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Colter stood. He walked to the other end of the room, walking behind the couch I sat on, to a wet bar I hadn’t noticed before. It had lacquered finishes, all black, too, and he took a crystal tumbler from a shelf and a bottle of bourbon.
“This isn’t exactly how I wanted this to play out, either, in case you were wondering,” Colter said and threw back the bourbon he’d poured for himself before pouring another glass. This one he sipped slower.
I felt like I was stuck in a dream—a nightmare. At any moment, I was going to wake up in my bed and realize that my mind had just played tricks on me after everything Jerry had said about Colter. None of this was real, none of this was true… except itwasreal, and itwastrue, and I was in Colter Price’s living room watching him drink bourbon like it was water.
I frowned, the images of the day flashing in my mind. I wasn’t going to get rid of that anytime soon, was I?
My thoughts jumped to the computer, the data that had made the vampire turn monstrous.
“What did the screen say?” I asked.
“What?” Colter looked at me over his shoulder.
“What’s in my blood?”
Colter sipped his bourbon, thinking. After a moment, he scratched his chin thoughtfully.
“All you need to know right now is that you can’t leave here. Not until I figure out what the fuck is going on.”
I blinked rapidly in surprise. “I have a life, you know.”
“I’ll let your family know you’re going to be away for a while. We’ll make up some excuse—”
“I don’t have any family.”
“Okay, close friends, then.”
I shook my head. “Army of one over here.”
Colter studied me, and it was hard to tell what he was thinking.
“No one will know you’re missing?” He sounded almost incredulous. “Not even a dog, a cat, ahamster?”
I bristled. “Thanks for making it sound like my life is pathetic. I have a goal. I want to succeed in business—in my career as a researcher. There are lives to save, and I don’t have time for anything else. If Jerry wants me to work late, I can’t very well leave a dog at home needing me, you know.”
“Then what’s thislifeyou were bragging about two seconds ago?”
That only pissed me off. “You’re a real jerk, you know that?”
“Honey, if I had a dollar for every time someone insulted me… well, I would be as rich as I already am.” His face split into a grin.
He was amused with his own joke. It made him that much more handsome. Colter Price was probably the hottest man I’d ever seen, but when he smiled, it was almost possible to imagine the man had a heart.
“You have nothing to go back for, so what’s the problem?”
“I still deserve my freedom, my space,” I clapped back. “I have responsibilities, too. A car, rent, and all my stuff is in my apartment. It’s not in the best neighborhood. If I get robbed while you’re keeping me here—”
“I’ll take care of it,” Colter grumbled.
He threw back what was left of his alcohol, but he didn’t pour another. A part of me was relieved; I didn’t know what to expect from Colter Price when he wassober. All I knew about him was what Jerry had told me. Apparently, Colter was a terrible man, and after what I’d seen today, I was inclined to agree.
I didn’t want to have to deal with him drunk, too.
“Why are you doing this?” I asked.
“Saving your life?”
“If that’s how you choose to word it.”
