I retrieved yet another bowl from a cabinet and poured some heavy cream and a few drops of vanilla extract into it. I snatched a clean whisk from a nearby drawer and began beating the cream at a swift, vamp pace. At the one-minute mark I had beautiful stiff peaks of whipped cream. I tossed the whisk into the sink and placed the bowl in the fridge.
The guys still hadn’t spoken. They were still watching me with a keen fascination.
I pulled out the blender, prepared to try to make a vamp-friendly Frappuccino. I pooled three-quarters cup of coffee, one-quarter cup of milk and one cup of blood into the blender. I tossed in a hearty handful of chocolate chips and pressed the ‘Puree’ button on the equipment. Satisfied with the way the ingredients were merged together, I grabbed the Starbucks coffee ice cream from the freezer and threw two large scoops of it into the blender, followed by two cups of ice. I pressed the ‘On’ switch on the blender and watched as all the ingredients came together into a frosty treat.
I gathered three glasses and three plates from a cupboard, along with three spoons and three straws. I turned the blender off and separated the glass pitcher from the base of the blender. I set the pitcher in the freezer to keep the ingredients cool. I spent the next few minutes transferring the whipped cream into a pastry bag. I checked the blood sauce on the stove; happy with the way it’d reduced and thickened, I removed it from the heat.
I was just about to pull the brownies out of the oven when there was a knock on the door.
Kellan’s nostrils flared, and he visibly stiffened. Drexel went to the door. I knew just by Kellan’s reaction, though, that it was Kai.
“Let him in, Drexel,” I called.
Kai and Drexel both returned to the kitchen. “Whatever that is, it smells amazing,” Kai said. He stepped away to drop a large plastic container on the floor.
“Thanks. You want some?”
“Definitely.” He smiled, moving in to stand beside Drexel at the island.
The men watched me closely as I assembled everything. I placed a large piece of hot brownie on each plate. I poured the blood chocolate icing on top of each brownie, allowing it to run over onto the plate. I piped a decorative swirl of whipped cream and then drizzled the blood sauce on top, finishing off my masterpiece.
I retrieved the vamp frap mix from the freezer. Grabbing an extra glass, I divided it into four cups. I added whipped cream on top, followed by a drizzle of blood. I slid a straw into each glass and put a spoon on each plate. One by one I placed the treats in front of the men. They each gave me an appreciative look before diving in.
Moans echoed through the room. I’d heard the saying, “The best way to a man’s heart is through his stomach,” but I didn’t understand it until now. Kellan and Kai weren’t fighting; they also weren’t grunting at each other or scowling. They were caught up in the glory of food. Perhaps good food did have its place in preventing wars.
I allowed myself the simple pleasure of absorbing their reactions to my food. It was the greatest joy watching their eyelids fall to half-mast as they closed their mouths over a spoonful of ooey-gooey goodness; their lips puckered and cheeks caved in as they sucked up the vampuccino. Ooh, I like that name. Within minutes their plates were clean and their cups empty.
“That was so good, babe.” Kellan licked his lips.
Drexel nodded in agreement. “You made my mother’s brownies taste like dirt.”
“I’m glad I came when I did. You’re going to make a killing in this baking business.” Kai sucked his spoon into his mouth, trying to get every ounce of flavor off it.
“Thanks, guys.”
I began to pile their plates and cups together. Kellan seized my hand between both of his. “Don’t worry about the dishes. I’ve got them. You just drink your drink. I think you’ll be surprised how close you came to the real thing.” He immediately took over for me.
“I’m going to get started on the security stuff,” Kai announced, pointing towards the container.
“I’ll help him,” Drexel offered.
“Thanks.”
Kellan had the counters cleared and wiped down within a minute and focused on washing the dishes. “Drink,” he ordered.
