by Bella Jacobs
“Thank you.” I squeeze Leo’s hand, holding on tight as he turns back toward the castle with a nod to Jamal.
“We’ll take her to the infirmary, Jamal,” he says. “Check the annex, make sure anyone sheltering in there knows we’re clear, and then meet us in the war room.”
“Absolutely, majesty.” Jamal nods and hurries away as I insist, “I don’t need to go to the infirmary, I’m fine.”
“You’re burned and you could have internal injuries,” Leo says. “I insist you see the doctor. No arguments.”
And maybe it’s that I’m so glad he and Rourke are okay, or maybe it’s how good it feels to hold his hand, but I don’t put up a fight. I follow him through the cool grass, trying not to look at the corpses of wolves, or think about how close I came to being one of the dead lying on the lawn.
Chapter 11
Now that the worst of the danger has passed and I know no vampire or human lives were lost—only half a dozen Kin Born shifters, who brought on their own demise—there’s time to worry about more frivolous matters.
Like hair…
Of course, it’s still just hair.
It’s not a big deal. It will grow back.
In the grand scheme of things, I was very lucky. We all were. The fact that we got away with cuts and bruises and a few chunks of missing hair is a gift. A miracle.
But as I sit wrapped in blankets in an infirmary exam room, gazing at the post-nuclear wasteland on the right side of my head in the mirror above the sink, contemplating the scabs and clumps of unsalvageable blond fuzz, I can’t fight the sinking feeling inside. Because that wasn’t just hair, it was part of my arsenal, one of my weapons in the battle to win Miss U.S. and start my new life. Without it, I’ll probably have to kiss any hope of bagging that prize money goodbye.
By the time a knock at the door signals the arrival of the doctor, I’m ashamed to say I’m on the verge of tears over the whole stupid thing.
“Come in.” I force an upbeat note into my voice and blink faster, willing the waterworks away before I embarrass myself.
“How are you, love?” Rourke. Not the doctor, after all, but I can’t say I’m disappointed. I’ve been dying to see him since we parted ways an hour ago—me to wait with the rest of the only lightly damaged for my turn for attention, and he and Leo to feed, heal, and shore up the shiver’s defenses.
“Okay.” I glance over my shoulder to see Leo gliding into the room behind Rourke, who looks much improved by an infusion of the red stuff. I meet one intense green gaze and one arctic blue, shivering at the energy they bring into the small space.
“Do you need another blanket?” Leo asks, proving he doesn’t miss a beat.
“No, thank you. I’m fine.” I am fine, but I’m also suddenly very aware of the fact that I’m naked beneath the blanket wrapped around my shoulders, while Leo and Rourke are very clothed. Completely armored up, in fact, in SWAT-type uniforms that prove how serious they are about being prepared for another attack.
I pull the fleece tighter across my body, squeezing my thighs together. “Do you really think they’re coming back? Tonight?”
“No,” Leo says. “But we’re ready if they do.”
“Security is on high alert, and everyone knows their part in keeping the castle secure,” Rourke agrees. “Leerie’s helping change transfusion bags and stitch up the wounded, so we figured we’d keep you company while you wait for the doc.”
“I don’t need to see the doctor. Really, I’m fine.” I motion toward my savaged head with a shaky smile. “Nothing a bath and a pair of scissors won’t cure.”
Leo circles the exam table, his stormy expression growing downright menacing as he takes in the remains of my once expertly highlighted and razor-cut pageant hair.
“Good look, right? Probably kick off a new trend at the competition,” I say, the quiver in my voice ruining the joke.
“You could have been killed,” Leo rumbles. “You should have run the way Rourke told you to.”
“I couldn’t,” I say. “People were in trouble. You were in trouble. I had to help.”
Leo shakes his head. “You aren’t equipped to help. You have zero training or experience in combat situations. You were a liability out there, not an asset.”
I sit up straighter. “That’s not true! I helped. While I was a rhinoceros, I charged and jabbed at the wolves with my horn and—”
“And caused chaos, making it harder for the guards to get to people who needed help,” Leo snaps. “And the second you shifted into your human form, you were completely vulnerable. If the fighting hadn’t been largely over by then, you would be dead, Eliza.”
