Page 83

Scarlet

When my eyes snapped open, my world froze. Colt’s hand remained on my shoulder after waking me, alerting me to the obvious. I searched Reid, and the whiskey gaze I knew so well found mine immediately. It dropped to where Colt’s hand lay on me.

Sliding himself into the wall, Reid’s head leaned back against it. “Get your hands off her,” he warned lowly.

Colt lowered his hand to the ground, shooting me a sidelong glance. One that gave a warning without him speaking a word. He turned his attention back to Reid and made to stand. “How do you feel?”

Reid followed his movements before staring at the handcuffs. He gave them a tug. “Don’t take these off,” he said in that same low voice, his focus moving back to me.

I scrambled to stand, slowly making my way toward him.

Colt gripped my arm, halting me completely.

“I said get your hands off her.” Reid’s eyes had darkened, fixed solely on Colt. “She’s not yours to touch.”

Colt raised his hands on either side of his head. “You know I wouldn’t do that. I’m just looking out for her.” The two locked eyes before he continued. “I know her safety is the most important thing to you.”

The moment Colt’s words registered, Reid’s cheek met the wall like he couldn’t look at me. The faint scar down the side of his face reminded me of the night I found him in the bathroom, smeared in blood. It seemed like a lifetime ago.

Lowering to a crouch, I didn’t take my eyes off him. “Are you okay?”

He huffed out a laugh, refusing to look at me. “You mean, am I a vampire?”

I didn’t answer his question.

His gaze eventually returned to me, holding onto mine like it was his last breath. “All I can hear is your heartbeat. Your blood.” Pain drowned his irises, and I felt it slam into my heart like thunder splitting the stillness of midnight. His chest moved with every breath, his boots scuffing the floor of the cell as he repositioned himself against the wall.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. Tucked my hair behind my ears. “I’m not leaving,” I said quietly.

He held my gaze momentarily before turning to the wall again. “You don’t deserve this. You need to walk out that door and never return.”

I shook my head. “I won’t do it,” I countered. Whatever happened from here on, I would be there for him. I owed him that.

Finally, he looked at me, his face equal parts confusion and frustration. “You stay here and nothing good will come of it,” he warned.

“That’s not true.”

“It is.” He tugged at his chains, and they responded with a clatter. “I’ll either kill you or someone else. That’s how this works, right?” He looked expectantly over my shoulder, where Callan remained leaning against the doorframe to the cell.

“Essentially, yes; but only if you take too much blood from her. She will not turn into a vampire unless she feeds off you after,” he confirmed.

Feeds. Off. You.

My heart sank. I wanted to throw up.

Callan made his way further into the cell. “Only, there is one thing.” He paused as if for dramatic effect, but I knew that was not the case. “You say the only heartbeat you can hear is…” He twirled a finger in the air, motioning to me.

“My name is Scarlet,” I sniped.

A faint smile played on his lips before he turned back to Reid. “Is that correct?”

Reid didn’t answer.

Tyler pushed off the opposite wall, his forehead rippled with intrigue. He approached Reid, stopping beside me. “Can you hear mine?”

His response came on a sharp tongue. “I said I can only hear hers.” His jaw clenched, and a muscle jutted out with the movement. His dark eyes held mine, longer, harsher than I knew possible. It was a side of him I’d never seen. “Go. I have nothing to offer you now,” he said coldly.

I shook my head. “You’re not hearing me.” I spoke each word in an even tone. “I’m. Not. Leaving.”