I smiled, bringing the straw to my lips. The moment the flavors hit my tongue, I moaned. This was what I’d been missing from my human days: the perfect cold coffee drink. The tiny bits of chocolate were so small they instantly melted upon contact with the heat of my tongue, blending into the taste of everything wonderfully. I alternated slurping the drink down with zest, sipping slowly, trying to savor all of it, and dipping my straw in the whipped cream and blood, then sucking it into my mouth.
Within two minutes I handed Kellan my empty glass. “I will definitely be making that again.”
He winked at me, his smirk revealing his dimple. My heart warmed at the sight of him. His hands were covered in soap suds as he washed the dishes at a gentle human pace. The domesticated side of him riveted me. I could stand here all day watching him. It was a moment of fascination, like watching a tough biker clad in leather cuddle a little puppy.
“You like what you see?” He wagged his brows.
“Always.” My reply was breathless.
***
It took Kai and Drexel a couple of hours to run all the necessary wires and set up the security system. The end result was nothing short of jaw-dropping.
“I feel like I’m in a maximum-security prison.” I eyed all the features nervously.
“Only you have HBO and a shower to yourself.” Kellan smirked.
I rolled my eyes, focusing on Kai as he walked us through everything. He handed us several remote controls that were linked to cameras throughout the condo, inside and out. There was now a flat-screen TV mounted on the wall between the dining room and the living room showing all of the camera feeds. He’d installed a fingerprint entry system on the front door. Only people whose fingerprints were in the master record would gain entry. He’d taken a new scan of our fingers with a handheld scanner.
“I’ll scan Sanders on the way out, but I’m giving him emergency access only, which means if the alarm is tripped, then he’ll be able to get in.”
“What if someone’s outside, like earlier where someone was by the balcony, but not inside yet to trip anything?”
Kai pursed his lips. “Do you trust the guy enough to give him total clearance into your private space?”
I instinctively looked to Drexel. “Is he trustworthy?” I knew this would push him to admit something to himself as well as answer my question.
He swallowed hard, a glint in his eyes. “Yes.”
“Add him. If I’m uncomfortable with it later, then we can remove him.”
Kai didn’t look happy, but nodded his agreement nonetheless. “There’s an emergency lock feature on the bedroom doors. If someone breaks in, you can call security and wait for their arrival in one of the rooms. I’ve sprayed the doors and windows with a clear material that should make them bulletproof and laser-proof.”
“If someone breaks in and I hide in the bedroom, won’t they be able to see me on the camera feed?”
“In any bedroom but the master, yes. With the remotes, you can disable the cameras with the click of a button. So if someone’s staying in the guest room and you don’t want to intrude on their privacy, you just click the power button on the remote attached to it.”
“There are so many remotes.” I frowned.
“I’ve installed an app on both yours and Kellan’s laptops that will allow you to have total control of the cams as well as a live video feed of them from anywhere without the remotes.”
“That sounds more my speed.” I set the remotes he’d handed me on the kitchen counter.
“Thanks for doing this.” Kellan stuck his hand out towards Kai.
Kai reluctantly shook Kellan’s hand. “I didn’t do it for you.”
“I know. I still appreciate it, though.”
Kai didn’t reply. His gaze settled on me. “I’ll check on you later. Call me if y
ou need anything.”
“I will, thanks.” I moved towards him, wrapping my arms around him. I pressed my face into his chest, inhaling him. I savored his scent since he was the only vampire I could smell. “I really appreciate it.”
He hugged me back tightly, not caring that my fiancé and bodyguard were watching. I drew back and he cupped my face. “I’ll always be here if you need me.” He kissed my forehead and backed away. He picked up the nearly empty container that he’d brought with him.
“Oh, wait. How much do I owe you?”
He looked at the guys, then at me. “Your safety doesn’t have a price tag, Leka.” And with that he walked out.
Guilt rode me. He was such a good guy. It killed me that I couldn’t be with him. I knew if I was, I’d be longing for Kellan the whole time. I’d be lying if I said there weren’t times when I thought of Kai while I was with Kellan. I didn’t love them the same, but I still loved them both, which never ceased to wrack my heart.
