“Any idea who’d betray you?” I stood up, rested my hip against the desk, and studied him for evasiveness, a near impossibility since he had a fantastic poker face.
“Nothing concrete. And nothing I can share right now. I don’t want your attitude changing towards him.” Cole unlocked a desk drawer and pulled out a thick, red-covered book. Ornate gold letters spilled across the top, though I missed the title when he flipped it open. “This will give you some information on Maxwell. We’ve documented whatever we could over the years.”
My eyes widened as I turned the book towards me and thumbed it open. “Know your enemy, huh?” No evasions or half-truths from Cole for once. Did he finally trust me or was necessity forcing his hand?
My eyebrows climbed upwards while I read the list of misdeeds and atrocities attributed to Maxwell. This was the vampire after me? How did I expect to outwit a monster who’d been alive for six hundred years?
I’d planned on walking into the vampire’s lair on my own, bringing him to his knees, and rescuing Jacy. How fucking foolish of me. I couldn’t do this alone. Time to come completely clean with Cole and formulate a plan together.
Trusting someone was foreign to my nature. Dad had taught me well not to open myself up to others even before I fully understood the depths of our troubles. Afterward, years on the run had made it so I learned to rely on myself and no one else.
This time, it wasn’t just about me. If I went it alone, Jacy would suffer. I couldn’t let that happen.
“I can sense vampires,” I said, voicing the one secret I’d kept from everyone. “It’s like a skittering sensation on my skin, and the more of them around, the more intense the feeling. They can’t hide from me.”
Cole’s head jerked up, breaking his contemplations. “What? You can? We can smell them, but some have gotten smart over the years and learned to mask their foul odour. Even through buildings, you can sense them?”
I nodded, tracing my finger over the chapter heading for the monster who’d both saved and ruined my life, I continued, “Maxwell bonded me to him, gave me some abilities regarding vampires. A werewolf attacked me when I was young—”
Cole grabbed my arm and spun me. Too stunned to resist, I let him. His nose pressed against my back and he inhaled deep. Strange flutters swept through me, and my limbs turned languid with the need to obey. What was wrong with me?
“The scent. I couldn’t—but now. Yes. I know that scent.” He took another long breath and his fingers traced the scars through my shirt.
I shuddered and gripped the table as an intense wave of longing crashed over me.
“What are you doing to me?” I gritted out. “Stop it.”
Cole moved away, his fists clenched. “My old alpha attacked you. He caused those scars and linked you to this pack. Linked you to me.”
“And what, exactly, does that mean?”
“All pack members pledged to Isaac became mine when I defeated him and took over as alpha. Isaac Infected you. Under normal circumstances, you should’ve turned furry, but you didn’t. Why not?”
His hard features said it all. I was an anomaly and he didn’t like it. Yeah, well, I didn’t like it either. Both werewolves and vampires had a “claim” on me. Well fuck them both. Once I helped Jacy, I’d turn into a ghost. I’d had enough.
“My dad interfered. He took me to Maxwell and begged him to save my life. Maxwell gave me enough blood to keep me alive but not turn me.” I kept out the part about my father betraying Isaac. I only had the word of a captive vampire and I preferred not to reignite a possible feud between me and the werewolves. My life was difficult enough at the moment.
Cole’s face softened. “Yeah, that would do it. The infection didn’t spread because of Maxwell’s blood, but he’s a liar if that’s the story he’s telling. You can’t have ‘just enough.’ It’s an all-or-nothing kind of thing, just like us. Seems the two cancelled each other out.”
“If they cancelled each other out, then why can I sense vampires? And what’s up with the need to obey you when you touch the scar?” Ah shit, I hadn’t meant to confess the last bit, especially when amusement lit his eyes.
“Really?” Cole chuckled, taking a step towards me. “It makes you obedient? Is that how I can control your sassy mouth?”
“Don’t bother or I’ll kick your ass.” I dropped into a fighting stance, fully willing to back up my threat.
“I don’t want you obedient. I like you the way you are.” He stopped, hands up in peace, and laughed again. “Besides, it sounds less like they cancel each other out and more that they’re at constant war inside your body. Interesting. We can make use of your talents.”
