“Agreed.” He took the cord from around his neck and pressed the key into her hand and closed her fingers over it. “Take this and if it comes down to it, you know what must be done.”
The key burned in her hand, making her heart heavy with sorrow. She saw his kindness but was aware of the savage that lived beneath. It was dangerous. He couldn’t be set free on the world in this state.
Hunter’s demeanor changed, putting Camille on alert. “What’s happening?”
Hunter’s eyes darted around the lab. “I have these insane urges. Things I’ve not dealt with for centuries.”
“Like, what kind of urges?” Her brow wrinkled with concern and she took a step back from him.
“Like urges.” He widened his eyes. “I haven’t been with a woman in . . .” He searched his memory.
“I’ve never known you to be with anyone.” She took another step back. “Quite frankly, I don’t know how you live like that.”
“I’m promised to only one woman.” His voice became distant, “But right now, I really feel the need for–”
Camille raised her hand to him. “Hold up right there.”
His eyes were heavy with lust and he took a step closer to her. “Haven’t you ever been curious?”
“About what? What fucking my brother would be like? Nope. Not ever.” She put more distance between them. “You need to calm down, drink some more blood.”
Camille reconsidered her decision to be quarantined with him. “Let’s get started and try to figure out what’s wrong with you. Let’s backtrack, go over the last twenty-four hours.”
She went to the workstation and turned on a computer. “Tell me everything you’ve come in contact with.”
Hunter doubled over, letting out a growl of pain. “I need more blood.”
Camille found there was none left. “You drank it all?”
“I had to,” he grunted out.
The elevator light went green and Owen’s huge form appeared when the doors slid open. Camille went to the door and pressed the intercom button. “Please tell me that’s more blood.”
Owen carried the large box with ease and set it down in front of the door, “Yes, but this is it. I’ve contacted the blood bank, we’ll see if they send more.” He loaded the bags in the pass through. “What’s happening?”
“I’m not sure, it seems the only thing that somewhat calms him is blood. I don’t know how he’s consuming this much.”
Owen pushed his hair back behind his ear and asked with an edge of concern. “Do you think this will affect wolves?”
Camille thought for a moment. “I really don’t know, but be on alert for any strange feelings you might have.”
Owen nodded with certainty. “Nothing so far. We’ve gotten all the humans out of the building and locked things down. All the vamps are in quarantine and they are, of course, already combing over the data Meghan provided.”
Camille picked up on something in his tone when he said her name. “Are you and Meghan . . .”
Owen’s cheeks flushed with color. “We’ve gone out a couple of times.”
“She’s really a sweetheart.” Camille smiled before her expression darkened. “Keep an eye on her though. If shit starts to go south here, get her out.”
“I’ve already told her that I’ll carry her out myself if she doesn’t go.” He laughed. “I think she liked the idea.”
“Who wouldn’t? Look at you, for God’s sake.” Camille laughed, even though she was dedicated to Sophie, she could still appreciate a wolf as sexy as Owen.
Owen blushed. “Thanks.”
“No problem.” Camille brought a bag of blood to Hunter. “Here, drink.”
“I don’t–” Hunter stopped speaking and took the bag and emptied it.
Camille went back to the door. “Stay in contact, I’ll let you know if there are any changes here.”
“Okay, will do.” Owen hesitated. “Do you think we need to call Maxwell?”
“Let’s hold off on that as long as we can. We can contain this,” she said. The last thing they needed was The Directive involved.
Chapter 8
Rook took in the fantastical scenery unfolding in front of her. It truly was a magical fairy land. Lush greenery, vibrant flowers and what looked like fireflies floated all around. She gasped, taking it all in, wondering if any of this was real.
“Close your mouth, sweetheart.” Alfrigg walked past her after closing the entrance. “One of the smites could fly in.”
“Smites?” she asked, still looking around in wonder, following him absently.
