Amalgamate

Chapter 36

Rowan set her things down in her cold, dark, eerily quiet apartment. Her life had come full circle...just another quiet night alone in her apartment. Only now the players who were coming around were far more dangerous. She'd drawn a couple conclusions though. One- she couldn't allow herself to let anyone in. Two- she couldn't trust her own judgment. Look where it'd gotten her thus far.

She sat down at her kitchen table to enjoy a cup of coffee swearing to herself she could hear the little bricklayers as they finished assembling the concrete wall around her heart. The sound of her phone receiving a text startled her. It was from an unknown number. Her first thought was Ian as she sprang to get it.

"Do you like what you see." was all it said. A video was attached. When she turned it on, she knew immediately what it was and no way in hell was she watching it twice. She turned it off. Who had sent it to her? Someone who wanted her to know about Tearlach. Maitland? 'Nah, didn't seem like his style.'

After a few additional pity party minutes with a hazelnut latte Rowan decided that in the end, it didn't matter. People couldn't hurt you if you didn't let them and she was moving on. Tonight she had a date with a vampire. She headed upstairs to brush her teeth and check her make-up. Nothing was out of place. She hadn't shed one tear over Tearlach. That wasn't her style. She just got angry and left a path of destruction in her wake. Emotionally ready to meet Declan she sifted herself back to the street in front of Cloak and Dagger, hoping he would be there waiting for her.

The doorman at the entrance recognized her right away, and he was on the phone in a second.

'Well, that was fast.' She ascended the stairs with panther like prowess never taking her eyes off the doorman. Considering the owner had assembled an army to look for her, she didn't even toy with the idea of standing in line. She was gonna saunter right into this place, and take what she wanted.

Rowan looked right at the doorman, "Did you call Declan then?"

"How'd you know?"

"I came to see him. Can you let me in?" Rowan scanned her surroundings. Even at this late hour, the line to get in was around the building.

"Yeah, listen, go right to the bar. He's probably already there."

Rowan continued up the stairs, pushed her way through the door and passed the curtain that separated the patrons from the people who waited outside. She saw him immediately. He moved so quickly, she almost didn't see him weaving in and out of the patrons to reach her. That's when the realization hit her. She couldn't have escaped him tonight even if she'd wanted to. The strange thing was, she didn't want to.

His arm was around her, his hand on the small of her back in seconds, "Nice to see you again...Rowan."

Pressing her opened palm against his chest and pushing him away from her, she laid down a warning, "Hands off vampire." She waited for him to remove his hands before she continued. "I want to see Lileas, now." She held his eyes, knowing it was stupid, but she wasn't scared of him and she wanted him to know it. Her pride really would be her ruination some day.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you not to look a vampire in the eyes?" He gave her a sultry grin, already loving her overt defiance.

"It's been a hell of a week for me vampire, and I really don't like to be fucked with." She waited for his response as she looked him over from head to toe.

"My my... you seem agitated tonight. Wolf problems I presume?" He knew Bhaltair had a plan, bastard worked fast. He would have to remember to thank him.

"Not upset vampire. I'm hell and gone past upset tonight, so I suggest you don't add fuel to the fire. Now, if you want me to stay here and talk with you, show me Lileas right now. I know you have her." Her eyes scanned the vicinity taking in the numbers, trying to figure out who and where Declan's people were. There was no way to discern them from anyone else.