I opened the door.
A dark haired man with a moustache pushed the trolley into the room then closed the door behind him with his foot.
“I’ll eat by the window. It’s such a beautiful day.” I led him to a chair I’d placed there. The smell of bacon and coffee filled the room and my stomach rumbled. “Excuse me.” I grinned as I twisted around to assist with the cart. Sunlight glinted off the steel green eyes of the service attendant.
My heart hit my gut like a skydiver without a parachute. Hunger turned to nausea.
“Colby.” His name a bare whisper from my lips.
He smiled under the dark fake moustache and lifted the cover off my plate. “Ta—
da.”
I stared at his chiseled features under the black dyed hair and was speechless.
He quirked an eyebrow. “Have any idea why every damn vampire in the city is after my ass, Connie?”
“Yes. Don’t you—” Before I could finish my sentence a blur crawled out from under the bed and another flew from the closet.
They knocked me against the wall, where the back of my head hit the windowsill, and they converged on Colby.
Stars flashed in my vision, but when it cleared, I witnessed my ex-employer kick-ass.
He dodged their grasps and leaped over the couch. A male, who must have been in the closet, followed only to get karate chopped in the throat.
A high-pitched wheeze came from Gwen’s partner as he clasped his neck and tried to breathe. He stumbled to the bed and collapsed to the floor out of view.
Gwen stood between Colby and the door. I didn’t want her to get hurt. “Stop.” The shout made Colby glance over. Fury burned in his eyes.
Not wasting an opportunity Gwen pounced.
Mid-air Colby grabbed her around the waist and slammed her to the ground. They rolled across the floor toward me.
Gwen’s legs squeezed his torso as they stopped with him on top.
Pinning her hands to the floor, Colby stared at her as if he’d been slapped with a stun stick. Both panted as if out of breath. Something unspoken passed amid them, because she released her grip and he stood.
His glare stabbed me. “Traitor.”
“You tried to kill me!” I stepped closer to him while rubbing the bump on my head, but Gwen snatched my arm.
He blinked. “How?”
“You need to go.” Gwen pointed at him.
Without another word, Colby sprinted across the hotel room and opened it.
Tane stood in the doorway. The crack of his fist meeting Colby’s chin made me flinch. He crumpled to the ground.
It should have been a triumphant moment, however sunlight poured over Tane, and fire flashed on his exposed skin. He let out a blood-curdling screech before disappearing.
Smoke and a sweet stench corrupted the air.
Gwen and I stood in stunned silence.
“You never told us Colby was a werewolf.” She stayed very still next to me.
I blinked as what she said sunk through the chaos of my mind. “He is?” What I saw hadn’t sunk in yet. The smoke filtered into the room and made me sneeze. “I guess Tane’s not dead since I’m still breathing.” I glanced at her.
“It takes more sunlight than that to kill a Nosferatu. He got singed.” Gwen crossed the room, checked Colby’s pulse and sighed as if relieved. “He’s still alive.”
“What makes you think he’s not human?”
“You think a human can take on two werewolves in hand to hand combat and win?
And he smells…different.” She stared up at me.
I shrugged. “Never really gave it a thought.”
Gwen brushed the dark hair from his face with a tender touch then sighed. Pulling out plastic ties from her pocket, she secured his wrists and ankles.
“You were going to let him escape a moment ago.”
She shook her head. “A hormonal mistake. I’m sure you’ve made bad choices too.” Boy, did I, and I was about to make another one. “I’d better check on Tane.” I stepped over Colby’s prone body and hesitated. “Did you get the impression Colby was surprised by my accusation?”
She rolled him onto his side and lifted his eyelids while ignoring my question. “He should recover from this blow.”
“What will you do with him?”
“Question him. Get the truth.”
That’s not what I meant. “How?”
She glared at me with a drawn brow. “How do you think?” I’d been on the receiving end of such questioning recently. It made me sick that I helped capture him, but he’d tried to kill me. Right?
“Go check on our master, Connie.”