Chapter 27
It’d been a few days since Kai had installed the security in the new condo. Our furniture was set for delivery tomorrow, and yet today Kellan had insisted I come with him to an unknown location. I knew it was serious when Auggy called Drexel and told him to stay behind.
“Where are we going?” I asked, staring out at the break of dawn. He didn’t reply. Trepidation chilled my bones.
Trees whirled past as Kellan sped down the interstate.
“There’s something I need to tell you.” There was uneasiness in his tone.
My gut tightened at his words. “What is it?” My voice was barely above a whisper.
“I’ve been hiding something from you.” He glanced at me before facing the road again. “I’ve been sneaking around at night.”
My heart nearly stopped beating as serum drowned my mouth. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t speak. I openly stared at him, wondering what I’d done wrong.
“I’ve been wanting to tell you for a while, but wanted to wait until we had something concrete.”
“We?” Air escaped my lungs in a heave. “I… I don’t believe it.” My chest caved in as the world closed in on me. How did I not see it when we connected?
“Listen, Lexi.” He narrowed his eyes. “I’m not him. I’m not some image of sparkling perfection. I have an ego that needs regular petting. I have an appetite that will always require a human to satiate it. I have wants that don’t revolve around you. I’m sorry, but I refuse to be a puppet.”
“Wait!” I threw my arms out. “You’re not cheating on me, are you?” I stated more than asked.
“Of course not.” His features pinched as if he was annoyed.
“You know, if you’d open your mind more often, we wouldn’t be facing this issue.”
“Why would you think I was cheating in the first place?”
“Kellan, replay your side of this conversation verbatim and then ask me that question again.” He seemed to calm a bit, as did I. My serum level lowered as my heart resumed its regular, irregular melody. “And, by the way, I would never compare you to a fictional character.”
“That’s good to know.” His lips lifted slightly.
“So who have you been sneaking around with?”
“Auggy and Kalel.”
I rolled my eyes. “Why the dramatic buildup? I already knew that, remember?” He focused on the road ahead, not turning towards me. “There’s more to it. It’s not who you’ve been with, it’s what you’ve been doing with them, isn’t it?” He continued to stare out at the pavement. “O.M.G. Tell me you haven’t been trailing my grandfather.”
He didn’t flinch, didn’t move. He gave nothing away.
“Kellan?”
He pursed his lips rebelliously.
“Kellan!”
“Yes, okay. We’ve been scouting out the house he owns just outside Ridgeville.”
I ran my fingers across my forehead. “What did you find?”
“He’s planning something. We think it’s another attempt to grab you. The number of vampeens in and out of his compound has steadily increased every day this week,” he stated.
“How has this been working? Do you all go together and watch?” I eyed him sideways, twisting in my seat. At his silence, fear pummeled me. “Don’t tell me you go alone.”
“We do what we have to do, Lex. We take turns individually and together. We compare notes. We’ve invested a lot of time into this strategy.”
“What exactly is your strategy?”
He turned off onto an exit ramp. He glanced at me then, focused on the road again. “We’re sending you in to surrender, and then following behind you once they confirm you’re alone and let down their guard.”
“You’re going to throw me to the big bad wolf?” My chest constricted, air caught in my lungs. I swallowed my serum, which was quickly on the rise again. I was hurt and confused. Wasn’t he the one preaching about protecting me?
“If there was any other way, then we would do it.”
“What about brute force?” I countered.
“Too much security. We’d never be able to get through.”
A dark, ominous cloud seemed to cover me. I tried to steady my pulse, to stabilize my racing mind. “How do you expect to get past security once I’m inside?”
“You’ll be wearing camera earrings similar to the ones you wore in Spain. We’ll be able to see everything they do and crack through. What we can’t get through, we’ll force our way through.”
“You’re aware of what you’re asking me to do, right?”
He whimpered. The distressed noise revealed just how hard this was for him. “I don’t like it. In fact, I hate it. But there is no other vantage point; there’s no other way to take care of this problem.” He grabbed my hand, pulling it to his chest. “I swear on my life that you will walk out of there alive.”
