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When Tristan left, I raced toward the bathroom. Shoving a toilet stall open, my stomach revolted against me. When I’d thrown up everything I had in it, I swiped my hand over my forehead and sank down onto the floor by the toilet.
This was a lot harder than I thought. Not only did I have to find a way to get my guys off their radar, but I had to rescue one of my own. It hurt my heart to think that they were hurting one of the guys right now and that I would have to witness it soon.
I didn’t know if I could do this.
Sighing, I shakily got to my feet and pushed open the stall door. Slowly moving to the sink, I flicked on the tap. I wet my hands and rubbed them over my face and the back of my neck before shuffling back to my bunk. My hard as a rock bed was looking mighty fine, but the still open footlocker at the end drew my attention.
Sitting on the floor, I bent over the box. Besides the handcuffs Tristan had taken—cringe—there were a few other illicit items. I smirked, pulling out a leather riding crop. I could think of quite a few things I could use this for. Putting it to the side, I grabbed the next item. Assless chaps, no thank you. Though…Drake and Allister would look great in these. I added them to the keep pile.
A huge bottle of lube. My eyes widened before putting it with the other stuff. Hey, I was dating multiple guys, couldn’t hurt to have extra.
Once I got through all the dirty things, I found actual useful items. A blade with a serrated edge. It wasn’t as nice as the ones Billy had given me, but you could never have to many weapons.
The rest of the stuff was pretty much the usual personal items. Toiletries. A hairbrush. A box of lemon-flavored condoms. The vampire hunter handbook.
I did a double-take. “Seriously?” I muttered to myself, as I flipped the book over in my hand. “They actually have a handbook?” I looked around the empty barracks and then to the clock on the wall. Most of them would be at chow now, so I figured I still had a bit before they came back and I’d have to fake more, but I didn’t want to risk it. I put the book in my keep pile and went through the rest of the items. I threw most of them in the giveaway pile, but a few things I kept. Like the oversized t-shirt that I planned on sleeping in. While the leather pants made me look hot, there was no fucking way I was going to try and sleep in them.
Shoving all the things I wanted to keep back into the box, sans the vampire hunter handbook, I carried the get-rid-ofs over to the donation box. Dropping them in, I thought about going down to dinner. My stomach rolled in protest. Nope. I was far to stressed out to each right now. I’d just grab something for breakfast.
Quickly changing into my new shirt, I folded up my clothes and put them in my locker. I didn’t have a lock for it, so I’d have to hope no one would go digging in it with me a few feet away.
I put my gun under my pillow for safe keeping and then slid under the itchy covers of my cot. I rolled over and curled up into a ball on my side. I punched the pillow a few times, pushing it up into a semi-comfortable shape, then rolled onto my back. Then my side again.
Damn. I missed my bed back home.
But what was home? The Durand house? Or the one in Seabrick?
While living with Darren had been great, I still missed the others. Every day felt like a battle to keep going. I wanted nothing more than to have my guys around me once more. So, I guess even if that was in the cottage in Seabrick or the mansion, I couldn’t truly feel like I was home without them there.
I sighed and closed my eyes, trying to force myself to drift off. If I was going to have to face one of my guys being tortured tomorrow, I was going to need my rest.
Thankfully, it didn’t take as long as I expected to fall asleep. My mind and body were worn out from all the lying and risking my life. Unfortunately, though, my dreams decided I didn’t need to have a peaceful escape from my danger-filled existence.
In my mind, I chased after Tristan, demanding he take me to the captured vampire. When he finally brought me to him, I find all six of the vampires and Darren chained on a wall. Why Darren was even in there, I had no clue, but apparently my subconscious knew something I didn’t. Whatever that maybe, I found myself being told to pick which one should live. Because I could only have one. Such utter bullshit. Nowhere did it say I had to pick one and I refused to pick, even if a dream told me I had to.
“Piper.”
I jerked awake, my gun somehow already in my hand.
“Woah, it’s just me, Tristan.” The smiling face of the big vampire hunter stared down at me. “A bit jumpy, aren’t you?”
I lowered my gun. “Sorry.”
“No worries. It’s not like we don’t live with vampire hunters.” He winked. “I just thought you’d like to know they brought the vamp in.”
That had me sitting up. “Yes, I do. Thanks.”
Tristan backed away from my bunk, giving me room to climb out of bed. He made a choking sound that made me realize I was only wearing the large shirt and no pants.
Determined to be the badass that I was pretending to be, I stood from the bed and pushed past him to get my clothes from my footlocker, acutely aware of his eyes on me the whole time. If it had been one of the guys, I’d be beet red right now or flaunting it a lot more, depending on who was looking. However, since Tristan wasn’t one of them, I grabbed my clothes and made for the bathroom without sparing him a glance.
The bathroom, to my displeasure, was filled to the brim with other hunters. Since the bathroom was coed, there were men at the urinals and women primping at the mirrors. I got a few curious looks as I hurried into the first empty stall, but no one stopped me.
I changed out of my sleeping shirt and into my leather pants faster than I’d ever been able to before. Last time it’d taken Darren’s help to get them on, which while that had been hilarious, it would be humiliating if I had to ask a hunter for a hand. The prospect of that had me into my pants in record time. With my shirt and daggers backed on, I pushed out of the stall and stalked out of the bathroom.
Not saying anything, I stopped by Tristan. I contemplated taking the crossbow as well with my daggers and gun but seeing as no one else was that loaded down with weapons decided against it.
Tristan looked up from the book in his hand, a worn copy of the same book in my footlocker, and asked, “Ready?”
