I scamper over and flip the deadbolt. “Forget the bath, I need a cold shower.”
I talk a pretty big game about being fine alone, but the truth is I don’t much like it. I went from living at home to the dorms at college, then sharing a house with some friends, and there was always someone coming and going there. Griffin’s place feels big and empty without them here.
I debate turning on the TV just for the noise but decide against it. Instead, I grab the book I was reading the other night off the arm of the chair and carry it into the bedroom. Arranging the pillows against the massive headboard, I climb up into the bed and curl my legs under the covers. I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to the chill in this place. You’d think being up on the third floor would help with the heat, but it doesn’t. Nothing does unless Evan and Griffin are here, and when they are, I never think about the cold.
I open the book and flip through the pages until I see a familiar passage, then I settle in to resume reading.
Chapter 18
Evan
Griff is emitting enough pheromones to start an orgy. Vampires exude lust in the same way shifters radiate power. Both are designed to attract. In his case, he’s created to lure humans so he can feed from them, while I’m meant to entice potential partners. Sexual or otherwise.
“Can you tone it down? We are about to go interrogate someone. I don’t need him rubbing up against your leg instead of answering questions.”
“I’ll get right on that just as soon as you stop being an alpha.” Griff adjusts his dick, then bangs on the door. A few seconds later, I hear Quinn engage the lock from the other side.
“You’re going to have half the school following us around. Do you need to go rub one out?”
“Fuck off, I haven’t had fresh blood in ages. My body is working hard to make sure I keep getting it.”
I feel guilty for giving him a hard time when I hear the struggle in his voice. Asking him to tone it down is next to impossible, especially once he explains the reason behind it. “Shit, sorry.”
He ignores my apology. “Are we checking his room first?”
“Might as well,” I reply as we set a brisk pace down the hall and to the stairs. Fortunately, we don’t run into many people on our short journey. It being the weekend and early evening is working in our favor for now, but it may also signify that Rand won’t be home, which means we’ll have to waste time finding him.
I pound on the door a little harder than intended once we reach room two-ten. Not a single sound emanates from inside, but the door next to it opens and a female pokes her head out. Her eyes pop wide when she sees Griffin and me, then the door clicks softly closed right after her head disappears back into her room as if she doesn’t want to draw any more attention to herself.
Griff reaches around me and tries the knob, but it resists, proving it’s locked. Before I open my mouth to tell him to break it, he does it without my prompting, then shoves the door so hard, it ricochets off the wall behind it.
We don’t waste any time stepping into the space. It’s dark and quiet. I was hoping he was just avoiding company, but it looks like he’s really not home. Griff’s chest expands as he inhales. “I smell blood.” His pupils are mere pinpricks. If I didn’t know him so well, I would say his beast is more in control at the moment than he is, but Griffin never loses control. Well, maybe his mouth does, but that’s not going to rip the throat out of anyone who crosses our path.
“Fresh? Bagged?” I step farther into the room and take a better look around.
“Mine.” Griff stalks over to the fridge and yanks the door open. There are several bags of blood, which isn’t all that unusual, considering Rand is a vampire. However, when Griff moves a few bags from the top of the pile, all the ones underneath are small, just like the type he said was filled with his blood at the bank.
Griff turns to look at me, a bag clutched in his hand so tightly, I’m worried it’s about to pop and cause a scene like Carrie. “Now we know where all your donations went.” I’m so pissed, I want to rip the room apart to see what else we can find. I trusted Rand. Why the fuck would he jeopardize everything for something this stupid? It doesn’t make any sense.
“Is this guy a fucking moron? He just keeps the shit in his fridge.” Griff grabs all the bags of blood, his and the others, and tosses them in the sink. The smell of blood fills the room, telling me he’s draining them.
“Or he never thought he would get caught.” I leave Griff in the kitchen and head back to the bedroom. It’s neat as a pin, but the heady scent of wolfsbane isn’t enough to cover the musky dankness of marijuana.
There isn’t much furniture in here, just a bed and chest of drawers, so I head to the dresser and pull open the drawers, emptying the contents onto the bed so I don’t come into direct contact with the wolfsbane I’m scenting. It wouldn’t kill me unless I ingested a good amount of it, but the rash is worse than poison oak.
A small black duffle bag hits the mattress, falling from the bottom drawer with enough weight to tell me there’s got to be more than some herbs inside. “Griff!” I call. He doesn’t have to worry about an allergic reaction to the wolfsbane like I do.
His presence is behind me a heartbeat later. “This was concealed better than the blood.” I motion to the duffle. “There’s some aconitum and dope. Might be more in there, it’s hard to tell from the weight.” Griff pulls back the zipper slowly, revealing what’s inside.
“Holy hell,” I breathe. “Is that yours too?”
Quinn
I slam the book closed and toss it next to me on the bed. I’ve read so much information, I feel like I could go cross-eyed. I glance at the clock on my phone. It’s late, I expected them back by now. I contemplate calling or texting them, but they must be busy or they would already be here. I can’t help but wonder what’s happening and hope everything is okay.