Chapter Twenty-One
“I need to meet with Maxwell. He’s engineered all this to get to me,” I muttered, thinking through my next steps.
“Like hell you will.” Cole’s hard voice scattered my thoughts. “Then he’ll have both you and Jacy. If he has Jacy. We have no proof, just the word of a vampire.”
Gut instinct told me Maxwell had used the nest as a distraction, bribed or blackmailed one of the werewolves, forced the werewolf to kill Lena, and stolen Jacy. But Cole was right. We had no definitive proof.
“Not on my own, jackass. I’m not too keen on becoming his next prisoner. But we need to confirm he has Jacy and figure out what his next plans are. I’ll bet he wants to trade her for me.”
Cole slammed his fist against the desk. “I won’t allow it. He’s spent your whole life searching for you. Don’t make it easy for him.”
I stalked forwards and slammed my fist on his desk, mimicking him. I snarled, “I won’t hide while Jacy is held prisoner. My life isn’t worth anything if I turn tail.”
My heart pounded in my chest, not from fear, but fury. How dare he dictate my life. How dare he turn me into a coward.
Conflicting emotions warred on Cole’s face, though I couldn’t decipher them.
“I either lose you or Jacy or both of you. What kind of decision is that?”
“One that’s not yours to make. You’re not my alpha and you have no control over me. So either work with me or get the fuck out of my way, understand?” I pushed off from his desk, done arguing with him.
“I can make you.” His voice deepened and his jawbone lengthened. His inner beast glared at me through amber eyes. The alpha didn’t like a lesser challenging him, huh? Tough.
“Betray me like that and I’ll disappear the second I can.” I conveniently ignored the fact that was already my plan. “You need to decide, is Jacy’s life worth mine?”
Pain and denial shadowed his gaze. Just as I’d thought.
Her disappearance weighed on Cole, more than he’d realized. Though he’d spent years keeping me safe from Maxwell, he wanted to toss me at his mortal enemy to get Jacy back. I didn’t blame him. He had more personal history with her than with me, and contrary to his assertions, we weren’t mates.
Jacy was his mate. Question was, when would he admit it to himself?
“We don’t have any way of contacting him.” The amber drained from his eyes, turning them back to grey, weariness settling like an uncomfortable cloak around his shoulders. His fingers clenched the desk. Wishing he had his hands around Maxwell’s neck? I did.
I’d make him suffer for the pain he’s caused Jacy.
“Find a way,” I growled as visions of my friend hurt, bleeding, or worse bounced through my brain.
Halvar barrelled into Cole’s office, Eban close on his heels.
“You can’t go in there. I told you Cole’s busy,” Eban said, his hands fluttering in agitation. Afraid of Halvar or Cole? Both options seemed absurd to me.
The giant growled, the impressive sound rumbling in his chest, and Eban stepped backwards. The move seemed involuntary, since a moment later his back stiffened and he glared at Halvar. The werewolves had better not infect him anytime soon or he’d disrupt the pack hierarchies. The human was a natural alpha.
Halvar turned his attention to Cole and
held up a cell phone. “The vampire remained in touch with her sire. He’s already called three times.”
“Give it to me,” I demanded, stalking forward. Now I had a way to contact Maxwell and arrange a meeting with him once we formulated a way to extract me and Jacy. I held out my hand, flicking my fingers impatiently. “Well, come on. Don’t look at Cole for permission. He’s not my alpha and he has no say in what I do.”
With a sigh, Cole nodded, ticking me off further because Halvar complied with Cole’s agreement. Save me from pigheaded men.
I snatched the phone from Halvar’s hand and thumbed through the contact list, which was pitifully short. Several missed calls and texts showed up under Maxwell’s name, and being the nosy sort, I read the messages. They’d devolved quickly into terse anger when she hadn’t responded.
“We need a plan before I call him.” I glanced at both men. “He’ll want to trade Jacy for me. I prefer not to be his next prisoner.”
