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Over and over, I felt drawn to this place. I wasn’t sure why, but there was something about it that smelled familiar. Comforting. Maybe it was her scent lingering here although that didn’t make sense. The rain should have melted her scent away. But then she did smell like the rain herself.
It was impossible to escape her.
I drew the brand out of the fire and before I could hesitate, pressed it against the bite wound on my torso. I hissed through my gritted teeth as pain flashed through my body. In its own way the pain was intoxicating. It meant I was still alive.
I didn’t understand my obsession with the girl. They sent me to find her and I could have brought her back a long time ago. But I pretended it was more difficult than it truly was. If she hadn’t run through the night, if he hadn’t been following her as if he were going to hurt her, I wouldn’t have intervened. But I couldn’t let him take away that spark.
I cleaned myself up in the lake, washing away all the blood. The vamps had developed pretty good control, but none of them were exactly volunteering to be ambulance drivers. Better safe than sorry.
Besides, I wanted them in a good mood. As much as they were capable of.
The vampire hive was in the nearest small city, a mansion behind creaking gates. It was the biggest house in the city, but people seemed not to really notice it. It was always funny how humans skipped right over the supernatural, whether or not it was enchanted.
The gates swung open as I walked up to them. They did love their showmanship.
Once I walked in, the gates slammed shut behind me.
I walked into the pitch black house, knowing my way by feel, and sensed that I wasn’t alone. My eyes would gleam red in the darkness and give me away, but they could see in the dark. They were creatures of it.
“Yes?” I asked, wishing I could know who was in the room with me.
Vampires all smell the same. Like cold and copper.
“It’s good to see you,” Caroline said, her voice breaking the near-perfect stillness as she glided toward me. “I was worried about you. Are you hurt?”
The vamps were old and hedonistic and they always flirted with me, running their hands across my shoulders and chest. It annoyed me, but I endured it. They laughed about how I was not interested in anyone.
“I don’t have her,” I said, cutting to the chase. “But it will be better this way. She’ll trust me when I do take her. It will make her more willing to work with us.”
“We don’t need her willing,” the hive queen Julianna purred, running a long dangerous claw over my collarbone. Her voice was so near me, and I hadn’t known she was there, that it almost made me jump. Instead, I stood stoically, tolerating her touch.
“We absolutely do.”
The voice was a rumble, and even the hive queen trembled slightly. Fury radiated from her as she pulled away from me, knowing I’d sensed her weakness.
The fae must be at the back of the room.
His voice was deep and rich, filled with magic. I would never understand the alliance he had with the vampires. Why would a creature like that play with my friends?
“Of course it’s better if she’s willing,” she said. “Not that anything will make it pleasant for you.” She directed that last to me.
I shrugged. “We’ll see.”
“We could find someone else,” Caroline said quietly. She was always on my side. “We need her because of her bloodline. The babies should be strongest if they’re Wolf’s, but he doesn’t have to—”
“It will be me.” My voice came a growl. “She’s mine.”
In the darkness, it was impossible to tell.
But I had a feeling that the Fae smiled.
CHAPTER8
Amelia
We drovefor a long time after the diner incident. We only stopped to get gas and snacks we could eat in the car. Dylan fell asleep long before we stopped for the night.
I couldn’t shake my fear that we were being followed by those wolves.
