Chapter Thirty-Eight: Zakariah Griffin

Present day

Border of NC and VA

Stef knocked back her first bourbon before Zakariah had even started his Civil War story. She'd finished her second by the time he got up to the dreaded part.

"...Of course, the assault took us completely by surprise and we had to restock the encampment. Damon and I were sent in one direction through the woods, and naturally we were extremely vigilant given the circumstances. Well, he was vigilant – I was distracted by the fine specimen of a man at my side. Then a gun fires, and to this day I have no idea if that gun came from soldiers or hunters, but your father, Stefanie –" Zakariah nudged her alongside the bar counter like she would want to hear this for the second time, "– he pulled me to the ground, cradling me like I was his greatest love." He pressed a hand to his heart and sighed at the memory.

"You do realize he was protecting you platonically, right?"

He waved a hand dismissively at her. "Oh, Stefanie, let a man dream, won't you? Your father was my first and greatest crush, and life would have been divine if only that man had liked cock."

"Erm, except I wouldn't be alive if he did," Stef sputtered.

"Well, now you're just giving me more reasons to wish your father was gay, dear." He patted her on the arm placatingly, like he hadn't just insulted her, then tutted under his breath, "These reality checks are spoiling a perfectly romantic story." He took a deep breath, ready to resume. "So, anyway, it turned out Damon fell in deer shit when he dove for cover. I know – mood killer – but there was a river nearby... I think you know what's coming... give you a hint, it was nearly me. He strips off to bathe in the river and I see everything! Everything! Every glorious inch of that man! I'm washing deer shit off his uniform bare-handed and still it's the most spectacular thing I'd ever witnessed – and still witness today. At this house, all I need to do is step outside the rear exit – joke of that as you will – take a long walk, and I can watch your father in all his glory all over again. I dare say I've seen your father's cock more times than your mother has, Stefanie."

"I dare say you have," Stef cringed, gripping her glass tightly. "But you were his friend and now you're a peeping tom. Have you ever considered how my dad might feel if he knew about this?"

"Oh, he knows," Gabe clarified reluctantly.

"He knows?!" Stef blurted.

"I do have morals, Stefanie," Zakariah defended.

"Your dad's been... making money from it," Gabe continued. "It's become somewhat of a pay-per-view service for Zakariah."

"Your father's cock has been funding your family vacations to Europe for some years now, Stefanie," Zakariah said to her expression of disgust. "Damie has been draining me in every possible way and it's worth every penny."

"Please don't call him 'Damie'," Stef implored.

Zakariah rolled his eyes. "You'd prefer another nickname? Because I have plenty. Damie, Da'moves, Da'master, Da'manhole, Da'main Dish, Da'money Maker, Da'monster Cock, Da'mock Ness Monster, Salvasnake, Salvawhore, Spankasore, Shallfapmore, Sir Vulva Tour, Baby Blue Balls –"

"Damon Sir Vulva Tour has my vote," Phoenix offered.

Stef held up her hand in a panic. "Damie is fine!"

Zakariah reached for the bottle of bourbon and filled up her glass. "If you believe that my attraction to your father is something he's only recently become aware of, it's not. He's known how I've felt about him for a good century. We lost touch just before his transition and, twenty years later, I found the man – or vampire as he was at the time – so starved of companionship that when I told him to turn me, he did it without hesitation. But he would not give up his obsession for that damn Katherine woman. A couple of decades of hearing him harp on and on about her, I got blind drunk, attempted to kiss him and confessed my feelings. He did not take my confession well and I took his rejection even harder. When I told him that my obsession for him was no different from his obsession for Katherine, he said the words, 'The difference is, Katherine loved me. I do not love you.' That was like a slap in the face. So, like everyone else in Damon's history, I ran, leaving him alone once more."

Stef stared at her refilled glass, feeling sympathy for the both of them. She hadn't heard this much of the story before, though she'd already learned enough about Katherine from her parents to know of the hell she'd put them through.

"That is so sad," Flick told him, sipping on her lemonade with the secret shot of rum Phoenix had added from his own drink at her request.

