Grabbing his phone off the nightstand, he checked for a text or a missed call. Nothing. If the time was right, and there was no reason it shouldn’t be, he’d only slept a few hours. Which meant it was the middle of the day.
He laid the phone down beside him and went to get cleaned up. As he showered, he struggled with the urge to run back to his phone and call her. Or at least text. Maybe he should just take a ride by her place.
Sticking his face under the hot water, he admitted the truth to himself. He wanted to see her. He needed to see her. And not because he was thirsty. Because he missed her. He wondered if she’d actually left town, yet.
Soap stung his eyes.
Surely, that was it.
Kohl shut off the water and got dried off. He was being a fool. If he went after her now, he would be hunted like a boar, accused of running from his punishment. The Master wouldn’t stop until he found him, and then he would be dead for sure.
Torn between what he knew he should do and what he wanted, Kohl walked back into his room and stared down at the phone for several long minutes.
Picking it up, he slid it into the back pocket of his jeans. He’d made his choice. And the Master would make his. Perhaps he’d get lucky and he’d only be kicked out of the coven. Then he’d be free to find Devon. He could put her on the back of his bike and they could ride away, and never look back.
Though unrealistic, it was a nice dream.
With a last look around to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything, he left his room and went in search of Hawke.
The rumble of a crowd came from the direction of the throne room, and though he wasn’t quite ready to face the Master again, Kohl changed direction and headed that way.
Turning the corner, he frowned. Something major was going down, and as no one had bothered to come get him out of bed, he knew it had nothing to do with him. Still, Kohl approached the circle of vampires surrounding the Master’s throne with some caution.
The crowd was restless, bloodlust thick as fog in the air. Hisses and growls of excitement echoed throughout the chamber, rising and falling with whatever was happening at the center of the circle. He saw the Master standing near his throne, his back to the crowd.
Kohl suddenly had a really bad feeling about this.
Hawke hovered toward the back of the crowd, and Kohl walked quietly up on his left side. The vibe in the room made him twitchy, and he hated to ask, worried this all had something to do with him and whatever outcome the Master had decided upon, but not knowing would be even worse. He kept his voice barely above a whisper, knowing Hawke would easily hear him. “What’s going on?”
Hawke turned, startled. Glancing quickly around, he shoved Kohl’s head down and walked him to the back of the cavern and around the corner, peering back over his shoulder to make sure no one had seen them. When they were out of sight, he released him. “What the fuck are you doing here?” Unlike the rest of the group, Hawke showed none of the signs of bloodlust. As always, he was calm and in control.
Kohl ran a hand through his hair, wondering that exact thing. “I came to see if I could talk to the Master. He gave me a choice this morning—death or banishment. Not my choice,” he clarified. “His. If he was gonna kill me, he would’ve done it right then and there. Which I hope means he’s leaning toward banishing me. But, this is my home. You’re my family. I belong here with you.”
“Why didn’t you answer my text?”
“What text?”
“I texted you, Kohl. I tried to warn you not to come back here.”
“I’m not gonna run, Hawke.”
Hawke started to say something. Stopped. And then, with a resigned sigh, said, “Kohl. Devon is here.”
The air punched out of his lungs and he suddenly forgot to breathe. No. That couldn’t be. She was leaving. He’d seen it in her eyes. “That’s not possible.” Kohl stared at his friend, the only one he completely trusted in this place. Hawke would never lie to him.
The truth stared back at him. And it wasn’t good.
A red haze blocked out their surroundings. His fangs shot down fast and hard, and he pulled his upper lip back in a snarl. “Where is she?”
Hawke nodded once toward the throne room. “In there.” His hand gripped Kohl’s arm in an iron vice before he could run back there. “But if you want any chance at all of staying with us, you can’t interfere.”
Kohl tried to pull away. Hawke’s fingers dug into him. He dragged him further down the passageway. “Kohl! It’s too late. You can’t just waltz in there and take her. Not now.”
“The fuck I can’t.”
“Kohl, the Master will rip your goddamn head clean off if you show up now.”
“I’m not letting them hurt her, Hawke. You can stand with me on this, or you can take their side. I get it. Either way. I do. But I can’t…” He closed his eyes tight as the dragon stretched its wings and released a menacing growl deep in its throat. The sound reverberated off the walls around them.
