The man in the suit. The wee folk. An attacker. The thoughts quickly entered and exited my mind as Andre stepped out of the shadows.
The pulse of energy that usually accompanied him was absent, probably tampered down by the stronger thrum of the Otherworld. I breathed him in; the scent of expensive cologne barely covered up a masculine smell that was distinctly Andre.
“Cute outfit,” he said, running his eyes over my tennis shoes, tight exercise pants, and fitted shirt—and probably a few leaves that clung to them.
“What are you doing here? And how did you find me?” I hissed, alarmed by his presence and annoyed that he was laughing at me.
He smirked, his eyes roving over me. “I have my ways.” He turned his attention to Oliver, who was sitting up in a tree to avoid the mud, and Leanne, who crouched behind a cluster of shrubs, before looking back at me.
“Playing hide-and-go-seek with your friends?” I narrowed my eyes. “You should’ve asked me. I play a much more fun version.”
I rubbed my temples. “Please, Andre not now …”
His smile faded and he got serious. “You should be more careful. Being out here with these two might actually be more unsafe than being out at night alone.”
He comes from a different time. Don’t freak out. Don’t freak out.
He folded his arms, waiting for my reaction.
“Why exactly, are you here?” I managed to say.
“Escorting you to claim your father’s inheritance—unless of course you don’t want the small fortune he left for you.”
***
My “small” fortune ended up being over three hundred million dollars. I choked on my coffee, which Andre had bought for me after we’d left my friends at the dorms.
“Congratulations Ms. Fiori, you are now a millionaire—a few times over,” said Mr. Taylor, the manager of my father’s estate. I smoothed down my shirt to do something with my hands. Thankfully I’d showered and changed before I came.
According to Andre, Mr. Taylor was another seer—a type of supernatural I was beginning to suspect was quite common—and his talents allowed him to successfully manage the accounts of several high-profile supernaturals, including my dad.
Three hundred million dollars. That was more money than I’d ever dreamed of owning. While Andre waited in the lobby, Mr. Taylor and I went over how the money was to be distributed to me, suggestions for investing the money, and a referral to another man who I should talk to.
I thanked him for his help. As I got up to go, he said, “Oh, and one more thing Ms. Fiori.”
I paused. His tone had changed. “Your father left something for you in a safety deposit box with instructions that, if you ever found me and claimed your inheritance, you should access it as soon as possible.”
If I ever claimed my inheritance? Was my father hoping or expecting that I wouldn’t?
“He left the box number and the key with me.” Mr. Taylor handed me an envelope that contained the key and the instructions for accessing the deposit box.
His hand shook slightly as I took the envelope from him. Spooked by his reaction, I asked, “What’s in it?”
He rubbed his thick salt and pepper mustache. “I don’t know, but whatever it is, it was of utmost importance to him that you receive it.”
He turned away from me, busying himself by putting away his pen and notepad.
Then I smelled it—fear. I knew Mr. Taylor wasn’t scared of me. We’d been talking for over an hour, so I would’ve picked up on his fear by now if I were the cause. No, this was something much, much worse than an undead teenager.
I leaned over the desk. “What are you not telling me?”
Reluctantly he refocused on me. I could see the whites of his eyes. “Whatever is in that safety deposit box indirectly killed a five-hundred-year-old vampire. Be careful of whom you trust. Sometimes knowledge from the dead has a way of cursing the living.”
Chapter 14
The twinkling lights and softly lit lamps cast a warm glow throughout the French restaurant. Off in the distance I could hear the ocean crashing on the shore. Andre watched me from across the table, looking so handsome it hurt.
“You ready?”
I paused, my soupspoon poised in the air, midway to my mouth. “Ready for what?” After we had left Mr. Taylor’s office, Andre had insisted on taking me out to dinner. Considering it was 9:00 p.m., and I hadn’t eaten since lunch, I took him up on his offer.
“This is where our first lesson will begin.” Of course inviting me to dinner came with strings attached.
I put my soupspoon down, and looked around the room. Couples quietly chatted over their meals. It was the epitome of civility.
“Here?” I could understand Andre taking me to a club, where people were boiled down to their most primal natures. And I could understand Andre taking me to the middle of nowhere to practice, where I wouldn’t be a threat. But here? It was a bit underwhelming.