“I—” I break off with a sharp exhale, throat going tight. As much as I’d like to deny it, he’s right. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry, be smarter,” Leo says, his voice rough as he adds, “And bring Pearl with you everywhere you go—to bed, to the bathroom, absolutely everywhere, do you hear me? There’s no point in giving you a weapon if you refuse to take it with you.”
“I forgot,” I say in a small voice, feeling worse with every passing second.
“And if you’d had the bat, I would have gotten to you so much faster,” Leo continues, raking a hand through his silky black hair. “It’s my weapon. I know when it’s being used. That’s why I chose it for you instead of something smaller and easier to carry.”
“I didn’t know that, and I really am sorry, Leo. I promise. You have no idea how sorry. When I saw Rourke go down beneath those wolves… And then you…. When I thought you both might die because of me…” I press my lips together and stare at the floor, cursing myself as the white tiles begin to swim before my eyes.
“There, there, we’re both fine. And none of this is your fault.” Rourke appears at my other side, placing a comforting hand on my back, which makes it harder not to burst into tears. “And Leo isn’t mad at you. He’s just scared and angry with himself.”
“He’s right,” Leo says, his tone going soft. “I should have made it clear how important it was for you to keep Pearl close at hand. And I shouldn’t have let you out of my sight, damn the rules about humans boarding in the shiver wing. It’s as much my fault as yours.”
“Agreed,” Rourke says. “Though I’ll take it one step further and say you should have known better than to bring her or Leerie here in the first place, genius.”
“As if I had a choice,” Leo growls, “I serve at my master’s pleasure, Rourke. Not all of us are lucky enough to come from a shiver that celebrates free will. What Gloria wants, Gloria gets, and arguing with her is a good way to end up locked in a starvation chamber.”
“Well, it’s time Gloria got a wake-up call.” Rourke crosses his arms. “She needs to open her eyes and realize what a nest of fucking vipers she’s gathered to her bosom. This castle might as well be cursed, too, mate. We’d be safer sleeping on the ground outside the Kin Born fortress. At least then we’d know where our enemies were coming from.”
I look up, swiping my fist across my cheeks as I glance from one beautiful, angry face to the other. “What do you mean? You think someone from the shiver told the Kin Born I was here?”
“Told them you were here and offered an engraved invitation to come do their worst,” Rourke says, his eyes narrowing. “I’m not buying the broken fence excuse for a hot fucking second.”
“Me, either,” Leo agrees. “Someone knew they were coming. They arranged for the electricity to go out on the fence. They helped our enemies get to Eliza.”
“And were happy to risk the lives of their shiver-mates to do it,” Rourke agrees.
“That’s awful,” I murmur, but something about their theory doesn’t sit quite right.
I chew my bottom lip as Leo and Rourke mull over who might want me dead, scrolling through a list of suspects whose names have no meaning to me. I’ve only met a few of the castle’s inhabitants, and none of them seemed murdery, not even Sven, though he clearly still finds me repulsive.
But when he brought tea and scones down when I first arrived at the infirmary, he was civil. Even kind if you count discreetly holding his breath and avoiding any direct comments about how terrible I smell.
And from Sven, I have a feeling it does count.
No, there’s something else, something we’re all missing…
I furrow my brow, replaying the nightmarish events of the evening. The moment the pack of wolves closed in on Rourke and me, trapping us against the wall… The moment Rourke went down in a pile of flashing fangs and claws… When I spotted Leo across the lawn, facing down half a dozen huge wolves, all alone and outrageously outnumbered…
“It wasn’t me,” I blurt out, interrupting Leo’s heated defense of Gloria, who he swears would never endanger a guest she’d offered the shiver’s protection and so couldn’t be part of the plot to have me killed.
Rourke cocks his head. “What’s that?”