“Yeah, smites, they’re sort of a cross between a sprite and a gnat. Annoying little buggers, but they’re great for the ambiance.” He hobbled down a path cut into the landscape.
“What was this place?” Rook glanced up to see if she can see the New Orleans sky, but she couldn’t.
“It’s my little slice of heaven, you’ll be safe here,” he assured her. “It’s just a little further.”
Rook watched for any other signs of life aside from the smites. There were some run of the mill animals, rabbits, deer, but nothing out of the ordinary.
“Here we are,” Alfrigg said as they turn a corner. “Home sweet home.”
Rook took in the small cottage nestled among tall mangroves. “This is nice,” she said as she ducked to get through the door.
The cabin smelled sweet and homey, a cross between rosemary and freshly baked bread. Similar to Vivienne’s shop, there were herbs hanging from the ceiling and in the far corner of the room there was an alchemy set-up with bubbling liquids glowing in a myriad of brilliant colors.
“It’s not much but you’ll be safe here.” He followed in behind her, took off a cross body bag over his head and rested it on the table near a wood burning stove. “Are you cold?”
“Lord no.” She tugged on her shirt that stuck to her body covered in sweat. She dropped her backpack onto the floor. “Is there somewhere I can change, and maybe wash these clothes?”
“Through that door on the left you can freshen up, don’t worry about your dirties, they’ll be taken care of,” he said, clunking around in the kitchen.
Rook continued down the hallway that defied physics. She recalled how small the cottage looked from the outside, but this hallway seemed too long to fit. She turned the knob on the first door on the left and stepped inside. She squeezed her eyes shut and opened them again to see if what she was seeing was an illusion.
The bathroom was a beautiful bright, airy room with a spa feeling to it. The light streaming through the windows couldn’t possibly be from outside where the entire area was shrouded in a green canopy of vegetation. “What the hell is this place?” she asked, putting her backpack down on the floor. She dug through it, getting out her change of clothes and sniffed the socks. They aren’t too bad, she thought to herself and put them on the counter.
Rook undressed and examined the bruises Jeziah left on her arm, she felt vindicated that he died trying to kill her. A pang of guilt flowed through her, but she was getting better at pushing it aside. If vamps didn’t try to feed from her they’d be alive. She warned them, all of them.
She left her dirty clothes on the counter and got into the lukewarm shower to cool down from the hike.
She let the water flow over her and wash the dirt, grime and stress down the drain. This was the first decent shower she’s had in a while. The bathroom at Vivienne’s left a great deal to be desired, just a weak trickle out of a shower head encrusted with years of minerals.
She got out and wrapped the soft towel around her body, loving how it felt against her skin. “I could get used to this,” she said, getting her hair brush out of her pack and running it through her hair before pulling it all back into a ponytail. She brushed her teeth and turned to get dressed.
Her clothes were gone from the counter. “Shit.”
She went to her bag, hoping there was something in there she could put on. Nothing.
Rook opened the door
a crack. “Alfrigg?”
“What is it?” He sounded distracted.
“Um, my clothes are gone.” She couldn’t believe she let her guard down enough for someone to come into the bathroom while she was showering.
“No, they’re there,” he said.
“They really aren’t.” She pulled the towel tighter around herself.
“There’s a robe on the back of the door. You can wear that.”
Rook closed the door and saw a white robe hanging from the hook. It reminded her of the time her parents took her to that fancy hotel. The thought spurred a memory and she looked around the bathroom again, realizing it’s the bathroom from that hotel.
She was perplexed. How could this be? Rook tried to push the worry aside of feeling like the lamb being led to the slaughter. She let down her guard and got too comfortable. “Next thing you know, he’s going to try to fatten me up,” she said, trying to figure out what her next move was.
She tied the belt of the robe around her waist and ventured back out into the living area. “Alfrigg?”
“Yes?” he answered from the kitchen.
“What’s up with the bathroom?” She tried to sound curious, not alarmed.
