Chapter 6
Wynn
We were all gatheredin the dining room where Darren was about to tell us his plan to keep Vincent off our backs. When I had messaged everyone about Darren’s plan, they were all eager to get back to the house as quickly as possible.
Even Antoine had taken a break from his constant paperwork to sit and hear what his servant had to say. There was an odd tension between the two of them when he came into the room, but I only had enough energy to deal with one thing right now and that was focusing on getting Piper back.
Darren stood before the group with his hands clasped behind his back and waited patiently for us all to get settled.
“What’s this all about a plan?” Drake threw himself down on the couch, throwing his legs up on the coffee table. Darren gave the vampire a scowl which prompted Drake to drop his feet.
“If you would be patient Master Drake then I will tell you all in a moment. We are just waiting for...” the back doorbell rang “...that. Excuse me.” Darren marched across the room and out the door toward the kitchen.
“Do you know what all this is about?” Drake turned to Antoine, his knee bouncing in place.
Antoine did not turn his gaze to our brother, his gaze focused where his servant had left seconds ago. “No, I am not privy to every thought Darren has.”
“Oooo,” Drake chuckled. “Someone get into a fight with their boyfriend?” Drake bumped his shoulder against his brother who shook his head at him in disappointment.
Seeing the expression on Antoine’s face made me finally speak up. “I would advise you to keep your comments to yourself.” Shifting in my seat, I sighed and stared off at the far corner where I’d first met Piper. It seemed like it was only yesterday she was breaking things and causing a panic in our quiet home. Strangely, not much has changed. “We are all on edge right now and we don’t need to be fighting amongst ourselves.”
Drake snorted and threw his feet back up on the coffee table. “Whatever. I’m just trying to lighten the mood. It’s not every day that Darren has Antoine’s panties in a twist. It’s usually Piper.”
Everyone was quiet for a moment at the mention of our noticeably absent lover.
“Yeah,” Rayne breathed out, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. “I’d give anything to fight with her again.”
A rude sound came from Marcus and everyone turned his way.
“Do you have something to add, my stoic friend?” I gestured at him with a tight frown. “By all means, please share.”
Marcus pushed off the wall by the mantle and glowered at the group. “You are acting as if she has died. When we are just one fight away from getting her back. If we would gather ourselves, we could breach the —”
“Marcus.” Antoine’s voice rang out throughout the room, causing all of us to still. “We have discussed this before. We will not go charging into an unknown place and put Piper’s life in danger. Knowing the council, they may very well decide she and the baby are better off dead than in the hands of the hunter’s guild.” He leveled a look at all of us, the pulsating push of his power demanding we do his will pinched at my mind. “We must all have patience.”
Just then Darren walked in with...Piper? I sniffed the air and narrowed my eyes. Wait...no that’s not Piper.
“What the hell is this about?” Rayne growled, pushing up from his seat to stalk toward the blonde imposter. “You think you can just replace Piper like that with this...this...” he gestured at the woman who gave Rayne a flat look. “Phony?”
“Quite eloquently put Rayne,” Antoine stated with a dry air, his own eyes looking over this new addition. “Darren,” he addressed the butler who turned his gaze toward his master though there was a bit of a sting in that look that usually wasn’t there. “Please explain this young lady’s part in all this.” He gestured to the woman and then around the room.
“Yes,” I interjected. “Please tell us. Who is this woman and why does she look like Piper?”
Darren placed a hand on the fake Piper’s shoulder. “This is Angelica. She’s a shape shifting witch.”
Angelica grinned and wiggled her fingers at us. “Hey ya’ll,” A strange southern accent came out of Piper’s mouth.
“I hired Angelica to pose as Piper until we can find a solution for the Vampire Guild’s constant inquiries.”
Drake snorted. “Anyone with a nose will know that’s not Piper.”
“We don’t need them to get close enough to smell her,” Darren pointed out. “Just so that the guild believes she’s alive and well.”
Curiosity getting the best of me, I shoved off of my seat and approached the woman. Confidence poured from her until I was inches away and then there it was. That hint of fear and uncertainty flashed across her eyes.
“Are you afraid of us, Angelica?” I purred, picking up a piece of her blonde hair, the ends of it curled the way Piper usually would style.
Angelica licked her lips, her eyes dilating as she breathed out, “N...no.”