by I. T. Lucas
He nodded.
“We would love to have an excellent student like you in our school.”
Yeah, so they could pretend that it was their accomplishment and show him off.
Parker forced a smile and nodded again.
“Well, let’s take the tour, shall we?”
As they walked out of the office, his mother wrapped her arm around his waist. “Why are you so grumpy?” she whispered.
He shrugged. “It’s not important.”
The truth was that he couldn’t explain it. What was he going to say? That he was frustrated? That he didn’t know how to be Lisa’s friend without feeling intense attraction to her, and that it was driving him crazy?
Perhaps he needed to have a talk with Magnus. The guy was old, but maybe he still remembered what it was like to be a teenager and obsess about girls that he shouldn’t obsess about.
But that wasn’t the only thing bothering him about the damn school. There were guys Lisa’s age there. And just thinking about anyone looking at her made his fangs itch.
What would happen if they started flirting with her? Or worse, if one of them became her boyfriend?
That would be straight-up dangerous. He was much stronger than any guy his age or even older, and his fangs were deadly weapons.
Coming here was a mistake, and as soon as they entered the classroom, and Mrs. Stephanopoulos introduced them, Parker realized how grave.
Lisa was a very pretty girl, and the guys looked at her like a bunch of hungry wolves salivating after the tasty little lamb who’d made the mistake of wandering into their territory.
What they didn’t know, though, was that the lamb had a beast from hell to protect her, and that he would tear them all apart before any of them managed to sink their teeth into her.
“Parker,” his mother whispered. “Close your eyes.”
Great. Now his eyes were glowing. He lowered his head and looked down at his feet. He had to get control over his beast and do it fast.
What Parker needed to focus on was his compulsion ability. That was a much more potent power to reckon with than his fangs. He didn’t need to do anything physical to protect Lisa. He could just tell those jerks to keep their distance, and that would be enough.
It wasn’t allowed, but who would ever find out?
Besides, it was preferable to tearing their throats out.
43
Anastasia
“Thanks for having breakfast with me.” Ana put her empty plate on the tray.
Cradling her coffee mug in her hands, Margaret looked at the plate with a satisfied smile on her face. “And you said that you weren’t hungry. You practically licked the plate clean.”
“It’s because you kept me company.”
Margaret pushed off the bed and collected the tray from the nightstand. “I need to get ready for the workshop. Are you going to be there? Or are you going to stay in bed and pretend to be sick?”
“I would never miss one of yours.” Ana stretched and yawned. “But if I fall asleep, would you cover for me and put my name on the roster?”
Missing classes and workshops was frowned on, but she could always visit the nurse later and complain about a headache or something.
“You know that I can’t do that. The others will notice that you’re missing. But I can say that you are not feeling well.”
“Or you can tell them that I’m recuperating from a wild night of sex. That would make everyone happy.”
“And it’s not a lie.” Margaret winked. “A blindfold, oh my. I didn’t know that you were into kinky stuff.”
Anastasia’s eyes widened. “Don’t you dare tell anyone about that.”
She’d shared some of the details with Margaret, but she still hadn’t told her about the voices. It had been on the tip of her tongue several times, but she’d stopped herself at the last moment from saying anything about it.
Margaret was her best friend, and she trusted her, but not completely. The woman was too loyal to the community, and if she perceived Sam as a threat, she would report him.
“Don’t worry. Your kinky secrets are safe with me.” Margaret braced the tray on her hip and opened the door. “I hope to see you in my workshop, but if I don’t, have a nice nap.”
“Thanks.”
When the door closed, Ana turned on her side and hugged her favorite pillow. It was no substitute for Sam, but it provided comfort, nonetheless.
Thankfully, she’d gotten over most of her angst, but she was still mad at Sam for how he’d handled things. He should have told her that he wasn’t a morning person, maybe even complimented her on something so she wouldn’t feel rejected and unwanted.
But as Margaret had pointed out, men didn’t have as much emotional intelligence as women. Well, other than Emmett of course. Margaret worshiped the ground the guy walked on.
Her thoughts must have summoned Margaret back because a knock sounded at her door.
Scanning her small room, Ana searched for anything that Margaret might have left behind, but there was nothing. Maybe she'd returned to insist that Ana came to her workshop?
“Come in.”
The door opened, but it wasn’t Margaret who entered her room.
“How did you get in here?”
“I have my secret ninja ways.” Sam closed the door behind him. “You don’t have locks?”
“We don’t need them. No one enters without permission.”
He grabbed a chair and braced its back under the handle. “If anyone comes to visit you, this should give me enough time to duck under your bed.”
She laughed. “There is not enough space under there for you.”
“Are you calling me fat?” He sat on the bed.
She scooted sideways. “Why are you here, Sam?”
“I came to apologize.”