Deciding to give them a little more time, I head into the bathroom and turn on the faucet for the tub. It’s low to the ground, sunken in, with only a single step leading up to it. After testing the water, I gather a towel and a new bar of soap from under the sink, setting them near the edge.
Impatient, I strip out of my clothes and step into the water before it’s close to being full. My teeth chatter at how chilled my exposed skin is, but the water is nice and hot, so I sink in even lower, hissing when the water hits my tender flesh.
My face is sweaty and my fingertips are wrinkled when I pull the plug on the tub. Steam rises off my body as I stand from the water. The half hour soak was just what I needed. I feel relaxed and sleepy.
Letting the cool air circulate against my skin, I turn on the sink and rinse my face with cool water. By the time I’m done, I’m chilled and ready to climb under the covers after drying off and throwing on a T-shirt to sleep in.
I leave the bathroom light on when I exit. Griffin’s room seems really dark, and without them here, I’m a bit of a chicken to sleep in the pitch black. I check my phone again once I have the covers pulled up to my chin, but there are no texts or calls.
Instead of stretching out like I’m rarely able to do while sharing a bed with two men, I curl up on my side and close my eyes, pretending they’re here so it will be easier to fall asleep.
Just as I’m about to be pulled under, my phone alerts with a text message.
Griffin
“It better not be mine.” I pull the bag open wider so we can see the stacks of cash covering a few tightly wrapped bricks which I’m assuming is marijuana by the smell. “Rand hit the lotto recently?” I turn my gaze to Evan.
“I don’t fucking think so. Where the hell would this have come from?” Evan reaches for a stack of cash but jerks his hand back quickly when he sees the aconitum bundle. Wolfsbane is mostly a nuisance, but one I’m sure most shifters would like to avoid. Even the scent can cause a reaction in some, which is why I’m thinking Rand used it to cover the smell of drugs.
“There’s no way this money came from selling drugs to th
ese kids, it’s not possible.” Evan’s looking around the room like he might find a clue as to where it really did come from.
“It would seem unlikely,” I agree. “We need to find this vampire. I’m no longer willing to be subtle about our efforts.”
I grab the wolfsbane, toss it onto the bed, and zip the bag back up. “Call a meeting. Everyone not on shift is to be present. No exceptions.”
Evan tugs his phone from his belt and pokes the screen. “I need a message sent out to every member of staff and security. Meeting in the main floor ballroom in one hour. Mandatory for everyone unless they’re working in an area that can’t be left unattended. Lock the gates to anyone trying to leave. Nobody gets out, not even on foot.” He ends the call right after.
“Think he’ll show?” I ask.
“If he doesn’t, I’ll hunt him down and get answers.” Evan’s scowl is heavy as he looks around the room. There aren’t many places to hide things, but we check the rest of his room anyway, even the bathroom, before coming up empty-handed and heading down to the main ballroom.
“You think an hour was enough time for everyone to get here?” I muse. Considering it’s Saturday, many of the teachers and other staff go into town to hit the local bar.
“It better be,” Evan grumbles.
Some of the staff members are already gathered on the main level waiting for the meeting, which doesn’t really surprise me. I’m sure everyone wants to know what the hell is going on, since we’ve never called a meeting like this.
I draw some attention as we make our way through the hallway toward the double doors of the main ballroom. This place is only used a few times a year. I let the staff hold dances and holiday parties for the kids, but I haven’t passed the threshold in dozens of years.
While the west ballroom was my father’s play place, this one was my mother’s. She held countless parties here, all lavish and over the top. If a human staff member disappeared every so often, everyone looked the other way. It all felt more devious than my father’s blood parties. At least people signed up for what happened to them in those, even if they were too foolish to understand the consequences of their actions. This room was sheltered under the guise of civility and noble blood.
Evan’s footsteps echo on the parquet flooring. The vast space is empty except for the tall columns dappled around the chamber holding the airy ceiling aloft. I’d hidden behind one such pillar and witnessed my mother ravaging the neck of a simple human girl who had the nerve to be too pretty and draw too much attention from one of the many men she was entertaining at the time.
Another servant whisked the girl’s corpse away directly after, while my mother blotted her painted red lips with a handkerchief as if she’d just daintily eaten a slice of fruit. The girl’s family was sent away and compensated with riches that meant next to nothing compared to our wealth.
I haven’t thought of these things in ages, so why am I getting so many reminders all of a sudden? Quinn. Her name filters through my thoughts, and I know she’s the answer. I was content to go on existing before her, but she has irrevocably changed me. Made me remember I wasn’t always an unfeeling bastard who ignored almost everyone around him.
Evan closes the door behind us and prowls across the room, only stopping when he reaches the middle. “Are we going to confront him in front of everyone, or was this just to weed him out?” He crosses his arms over his chest, waiting for my answer.
I’m tempted to take a page from my parents’ book and make a show of his betrayal, but I still have too many questions that need answers, so I can’t make an example of him just yet. “No more secrets. We will allow everyone to see that we know what he’s been doing and make it clear that Rand will tell us about anyone else who may have been involved in his scheme.”
Evan nods slowly. “How deep do you think this goes? Do you think Quinn is safe here?”
