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“Vampires?” I frowned, disbelief coursing through me. “How can you tell?”
Kyle gave Dean a strange look. “He’s right—how do you know? It’s not like the sun can damage you. I can’t see their fangs, and they’re not glowing.”
Dean turned to the window and nodded at the parked minivan. My gaze snapped to where a man and a woman were casually leaning against our van like they owned it. Like shifters, they looked like ordinary humans, but appearances could be deceiving.
We needed a plan, and we needed one fast.
“You’re right, sunlight’s not deadly to us,” Dean defined, his voice low. “It weakens us, and we’re sensitive to it, but with enough sunscreen, we can manage. These two…“ He paused, swallowing hard. “I know them. Worked with them forty years ago when I was with the wolf-shifter hunters.” He looked away in apparent shame.
I gaped at him. “You worked with them?” Doubt crept in. Had Dean been playing me from the start? I quickly began questioning every single interaction and conversation that had occurred in his presence. Had I missed any subtle signs? Were there hidden motives behind his actions? If Dean had indeed planned to betray us, it meant our lives were in imminent danger. The frightening realization made me question my own judgment.
Before I could question his loyalties, Dean held up a hand. “That was a long time ago, Ridge. I changed my ways, which is why I was captured and tortured. Haven’t seen these two since. They work with the hunters, tracking down other paranormals for protection from the vampire-hunting faction. If they’re here, it means they know there are shifters here, and they’re planning on keeping us around until they can lead the hunters to our location.”
“Fuck!” I hissed. Guilt coursed through me. I should have realized Dean was trustworthy. Now I felt the weight of responsibility settling on my shoulders. We needed to act fast.
“Ridge,” Kyle said, his eyes darting around the hallway. “I’ll search for another exit. Based on the reports I read from when she was on the run, Tori knows a thing or two about stealing cars. She might be able to find us a different ride out of here.”
“Stealing?” The word tasted bitter in my mouth, but we were running out of options, and it was more important to get Camila and her family out safely. Rubbing a hand over my jaw, I nodded. “Let’s do it.”
“Leave the vamps to me,” Dean stated, determination etched on his face. “I’ll distract them, give you all a head start on getting away.”
“Be careful.” I glanced towards the door, where Tori was inside with the Garcias. I hated having to involve her. I was supposed to protect my mate, not throw her into the thick of the action and have her steal cars.
“Always am.” Dean smirked before disappearing down the hall.
I hurried into the room, finding Tori comforting the still-distraught Hanna. “Tori, can I speak with you for a minute?” I pulled her aside. “We’ve got two vampires outside with the minivan, and we need another car. Fast.”
“Vampires?” Tori’s eyes widened in alarm, but she nodded. “Let’s go.”
“Keep an eye on them,” I told Jaxon, indicating Hanna and her son, who was slowly regaining consciousness.
“Of course.” He watched, concerned, as Tori and I slipped out of the room.
I hesitated, not liking the idea of putting Tori in more danger, but with limited options and time running out, I relented. I grabbed her hand and stopped her. “Tori, can you still steal a car if you have to?”
She raised her eyebrows in surprise. “I only ever did that when it was life or death. I didn’t have any other choice.”
“Right now, it might be.” I watched her expression shift from shock to acceptance. “We need to get out of here without those vampires seeing us. If we can find a suitable car, it could buy us some time.”
“Okay.” She pursed her lips and stood up straighter. “Let’s do it.”
Kyle reappeared then, waving his hand for us to move forward, his eyes scanning the area through the windows as besthe could. He pointed in the direction of a door. “This way. I found an exit that opens on the opposite side of the building, so they won’t see us leave.”
Once outside, Tori scanned the street, her eyes narrowing as she spotted an older model car parked a few yards away. “That one should work.” She strode toward it.
“Be careful.” I watched her move with the grace and precision of a seasoned professional. Pride and worry lay heavy in my belly, but I pushed it aside and focused on the task at hand.
As Tori began working on the car’s lock, I kept watch, my senses alert for any sign of the vampires or other threats. The street was quiet, the occasional passerby going about their day, oblivious to the danger lurking nearby.
“Got it,” Tori said triumphantly as the lock clicked open. Just as she was about to slide into the driver’s seat, a woman walking her dog stopped in her tracks, eyes wide with disbelief.
“Hey!” she shouted, pointing at Tori. “You’re stealing that car!”
“Ma’am, please.” I approached her, trying to keep calm and level. “This is an emergency. We don’t mean any harm.”
The woman wasn’t having any of it, and she fumbled for her phone. I assumed she was already calling the police as she retreated to the safety of a parked SUV. Seconds later, she drove away, not hanging around to give a witness statement.
“Shit,” I muttered. We couldn’t afford the attention this would draw. With sirens wailing in the distance, my eyes shifted to the hotel, praying Jaxon could keep Camila’s family safe until we found a way out of this mess.
