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The idea of facing Simon and Lenora York once more makes my skin crawl and my gums throb as my fangs threaten to descend. My dynamic with them has never been that of a normal parent-child relationship. It’s always been more pawn-puppet with their role in our society. The vampires have always looked to them as leaders for as long as I can remember, and at this point, I’m not sure why. They’re as feared as they are respected, which is why I know there’s no way out of this mess aside from the options they’ve presented to Calla. There are too many vampires who will do whatever they ask without question. It would take them disappearing for this problem to go away, and while some have tried to take down the esteemed York dynasty, none have succeeded. Even if I… even ifwecould, in theory, I’m not sure that’s something I could bring myself to do, regardless of what I feel for this human who has effectively tilted the axis of my world as much as we have hers.
Exhaling a heavy sigh, I say, “Well, unfortunately, we can’t stay in here.” The guys are waiting in the foyer just outside the bathroom, and the tension is palpable even through the door. I pull my hands away from Calla’s face and slide an arm around her waist. “Listen to me,” I say, my mouth at her ear. “We’re going to get out of here, and no one is going to touch you.”
Her body leans into me; I’m not sure she even realizes it. “You’re touching me,” she mumbles back.
I almost smile. I don’t often, but somehow she forces it out of me on occasion. “I’m not no one,” I shoot back in a low voice. If she tries to deny it at this moment, I can honestly say I’m not sure what I’ll do. Perhaps nothing here, but the very second I get her alone—
“No,” she near-whispers, “I guess you’re not.”
Something in my chest gives an uncomfortable tug as I reach for the handle and open the door, revealing the other vampires who’ve fallen madly for the same human I have.
3
Calla
Ireach for Atlas without thinking, needing the contact of his skin against mine more at that moment than I ever have before. I wrap my fingers around his forearm as he opens the door, and a flicker of relief sparks to life in my chest at the sight of Gabriel, Kade, and Lex.
They won’t let anything bad happen to me.
It’s hard to believe I once thoughttheywere a bad thing that happened to me.
“Time to go, angel,” Gabriel says in a gentle voice as Atlas and I step out of the bathroom.
“Yes, please,” I agree, loosening my grip on Atlas’s arm when I realize my nails are digging into his skin, creating little crescent indents. “Sorry,” I murmur.
He drops his gaze to where my fingers are brushing over his skin. “Mark me any way you like, Calla.” When his sharp silver eyes slide to mine, I press my lips together and dip my chin, overwhelmed at the intensity of his expression.
“Let’s get the fuck out of here. Car’s waiting outside,” Lex says, moving to stand on my other side while Gabriel and Kade walk behind us. We quickly depart the way we came in, this time the house staff are nowhere to be seen. It’s just as well—If I didn’t have to see anyone associated with Atlas’s parents again, that would be fine by me. Save for their son, of course.
Atlas sits up front with the driver, who introduces himself as Theo—part of Marcel’s team, which makes me feel slightly better than riding in a vehicle driven by the York’s staff. At least I know Marcel is loyal to the guys and doesn’t want to, you know, kill me one way or another. It’s the little things.
“How are you doing?” Gabriel asks from the seat next to me.
I roll my head against the back of the seat to look at him, then shrug. “Kind of like I’m in a nightmare that I can’t wake myself from.”
Kade drops his hand onto my shoulder from the seat behind me and gives it a squeeze. “We’ve got you. You know that, right?”
“I… don’t think it’s that simple anymore,” I reply.
A frown turns Gabriel’s lips down, and he sighs. “Unfortunately, I believe you’re right about that.”
I nod slowly as Kade continues massaging my shoulder. “So what now?”
“What do you want to do?” Lex chimes in.
Biting the inside of my cheek, I glance forward to Atlas before saying, “I know we need to get to Chicago, but I’d like to visit my parents first.” With all this talk and stress about my future, I need to see them. Because if I have to make this huge decision, I’m not doing it without talking to my mom first. As strained as our relationship has been in the past, this is bigger than any lingering feelings I may have to do with the blood oath. Besides, I’m not prepared to live—for however long that may be—harboring anger or resentment toward them, because in the end, the only person it’ll hurt is me. And holding onto those feelings when my life with the guys—current situation aside—has turned into something I never could have expected and now can’t think about giving up doesn’t make sense.
“I’ll take you to see them,” Gabriel offers, sliding his hand into mine where it sits on my lap.
I turn my attention back to him and manage a small smile, curling my fingers around his. While I’d like to see my parents alone—without my entourage of vampires—that’s hardly going to fly at this point. “Okay,” I finally say, “thank you.”
Atlas tells Theo the address, then turns in his seat to face us. “We’ll drop you off and touch base with Fallon to get an update on the situation in Chicago.”
“Aww, I wanted to see Calla’s childhood bedroom,” Lex grumbles from the back seat.
Atlas’s gaze flicks to me, and I roll my eyes. The corners of his mouth twitch, and he shakes his head at Lex.
I tune out for a while, pulling my phone from my jacket pocket. I haven’t used it much lately, and my stomach drops when I turn it on and find a slew of missed calls and messages from Brighton. Listening to the voicemails isn’t an option with the guys around, but I scroll through the messages.
