by Wendi Wilson
Levi’s eyes widened as he stared at me incredulously. “Warren didn’t do that to you?”
“What? No. Of course, not. Do you think I’d be training with him if he frickin’ bit me?”
He shook his head, his eyes squeezing closed for a moment before refocusing on me. “What happened?”
“I went to The Society to train with Warren and try to get some information about you and your mission. He said he heard from his guys, and that you were still on the killer’s trail.”
“My phone broke on the second day, and Warren’s men refused to let me use theirs. They said they’d make sure you got my messages.” He sighed. “I knew they were lying.”
He shot me an apologetic look, and I waved it off. “Or they told Warren, and he decided not to pass them along.”
“That seems likely,” he said, his pale face growing rigid with anger.
“Anyway,” I said, getting back on topic, “we were out near the woods when someone grabbed me and dragged me into the forest.”
“Where was Warren?” he asked, his voice as sharp as the edge of my magical dagger.
“It all happened so fast,” I said, shivering at the memory. “One minute, I was standing in front of Warren as we prepared to spar, the next, I was on my back in the middle of the woods, the ugliest creature I’d ever seen leaning over me and biting my neck.”
“How did you get away?” he asked, the hitch in voice noticeable despite his attempt to hide it.
I gave him a sad smile. “I stabbed him in the back with my knife, and he exploded into ash.”
“Oh, God, Piper, I’m so sorry,” he said, pulling me against his chest and wrapping his arms tightly around me.
It was the best hug I’d had in a while, one I really needed. My hands grasped his sides, and I squeezed to let him know I was okay. I really wasn’t, but he had enough to worry about without adding my emotional state into the mix.
“I’m fine,” I said, pulling out of his embrace. “I was a little out of it for a while, but I realize now that it was a kill or be killed situation. Anyway, tell me what happened while you were gone.”
“Levi! You’re back!”
I turned to see True loping toward us, a big smile on her face. A crowd of girls and a very grumpy-looking, freckled-faced vampire waited on the path behind her. I flinched at the sight, wondering if True would blow up at me for leaving her hanging to be with Levi instead of training with Warren, where I was supposed to be.
But she didn’t look angry. True looked… like her old self. She gave Levi a quick hug before leaning over to bump her shoulder against mine.
“This one missed you like crazy,” she said, grinning. “I caught her writing angsty teen poetry about you more than once.” She looked at me and chuckled. “Just kidding. I gotta go, but let’s catch up later, okay?”
I watched her go, my eyes wide with disbelief. Levi must have noticed my confusion, because he took my hand, giving my fingers a squeeze to get my attention.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“It’s True,” I said. “She’s been… different since I got back.”
His head tilted as he studied me. “She didn’t seem different to me.”
“That’s why I’m so confused,” I said, nodding in the direction in which she and the campers had disappeared. “She hasn’t been like that in weeks.”
“How has she been?”
“I don’t know,” I sighed. “It’s hard to explain, really. She’s been moody, short-tempered, and completely obsessed with Xander. The fact that she didn’t slip him into even that short conversation we just had surprises me.”
“Some people change when they get into a relationship,” he offered. “They let themselves become so centered on the person they’re involved with, they don’t even realize what they’re doing. I’ll keep an eye on her, though, if you’d like. And Xander.”
“Thank you,” I said, and he nodded. “Now, tell me about the mountains.”
His face turned somber as he leaned closer, his eyes locked on mine. My breath caught in my throat, and I didn’t so much as twitch a muscle as I waited for him to speak.
“I did it, Piper. I found your father’s murderer.”
“You found him?” I asked, my voice faint as the world spun in double-time around me.
“Yes,” he said, his hands landing on my shoulders to hold me upright. “I killed him for you, Piper. The vampire who took your father from you is dead.”
Chapter Fifteen
“Tell me everything,” I said, staring across the small room at Levi.
I couldn’t take my eyes off him. In fact, I wanted to wrap myself around him like some kind of love python and never let him go. Being permanently attached might be kind of extreme, given that we both still had to function as camp counselors. And normal human beings. Well, at least I did.
Instead, we sat in the bunker, him on a folding chair and me on the bed at opposite ends of the small room. True had been exceptionally great since Levi’s return. She told me she’d cover for me the whole night if I wanted, just to be careful—she’d said this with a sassy wink—then disappeared back into our cabin to make the girls go to bed.
Her behavior was weird… and good. It was like having the old True back. I wondered what had changed.
These thoughts flitted through my head as Levi readied himself to tell me the whole story. The bunker was his idea, somewhere to keep nosy ears from overhearing us. Warren, it seemed, had spies everywhere. I hadn’t minded the change in location. The bunker didn’t scare me anymore. I’d seen so much worse than a small, concrete structure built to protect people from a war that never arrived.
It was surreal being back here again, though. The last time I’d been inside this cement hideout, Levi had saved me after I’d witnessed Sarah and Chef Chloe attempting to drink blood from little Johnny. That had been about a month and a half ago, but it seemed like much longer. So much had changed.