Pretending that she had no clue what he was talking about, Ana raised a brow. “Apologize for what?”
He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “I might have given you the impression that I wasn’t interested this morning, but nothing could be further from the truth. I have feelings for you, Anastasia, and they come with all the possessiveness that Emmett preaches against. I want to have a relationship with you, an exclusive one. The thought of you with someone else makes me homicidal.”
For a long moment, she was lost for words and just gaped at him.
First of all, what he was saying was considered blasphemy in Safe Haven, and secondly, it was too good to be true, which meant that it was probably a lie.
“Let me guess. You’ve fallen for me, and you want me to leave with you so we can have an exclusive relationship and live happily ever after.”
“How did you know?”
“Really, Sam? It’s just another ploy to get me out of here and complete your assignment.”
He shook his head. “I hate it when you accuse me of lying. This is not a ploy, and I don’t expect you to fall into my arms and promise me forever. All I’m asking for is one week. Two would be better, but if you give me one, I’ll take it. You said that you are not a prisoner here and that you can come and go as you please.”
She was intrigued but still suspicious.
“That’s somewhat of an exaggeration. Community members don’t just go on personal vacations. That would be considered frivolous and selfish. I need a good reason to ask for a week-long leave.”
“What qualifies as a good reason?”
“Medical exams or treatments that are beyond the scope of what the nurse can do, or a family emergency, like hospitalization, terminal illness, or death.”
“Perfect. We could arrange for a call to come in for you with dire news about your father. He’s in the hospital after suffering a stroke, and he might not make it. If you hint that your care for him or lack thereof might impact your inheritance, I’m sure your leave request would get approved.”
Ana shook her head. “You seem to think that Safe Haven is all about swindling people out of their money. It is not.�
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He lifted his hands in the air in mock surrender. “I’m sure that it provides a sanctuary for many of its residents, but it also swindles them out of their money.”
“The money is needed to run the place. It’s not like we get charitable donations from the outside world, and not everyone can contribute as much as I can. Some come here with nothing and are still accepted into the community.”
Sam reached for her hand, and she let him clasp it. “Once we are out of here, we can have all the philosophical discussions you want. We will be spending our days and nights together, without having to worry about getting in trouble with the establishment for being exclusive, or for missing work and classes.”
What he’d described was very tempting, provided that it was true, and he wasn’t setting a trap for her.
44
Leon
“A phone call is not going to be enough. Emmett might tell someone to verify the information. They can check with the hospital, or even call my father.”
“Don’t worry about the details. My friends on the outside are professionals, and they will leave nothing to chance. They will coordinate it with your father, and they might even put something in the newspaper about his supposed stroke. He’s a wealthy man, and his health problem might potentially impact his businesses and his employees. That’s newsworthy.”
Her eyes clouded with suspicion. “Why would my father cooperate with you unless it’s to get me out of here permanently?”
Because if needed, Kian could arrange for Kalugal to compel Anastasia’s father over the phone to do whatever they needed from him. Kian might punish Leon later for his screw-up, but he wasn’t going to refuse his help. A potential Dormant always got preferential treatment.
“The decision whether to go back to Safe Haven or not is going to be yours, not your father’s. My friends and I are getting paid regardless of the outcome, and there is no bonus waiting for us if we succeed.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “My father would have never agreed to a deal like that. He would have demanded a guarantee.”
“Perhaps, but the friend who hired me for the job is known as the best in the business, and he doesn’t provide guarantees.”
Turner didn’t need to because he had a reputation for success.
“What is your friend’s business?”
“Hostage retrieval.”
She laughed. “I’m not a hostage.”
“Your father thought that you had been brainwashed.”
“Do you think that?”
She was lucky to be an immune, but they still had done a pretty good job on her. Anastasia had bought most of the crap they were selling at Safe Haven.
“I know that you have doubts, so you can’t be completely brainwashed.”
Nodding, she dragged her teeth over her lower lip. “It’s true that I have doubts, and it irks me that having doubts is frowned upon. I also know that Emmett’s way might not be right for everyone, but it is for some, and I might be one of those for whom it’s a good fit.”
He smiled. “You’ll have an entire week to convince me of that.”
“And you will try to convince me of the opposite.”
“Of course.”
“And if at the end of the week I want to come back, you’ll let me go?”
“I might try to convince you to give me more time, but if you don’t want to, then you have my word that I’ll deliver you back to Safe Haven’s front gate.”
“Why should I believe you?”
Leon couldn’t blame her for being skeptical of his motives, but her mistrust angered him nonetheless.
Anastasia must have realized that the thing between them was not just about sex, and she probably wanted to take his offer but needed more convincing. If not for the risk of her possibly imminent transition, he would have let her stew in her own juices until she acknowledged that she wanted him enough to take a risk.
The problem was that they were running out of time, and he had to get her to agree right away.