“Is there a problem?” he asked, coming out of the kitchen with a plate full of food.
“No . . . it was . . .” She eyed the plate full of all her favorite foods, “What’s this?”
“I’m sure you’re hungry.” He smiled and offered her the bacon cheeseburger with steak fries covered in cheese.
The blood drained from her face and she took three stepped backward. “No, thank you.” The thought that he’s trying to fatten her up rolled in her head on repeat.
“What’s wrong?” he said, trying to discern her expression. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“No . . . um, where are my clothes?” she asked, backing up.
“They should be in there. Damn flicks.” His frustration changed the color of his pointed ears. He put the plate down on the coffee table and headed toward the bathroom.
“What’s a–” He stopped in place and turned back to her, “You’re afraid.” The revelation struck him. “Come here, sweetheart, sit down.” He motioned for her to sit on the couch.
She cautiously sat on the edge.
“I know you’ve been through a lot and I know nothing of where you come from this time around, but I can assure you, I will not harm you.” His kind eyes conveyed a message of deeper meaning.
She pressed her lips into a tight line, wanting to believe him, wanting to trust. But since she’d gotten to New Orleans, trust hadn’t gotten her very far. No one wanted to talk about what she was, and for a brief moment she considered going back home to where she was just a girl.
Rook studied the room and glanced down at the plate of food. Her stomach growled, reminding her how hungry she was, and it looked delicious.
Alfrigg lifted the plate to her. “Eat. I promise, it’s just a cheeseburger.”
She took it from him and placed the plate in her lap and lifted the cheeseburger to her mouth. Rook took a bite. It was the best burger she’s ever tasted. She said with a mouthful, “Thank you, this is delicious.”
“I’m glad you like it.” He scooted back on the love seat, “Why did you come to New Orleans?”
Rook swallowed and pulled her shoulder to her ear. “I’m not sure. I knew I wanted to leave Idaho, there’s really nothing there for me. It’s beautiful, but it’s not where I belong. So, one day, I threw a dart at a map. It hit New Orleans dead on. I packed what I needed and left.”
“New Orleans is a funny place.” Alfrigg huffed out a laugh, “The mundanes are like nowhere else I’ve ever been. There are two types, those that are oblivious and those that accept the paranormal like they’re just regular folks.”
Rooks eyes widened. “That’s the thing, I never knew this world existed, I didn’t know about vampires and werewolves and . . .” She motioned to Alfrigg. “Fae. This is all new to me. And sometimes I just don’t know what to make of it.”
“So, you didn’t know you were a Rook until you got here?” he asked.
“Nope. I had no idea. I was sitting in the bar my first day here and a man approached me. His name was Bruce.” She stopped and laughed. “It’s been a few years and I still laugh at the thought of a vampire named Bruce. In the stories you always hear of them having names that sound nearly royal.”
Alfrigg let out a boisterous laugh. “True, so many of them are pompous asses. Some of them change their given names because they don’t fit the times. They are a hoot.” He slapped his knee.
Rook put her empty plate on the coffee table and continued, “He sat down and kept talking about how he couldn’t smell me. Which was weird enough as it is. Where I come from if you can’t smell a person, that’s a good thing.” She raised her brow.
“He said he had a job for me and brought me to this office building and introduced me to a bunch of other people. He kept calling me Rook, but he never asked my name. As I watched everyone around me, I thought of the possibility of not going by my real name as benefit. I think I was right.”
“So, he just took you straight to The Directive?” He seemed surprised.
“Yeah, and I had a job, just like that. A job that paid very well and all I had to do was watch and report back. Easy stuff.” She shrugged. “I had to really work to wrap my brain around this new world that just the day before I thought was all a fantasy. But it worked out. I made a lot of money.” She looked down at her hands, worrying her cuticles.
“But then it got ugly.” He finished her thought.