And yet, it was me and Levi, here together once again.
We were alone. Together in private. Hussy Piper’s mind wandered toward all kinds of naughty things as my eyes trailed across the clean bedspread.
I shook my head. What kind of monster thought about getting hot and heavy with her boyfriend while waiting for him to relay the gruesome details of how he taken out her father’s murderer?
What was wrong with me?
“Is something wrong?” he asked, his eyes watching my movements carefully. “Your pulse is elevated.”
“Yeah, I’m just nervous about what you’re going to tell me. I’ve thought about my dad’s murder for so long. I just… I don’t know how I’ll react.”
“I can tell you later. And if being in the bunker is bothering you—”
“It’s not. But thank you for checking.”
He nodded, growing quiet. He still looked wary, like his words might shake my foundations to the ground. I was determined to keep that from happening. My father was dead, yes. My only hope was that Levi was right, and the killer that took him from me was gone, too.
“Go ahead,” I said, inhaling deeply. “I’m ready.”
With one more probing glance to make sure I was as ready as I claimed, Levi steeled himself and started to recount the story.
“So, as you know, I went out on the hunt with Malachi and Wesley, two of Warren’s crew. I’d met them a couple of times, and they seemed like decent guys. Good trackers and fighters. The trouble is, they work for Warren.”
“And he told them to keep you from contacting me,” I added.
He frowned deeply. “I think they broke my phone on purpose, though I wasn’t sure at the time. It went missing on the second day of the hike. When I found it near the campsite, it was shattered beside a large rock. Either I was very careless and unlucky, or one of them broke it and made it look like an accident.”
“That seems most likely,” I said, thinking about the lengths Warren had gone to lately when it concerned separating Levi and me.
“All this time you’ve been mountain climbing?” I asked.
He nodded, rubbing his hands together. “It was slow going. There was no way to speed it up.”
I pictured them freezing, struggling with rocks and boulders. Poor Levi. He was a vampire, but even with his enhanced body that sounded awful.
“I’m so sorry.”
He shook his head. “Don’t feel sorry for me. We don’t feel cold like you, and we don’t get tired either.”
“No wonder the mountain vamps hide up there. Perfect place to disappear.”
“Yeah, but these vampires were really hemmed in. Sure, no one can find them, but the conditions they live in…” he shook his head, looking almost sad. “When we found the crew, they were in caves way up in the snowy mountains, nearly starving. Three vamps as skinny as those poor children you see on commercials. There’s no food up there.” His face pinched as if he were remembering.
“They were the ones who killed my father, though?”
“Yeah,” Levi said slowly. “At first, when we came upon them, I thought we’d been wrong. I stared at those starving vamps in threadbare clothing and thought, Warren is out of his mind to think these are the guys who attacked your father. Even a human could defeat them. But then I remembered that was over a year ago.”
I gripped the bedspread, thinking this through. None of this was playing out how I thought. However, my life had been a series of events I’d never foreseen, so why should this be any different?
“What happened next?” I asked.
“I asked if they knew Scott Williams. I showed them the photo of your dad. I expected them to deny it, to lie and say no, they had nothing to do with it, but then one stepped forward. He looked me right in the eye and said, ‘Yeah, I killed that man.’ Then he pulled out a broken silver chain.”
Levi dug in his pocket and pulled it out, handing it to me. I took the thin chain, examining it in the dim light. Was this the chain that held my father’s ring, stolen as a trophy to mark his murder? A shiver ran through me and I wrapped my arms around myself. My father. His life, taken far too soon.
“At least you found them.” I slipped the necklace in my pocket.
He nodded, his face troubled. “But, Piper, it wasn’t so cut and dry.”
Levi met my eyes with a steel gaze of his own. “I wasn’t going to attack him, Piper. I wanted to, I wanted to avenge your father more than anything, but they seemed so pathetic. It would have been like killing an injured animal. Instead, I told them they had to come with us, back down the mountain. I warned them not to put up any fight, and we would deliver them to the council for a sort of trial. Vampires don’t normally do that sort of thing, but I couldn’t see myself fighting them. It would’ve been so unfair.”
“But?” I asked.
“But Wesley and Malachi didn’t like that. They started arguing with me. Then the one who’d spoken attacked me.”
I leaned back, a vision of Levi under attack making my heart patter.
“I had to finish him. While I was preoccupied, Malachi and Wesley took care of the other two.”
My body trembled harder as I thought of the bloody scene in the caves. My father was avenged, but Levi was right. It wasn’t so cut and dry. Three vampires had died, and I knew nothing about the other two.
“Did they say anything about taking his body from the funeral home?” I asked, but he just shook his head.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “Nothing went the way I’d planned.”
“Come here.” I extended my arms.
Levi crossed the room and sat beside me on the bed. I pulled him into my arms as he wrapped his around me. I leaned my head against his chest and inhaled his scent—all Levi, mingled with the scent of a fresh shower.
“You did what you had to do,” I whispered into his neck. “You did it for me, and I don’t know what I can do to repay you. Plus, you did it for every other human out there. Those vampires can’t hurt anyone ever again.”