I nodded and turned my back on her. The smell of burnt flesh seemed stronger to my left so I followed the odor down the windowless hall.
Bet it surprised the hell out of Colby to find Tane awake during the day. Where would he go? Probably in one of the other rooms. Did I start knocking on every door and draw attention?
I glanced over my shoulder as Gwen closed my room door and left me alone in the corridor. No help from her.
Standing in my bare feet and wrinkled suit, I scratched my fuzzed out curly head. If I called out would he answer? I groaned inside, maybe if I used something other than my voice.
It took me months to learn how to build a shield around my mind to keep out vampires. Learning to let it go proved difficult. With focused concentration, the walls melting away like Rurik had instructed, they faded enough for me to shout his name mentally.
Not a second later, I discerned his presence. “Rabbit?”
“Where are you?”
“Room five-seventeen. You might not want to enter. The burns are gruesome.” Through his light mental touch, I could sense he shielded me from the amount of pain he experienced. I cringed as our minds brushed against each other, I didn’t need to take any trips down the Nosferatu memory lane. He could keep those nightmares; I had my own.
His presence disappeared like a popped bubble.
I walked two doors farther and turned the unlocked handle. Inside, Tane sat on the bed with his back against the wall. His right forearm and the right side of his face were red with blisters. A strip of untouched skin ran across his eyes where he’d block the sunlight with his arm.
He grinned. “Don’t look so shocked. You make me feel worse.” Screwing my expression into something more pleasant, I went into the bathroom and soaked a face cloth with cold water.
“It’s been a long time since the sun has caught me. I forgot how much it fucking hurts.”
“Shouldn’t you be healing?” I approached him and pressed the cool moisture with a gentle hand to his face.
With a quiet hiss, he grimaced and closed his eyes. “I am. Most vampires would have expired with such an exposure.” He peeked at me with one eye. “It would go faster if I fed. Fresh blood heals best.”
The blisters oozed clear fluid and looked painful. Did I admit to him I was the one who left curtains open? Guilt chased away any appetite I’d had for breakfast. I lifted my wrist to his mouth without complaint.
His hand dwarfed mine as he brought it to his mouth. As he rested his sharp fangs to the pulse point, I allowed him inside my mental shield to cloud the pain.
I almost wish I could do the same for him. He slipped through my defenses like silk, like Rurik. Offering my wrist gave me the advantage to watch.
With eyes closed, Tane gulped my blood as if quenching a dying thirst. The burns healed before my eyes. Blisters melted into his skin as the inflammation faded and became pale and smooth once more.
“Amazing.” I spoke my thought out loud.
Tane gazed at me under heavy lids, a lazy smile curled his lips before he kissed the wound on my wrist. “Thank you.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Sunset was only a few hours away and I had nothing else to do except lie in bed and wait for Rurik to wake. I’d had a quiet, uncomfortable lunch with Gwen on Tane’s deck, both of us doing our best to avoid talking about
the morning’s activities.
My betrayal of Colby to the vampires sat heavy on my chest as I stared at the bedroom ceiling. It’s not as if we were friends who went out to lunch or exchanged Christmas gifts, but in theory he saved me. Colby introduced me to a whole new world where I could make a small difference and offered me a second chance, which led me away from drowning my sorrows.
Didn’t he deserve a second chance too?
When the hell did I develop a conscience? I glanced at my unmoving lover and blamed him.
Groaning as I rolled off the soft bed, I gave up on waiting and dressed in a yellow t-shirt and jean shorts, then went to find where they imprisoned my ex-boss. I needed to hear his side of the story before Tane and his brothers got their hands on him.
Colby had actually appeared shocked when I asked him why he tried to kill me.
Instead of running, he hesitated to ask me how?
Opening my bedroom door, I came face to shoulder with Gwen. She blocked my exit.
“Where are you going?” She placed her hands on her hips. All five-foot-eleven of her werewolf frame loomed over my six-inch shorter, frail human body. My brain got stuck in neutral as I gazed into her angry chocolate brown eyes.
