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And she settled down and fell back to sleep on her back, his mouth found the crook of her neck. He kissed it gently. There was a peaceful little smile on her gorgeous face. He’d done that; he’d given that to her. He felt warmth settle in his bones so he closed his eyes. But he wouldn’t forget what that other vamp did. And that other vamp would pay.-6-She’d again dreamt of being in that stone tunnel with a snake around her arm, squeezing, while blood ran down the walls, but this time her parents were there. She’d jolted awake and panic spread at seeing the empty space in bed beside her but it only lasted an instant because then Tristan emerged from the bathroom, showered and dressed.
“Phew,” she said aloud and he gave her a half a smile.
“Mornin’ baby. Get ready? We’ll get breakfast on the road.” He leaned over and kissed her forehead.
She nodded and sat up.
He started packing up the few things that were out of their bag and she headed for a shower.
En route to Adrian’s, which was less than an hour away, he told her that there were others at the compound and that other than Sam, only Adrian knew about her so she needed to act mesmerized in the presence of other vamps.
“I’ve told them back home that I’m here on business. A select few know about you.”
“Who knows?”
“As far as I know, Adrian, Sam, and Claudio. Liam, obviously. But I don’t think anyone else knows. Other than… well… I’ll fill you in on that shortly.”
The look on his face made her blood run cold.
“Other than who?”
“Baby, just a little longer. It’s better I explain when we’re there.”
“Claudio? When did that happen?”
“Last night. After the Liam run-in. I called him. Well, I called him last night but he already knew. He’s known all along. I found out after my initial conversation with Adrian but I needed time to chew on that before talking to him.”
“All along?”
“Yeah. This was staged.” His expression hardened.
“What was?”
“Us.” He merged onto a highway.
“Us?”
“Sam guided Joe to that bar. Joe thought he scouted you for me but that wasn’t the case. You were chosen for me. Sam made Joe think it was his idea.”
“Uh, what?”
“It’s better that we do this when I’m not driving. I think we’d better do this when we’re stopped. There’s good news, too. There’s a way to keep you safe from me.”
“Then stop so you can tell me.”
“Kyla, let’s just---”
“Stop the car and fucking talk to me!” she demanded, “There,” she pointed, “gas station.”
He sighed and pulled in to a gas station and restaurant rest stop parking lot, through a drive-thru to order coffee and then he pulled over.
“We need to get you breakfast.”
“Fuck breakfast. Talk.”
“Not fuck breakfast, Kyla. You need your strength. You can’t skip meals or I have to skip meals. I don’t like to fuckin’ skip meals!”
She was staring, agape, “Are you fucking kidding me right now?”
He pinched the bridge of his nose, “It’s gonna take time to catch you up. I’m sorry. That was callous.”
“Catch me the fuck up then and, uh, now would be good.”
She opened the tab on her coffee cup and took a small sip.
“Pill.” He mumbled this and passed her the bottle from the duffle bag.
“This? This is useless.”
“We don’t know that. Take it. And while you’re at it, put this on.”
He passed her a silver choker necklace with a tiny circular loop.
She rolled her eyes, popped the pill in her mouth, and swallowed it down with a sip of coffee. The coffee was too hot. It took a minute to recover. She looked at the collar.
“That’ll tell others who see you just how off limits you are. When we get there, put sunglasses on and act like you’re entranced. I’ll get you someplace safe and private. Then Adrian will sit down with us and go over things. He’s in the know.”
“In the know?”
“He’s involved in all of this. Deeply.”
“Deeply?”
“Yeah. He’s the orchestrator. And he has something that can help.”
“Care to elaborate?”
“Not until you’re safely in there and past the other vamps. The less you know going in, the less chance of you wigging out. Remember when you and I are in there, anything we say could be being recorded, even when we think we’re alone. Don’t give anything away. I trust no one right now.”
“Tristan, you are freaking me out.”
“Drink your coffee; eat a muffin. We’ll be there soon. Then we’ll go from there.”
She stared off into space.
“I love you. I love you so much. I’m gonna figure this out. Okay? Trust me?”
She nodded.
“You do?” he prodded.
She sighed.
“I do.” She settled down.
She wanted to ask a million questions, but it’d wait. All the weeks of wondering the truth…
In a few short minutes it sounded like she’d get it. Finally, the truth. She put her hand on his thigh and he rested his hand on top of hers as they pulled back onto the highway.