I noticed he didn’t promise that I would walk out of there unharmed, only alive. For a male who preached about protecting what was his, I didn’t feel protected in that moment. This was a time where I was being forced to trust him.
“Is that what we’re doing today? You’re sending me in with only a moment’s notice?”
He came to a stop at a red light. His brows furrowed deep. “Of course not. I would never do that to you.” Abruptly, it looked like he was trying to hold back tears. “I wanted you to come so you could see what you would be walking into. If you don’t like it, if it scares you, then we’ll pull the plug. That’s what this is about.”
The light changed to green and he sped off again. A couple miles down the road, he turned off onto a nondescript street. The gravel gave way to a dirt road crowded by trees. Eventually we pulled up to an abandoned home; two vehicles were already parked there, though I didn’t recognize them.
He squeezed my hand and then released it. “Let’s go.”
I slid out of the car with a little trepidation. Kellan secured my hand and led me up to the front door, which seemed to be about the only thing intact still. He opened the door and walked right into the space.
Dingy walls with moldy wallpaper met us in the foyer. The wood floors of the home were scuffed and warped in several areas, stripped of their former glory. Kellan had obviously been here before because he led me upstairs and to the right, directly into the master bedroom. Auggy, Kalel, and another officer had maps laid out over an old stained mattress, the only item in the room. Their combat boots looked warm next to the mildewed carpet. A black and green layer of mush sat in every corner and along the baseboards. Had I been human, I would have keeled over by now probably. No wonder it was abandoned.
Gazing around the space, I felt bad for the house. I could tell it had beautiful bones. Sadly, the land was worth more than the property itself in this state, and with the hazardous germs everywhere, no one would set foot in here without a HAZMAT suit.
“Where’s the closest army base to here?” I asked.
The men all looked up at me, having cut their discussion short.
“We have a satellite office outside Columbia,” Auggy stated. His eyes quickly returned to the maps.
“And the Bladangs?”
“The lake house or downtown Charleston,” Kalel snapped.
“I think one of you should buy this property and convert it into an army bunk slash satellite office.”
All of them gave me an open stare, brows lifted at me this time.
“Any target they may have is likely to stay in the bigger cities where there’s plenty of food.” Auggy crossed his arms over his chest, sighing as if I was bothering him with trivial things he didn’t want to waste time on.
“Which is precisely why they would never be found in the country.”
“We’ll discuss it later,” Kalel said. “We have more important things to focus on. Come here.”
I approached the bed. Kellan was right behind me. To me, the many maps looked like a cluster of lines and dots.
Auggy pulled one to the top of the pile. “This is Cesar’s local compound. We found out he’s been hiding out here about a week ago. We’ll be running on foot approximately 21.2 miles northwest to the target location. That’s what’s circled in red in the middle of the map. The smaller blue circle down here is us.” He pointed out the circles. I tried not to smirk. It wasn’t like I was blind.
“Here’s the important piece, babe.” Kellan dragged the map closer to me. “All of these dots are vampeens. We marked them where we first saw them on the map. The chart at the top shows the marker to day guide with a daily tally to the side; that’s what these numbers are here. There’s a different color for every day we scouted.”
I swallowed hard. I knew my eyes had widened. “How many are there?”
“We haven’t been out there this morning, but as of last night, two hundred and thirty-two.” Kalel extracted the map, gathering the others with it into a pile.
“In one house this size?” I couldn’t withhold my dismay.
“Your grandfather has years and numbers,” the unfamiliar officer said.
“This is Chek. He’s Auggy’s top guy for infiltration,” Kellan said.
The male was short, even next to Auggy, with a Middle Eastern heritage. Jet-black hair hung over the tops of his ears and over the collar of his black Lacoste polo shirt. Dark copper skin made the Hawaiian-born Kalel look pale. Chek wasn’t highly muscled, but I could see a hint of definition in the lower parts of his arms. His chocolate eyes were keen, aware of everything.
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