, he's tasted her now. If you could call what he did to her tasting. More like brutalized her."
Wynn shook his head and sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "You guys didn't see her afterward. Piper was really shook up."
"Of course she would be." Rayne turned his head toward Wynn with a frown. "What human wouldn't be? That wasn't a feeding. He was trying to kill her." He ground his teeth, his hands tightening on his thighs. "And he'll try it again. I know it. I could hear his thoughts. It was..." He shook his head, his eyes filled with despair. "It was horrible. We can't let him touch her again." Rayne’s shaggy red head lifted, his gaze locking with Antoine's. "I vote he dies."
"Here, here!" Drake pumped his fist in the air.
I sighed and lifted my hand as well. "I do too. Piper deserves justice."
"And she'll get it," Antoine countered with a stern frown. "But not by putting us in danger. If we kill Valentine, what do you think our master will do?"
Drake barked out a laugh. "Then we kill that fucker too."
A few of us chuckled nervously, but then we paused. Turning my head to Antoine, I cocked it to the side in thought. "Can we? It would solve a lot of our problems."
Antoine didn't answer right away, but then jerked his head in an upward motion. "But this is not the place to be discussing such things. There are too many ears." He swirled his finger in the air, gesturing to the walls. He was right. Who knew who could be listening, even now. There were no secrets in this house, and us planning the assassination of our master and creator was not best idea in his house.
"We need to make a plan." Drake leaned forward in the desk chair, his elbows on his knees as he laced his fingers beneath his chin. "We can't do that here."
"We can't leave though," Wynn pointed out. "Not without leaving Piper vulnerable. She'd have to come with us."
"Where though?" Rayne shifted to address the group. "Where could we take her to discuss this?"
Antoine stepped into the center of the room. "Our master will no doubt want to throw some elaborate party before we leave. I'm sure we could use the excuse of buying her and ourselves something suitable to wear as a way to get out of the house. But we need to discuss the schedule of who will guard her throughout the day. Darren, while a formidable foe, is hardly a match for a vampire. Even a weak one. Marcus is guarding Piper now, and we can each easily take turns at night to watch over her, but the daytime will have to be done in shifts."
"I'll take first shift," Rayne volunteered, holding up his hand with a smirk. "She'll probably be in my bed anyway."
"Fucking braggart," Drake muttered under his breath, and Rayne flipped him off with no less of a shit-eating grin. Then Drake turned to Antoine. "I'll go next. I usually have to get up to piss anyway."
Rayne snickered, earning him another glower from Drake, but he ignored him.
Antoine nodded. "Who's next? I'll take last shift, since technically she should be in my room anyway." This was said to Rayne who stopped laughing to have a stare down with Antoine. Our little brother, who usually backed down from Antoine on all matters, actually held his gaze. Guess he finally found someone worth fighting for.
"I'll go next." Wynn held his hand up lazily, breaking through their stare down. "I do so enjoy watching her eat her meals." Wynn wagged his brows in exaggeration. "Besides, you owe me." He flipped his gaze to Antoine.
Something passed between the two of them, but neither elaborated. "Fine," Antoine clipped, and then turned to me. "Do you wish to go next or closer to evening?"
I lifted a shoulder. "I'm an early riser, so I'm going before you. That still leaves quite a lot of time between lunch and my time though...and what if she wants to go outside?"
Antoine inclined his head. "Marcus has the most stamina of us all and has agreed to bear the brunt of the load."
Drake snorted.
"What?" Antoine snapped, his pale eyes locking on my brother with annoyance. "If you have something to say, say it."