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The vampires and humans surrounding us all shifted on their feet, the tension skyrocketing as the conversation began to take a dangerous turn. The air was thick with tension, and I stiffened, waiting for fighting to break out at any moment.
Norman took a deep breath, calming down. “Give us the girl, and we’ll pretend this never happened.”
“Try to touch her,” Zan taunted menacingly. “See what happens. She is mine. No one will fucking lay a hand on her. Or none of your men will leave here alive.”
Amaros chuckled. “Excuse my son. He’s possessive of his toys. But his word stands. Kali is ours.”
Rage bristled down my spine, and I pressed my lips together, keeping my emotions in check. My eyes darted between Amaros and Norman. There was no way I was getting out of this. I was either going to be stuck with PARA or with the Kanes. And from how tightly Zan was squeezing my hand, I had a feeling he wasn’t going to let me go. I didn’t want to be trapped anywhere near Amaros, but I couldn’t deny the slice of relief. If I went with Norman, I was dead.
My eyes cut back to Warner. He couldn’t go with PARA either.
Norman scowled. “We’re still waiting for Rowan. He wants to talk to you.”
I racked my brain, the name not sounding familiar at all. Warner didn’t react to the name, but Zan did. He squeezed my hand, his body going stiff as he stared at Norman.
“And while we’re waiting, I thought we’d deal with something else.” Norman nodded his head, and two men grabbed Warner’s arms and dragged him toward us. My heart plummeted, and Zan’s hold was the only reason I didn’t lunge toward Warner.
Amaros glanced at me. “Do you know him?”
“She does,” Norman answered for me. “They both fled the city. They grew up together.”
That got Amaros’s attention. “Siblings?”
“No. Both orphans.” Norman grabbed the back of Warner’s neck, yanking him forward before kicking him in the back of the legs, sending him to his knees. “Not only did he flee us, but he’s a Clover.”
“Hmm, not a surprise after meeting Kali,” Amaros mused as he focused on Warner. “You kill vampires?”
Panic had me in a chokehold, and I tried slipping my hand from Zan’s. But he didn’t let go, forcing me to stay at his side. My chest heaved, fear for my best friend swallowing me whole.
“Consider this a peace offering,” Norman said smoothly. “We know the Clovers are just as bothersome for you as they are for us.”
“No,” I blurted out, my voice high. “He didn’t do anything. It was all me.”
“Kali, quiet,” Zan breathed out tightly.
Amaros narrowed his eyes, looking at Zan, and then at me. He didn’t say anything, but I didn’t like how his attention was still on Warner. I knew Zan didn’t want them focused on me, but I couldn’t stand here when they were discussing my best friend as if he were expendable.
The rumble of a vehicle behind Norman drew everyone’s attention, then a new armored truck appeared.
“Rowan’s here.” There was a note of relief in Norman’s voice. “Hopefully we can all leave this meeting under the same terms.”
“That’s completely dependent on what your boss says.” The way Amaros dismissed Norman as if he were a nobody put me more on edge.
The door of the vehicle opened, and a man stepped out. Unlike all the other men, his face was free of a mask and goggles. He was wearing a PARA uniform with enough patches on it for me to know that he wasn’t just another soldier. He was high up in the government.
He strode toward us, his steps confident, and there wasn’t a speck of fear on his face. My eyes drifted down to his neck. White lines of scars were scattered on his skin, the remnants of vampire bites.
“What the fuck is going on?” he growled, pulling my attention back to his face. “We didn’t have a meeting scheduled for another month.”
“Ask Norman,” Amaros said. “He’s the one who called it.”
Rowan glared at him, his brown eyes full of loathing. His straight black hair was long enough that it kept getting in his eyes. There was a scar on his cheek, and his nose had a hump, as if it’d been broken before. His posture was rigid, and he held himself as if he were the most important person here. It was clear that he was a leader. I wondered what he’d done during the war.
“His sons entered Project Hope,” Norman bit out.
Rowan frowned. “That’s a breach of contract. Did they kill anyone?”
“Only when we were attacked,” Viggo spoke up.