"Yes, well, you can imagine how conflicted I felt when I later learned he had become friends with Gabe. But this magical man..." Zakariah clasped Gabe affectionately on the shoulder, "helped rebuild our friendship, albeit distantly since Damon didn't want any close associations with a leader of the council. Power leads to danger and all that. However, Damon sends me the most adorable messages." He pulled out his phone, opening up his latest messages, and held it out for the others to read.

Damon Salva-va-voom: Love you, Buddy Bear.

Damon Salva-va-voom: As friends. Don't get any ideas.

Damon Salva-va-voom: And, no, you can't use your cell phone to take pictures. I already told you that. It's not part of the deal.

Zakariah put the phone back in his pocket. "I'll wear him down on that one eventually."

A door closed on the other side of the room and a man strolled in with a frustrated expression. He was a decade older than Zakariah but could easily pass as younger. He had light black skin, dark brown dreadlocks down to his collarbone, and wore a stone-colored suit with a cravat and waistcoat. Walking up to the bar, he swiped Stef's drink, gulped it back, then placed both hands on the edge of the counter, his head lowered, deep in thought.

"I take it that the discussion with the Coven isn't going well, Gideon?" Zakariah asked.

Gideon curled his index finger and thumb, leaving a gap of an inch between the tips. "Dimitri is this close to fucking me in the ass."

"I take it that's not a good thing?" Raid questioned genuinely.

"Nobody wants to be fucked by Dimitri," Zakariah explained. "No offence, Winifred."

"None taken," she responded. "So what does he want?"

"The good news is, he wants the truce and he won't leave here without one," Gideon said. "The bad news is, he still wants a guarantee that Stef won't remove magic from any other witches, and her word isn't enough."

"Why not?" Gabe asked. "Why would she purposely enter into a conflict she's trying to avoid?"

Gideon sighed. "Her magic is enhanced when she feeds on human blood. The Coven's argument is that if this is what Stef can do now, what if she starts feeding on humans more frequently? She could end up possessing powers that wipes witches of their magic up and down the country in the blink of an eye. So, the Coven will only agree to a truce now on the condition that she only feeds on humans once a month max, and believe me, they have a spell already prepared to monitor it."

Stef slammed her hand down on the counter in anger. "Shit!" She knew this was too good to be true. She started pacing up and down the length of the bar, anxious that Gabe was going to have to go through with his plan.

Raid interrupted her pacing by stepping in front of her, taking her hands in his. "Stef, you can do this. You can easily go without blood for a month."

Stef stamped her foot. He didn't understand. She couldn't help him understand. "I can't, Raid!"

He looked at her curiously, studying her distress. Why the sudden need for blood? Was she craving it now? Whose blood? Anyone's? Or just his? Was she already intending on feeding on him again? After the effects of the feeding bond, he didn't even know if he would be willing to risk that, even if she wanted it. Even if they both wanted it. "Is this about me?" he asked her gently.

She quietened, softening at the innocence of his question. It was always about him. Just not the way he thought. As far as he knew, she only needed to feed on a human once to perform the protection spell on him and his cousin. What she was failing to tell him, was that it needed to be daily. Once a month wouldn't keep them protected. But she couldn't tell him that, especially not if he was planning on leaving. Because those she would be feeding on wouldn't be him. So she kept her answer vague. "Yes," she nodded, removing her hands from his.

Raid nodded back. He understood. He didn't know how he was going to deal with her craving more of his blood, but, fuck it, they'd find a way. He'd bag it up if needed, but he wasn't going to tell her she had to go without because of some damn truce. He looked towards Gabe. "So now what?"

Gabe tapped his fingers on the counter a few times, each tap adding to his resolve to proceed with his plan to offer the Coven something they couldn't refuse. It had been his decision, so he wasn't nervous that it had come to this. He was only nervous about telling Winifred, but there was no avoiding it now. He reached into his pocket. "Time for Plan B."

As Gabe opened his hand to Gideon, it revealed the talisman. Part of the talisman. A silver triangle that had been neatly cut from the rest of the pendant.

The part containing the amethyst stone with the symbol of the vampire.