“I—I—” I cleared my throat. “Don’t you ever sleep?”
“There’s no one to replace me. House security is busy watching the remaining guests, Tane’s personal guards are stuck at the hotel until sunset, and every time I leave you alone you cause trouble.” Dark circles marred her beautiful features and I was almost tempted to retreat in my room for her sake, but the image of her letting Colby go, of the split second intimate moment I’d witnessed between them, wouldn’t let me. She was my only hope and maybe Colby’s only salvation.
“Can you take me to see Colby?”
“Why?” Her eyebrows rose and she jerked her head back as if I’d slapped her.
I glanced in both directions down the hallway and gestured for her to come inside my room.
The door closed behind her as she came in.
“I’m not sure he’s guilty.”
“It doesn’t matter what you think. Tane will be judge, jury and executioner on this m—matter.” She closed her eyes and her shoulders slumped a bit. A tear slipped out.
“Gwen, what the hell is going on? Do you know Colby?” She shook her head and stayed silent.
“You think he’s innocent too.”
Her facial expression went blank as if she applied a mask. “Doesn’t matter what I think or feel. My loyalty remains with the pack.” It sounded as if she tried to convince herself more than me. “I had a moment of personal weakness at the hotel and almost betrayed all my beliefs. It won’t happen again.” She turned to leave the room, but I grabbed her elbow.
“Doing something right is not weak, ignoring your instincts is.” I came around to watch her face. “What do they tell you?”
“They tell me confusing things and I can’t make heads or tails of them.” She hung her head.
“Sounds as if you have some questions of your own for Colby.” She nodded. “My brother is guarding him.” She heaved a heavy sigh. “He’ll let us in.
Follow me.” Leading me out of the mansion, through the gardens and back into the wild jungle to the side of the mountain not far from where we’d found the body, Gwen brought me to a cave.
“You have got to be kidding me.” I peered into the dark entrance, imagining large spiders and slithering creepy crawlers.
“This place is very old. My father told me this was Tane’s original home.”
“Why am I not shocked?” My skin itched at the thought of going in there. “How deep do we have to go?”
Gwen lifted a flashlight from her belt and turned it on. “A ways.” Without waiting, she went inside, ducking to avoid the low ceiling.
For once, being short paid off. I fit better in these tight quarters than my werewolf guard.
She slowed her pace to allow me to catch up. “Stay close. The path is clear, but not marked. I don’t want you to make a wrong turn.”
Pressed to Gwen’s back, I whispered. “How many other secrets do you know?” Glancing over her shoulder, she gave me a small smile. “Many. Now, be quiet.” Her cryptic statement only confirmed how little I knew about my new life with Rurik…and Tane.
One day would I be leading some naïve girl through these caves answering similar questions? My future held endless possibilities and loomed ahead like a map drawn by a blind man. It made no sense.
Gwen brought us to a metal door set into the stone and used a skeleton key to unlock it.
A furred monstrous head popped out.
A shrill, high-pitched scream split the still air in the cave until I ran out of breath. It echoed as I sucked in a lung of air.
Both the beast and Gwen stared at me as if I’d lost my mind.
It stepped through the doorway to crowd the cave as it stooped against the stone roof.
Long, sharp claws extended from its fingers and toes, which clicked on the floor. Brown thick fur covered its bipedal body. Leaning forward its blue eyes regarded me with intelligence.
Every muscle seized in terror and I couldn’t move.
“For something so small you sure can make a big noise.” The beast spoke clear English.
Gwen chuckled behind him and it was definitely a him. He didn’t wear any clothes to hide the fact. “You’re her first werewolf in beast form.”
“A virgin, my favorite kind of snack.” His tongue lolled to the side of his mouth as he gave a wolfish grin. “Is this Tane’s Rabbit?”
“Yes.” She smacked him on the haunch. “This scruffy dog is my brother, Kam. He’s guarding the prisoner.” Her smile faded as she regarded me. “You can stick your eyes back in their sockets now.”
