Koa sat back in her wooden chair and watched as Halston entered the little bistro. She hid her smile as his eyes scanned the room. He was like a golden light, come to spread joy throughout the room. She wasn't the only woman to notice him. Koa was very aware of the looks he got whenever he stepped into a room.
She sipped her coffee and sighed. She wasn't ready to tell him about the night before, but Halston was more than her best friend. He was her boss.
Halston didn't have to look long for her. Koa tended to stand out, especially in the countryside of Paris. Her pale face, green eyes, and long blue hair were a stark contrast to everyone in the room. The fact that she was Korean didn't help her blend in either.
Halston's eyes met hers and his lips crept into a smile.
How could anyone have a more perfect smile? Koa thought as she twirled her hair with her finger.
She would never tell him such a thing. Halston was already arrogant enough.
Always late, she thought with an impish grin. For someone who loved rules and decorum, Halston never seemed to think twice about punctuality.
Halston checked his watch. He shrugged as if he just realized that he was thirty minutes late and it wasn't a big deal.
He took off his navy fedora and ran his hand though his blond hair as he crossed the small room. Halston stood before her. Perfect white teeth smiled at her. Everything about him was perfect. He was literally created that way.
Koa's eyes scanned the room. She secretly enjoyed the dirty looks the other women were giving her when they realized that this masterpiece of a man had come to see her.
"Good morning, Koa," Halston said, sitting across from her. He reached over to take a piece of her bacon. Koa slapped his hand.
"Hands off, scumbag," Koa scolded as she hid a mischievous smile. "You didn't even ask."
Halston's eyebrows drew in. "Geez," he said, sitting back. "Someone's moody today," he grumbled and motioned for the waitress.
Koa folded her arms across her chest. "And someone's late..." She loved to tease him.
That perfect smile returned. It should have made her grimace. Instead, it did exactly what he wanted it to do. It softened the lines in her face, making her smile in return.
"I apologize. Why couldn't we meet somewhere familiar, like Lepicurien, or something?"
Koa shrugged. "Because I like it here. Don't question a Parisian about her bistros, Halston."
"But you don't know how hard it is to get out here with all of the sheep in the streets and whatnot. And you're not really Parisian—you're Korean. Right?"
Koa huffed and folded her arms across her chest as she leaned back in her chair. She was offended. She'd lived in Paris since she was a child. "I've lived here long enough to be considered Parisian."
Halston swiped one of her macaroons and popped it into his mouth. "Pardon me, Mademoiselle. You will forgive me, right?"
Koa rolled her eyes, but her smile widened without her permission. She could listen to him just talk for hours. "Sure. This time." She flicked her bangs out of her eyes. "How could anyone resist that British accent?"
Halston shrugged with a grin. "I suppose it has its perks."
Koa didn't think Halston knew just how much it affected her. He could ask for anything.
The tiny waitress took his order. She made eyes at him as if Koa wasn't sitting right there. Koa shook her head. Good thing Halston wasn't her boyfriend or husband; she might have felt inclined toward jealousy. She put her elbows onto the table and drank from her small café au lait.
Koa rolled her eyes as Halston spoke in French. He told the waitress how she looked like Audrey Tatou in Amelie and the girl practically swooned. He ordered and the waitress stood there, as if waiting for him to continue. Halston smiled at her and she blushed a deep rose color.
Koa almost wished she could show her fangs to the waitress and wipe that smile off her cute little face, but she resisted. She would be good today. Leave it to Koa to contemplate outing the entire vampire race to the poor, blissfully ignorant humans.
The waitress sauntered off with a beaming smile. Halston turned his attention back to Koa. She wondered if he knew that he'd just made that woman's day.
"Why, sir," Koa said as she mocked a British accent. She put the back of her hand across her forehead and pretended to be one of the girls from her favorite Jane Austen movies. She batted her eyelashes. "Aren't you just the most charming, handsome gentleman I've ever laid eyes on? I could just hand you my sweet innocence right here on this table." She burst out laughing and Halston made a face. It was an odd smirk that showed he didn't really think she was that funny.
"Don't try a British accent... ever again, Koa." He shook his head as he chuckled to himself. "You can be so strange sometimes."
