“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“Then let’s get him tied back up.”
Asher set his empty bowl on the table and grasped the bowl of cereal. He eyed them as he shoveled dry cereal into his mouth. Neither meal would fill him, but he’d be damned if he had to lie there staring at food all night.
They waited until he finished eating and drank his water before approaching. “Do you need to use the bathroom?” Brie asked.
“No.”
He would eventually have to go, and he wanted a better look at the house, but he wasn’t in the mood to have someone standing over his back while he pissed. He’d deal with it later.
As Brie and Cabo crouched at either side of them, he contemplated refusing to let them tie him up again, but it would be humiliating to be pinned down by them while Zina refastened his bonds. This whole situation was humiliating, but that would certainly make it worse.
Besides, it was better to let them think he was playing along and more compliant than he was. They would mess up, and he would seize the opportunity to flee in the future.
And he didn’t think he was in danger with them. He still had to let his friends know what he’d discovered, but other than the fact these vamps had a mission too, he didn’t have any additional useful information. If he remained, he could learn more about their plan, and maybe it could helpallof them.
He didn’t protest as they bound his wrists behind his back again. Zina slipped out of the room and returned a couple of minutes later with a pink and red bedspread covered in roses.
Asher eyed the relic as she draped it around his shoulders before dropping a pillow at the end of the couch. He had no idea how he would sleep, bound like he was, but he was exhausted enough to find out.
Being knocked unconscious hadn’t made him feel at all rested. And maybe if he got some real sleep, his headache would finally ease.
Lowering his head to the pillow, he shifted to get more comfortable. He finally managed to find a position that didn’t pull his binds too taut or have him falling off the couch.
Once he was settled, Zina adjusted the blanket over him. “Would you like anything else?” she asked.
“No,” he told her.
“Good night.”
Cabo and Brie remained in the room, staring at him as Zina left again.
“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” Brie asked Cabo. “I made the choice to bring him here; you should rest.”
“I’m fine with it. You’ve had a much more tiring day than me, and I’m still pretty awake.”
Brie hesitated as she glanced between Cabo and Asher. Cabo would never harm him, but she still disliked leaving Asher while he was so vulnerable. She had no idea why it bothered her. However, she had something else to take care of.
“Okay,” she said. “Let me know if you need anything.”
“Will do.”
“Good night or, actually, good morning.”
“Good morning,” Cabo muttered and settled into the armchair near the window.
Asher shifted his gaze to the dainty, white curtains pulled over the front windows, but they didn’t do much to hide the sunlight creeping around the edges. Despite it being morning, he closed his eyes as Cabo turned on the TV.
The faint murmur of voices filled the room, and the light flickered across his eyelids while Cabo flipped through the stations. Asher would prefer not to sleep in a house full of vampires he didn’t know, but he couldn’t resist the lure of rest no matter how much he fought it.
After going to the bathroom, Brie stuck her head back into the living room to check on Cabo and the hunter. Asher looked asleep while Cabo appeared mildly bored as the stations flashed past.
Content they would be okay, she turned away from the room and walked down the hallway to the basement door. She opened the door, flicked on the switch, and jogged down the stairs. They creaked beneath her weight, but the wood was solid and firm, like the rest of the house.
She turned right at the bottom of the stairs and headed deeper into the basement. She made her way to the concrete back wall. Once there, she grasped a set of shelves stacked with paint cans and other assorted materials. She plucked it off the ground and, careful not to spill anything, edged it out of the way.