His head dipped in a silent acknowledgment. “You don’t have to repay me. It was my kind that started this mess.”
“Not you,” I said. Reaching up, I put my hand on his chin and tilted it until he was looking at me. “Not. You.”
“There’s just something not right about the whole thing.” He stared off into the distance, his mind elsewhere.
Despite everything, my mind was right here, completely focused on Levi. I’d missed him so much, dreamed about him so many nights, fantasized about what I’d do to him if he were actually here in the flesh—it was hard to believe it was finally happening. I knew there would be a time to puzzle everything out, pick it apart piece by piece like a detective combing through clues, and sort through all my emotions. But, right now, I just wanted to feel his arms around me and have him tell me everything would be all right.
“I’m so glad you’re back.” I pulled him tighter to me.
His fingers trailed softly through my hair, making my scalp tingle. “Me too.”
“Nothing was the same without you,” I said, tilting his chin down with gentle fingers before trailing one along his jaw. “But the cafeteria food is better, if you can believe it.”
“I can’t.” His gray-green eyes traced the lines of my face, lingering on my mouth. “How did you get even more beautiful while I was gone? I didn’t think it was possible, but somehow, you have.”
Heat flooded down my neck, warming my chest and making my fingers vibrate with excitement. “I’d tell you to stop flattering me, but I don’t want you to.”
He chuckled, a deep rumble in his taut chest. “Did I tell you how I dreamed of kissing you?”
“No. Tell me.”
“Every night when it got too dark to travel the rocky path, I would stare up at the sky and think about you… and your lips,” he drawled out slowly, brushing my hair away from my neck before leaning down to plant a small kiss below my ear.
I shivered with anticipation. “Did you only think about my lips?”
He shook his head as his fingers trailed up and down my back in lazy lines. “Other parts too.”
“Which ones?”
“Hmm,” he said as if considering. Then he leaned forward. “This one.” He kissed my cheek. “And these.” He kissed each eyelid. “But mostly these.”
His lips found mine, pressing with such sweetness and certainty, an explosion of tiny fireworks went off throughout my body. In that instant, all doubt fell away, along with any sense of propriety. I grabbed onto him, eliminating the space between us. I wanted all of him.
“Piper,” he breathed, holding onto me for dear life. One hand was in my hair, the other on my back, applying the most delicious pressure.
My hands had a mind of their own, exploring the planes of his chest before slipping under the fabric to feel the rigid muscles of his stomach. It was his turn to shiver as I traced patterns on his skin.
“We should be careful,” he whispered, but his hands said otherwise. They groped and squeezed in all the right places, igniting a blazing inferno of desire inside me.
“Why?” I asked, neither wanting, nor expecting an answer. I wanted Levi. I wanted the feel of his cool skin against the warmth of mine. I wanted wild abandon, not caution.
I pushed him back on the bed and climbed on top of him. His hands found my backside, but his face was pleading with me. “Piper, we can’t.”
“You keep saying that.” I pressed my lips to his, slipping my tongue in his mouth to taste him. He responded hungrily, gripping my hips and pulling me even closer as a growl escaped his lips.
“No.”
With that one word, he slipped from benea
th me before stalking to the back of the room to stare at the wall. “It’s not safe,” he said, his voice barely under control.
I sat on the bed, deflated. “You keep saying that, but I feel safest when I’m with you.”
He shook his head as his chest still heaved up and down with unconscious effort, as if he actually needed to breathe. That animalistic quality that overcame him every time we touched battled against his constant struggle to maintain control.
I knew I should be afraid, but I wasn’t. His ferocity only made me want him more. Maybe I was stupid, but I trusted even that dangerous part of him.
“Levi, you’re not going to hurt me.”
He shook his head as he tried to slow his breathing. “You don’t know that.”
“I do.” I stared at him, hard, hoping to convince him I was right. “So is this how it’s going to be whenever we’re together?” I gestured between us.
“No, I just need to learn to control my urges better.” He turned around, his eyes slipping to me before darting away again. As if just the sight of me might cause him to lose control. I shivered with pleasure at the idea of being so irresistible to him.
“And then you’ll claim me?”
There. I’d finally asked the question I’d been contemplating since Warren had brought it up earlier today. He’d said he could practically smell the virgin on me. It was awkward and somewhat humiliating to be called out like that, but it was true. Levi had told everyone at The Society we were lovers, but we weren’t. Not technically. Warren knew this, and it had to be part of why he was still pursuing me.
“If you really claim me, will Warren leave me alone?”
“Don’t even think about it like that, Piper. Warren will leave you alone. I’ll make him.” His expression grew dark.
“You can’t fight him, Levi. He runs The Society.”
He glowered. “That doesn’t give him the right to take whatever he wants.”
I got up from the bed and walked coyly toward him, stopping just shy of throwing my arms around him. “What he wants is me.”
One corner of Levi’s mouth curled up before he gently slipped his arms around me again. “If Warren tries to lay another finger on you, I swear, Piper, I’m going to rip his goddamn head off.”