Page 71 of Burn for the Devil
“What’s going on?” I asked, looking at the two men before turning my gaze to Ramone.
“Ivan, did you ever drink the blood wine?”
Ivan glanced at Ramone. “I don’t think I ever had that privilege.” Ramone nodded.
Ilya took a long drag of his cigarette and tossed it into a glass of water on the table beside us. “It might be only the two of us affected, Ramone. Stefan hasn’t had the same severity of symptoms and Matthew hasn’t complained to me. Alexander seems okay, for the most part.” He turned to who I guessed was Alexander. “Did you ever drink any? I can’t remember if you did.” No one answered him.
As if the mention of his name had conjured him, I spotted Matthew in the distance, walking through the entrance to the hall. He veered to the right and scanned us with a cursory glance.
“Would someone fill me in please?” I had no idea if it was any of my business, but the conversation was bizarre enough I wanted more information.
Ramone took a deep breath before answering. “I’ve told you bits and pieces but there was a curse placed on a beverage some of us enjoyed that changed things for several of us.”
“A curse?”
Ilya spoke up, “Thanks to your piece of shit demon boyfriend.” Ramone gave him a cruel smile while Ivan watched with interest.
“He’s not a demon,” I objected, giving Ilya a dirty look.
Ivan snickered and said, “Have fun with this one. I’ll see you guys later, try not to make a scene.” Alexander followed him, leaving the three of us.
The man left, leaving me puzzled. “Why would you make a scene? What symptoms?”
“Sweetheart, I’ve told you before what I am. Remember the decay where I took you? Part of the curse, we believe.” He ran a hand up my arm and I leaned into him.
“Just do us all a favor and believe what he tells you. The curse is working in your favor. I’ve never seen him act like this before, with any woman.”
I glanced at Ilya. For a moment he’d looked heartbroken, before his countenance returned to the angry and smug expression he appeared to favor. “Okay,” I replied, unsure of what to say.
“The wine he mentioned gave us some human traits and emotions we did not possess before, not in the capacity we do now,” Ramone explained. “We believe it has to do with my and Ilya’s ex, Kiara.”
“Both of your ex?”
“Yes,” Ramone said.
Ilya’s eyes briefly glowed red, in the same manner that Ramone’s glowed green occasionally. “That’s debatable,” he said.
Ramone pursed his lips and ignored Ilya’s snide remark.
“We should go,” Ilya said, placing his hands on his hips and turning in a circle. I didn’t miss the dual shoulder holsters under his unbuttoned jacket and gave Ramone a quick look.
The air seemed to shift inside the hall, but I couldn’t ascertain whether it was the sight of the guns or if something else was responsible for my sudden unease. I received my answer when Ilya and Ramone glanced at each other quickly.
“We’re leaving,” Ramone said.
Ilya went in one direction, and we headed in the other. Turning my head, I tried to see where he went but Ramone was walking so quickly, I was tripping over my feet.
We passed my parents, my mother smiling prettily at me as we passed her and my father. I didn’t return the gesture.
Expecting us to have headed for the exit, I was surprised to find we were in another large but sparsely furnished room. My heels sounded across the marble flooring until Ramone stopped. He let go of my hand and scanned the room, pulling his phone from the inside of his suit jacket. “Stay right next to me,” he warned.
He held his phone up to his ear, said “thank you” to somebody, and put his phone away.
“Who was that? What is going on?”
Ramone’s chest rose and fell. “I’m not positive but I believe my father is up to something.”
“Your dad? Why?” I spun around looking at our surroundings; there was no one in the room and it had an almost sterile quality. “You’ve never mentioned your parents.”