“We need proof of life.” Halvar’s cold tone rubbed my nerves raw. “A dead hostage means this discussion is moot.”
Cole snarled, his canines exposed. “She is not dead.”
“Halvar’s right, though. We can’t assume anything.” I hated myself for entertaining the possibility.
The phone rang, Maxwell’s number popping up on the screen. Cole motioned for me to answer it, though I doubted his rational side was in play at the moment. We hadn’t discussed a game plan yet. Another annoying jangle from the cell made him growl and reach over.
I smacked his hand, not wanting him to accidentally crush the delicate electronic in a fit of rage, and settled my hip against Cole’s desk.
“You can’t answer that,” Halvar said, holding his hand out for the phone.
“And you said we need proof of life. So let’s get it.” I placed the phone on speaker, since his human ears wouldn’t hear the conversation if I didn’t and he’d been kind enough to bring us the phone. He, however, appeared to regret that decision, judging by his glower.
“Larissa, where are you? Status update.” Maxwell’s voice created an odd flutter in my chest, one of recognition and . . . desire?
I cleared my dry throat and forced out the words, striving for a carefree tone. “Sorry, Max, Larissa isn’t here. She’s tied up at the moment. Heard you wanted to talk to me.”
“Ah, Pearle, it’s lovely to hear your voice.” His crispness dissolved into Old World charm with the hint of an English accent. “I’ve missed you terribly.”
“Yeah, I’ll bet.” I tried so hard to sound sarcastic, and instead a teenager’s yearning for approval bled through. Ramming a fist into my pants pocket, I tried again. “Where’s the werewolf?”
“Done with the chitchat, are we? Shame. Let’s meet face to face and I’ll send the werewolf home.” A caressing hint entered his voice, intimate and seductive, like I was the only woman in the world and he wanted nothing but to please me.
I shook off the unwanted sensations, angry at his blatant manipulations.
“Unharmed. We meet and you send her home, unharmed.” I had no trouble hardening my voice at the thought of Jacy in pain. I’d stake Maxwell myself if he’d hurt her in any way.
“Of course, my dear. I don’t want to upset you. Tonight. Nine thirty at the old sewage junction off Parks Street. You know the place?”
The sewage tunnels had been decommissioned when the water treatment plant was built in the seventies. Before then, the tunnels had dumped raw sewage into the Bay of Quinte.
He’d have ten minutes to reach the meeting place once the sun went down. I doubted he would be at the junction before the appointed time, since he’d be vulnerable with no place to run.
“Your human slaves transporting you through daylight, or are you close by?” I glanced at my watch. Two hours until nine thirty. Several smaller towns surrounded Belleville, any one of them a perfect place to hole up. How pissed would the werewolves be if the leader of their enemies had made his home base so close to theirs?
“Now, now, I can’t have you looking for me while I’m housebound.” Amusement trickled through his voice. “But don’t worry about me, I have company to keep me entertained.”
A muffled cry made Cole lean forward, hands splayed on the desk, and a low noise rumbled in his throat. I made a hushing motion.
“What was that?” I asked. “If you harm her—”
“I would never be so crass,” Maxwell interrupted. “Sometimes pleasure is mistaken for pain. Isn’t that right, little werewolf?”
Jacy cried out again and my heart stuttered. That wasn’t pain in her voice, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t being hurt. Cole shoved himself away from the phone, his expression thunderous, and for a moment I feared he’d break something. Then again, I understood his desire, since I wanted to snap Maxwell’s neck. Whimpers floated from the phone, along with mocking shushing noises.
“Maxwell,” I shouted, “leave her alone! I said I’d come willingly.”
A long sigh vibrated from the phone. “Fine, if I must. Although I can see why Cole has kept her around for so long. She’s useless as a werewolf, but she makes a great play toy. Her fear is delicious and I adore her quivering. Don’t worry, Cole, I won’t break her.”
“I’ll tear the flesh from your bones if she has so much as a broken fingernail,” Cole raged, his humanity hanging by a thread, judging by his amber eyes and elongated canines. Claws ripped into the wooden desktop beneath his fingers.
