“No. Do you have cameras here?”
She pointed to one on the wall in the far back corner of the office. It had a perfect view of the counter and him.
“Are there any others?” he asked.
“No.”
“Good. Is there anyone else working with you tonight?”
“No.”
This was going better than he’d hoped. “You’re going to delete whatever footage you have of us, and then shut the camera off before coming back to me.”
The woman retreated into the back room. The clock ticked away the seconds and minutes until the woman returned.
“Did you take care of the camera?” he inquired.
“Yes,” she said.
“Good. Now give me our key,” he instructed. “Then come out here to me.”
The woman turned away and removed something from beneath the counter. She set a card in front of him. “You have room fifteen.”
“That’s good,” Lucien said. “Now, come here.”
The woman hesitated before walking to the end of the counter. Callie’s heart lumbered to pump as the woman lifted a section of the counter and slipped out before setting it back into place. Her eyes glazed over as she walked to Lucien and stopped before him.
“It will be okay,” Lucien said. “Relax.”
The woman did so. Lucien grasped her nape and shifted, so his back faced Callie. He had to feed, and she’d seen him do it before, but now that he had more control over himself, he didn’t want her to see it again.
She would deny it, but the demon inside him scared her, and he didn’t blame her. He would do everything he could to keep her safe, but she’d be foolish not to fear him.
Callie’s eyes darted around the room as she tried to look anywhere but at Lucien’s broad back as he bent over the woman. She couldn’t see his face, but she knew the second his fangs pierced the woman’s flesh as she gasped. A small sucking sound followed before all noise stopped.
The woman’s hands gripped his forearms, and she clung to him while he fed. Her hands on him sent another bolt of jealousy through Callie, and she backed toward the door.
When the woman released a low moan of pleasure, Callie fled. She shoved open the door and practically stumbled outside as her breath came in rapid pants that she couldn’t control. Resting her hands on her knees, she bent over as she tried to stabilize her breathing.
What is wrong with me?
She had no answer to that as the turkey sandwich she ate earlier threatened to make a return. She kept her mouth clamped against the bile rising in her throat and refused to look back at the office.
Instead, she stared at the empty parking lot and the distant mountain peaks illuminated by the full moon. The stars shone brilliantly in the velvety black night, and a bat soared overhead as the crickets and tree frogs made their presence known.
She was used to the sights and sounds; she’d grown up in the mountains, and they were the music of her childhood. Usually, they were a balm to her soul, but she couldn’t find any solace in them tonight. She had to get away from this man, this whole situation, and everything that had gone so freaking wrong in her life.
The only problem was, she had no idea how she would survive without Lucien. She had no money and no way to get any without her bank card and ID. She couldn’t go home, she couldn’t go to any of her friends, and she had no family.
Her mother’s side of the family disowned her years before Callie was born, and her father was estranged from his parents until Callie turned ten and they got back in touch. However, they were both gone, and he didn’t have any siblings. What was she going to do?
She didn’t know, and the more she pondered it, the worse she felt. There were things she required from her home. Even if she could never get her life back, there was no way she could walk away without her most cherished possessions.
She didn’t know how much time passed before the door opened and Lucien stepped onto the sidewalk beside her. Unable to look at him, she kept her attention on the stars.
Lucien studied Callie while she stared resolutely into the distance. He sensed a distance from her that wasn’t there before as her eyes were icy. He had no idea what made her withdraw in such a way, but he hated the gulf he sensed between them.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