“It wasn’t me.” My pulse picks up as the pieces click even more tightly together. “The wolves didn’t attack me. At least not at first. Not until I started putting up a fight. It was you they were after, Rourke. You and Leo.”
Leo frowns but doesn’t rush to debunk my theory.
“Well, you were a fairly sizeable adversary, love,” Rourke says. “I’m sure Leo and I seemed like easier targets at the time.”
I shake my head. “But they weren’t scared off by my size when they chased me through the park. And by now I’m sure they’ve realized that I’m not dangerous. I mean, I may be huge when I’m a rhinoceros, but I’m still me. Before tonight, the closest I ever got to brawling was an intense tug of war over a vintage Kate Spade at a going out of business sale.”
“But you’ve got potential.” Rourke scrubs a hand across his chin, seeming to consider my words. “With a little training, you’ll be able to hold your own with any wolf. Training starts tomorrow, by the way. I don’t care what your dance teacher has to say about it. You need to learn to defend yourself.”
“And to use Pearl,” Leo adds. “I should have insisted that be the first priority today.”
“You’re right,” I agree. “Self-defense just went to the top of my to-do list.”
“I think you’re right, as well.” Leo nods, his lips pressed tight. “The Kin Born likely intended to take you out eventually, but Rourke and I were the primary targets of tonight’s attack.”
Rourke arches a brow. “You really think so? We both have a reputation for knowing what to do with ourselves in a fight, Leo. They could have simply been trying to neutralize the most serious threats before going after the lab rat they came for.” He lifts a hand my way, fingers spread. “No offense intended, love. Just trying to get into their heads.”
“None taken,” I assure him. “And you could have a point.”
“He could, but my gut says you’re right, Eliza. We aren’t the only vampires in this castle who can hold our own on the battlefield. The focus on Rourke and me to the exclusion of other strategic targets doesn’t make sense, not if you were the only reason they were here.”
His words send an absurd thrill through me. I mean, I suppose everyone likes to be told they’re right, but hearing Leo, a super serious, thinks-things-through type of guy say he thinks I’m on to something makes me feel smarter than I have since I managed to pull a B in college algebra, despite having zero affinity for logic and even less of a knack for numbers. Not that I’m dumb, but a girl doesn’t get a lot of chances to use her brain working at an ice cream parlor or sewing the same apron patterns she’s been selling for years.
Leo sighs, and the muscle in his jaw knots into a ball again. “Which means this is bigger than a group of extremists.”
“Looks like it.” Rourke glances toward the door before doing a slow scan of the ceiling.
“No cameras in here that I know of,” Leo says softly, “but we’ll have to be careful in the rest of the castle. I’ll tell Leerie to gather their things and for her and Eliza to meet us in the garage just before sunrise. I doubt anyone will expect us to leave so soon. If we’re quiet, careful, and lucky, we can get away before they try again.”
“Before someone here tries to kill you again?” I whisper, clutching the blanket so tightly my knuckles begin to ache. “We shouldn’t wait, Leo. We should leave now. Right now. I’ll text Leerie and—”
“No.” Leo gives my upper arm a squeeze through the soft fleece. “If we go now, someone will stop us. Or follow us. A discreet exit is our best chance. Don’t be afraid. We won’t let anyone hurt you.”
“It’s not me I’m worried about.” I squirm a hand out of my blanket cocoon, resting it on Leo’s chest. “How can I help? I want to keep you safe, too.”
His expression softens, giving me a glimpse of how beautiful he must look when he’s relaxed and happy. I’ve rarely seen Leo in either of those states. He’s always got his chin up, soldiering on, soberly fulfilling his duties to his people, even if it means lobbying for a marriage to a woman he doesn’t love.
He doesn’t love Leerie. I’ve known that for a while. And after learning what happened to his wife, I doubt he’ll ever love anyone again. Marriage probably sounds like a prison sentence to him, but he’s still willing to sacrifice his own happiness to bring the gift of the Kiss back to his shiver.
And someone in that shiver is willing to eliminate him for it. To murder him, for the sin of having more status or power or whatever insanity motivated tonight’s assassination attempt.