“We won’t know that until we know where the money came from and what his ultimate plan was.” Knowing my singer may not be safe in my own home sets my beast on edge. When I said I would shut down this school and erase everyone’s presence, I wasn’t joking. I can erect another school, another dorm somewhere else, but I will not give up my home. I could have leveled this place after I ended my father’s reign, but I chose to stay, to claim Havenfall Manor as mine, and I will not allow anyone to threaten that, even though I know it’s the last thing Quinn would want.
“I…” Evan starts and then pauses. “I can’t believe this happened. On my watch.” His lips thin. “When did I become so complacent?”
“No need to absorb all the blame, brother. In case you didn’t notice, I’ve been somewhat distracted as well.” I know Evan takes this more personally than I do. He’s the one who hired Rand and put him in his position. Trusted him. “Tell me about him. How long has he been here, and when did he become a floor leader?” This serves two purposes. One, so I can help Evan see he’s not solely to blame, and two, so I can learn about the usurper who thought to undermine me.
“He’s been here at least five years. I’d need his file for more exact dates. His clan was annihilated by the Cyra.”
The slight reminder is all it takes to trigger my memory. The Cyra had not been in the United States long, and they thought taking out a few smaller clans would be a good way to build a name for themselves. Unfortunately, they were able to eradicate at least three clans that we know of before they met with their own demise.
“How did Rand escape?”
Evan’s eyes pinch at my question as if he’s thinking. “I just know he wasn’t there when it happened. He never shared the details, and I never asked when he came to us for a job. At the time, I felt like he was searching for a place he could belong and feel useful.”
Unfortunately, his story isn’t unique. The supernatural world is cruel for the most part and brutal at the worst.
“Let’s open the doors and allow them to enter,” I tell Evan. There’s no point in guessing why Rand did what he did, we may as well just go to the source. Evan unfolds his arms and steps forward, but I hold up my hand. “I’ve got it.”
The murmur of voices stops when I throw open both doors. Every eye is on me and the vacant room behind me. I step back, indicating they may enter, but hold my place in the center so they will have to walk around me to gain entrance. Many of the faces are familiar, yet I know very few of them by name or otherwise.
It takes a long moment before anyone accepts my invitation, but once one brave soul does, the others are soon to follow. I scan the crowd for Rand. I know his face, which is true for most of the security team. I often train with them, or Evan as it were.
Eventually, he ambles in with a small group of others. His face is relaxed, but the tension in his body tells another story. At least he didn’t run. That would have been an inconvenience. I keep my place so as not to alert him that I was awaiting his arrival.
Seconds later, a disheveled Quinn rounds the entrance. I blame the fact that I was so focused on everyone else that I didn’t even realize she was near. Evan stomps over to my side, proving he was more aware. “What are you doing here?” My voice is tight, which isn’t my intent.
“I got a text.” She looks between Evan and me. Her face is flushed, her hair is a little damp, and she’s wearing my shirt without a bra. This woman drives me to distraction.
My mind is already working on how to get her back up to the room safely. My cock thinks I should leave everyone here and take her myself—in so many ways—but my more pragmatic half says just to lock her in a room somewhere until this is done. She wouldn’t like that, but Quinn’s soft heart doesn’t belong anywhere near this place at the moment. Not that I plan on torturing Rand in front of everyone—well, it’s doubtful anyway. I’ll get more answers out of him alone.
“Is something wrong?” she asks when neither of us speak.
“Other than the fact you’re here?” The words slip out without thought. Quinn’s face goes from rosy pink to red in an instant.
“He just means you don’t need to be here for this. We didn’t mean to disturb you,” Evan supplies smoothly.
“Yes. That.” I nod, agreeing with him. I seem to have had a relapse with my foot in mouth syndrome.
Quinn narrows her cool blue eyes on me, and my dick gets even harder. I think there’s something wrong with me, I love it when she shows her claws. My eyes are drawn to the pulse on the side of her neck, the one that resides right under my bite. It’s beating fast, singing to me. She crosses her arms over her chest, and it lifts her breasts. Her nipples are hard against the thin fabric of my shirt. “Why am I not supposed to be here?”
I lick my lips and actually think about the words I want to say. It’s tougher than it should be. I’m much better at showing than telling.
I step into her space, but she doesn’t retreat. If anything, her body softens as soon as it comes into contact with mine. I think she likes our little power struggle just as much as I do—well, as long as I’m not being an asshole. I curl my arm around her back and pull her into my embrace so my lips are near her ear. It’s too tempting not to touch her. “This is just the simplest way to locate someone.” Quinn’s fingers dance over my side as she returns my touch.
“Oh, the text said everyone,” she admits softly.
“My oversight,” Evan explains as she pulls away just far enough so I can see her face when she peers up at him. My fangs are throbbing along with my dick. Hell, if I didn’t already know what bloodlust was, I would think I was in the throes.
What I confessed to Evan earlier is the truth. Every instinct I have is begging for what I’ve only allowed myself to take from her—her blood. Maybe existing off of bags wasn’t such a good idea. I feel like I’m losing control of myself, and knowing Quinn could be in danger is only amplifying the notion.
Havenfall Harbor Book Two: Paranormal Ménage Romance MFM Page 20
