Her eyes narrow. "What do you care? It's my problem."
Asher, being Asher, ignores the attitude and presses on. "We could help you. I meant what I said."
She cuts him off before he can go full Saint of the Supernaturals. "I don't need your help," she says, sharp and cool. "I just need my clothes back and for you to let me go."
Right on cue, thunder rips across the sky and rattles the windows, like nature itself decided to weigh in with dramatic timing. Fitting.
I grin. "Well, look at that. Seems like Mother Nature wants you to stay for a sleepover. Whole forest's throwing a tantrum out there. And you're not exactly storm-proof, sunshine."
She doesn't dignify it with a reply, but I see her jaw tighten. So I keep going.
"And Asher's right. We could help. Not because we're noble heroes or any of that garbage—at least, I'm not—but I do love a good revenge plot. And if that goat-footed billionaire freak is behind the bloodletting circus you dragged me into…" I tilt my head, letting the edge creep into my voice, "I'd love to return the favor."
She scoffs. "Yeah. Like you could." Then adds, under her breath, "And he doesn't have goat legs. Not any more than you can turn into a bat."
My smile sharpens. "Goat legs or not, you said it yourself—you leafy folk are sweet as a basket of kittens but about as deadly as one. Doesn't sound like he'd be that hard."
Her gaze flicks toward the fire. "He's not like others. Darius is thousands of years old. Ancient. Powerful in ways you don't understand."
"Then you're in danger," Asher says simply. "Real danger. But if you're set on leaving, at least stay the night. Let the storm pass. We'll drive you to your car. Or town. Wherever you were headed."
She sighs, reluctant but tired. "Yeah. A car. I ran out of gas."
I snort. "How environmentally irresponsible of you. I thought you'd be driving something powered by recycled moonbeams and pixie piss."
She rolls her eyes. "I'll stay the night," she says flatly.
Asher gives her a small nod. "All right. I'll show you a room. It locks from the inside. Your clothes will be clean by morning."
As they start up the stairs, I call out behind them, lifting my glass. "Don't forget to leave a glowing five-star review forAsher's Kumbaya B&B! Complimentary guilt trips and moral high ground included."
Sage doesn't respond, just keeps climbing like she's ascending into enemy territory.
Smart girl.
I stay where I am, pouring the last finger of whiskey and letting it burn down my throat. My thoughts spin—about her, about that blood, about this whole twisted revelation of a hidden world tangled in ivy, old gods and dark deals.
It's like we stumbled into some derangedMidsummer Night's Dream, only with more blood and corporate funding.
CHAPTER SIX
Sage
I lock the door behind me and exhale, my back pressed against it, pulse still drumming beneath my skin. Then I look down at the two towels Asher handed me. Lavender-scented. Of course. Lavender towels. In a vampire's house.
It's almost funny.
I glance around the room. It's absurdly normal. A four-poster bed with neatly folded linens. A dresser. A wardrobe. A door leading to what looks like a bathroom. If it weren't for the subtle, lingering tension thrumming in the air, it might pass for a cozy B&B. A very weird, very upscale B&B run by ancient blood-drinkers.
I sink onto the edge of the bed, trying to slow my thoughts. They bought my story. Or at least enough of it to stop the interrogation. But I'm not stupid enough to feel safe. Asher might actually be the do-gooder vampire he claims to be, but Kayden? Kayden's the kind who tracks your lies to the bone. He won't let what I did slide, not completely. Even if he's not planning to kill me—yet—he'll want to know how I fit into that little torture party in the shipping container.
Who I worked with. Who else was there. Names for his vendetta.
Darlene. Johnny. Vanessa. Konstantin.
I wonder what they thought when they realized I ran. Do they think I betrayed them? Probably.
I wasn't forced into that world. I chose to be a part of it. I believed in it. At least, for a while. But what I learned after, about the organization, about Darius, was enough to make me bolt.