Koa shrugged. "So what? I thought you liked that about me." She smiled and leaned in, a twinkle in her eye. She loved to flirt with him above all things.
He simply stared at her for a moment. His smile faded when he looked deep into her eyes. "You look tired," he said with a curious frown.
Koa sat back in her seat. Leave it to Halston to figure something was wrong within the first five minutes of arriving. She was surprised he didn't notice sooner.
Too busy flirting with doe-eyed waitresses, she thought, taking a sip from her coffee cup.
His gaze roamed over the surroundings, checking for anything out of the ordinary. It was ironic since the two of them were the only things out of the ordinary in that place. Still, it was Halston's habit, and Koa had learned to do the same. He was a great teacher.
Koa looked up with an unamused look on her face. "Thanks," she said sarcastically. "That's exactly what I needed to hear this early in the morning. You look as if you just fell from Mount Olympus. Congratulations for making me feel like a spotted monkey."
Halston sighed. His face turned serious. This was the face of her boss. He was no longer playful. "Out with it. What happened?"
She carefully sat her cup down before her and leaned in. "Syths. Two of them. Ugly bastards, bathed in the stench of burnt coal." She grimaced at the memory. "I'd say they'd only been in our world a few hours."
Halston's eyes widened. "What?" he whispered.
Koa nodded. "They attacked me, Halston. In my house." She tried to contain her anger. She was still a bit shaken up by the whole ordeal the night before. She was lucky to have Raven. Without her Lyrinian sword, she didn't know how she could have survived.
He kept his voice steady but there was an intense look in his eyes that Koa couldn't deny.
"Are you sure?"
Koa tilted her head, giving him a blank look. "Want to go check the graves I dug for them? You know, just to be sure?"
Halston let out a long breath.
"Give me some credit. I may still be the new kid in the organization, but I think I know my nephilim," she said.
Halston shook his head. "There have been more unusual deaths of children lately, particularly little girls. Bloodless corpses are scattered about in the streets." Halston looked at her. "I told you, Koa. I told you a long time ago. You cannot stay there anymore."
Koa grinned then. She knew he would say that. She knew him too well.
He gave her a curious look. "What are you smiling at? This is serious."
Koa laughed lightly and shook her head. "Nothing, Halston. Nothing at all." She drank some of her coffee. She looked at it with a perplexed expression as something dawned on her. "I thought you told me that the nephilim were locked in the Netherworld. I thought they could not get free."
The Netherworld, the world of the nephilim, creatures of supernatural origin, had been her main study since the death of her father. From all that she learned, they were not supposed to be able to come and go freely. There were supposed to be rules and boundaries keeping the human world safe from those creatures. Someone was deliberately breaking those rules.
Halston shook his head. "I never said that. They can come and go as they please, if they have permission."
Koa sat up straight. "Who can give them permission?"
Halston waved her to settle down. "Do not worry about it. Two Syths are nothing. They are big, but they are dim-witted. It must have been an error. But I still want you to move."
Koa examined his face. Even if the Syths were dim-witted, they had found her home. She couldn't help but worry. Halston was hiding something. He fiddled with his fork and looked down at the white and red tablecloth to avoid her stare.
"Whatever you say." But I will find out what you are hiding, in my own way, in my own time. She came to her feet. "Let's say we go shopping for houses today, shall we?"
Halston motioned to the table. "But I haven't gotten my order yet."
Koa pushed her plate toward him. His eyes went to the bacon that he had been reaching for when he arrived. "I ordered for you already." She winked at him. "This was for you."
His mouth hung. "But..."
"I was just teasing, Halston. Now, enough chatter. Wrap it up, and let's go."
* * *
Koa wasn't sure if it was the professional thing to do, but whenever she and Halston weren't on missions or working, he always reached for her hand when they were walking together. Koa never protested, it was instinctual and her hand would slide into his naturally. She didn't care that they appeared to be a couple in public.
Perhaps that was Halston's plan, another way of protecting her. Perhaps it meant more. She could only dream that it did.
They walked down the gray pavement and stopped before a newly developed high-rise. Koa looked up into the sky. It was tall. She would be able to fly out whenever she wanted, as long as no one was looking.