She’d left him no choice.
Leon was a lousy actor, and he wasn’t in love with her, not yet anyway, but he was going to do his damnedest to convince her that he was. Her life was in danger, and that justified the less than honorable means.
Anastasia was young, but not a teenager. She was the same age Syssi had been when she’d transitioned, and he’d heard that things hadn’t gone well. The Clan Mother had given Syssi her blessing, and as unbelievable as it was, it had helped her pull through.
If Anastasia stayed in Safe Haven, she might not make it.
That morbid thought had brought on a slashing ache in his chest that made it hard to breathe. Perhaps he was really falling for her.
Leon didn’t need to act as he lifted her hand and put it over his heart. “Remember how I told you that I haven’t met my one and only yet?”
She nodded.
“I think that she might be right here.” He gave her hand a little squeeze.
Anastasia sucked in a breath and tried to pull her hand away, but he didn’t let go.
“I know that we’ve only just met, and that it’s too early for me to be saying things like that.” He put her hand back on his chest. “We need to get to know each other better, but it can’t happen here. You have work and classes to attend, and I have workshops and personal counseling and all that crap. We can only meet after all that is done, and that leaves very little time. And if someone notices that you spend all your nights with me, you will get in trouble, and I will not be invited to join the community. All I’m asking for is one week. Can you give me that?”
“I want to.” She sighed. “But I’m scared.”
“Are you going to let fear make you miss out on this opportunity?”
“Fear is a powerful motivator. Don’t you know that people would rather avoid pain than seek pleasure?”
“For me, imagining you with other men is too painful to even think about. Can you honestly tell me that you wouldn’t mind if I took a different woman to my bed tonight?”
45
Anastasia
Would she mind?
Ana would probably scratch the woman’s eyes out, and she would not only get kicked out of Safe Haven but get arrested for assault.
Sam chuckled. “You should take a look in the mirror. You have murder in your eyes.”
He seemed awfully smug.
“I hope this is not all an act to win the bet we made.”
He frowned. “What bet?”
As if he didn’t remember. “I said that I was not going to fall in love with you no matter how good you were in bed, and you asked if it was a challenge. I said yes.”
“Then it wasn’t a bet. It was a challenge.”
She rolled her eyes. “What’s the difference? You want to prove to me that I was wrong, and that you are a sex god who can make me fall for you.”
“A sex god.” He smirked, his cheeks forming two tiny dimples. “I like it.”
How come she hadn’t noticed them before? They were adorable.
“I bet you do.”
“I remember that now.” Sam’s smirk turned into a face-splitting grin. “You said that I was the hottest guy you’d ever met. Now I know for sure that you are coming with me.”
Ana laughed. “Overinflated ego, much? If you remember, I said that as well.”
“Yes, you did. So what will it be, Anastasia? Are you willing to give us a chance?”
Damn, that was a tough decision.
She wanted to spend more time with Sam, and she couldn’t think of him with another woman without smoke coming out of her ears.
But she wasn’t ready to give up on Safe Haven either. Despite what Sam thought, a lot of good work was done in the community, and people who would have been otherwise lost had found a true safe haven there. People like Margaret, Tammy, and others who’d been chewed up and spit out by society. Wonderful people who were courageous, hard-working, and giving, and who had no other place to go.
A small voice in the back of her head whispered that she didn’t need to live in Safe Haven to help those in need. She could complete her law degree and create a nonprofit to assist people like Margaret to get back on their feet. Perhaps she could even get her father and his rich friends to contribute to the charity.
But those were pipe dreams. She wasn’t brave enough to take up such an undertaking. It was much easier to help people within the walls of Safe Haven. Ana was getting excellent training, and when she was ready, she wouldn’t have to fly solo. Others who had done that before her would watch over her so she wouldn’t mess up.
“Come on, Anastasia. It’s not a life and death decision. All we are talking about is one week away from this place. I’m sure you can handle it.”
“It’s not a question of whether I can handle it or not. Even if I trusted you completely to bring me back, which I don’t, I need to decide if leaving Safe Haven for good is even an option. I haven’t completed my training yet, and I really wanted to find out whether I had what it took to help people. I don’t think I can do as much good on my own. If I leave now, I would be giving up on a promise that I made to myself to make a difference in the world.”
“You’ll have an entire week to decide what you want to do. And if you want to come back and complete your training, I will respect your decision. You have my word.”
“Can I think about it?”
He let out an exasperated sigh. “When will you know? We need to put things in motion with your father and the cover story.”
“Tonight. I’ll come to your room at the same time as yesterday.”
“Deal.” He leaned and took her lips in a quick kiss. “I’d better leave before someone finds me here.”
She’d forgotten about that. “I have no idea how you snuck in without anyone stopping you. How are you going to get out?”