“Perhaps. Perhaps not. Oh, and tell Halvar I want Larissa released or I’ll have his hovel ripped down around his ears.” He hung up without saying goodbye.
I tossed the phone to Halvar, who caught it with ease. “Sounds like he knows where you’re hiding the vampire. Your headquarters is compromised.”
Halvar crumpled the cell with his hands, and a question about skull crushing hovered on the tip of my tongue.
“We suspected.” Halvar shrugged, his expression unconcerned, but the mangled electronics said otherwise. “That isn’t our only base. We’ll release the vampire an hour after you meet with Maxwell. Cole, you supplying backup?”
Cole nodded sharply, his inhuman features retreating, though his claw tips were still dug into his desk and his cheekbones stood in stark relief. Once we had Jacy back, would he keep lying to himself about his feelings for her?
“So it’s settled. I trade myself for Jacy. If he double-crosses me, the werewolves are there to get her out safely.” Once she was back with her pack, I’d be free to do what I did best—slaughter a vampire.
While ticked off about my decision, Cole didn’t argue. Hearing Jacy’s cries had settled the matter in his mind. He’d do anything, even toss me at his enemy, to get her back.
“We’ll be there as backup as well. Don’t bother arguing.” Halvar folded his arms across his huge chest, attempting to intimidate me and Cole. It didn’t work. And Cole barely glanced in Halvar’s direction, his mind preoccupied.
“Fine by me.” I wasn’t stupid. The more people I had on my side, the higher the odds I’d emerge with my freedom. Cole would be preoccupied with Jacy, and the other werewolves didn’t care one way or the other about me. I’d be on my own, which increased my chances of either death or enslavement, and both sounded equally horrible. I’d rather owe a favour or two—if I survived the night.
Chapter Twenty-Two
A creepy-ass tunnel with spiders and rats and other crawling things. Why wouldn’t a spooky vampire want to meet here? The atmosphere was perfect.
Tossing my short hair and impressing no one, I steeled my spine and marched into the wide mouth. I wasn’t sure if sewage or water had recently travelled through the large pipe. My preference leaned towards water, so I avoided studying the ground too closely to maintain my fantasy.
If I stretched my arms out, my fingers would skim the sides of the slimy, gross metal encircling me. I kept my hands at my side and a stake wrapped in my fist. Sure, my mission was peaceful—until Maxwell proved treacherous. And then I wa
s staking the evil bastard.
Light from a distant street lamp dwindled behind me, and my eyes adjusted to the darkness. The weight of my knapsack on my back comforted me as I journeyed deeper into hell. I had several days’ worth of rations, matches, my knife, a change of clothes, and three stakes. I could physically survive being lost. Mentally was a whole different matter.
A light skittering on my flesh alerted me to my potential host, unless he’d decided to offer me up as a snack to one of his minions. I shook my head. Nah, he didn’t seem like the sharing type. The vampires he’d sent after me were careful not to hurt me; either they were too afraid of their sire or firmly under his control.
I kept my footsteps soundless, and the utter silence pressed against my eardrums. My nerves were stretched tight as my gaze darted around me, even though my early warning system would alert me well before I’d hear a betraying sound from a vampire. A shame the ability didn’t extend to werewolves. I only had Maxwell’s word that Jacy would be here.
Deeper into the tunnel, farther from my backup, I came to a crossroads.
Left or right.
I moved left and the skittering died out completely.
“Heading right, then,” I murmured, not because I wanted to break the silence, but so my eavesdropping team would know which way I went. While I trusted the werewolves to follow my scent trail, the vampire hunters didn’t have the same olfactory abilities. Somehow I doubted the wolves would run slowly for the humans to keep up.
Were electronic bugs foreign technology to Maxwell? Would he pat me down? The thought of him touching me jacked up my fear. If he was close enough to touch, he was close enough to sink his fangs into me.
The skittering increased, almost like dozens of vampires waited for me, yet the sensation was different than what I’d felt at the last nest. Then, individual insects had scuttled across my skin. Here, it was like one giant insect with hundreds of legs danced across my entire body in a frenzy.
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