I nod. “Seriously. Tell me. If you need me to bust a rhino-sized hole in the castle wall or some asshole vamp’s face, I’ve got you covered.”
Leo cups my cheek, sending a flicker of awareness dancing through me before his hand falls away. “Thank you, but no hole-busting needed yet.” He turns to Rourke. “For now, we go about business as usual and try not to arouse suspicion.”
“Got it,” Rourke says. “I’ll stay with Eliza until she’s seen the doctor and walk her up to bed.”
Leo nods. “Perfect. I’ll coordinate with Leerie and ask how adept she is with a stick shift, as we’ll have to ride in the trunk to avoid sun exposure.”
“Not at all adept,” I offer, having ridden with Leerie often enough to know I don’t care to do it ever again. “She’s not great with an automatic, either. She failed the driving portion of the test three times and is still rocking a learner’s permit. I, on the other hand, am an excellent driver.” I sniff as I lift my nose higher in the air. “I mean, not to brag, but I am. That’s just a fact. I know how to handle machines.”
Leo’s lips curve. “Then how do you feel about being our getaway driver?”
“I feel good about it,” I say, returning his smile. “I may have some elaborate fantasies involving being a getaway driver slash international woman of mystery, in fact.”
“Then prepare for those fantasies to become a reality, darlin’,” Rourke says, his eyes flashing. “And please tell me you like to go fast.”
“Oh yes, I very much like to go fast,” I say, cheeks heating as Rourke murmurs, “I thought you might,” in response.
Leo clears his throat. “Then I’ll—”
He’s cut off by a knock at the door. A beat later, a freckle-faced woman with brown braids, looking way too young and wholesome to be either a doctor or a vampire, pops her head in. “Eliza?” She pauses, blinking as she takes in my tall, dangerous, and delicious company. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were in here, Prince Leo. Prince Rourke. If you need more time with the patient, I can swing back in a few minutes.”
“No, stay,” Leo says, his attention drifting my way as he adds, “And take good care of her for us, Nan.”
“Always,” the doctor assures him warmly. She bustles in, and Rourke and Leo move toward the door, Rourke promising to wait outside to walk me to my room. But even when they’re both out of sight, I don’t feel alone.
Because he said “us.”
Leo asked the doctor to take good care of me for “us.” For him and Rourke. It pro
bably means nothing—just a slip of the tongue—but it makes me absurdly, ridiculously happy. So happy I forget about my awful hair and the danger lurking around every corner, and bask in the glow of being cared about.
Chapter 12
A half hour later, I’m escorted to my room by Rourke, with Sven close on our heels. My butler nemesis is still being civil and carrying an armful of garment bags filled with designer dresses the master had sent over as a “sorry you were almost killed while a guest in my castle” present.
“She wants you to take as many as you like,” Sven says, his nostrils flaring as he sweeps past me into the bedroom to hang the bags in the walk-in closet. “But pay special attention to what you might like to wear to the party.”
“The party?” I ask as Rourke frowns.
“That’s still on?” His frown deepens as Sven calls out from the depths of the closet, “It’s her anniversary party, Prince Rourke, and you know Master Gloria. Never one to let a little controversy ruin the fun.”
“Attempted murder is a ‘little’ controversy?” I whisper for Rourke’s ears only. He arches a brow in agreement, but is all smiles when Sven emerges with my dirty laundry bag in tow.
“I’ll just get these washed up,” he says, holding the bag at arm’s length, pinched between two fingers.
If he were a normal butler, I would insist there’s no reason to do my laundry—I’ve only dirtied one outfit and a pair of pajamas, and I have enough borrowed clothes hanging in the closet to keep me in a different outfit for the next two weeks—but Sven isn’t normal. Sven is a pain in my ass with a seriously whacked out nose and a petty part of me enjoys knowing he’ll be forced to interact with my dirty clothes, only to learn I’ve disappeared long before they’re ready to be folded.
“See you tonight.” Rourke squeezes my hand before trailing Sven to the door. “I hope you sleep well.”
“You too,” I say, forcing a smile.
