She was accusing him of murder, and all he could think about was how sexy her accent was.
“No, I didn’t,” Logan replied. “Before you arrived and the hunters turned on us, I was determined to find out who killed your father, but I think we both know who that was. Or at least we know who had a hand in it.”
“And who is that?” she demanded.
“Mateo and that other guy had no problem shooting at you, and one of themdidshoot you. The other hunters who shot at us tried to avoid that happening, but not him. You can say they were aiming for Asher, but you’d only be lying to yourself if you did. They could have shot him without shooting you.”
“An accident,” Elena muttered.
“How many accidents do hunters have?”
She scowled at him as she folded her arms over her chest. He was right; of course, he was right, but she’d be damned if she gave any ground to a vampire.
“Your father has no son,” Logan continued. “As second-in-command, Mateo will take over, and you’re the only one who could ruin that for him.”
Elena pondered this. Mateo wasn’t exactly her biggest fan, but she supposed that’s what happened when the woman you’re supposed to marry takes off to avoid marriage. It couldn’t have felt good that she’d chosen to be homeless rather than tie herself to him for the rest of her life.
Of course, Mateo didn’t know she would have done it to anyone and she was simply avoiding marriage to a man she didn’t love. He’d seen it only as an insult to him.
Whenever he was around, she could feel his eyes burrowing into her back and the animosity he harbored toward her, but there was nothing she could do to change it. And she didn’t care how he felt about her; they weren’t married, so his opinion, or battered pride, didn’t mean a thing to her.
Elena replayed the scene of her father’s death in her mind, but she was very aware there were no bites on her dad, or at least not ones she’d seen. But then, there wouldn’t have been so much blood if the vamp bit her father.
Still, there were plenty of other ways this bastard could have killed her dad. Vampires were experts at murder, after all.
“Do I smell like a killer to you?” the vamp asked.
She frowned at him, but her father had explained that killer vampires had a rotten scent to them. She’d always believed all vamps smelled like putrid piles of waste before then. And this one didn’t smell like that.
She sniffed the air a little more. It held the coppery taint of blood and the more potent aromas of body odor and sweat, but she didn’t smell anything rotten. She almost leaned a little closer to inhale more of his scent before recalling herself and scowling at him. She hated that she found his aroma pleasing.
“No,” she reluctantly admitted. “You don’t.”
The smile he flashed her caused her insides to melt a little, but then she reminded herself that even if he wasn’t a killer, he was still a bloodthirsty vamp who couldn’t be trusted. Gritting her teeth, she crossed her arms over her chest.
“Mateo wanting me dead makes some sense.” Especially since he was still pissed about the whole broken engagement thing. Still… “But wouldn’t it make more sense for him to try to marry me and solidify his power by joining my father’s line with his?”
Logan sat back as he pondered this. “It would.”
If the vamp hadn’t grabbed her, Mateo would have had her at the compound. He could have forced her to stay and into a marriage. He would have made sure she never escaped again, and while some of the other hunters were still annoyed she’d gone against her father and their customs, they would have welcomed her back. She may not be their favorite, but her father was.
“So then why try to kill me?” she asked.
“Maybe he doesn’t like you.”
She hadn’t expected his blunt response or for him to have so much insight into their relationship, but it was true. By marrying her, Mateo would have ensured that he one day took over the compound, and she’d thrown a wrench into the works when she packed up her bags and ran. It wasn’t like she’d always dreamed of being a runaway, but it was preferable to being a bride.
Or so she thought before she lived the life.
Elena uncrossed her arms and lifted her hands to rub her temples as she tried to piece it all together. The woodpecker wasn’t quite as irate anymore, but it was still far from happy. And then her mind cleared enough that a new possibility dawned on her.
Lifting her head, she glared at the vamp as her gaze went from him to the motionless hunter and back again. “Maybe you didn’t kill my father, buthecould have.”
Chapter Seven
The idea anyonewould accuse Asher of such a thing astounded him. Asher was one of the most upstanding, honest, and trustworthy people Logan knew. He would never kill someone who had put their trust in him as Alejandro had.
Asher was only a couple of months younger than Logan, so they’d been together and friends since they could walk. They’d trained together with Nathan, and the three of them had been inseparable throughout their childhood, teens, and early adult years.