She frowned. This is not going to work.
Her father's mansion was her home. How could she leave it? She still remembered when he had come back for her and Raven. For years, Koa and her mother had lived in a one-room cottage in Daegu, South Korea.
Each day Koa would look out their window and wait for this elusive father of hers to return to the woman he had impregnated and the child he had held only once. Raven had been confident that he loved them both, and that he would come back for them, when the time was right. So, she would sit on the floor and spend the entire morning cooking for the field workers while Koa struggled to learn how to hide her fangs and resist slaughtering the people of that village.
Being a half-blood was hard. It was hard not having a vampire father around to teach her how to curb her cravings. She could eat food, but each week, the blood lust would hit her and she would be bedridden until Raven brought her blood from an animal. Koa would never forget just how good a mother Raven had been when she was still human.
Koa sighed, pushing the memory of her mother's beautiful face away. It always stung her heart to remember such things. The curse had almost ruined them. Halston had been the one to help them cope with the curse that had been put on her mother. She gave Halston a sidelong glance and squeezed his hand. He raised a brow but didn't question it.
"So," he asked, "what about this one?"
Koa didn't hesitate. She shook her head. "I don't like it." She motioned around them. "There are too many people around. It's not safe. People can be nosy, and you know how I get when I'm hungry."
Halston sighed. He checked his watch. "I suppose you're right. But Koa, I'm not going to be able to find you another secluded manor in the countryside. Homes like your father's manor just aren't practical. Sooner or later you're going to have to get used to being around people. You can blend better than any vampire because you can walk in the sun. You must get used to life with humans."
Koa frowned. "Come on Halston, I've watched Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Sense and Sensibility, I know. Europe is made up of such things. Go to London and make one of the lords move out."
Halston laughed. "Just being a Jane Austen fan doesn't make you an expert on England, Koa." He chuckled louder. "I don't think that's exactly how we want to relocate you, by moving a lord out and eliciting a bunch of unwanted attention."
"Who cares about unwanted attention?"
Halston's smile faded. "I do."
She sucked her teeth and folded her arms across her chest.
Halston gently unfolded them. He brushed her bangs from her eyes. "You're being bratty right now," he told her softly.
Koa didn't say anything. She knew he was right. She hated that. Her tongue went dry. Her stomach grumbled. She felt her energy start to deplete and sighed a long agonizing sigh. The smell of blood everywhere filled her nostrils and made her dizzy. She nearly stumbled and held onto Halston's arm.
He held her up. His voice was concerned. "The hunger?"
She nodded and took a deep breath. "I need to get to Wryn Castle."
Halston frowned. "Are you sure? I can find you some animal blood."
Koa shook her head. "Not this time. I need human blood at least once a month, or I'll be too weak to defend myself." She was tired of the taste of rabbit blood anyway. She needed a delicious mouthful of warm, human blood. Her fight with the Syths the night before had drained her a lot sooner than usual. She and Halston had developed a schedule for her feedings. The battle last night had thrown it off.
He held her hand and patted the back of it. "I'll take you. I want to keep an eye on you."
Koa shook her head. "No Halston, you cannot come. They don't take kindly to your kind."
"And I don't take kindly to theirs either."
Koa looked up and gave him a coy smile. "But you like me, don't you?"
Halston let out a breath and looked away. "Of course I do, Koa. You're not a typical vampire though. Your humanity gives you hope."
"Good... but I must go alone." Koa looked around to make sure no one was close enough to hear her. She lowered her voice. "The Wryn are not bad vampires. They are the best kind that we could ever hope for. At least they don't kill people. I swear, they are all registered and they follow the rules you've set."
Halston looked unsure but didn't protest. Instead he watched her with curious eyes.
Koa shifted, avoiding his gaze. She looked across the street at a couple having wine at an outside table. Halston had no idea how much she wanted him to kiss her whenever he gave her that icy blue look. It was a look of deep concern that told her he truly cared about her.
Koa was still fairly new to Halston's organization, but she had been killing vampires with him for a few years now. She knew how much he hated that she was about to go to the castle of one of the oldest vampire clans in Europe.
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