Blood returned to my head and rushed to my cheeks. I couldn’t help my initial reaction. No one had prepared me.
Gwen faced her brother. “Who’s with you?”
“We’re spread pretty thin, sis. I’m by myself. Why do you think I’m in this form?
Heard he kicked your ass and almost killed Jacob.”
I found my voice, but it sounded a couple octaves too high. “Who’s Jacob?”
“The other guard set in your hotel room last night.” She petted Kam’s fur. “Why don’t you go stretch your legs, I’ll keep an eye on him.” He glanced from her to me and back again. “I want him in the same condition when I get back. No missing appendages or anything.”
“Just a few questions.” She smiled sweetly.
“Did you notice he smells funny?” The werewolf stepped around me. My body still hadn’t recovered from the shock. It couldn’t move yet.
“Yes.” Gwen twisted to enter the room.
The beast stepped closer and smelled my hair. “You smell like prey, Rabbit.” Then snapped his jaws.
I bound through the doorway in a massive adrenaline induced leap, running Gwen over.
She spun around. “Kam, behave.”
His echoing laughter answered her.
“He won’t hurt you. He’s just an ass.” She stepped next to me, her words barely registering.
I stood in the middle of a small cavern. The walls decorated with empty manacles and stained with old blood. Torches burnt in scions, their smoke clouding the ceiling.
Chained to the far wall hung Colby. His wrists and ankles bound by thick metal. The firelight flickered in his glare.
It took a moment or two before my thoughts cohered into something intelligent.
What should I start with? How ya doing? Didn’t sound right. A purple bruise covered his left cheek where Tane had punched him. The swelling reached his eye and lips.
I took a few steps closer before Gwen stopped me with a hand to my shoulder.
Conflicting emotions warred inside. I wanted to hit and hug him at the same time.
“Dumbass.” The insult blurted out. I didn’t know if I meant him or me.
Colby’s green eyes flared and he strained at his
restraints. “Bitch!” The cold, calculating person I associated with my ex-boss wasn’t present. I’d never seen Colby lose his cool before.
That’s not true…on Tane’s yacht he had flipped out. He’d been chained to a wall then too, also under Tane’s care. A shiver coursed down my spine as I remembered how ruthless the Nosferatu could be.
Would I be any less crazed if Luckard caught and chained me again?
I had reasons for hating Tane. They’d faded over the past few days, but this resurfaced some of them.
“I never asked you to come to my hotel room.” Crossing my arms over my chest, I strengthened my resolve to confront him without caving into tears.
Colby growled from deep inside his chest.
I sensed Gwen tense next to me.
“How can you be helping them, Connie?” The frustration in his voice ebbed.
“You’re human and working for the wrong team.”
“You tried to kill me.” I stomped my foot like a five year old, his accusation hit close to my own thoughts, and all my resolved vanished. Tears welled in my eyes.
My statement stopped him. His stunned expression told me all I needed to know. “It wasn’t him, Gwen.”
“How?” He repeated the same question from the hotel room.
“An assassin shot wooden cross bolts from a tree while Tane and I were outside two nights ago. The same night you came to the mansion with the team. One of the cross bolts almost shot me. If Tane hadn’t taken it for me, I’d be dead as a doornail.” I watched his eyes for any signs of guilt and only saw confusion. “Tane saw you running in the jungle with the weapon in your hands.”
“A crossbow? I tripped over it and picked it up.” His brow furrowed.
“Then why run?”
“We weren’t supposed to stay on the property after examining the body, I remained behind. We needed more intel. The killer is on the estate. I can smell it. When Tane came chasing after me, instinct kicked in and I ran.” He stared at me. “You have got to believe me. I’d never kill one of my own.”
“You’ve made it very clear I’m not part of the team anymore.” I wanted to believe him but—but what stopped me? Colby didn’t even kill vampires without proof they were murdering people. Yet, he did have a good reason to hate Tane on a personal level.
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