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Hannah flew with Jude back in the direction of Port Townsend. He now wore his Guard uniform and frowned heavily. He wasn’t a happy camper, but right now she didn’t care.
After changing her clothes and packing up her things, she’d asked that he return her to the Gold Rush so that she could get back to her life. She was done with this horrible, sick situation. He’d just have to figure out some way of dealing with Margetta and her mist by himself. As for other mastyr vampires, Jude had better get his shit together and figure out how he and his men could keep her safe.
She was done.
She had her arm around his neck, but wished she didn’t have to be so close to him.
The recent experience when she lost complete control of her will in facing Malik had thrown all her feel-good up into the air. She’d spoken exactly right when she’d said she hated not having control of her own destiny. But driven as she’d been toward Malik, made her distrust everything about her current experience with Jude. How true were any of her emotions right now, or his? If they completed the blood-rose bond, would they suddenly discover they’d been tricked into a long-term relationship that neither of them really wanted?
If she understood the process, based on what the women on the loop said, once that bond was completed it would be permanent. And right now the only advantage she could see in having their mating vibrations lock into place, was ending forever her desire for other mastyr vampires or their drive toward her.
Big fucking deal.
She knew she wasn’t entirely rational, but she was enraged by what had happened. She’d finally awakened to the reality that if she continued down this path, she’d bond with Jude just out of a desperate need to keep other mastyrs away from her.
All her options appeared to be gone.
Hannah, we can figure this out for you. I don’t care about how this affects me, or having my blood-needs met. But I do care that you feel as though you’ve been stripped of your choices. What can I do to make this right?
Is that your phone ringing? she asked.
Yes, but I’m not going to answer it. He slowed his speed down. Talk to me Hannah. Please. You’re important to me on so many levels. You’
re my friend and I care about you. I know you didn’t ask for this, but …
You’re thinking about Margetta.
Hannah, we need you right now. At least until we get the mist thing figured out. I’ve put some of my best fae on the problem, and Vojalie said she would contact the Sidhe Council to see if a spell might be concocted to counter the mist’s effects. This difficult situation is just temporary, but we need to stick together.
His words had a calming effect and she started to relax. She knew she was overreacting, but the events of the past two days had started taking a toll, and she didn’t know just how much more she could take. She liked Mastyr Malik and knew him well because Jude had brought him to the Gold Rush at least a dozen times over the past couple of years. And she was completely embarrassed by her conduct and distressed that she’d caused Malik to feel an inappropriate drive toward her.
If he hadn’t kept her away with a low setting of his battle frequency, she would have climbed all over him and begged him to feed.
And do other things.
Her cheeks grew hot and uncomfortable as she thought about it.
As Jude drew close to the access point, the guards waved them through. The tunnel of mist that made up the connecting point between worlds appeared and Jude flew them straight in.
But as they emerged from the mist tunnel, and Port Townsend came into view, Hannah gave a cry. A terrible black plume of smoke rose near the docks. “Jude, hurry. I have the worst feeling.”
By the time they’d crossed half the distance over the Sound, Hannah felt her heart sink into her stomach. “The Gold Rush is on fire.”
Once they were fifty yards away, Hannah asked Jude to remain in the air so she could see what was going on. She fished her phone from her pocket and realized she’d turned the ringer off and now had a dozen messages from Amelia and Sandy, no doubt telling her about the fire.
She couldn’t believe what was happening. The blaze engulfed the entire building. Though two fire trucks sprayed massive amounts of water on the site, the building was too far gone for anything to be salvaged.
Her throat felt like she wore a noose.
But there was one thing she needed to know.
She called Amelia. The tough-as-nails woman who never cried could barely control her emotions as she spoke. “Hannah, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what happened. The smoke alarms went off then the automatic sprinklers. Everyone was racing to get outside not so much because of the fire, but because of the sprinklers. No one got hurt, thank God, but the fire spread so fast.”
“Did everyone get out?”
“I think so.” She took a moment to blow her nose. “All the staff, for sure. And I ran through the entire building, checking bathroom stalls, the supply closets, the bunkroom, everywhere that I could think of. By then, the fire just kept getting stronger even though the water was pouring all over everything. Hannah, even if the fire hadn’t destroyed most of your stuff, the water has done so much damage. I’m sick. I’m just so sick.
“The Fire Marshall is pretty sure it was arson. By his guess, someone poured accelerant all around the outside of the building. He can’t account for a sudden, engulfing blaze otherwise. But there will be an investigation. He even asked if you had enemies.”