“Yeah.” She nodded, pressing her lips into a tight line. “And now I don’t know if I’ll ever be safe anywhere. Hell, I still don’t know exactly what it is I am or what I can do. I half expect one day to have some sort of magic shooting out of my hands or be able to move objects with my mind.”
He chuckled. “I wouldn’t count on any of that, but hey, you never know.”
“I know it’s unlikely, but that doesn’t mean I don’t try from time to time.” She sat back on the couch relaxing and mustered the courage to ask the question that no one seemed to want to answer. She’d asked Vivienne, Samuel, Seamus, everyone that she could, and no one could explain it. “What is a Rook?”
“Honestly, we only know a little. Your blood is toxic to blood sustaining creatures, you have no scent, with practice you can obscure yourself from plain view, but really no one knows exactly what Rooks can do and often don’t wait to find out what their true powers are,” he said with a sad down-tick in his tone.
“What do you mean?”
“Usually, when a Rook is found they are destroyed.” He stood from the love seat. “Consider yourself lucky that Bruce saw a use for you.”
“Destroyed? Like killed?” Her tone was full of alarm.
“Yup, you’re very dangerous to some creatures that are damn near impossible to kill. But one drop of your blood and they’re done for.” He leaned in closer to her. “They aren’t used to that kind of threat.”
“But I would never want to hurt anyone,” she defended.
“Yes, and that is also one of your downfalls,” he said, moving toward the alchemy table in the corner. “Always has been.”
“Wait, what do you mean by that?”
“Rook, you’re a very old soul, descended from the Scalbloods. They rarely have a cruel bone in their body. It made them vulnerable.” He clanked some of the beakers on the table, clearing a space. “But it also makes you valuable. Now, about that blood you promised me.”
She stood from the couch and wrapped her arms around herself, unsure. “How much do you need.”
“No more than you’d have to give at the doctor He smiled kindly. “But if you’d like to do it later, we can. I still have to figure out what I’m going to do with you, how badly the vamps want you and how I’m going to get you out of here.” He peered at her with shiny eyes. “Unless you’d like to just stay here with me.”
<
br /> She looked around and gave it a moment’s thought. “It’s lovely here, but I’m not sure . . .”
“Of course you don’t want to stay here. You’re a people person,” he said and shooed her toward the bathroom. “Go get dressed.”
She turned toward the hallway, thinking that being a people person wasn’t nearly as bad as he made it sound. Sure, she’d changed her mind a little the more she knew about people. But that didn’t stop her from wanting to be around all of them. She’d just rather avoid the ones that want to kill her.
She stepped into the bathroom and stopped short when she saw all her clothes folded neatly on the counter. “I’ve got to remember to ask him what a flick is and if I can take one with me.” She picked up her clothes and took in the scent of them.
Her mind raced with apprehension remembering what her dad used to say, If it’s too good to be true, it probably isn’t.
Rook slid into her jeans and pulled her t-shirt over her head. She packed the rest of her clothes in her backpack and started for the door.
Before she could turn the knob, a commotion stilled her. She could hear raised voices but couldn’t make out what they were saying.
She jumped when she heard a loud crash and footsteps coming down the hallway. She looked around the bathroom for another way out, but there was nothing. No way to escape whatever it was outside the door.
Chapter 9
Hunter sat hunched over the microscope. He pushed himself back from the desk and turned to Camille. “Find anything?”
“No.” She lowered her head as she pushed back from the computer. “There are absolutely no differences in our blood. I’m not finding anything in yours that’s out of the ordinary. Either I’ve also been infected, or this isn’t viral.”
Hunter fought back his thirst, struggling to not feel the burning sensation in his throat. “I just don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
Camille already knew how Hunter would respond to her hypothesis, but she told him anyway, “Have you thought that maybe this is some sort of vampire psychosis from not having drank from a live donor . . .” Her cheeks reddened at the thought. “Or being intimate with someone? It’s been thousands of years”
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