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His gaze lingered on the human for a moment longer than he intended. He couldn’t deny that there was something about Felix that drew him in. It was a feeling he hadn’t experienced in a long time.
He shook his head. He couldn’t afford to get sidetracked by his own emotions. Rayne needed to focus on the mission at hand.
But as he turned to leave, something caught his attention. A small pendant hanging from Felix’s neck. It was a simple silver chain, but the pendant itself was a beautiful piece of art. Rayne couldn’t help but wonder about its significance.
He gently lifted the pendant, examining it carefully. As he did, Felix stirred, his eyes fluttering open.
“W–What are you doing?” Felix asked, his voice still heavy with sleep.
Rayne let the pendant drop. “What is that?”
Even Rayne knew that silver was poison to vampires. Felix worked for Eleazar, so he had to know that.
“Do you always creep into guys’ rooms and search them while they’re sleeping?” Felix tucked the necklace back under his shirt. Rayne could have snarled a reply. It was his go-to response when someone snapped at him. But he didn’t.
“I just came to check on you.”
“To see if I’d fallen to my death as I slipped out the window?” Felix sat up. “Sorry to tell you, but I’m still in one piece.”
“And people call me surly.” He sat down on the side of the bed. As soon as he did, Felix moved farther away from him.
“You’d be surly, too, if someone was holding you hostage. Not my idea of a great first date.”
Rayne chuckled. “If this is your idea of a first date, you’ve been dating the wrong guys.”
“Tell me about it,” Felix grumbled, so low that Rayne almost missed what he’d said. “You try bringing a guy home when you live with vampires. It cramps your style.”
“How so?”
“Eleazar runs background checks just to make sure I’m not dating a criminal. And if I do bring a guy home, with as quiet as it is in the house, and with Eleazar’s annoying inhuman hearing, we can’t do anything. Eleazar might as well just slap a chastity belt on me and be done with ruining my personal life.”
“Sounds like he cares.” Rayne didn’t want to admit that, but he couldn’t deny what he was hearing. And here he thought Eleazar was a bloodsucking, nonfeeling bastard.
It seemed the guy had a soft spot for Felix. Rayne had been right to try and use the human for leverage if he was truly Eleazar’s weakness, but unfortunately, it hadn’t worked.
“He does, in his own grumpy way.” Felix’s soft smile made Rayne’s wolf snarl. “In some ways, he reminds me of you.”
“I come and check on you and you insult me?” He and Eleazar were nothing alike. Rayne didn’t let his men run amuck. His pack wasn’t out there killing unsuspecting humans. They protected them.
“I was being truthful with you, Rayne.”
God, he loved hearing Felix say his name.
“I don’t know who’s doing the killings. If I did, I’d tell you. I don’t want anyone hurt or killed. The only reason I followed you home was in the hopes that you knew something.” Felix looked away. “I also wanted to find out what big thing the hunters were planning.”
“So your intention was to use me?” Why did that hurt? It shouldn’t. Rayne didn’t know Felix, and what the man thought or did shouldn’t sting the way it did. He also didn’t like being used.
“Not use you,” Felix corrected. “Kind of what you’re doing to me. Trying to get information.”
Rayne paused. Damn if that wasn’t the truth. He’d been willing to do whatever it took to get the information he’d needed from Felix. And Felix had been doing the same. But with that realization came a sense of guilt. Rayne had never liked using people, but he’d been so focused on the mission that he hadn’t stopped to consider the human in front of him.
“I’m sorry,” he said, surprising himself. “I didn’t mean to use you like that.”
Felix looked at him, his eyes wide. “Apology accepted. But what now?”
“I don’t know.” Rayne ran a hand through his hair. “I still need to find out who’s behind the killings, but I can’t keep you hostage like this.”
“So what’s next?” Felix asked, his voice soft.
