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Aleks’s eyes are a raging red when I approach his cell. His fangs are fully extended, shoulders hunched in fury as he grips the bars, yanking even as the pure silver eats away at his hands. Before my trip to California, I would’ve thought that his vampire strength would be enough to bend the malleable metal, but I know better. Silver is deadly to shifters and vamps. This really was a perfect cage for a vamp.
He’s still tugging away, oblivious to the pain. He desperately wants out of the cell. Remembering the outraged roar from earlier, I bet he’s been trying everything he can to escape if only to get to Elizabeth.
And isn’t that something to think about…
It’s only been about an hour. It seems like so much longer, but I’m glad I thought to break Aleks out sooner rather than later. If I left him to struggle with the silver, he’d have stumps where his hands were by the time he finally stopped his assault on the bars.
When I move in front of him, it’s like he doesn’t even recognize me. He shows his fangs, hissing loudly as he grips the bars, his flesh sizzling.
I don’t know what’s worse: how sickening the stink is, or how terrifying Aleks is in this moment. For the first time since I met him, I truly recognize what he is: a powerful vampire. A killer.
A dangerous threat.
I shake my head. No. No. This is Aleksander Filan. My ex-roommate. My best friend.
I meet his ruby gaze. “Aleks. It’s me.”
Without warning, he slumps against the bars. His voice is as ragged as his ruined palms must be when he whispers my name.
“Gem.”
I show him the key in my hands. “I’m here to let you out. But you’ve got to get a hold of yourself first, okay?”
With a shudder racking his whole body, Aleks closes his eyes, taking a few pointed seconds to regain control. He retracts his fangs with effort, and when he opens his eyes again, they’re back to the pale green color I know so well.
“Better?”
His nod is jerky. “Sorry. I don’t know why I lost control like that.”
Over the scent of charred skin and burned meat, I catch the sour stink of spoiled milk.
Lie.
And that, more than anything… more than the red eyes, the outraged roar, and the guard who pissed himself in fear… tells me that Aleks is shook. An experienced vampire, I lived with him for a year and never caught him in a lie. Even when he was hiding something huge—like, oh, how me wearing his fang meant I was marked as his mate—I had no idea that he was being less than truthful.
He knows why, and now I’m pretty sure I do, too.
I catch the stink of his lie. Before I can call him out on it, he flares his nostrils. A thread of crimson sneaks back into his irises as he says, “You smell like blood. Walker’s.” A deep breath and, whoops, there go his fangs again. “And yours.”
Yeah… a quick splash at the sink to get rid of the worst of the gore hadn’t been enough to fool a vampire.
“I’m okay.”
“Gem—”
“Seriously, Aleks. I’m okay. Look.” I wave the key at him again. “I’m here. I got the key. Everything’s okay. You’re good. I’m good. Now let me get you out of here.”
He doesn’t look like he believes me, but he’s smart enough not to argue. Instead, he says, “They told me to expect to fight another dog tonight, but they never came for me. And then… something happened. I’m not sure what, but I could tell something was going on. The dog scratching at the door took off. Tell me, Gem. What’s going on?”
Tell him?
Gladly.
