"She's not my mate," Riggs said.
"He’s acting as my bodyguard," I explained. "And he thinks he's going to extort some wild amount of money out of me when this is all over for his services."
"Ah," Faraday said, nodding. "Werewolves have an unfortunate love for siphoning money and favors out of those in need, don’t they?”
“Better than blood,” Riggs growled.
Faraday smiled, unbothered by Riggs’ attitude. It seemed like the vampires almost expected him to be this way, because his grumpiness hardly faze them. Or maybe that’s just how vampires were—hard to irritate.
Faraday dug out the keys to a door and unlocked it. “You’ll have to excuse the lack of space. Your fellows have taken the other two rooms and Mr. Felix assured me you would be happy to share this room with your friend here.”
“Uh,” I started. “I don’t know if that’s the best idea. Could-”
“We’ll handle it amongst ourselves. You can leave us.”
Faraday swung the door open and gestured for us to enter. “Oh. Before I leave you two. There are just a few ground rules here at Blackridge. Nobody is allowed access to the second floor. Those are the private chambers of Victor and his inner council. You must also avoid the student dormitories on the third floor. Otherwise, feel free to explore the grounds as you like. And Mr. Riggs, I must warn that we will not tolerate violence under any circumstance.”
“If one of your vamps touches Sylvie, I won’t care what you tolerate.”
“I assure you,” Faraday said. “Our students, staff, and friends will have no reason to act against you.”
Faraday closed the door, and Riggs ripped off his jacket, tossing it on the bed.
I spread my arms, spinning a slow circle to take in the room. It looked like the sort of place an eighteenth-century writer would give her left kidney to come to and compose a masterpiece. There was beautiful wood everywhere from the moldings around the ceiling to the endless bookshelves and the huge bed in the center of it all. It was like a house all on its own, and I suddenly felt less worried about sharing it with Riggs.
“Isn’t this gorgeous?” I asked.
“Sure,” Riggs said. He sank into a claw-footed chair, curling his lip as he took it all in. “When you use your powers to oppress, manipulate, and kill humans for endless generations, you can afford some nice decorations.”
I crossed my arms. “Would you give them a chance? I realize I know basically nothing, here. But if these rebels are opposing the Coven, doesn’t that at least give you something in common?”
“These fuckers took my sister. A vamp is a vamp, and I don’t particularly care what their political affiliation is.”
“Yeah,” I said, suddenly feeling my bright excitement dim. “And my sister is one of them too. Just when I start thinking you might not be so bad you talk about them like they’re animals again. It’s ugly. You know that, right?” I was breathing hard and hadn’t realized how much I was already bottling up my thoughts on his vampire hatred after less than a week.
“You’ve known vampires exist for six days. Give it some time, then try to tell me I should go easier on them. Deal?”
“Yeah, deal. Asshole,” I murmured under my breath. “I’m going to take a shower.”
Riggs waved his hand dismissively. He was slumped in the chair with his legs spread and his chin resting on his fist.
Good, I thought. The man seriously needed a brooding session. I just hoped he’d use some of that dark energy to think about what an insufferable ass he was being.
24
Riggs
I waited for Sylvie to sleep and for morning to come before I quietly left our room. One advantage of being in vamp hell was that their world shut down at the crack of dawn. Some of the most powerful vamps could move around during the day, but it was rare enough that I could afford to trust a locked door to keep Sylvie safe for an hour or two.
Felix met me in the smoking room, which was a tapestry-lined room full of armchairs, thick rugs, and forest green walls.
He was sitting in one of the chairs looking exhausted. Felix was a big bastard, and he was as reliable as my old truck. If you told him to get something done, he’d do it. It might not happen as fast as you’d like or with as much finesse, but he’d make it happen.
Sure enough, he’d found a way to keep Maisey safe, but I still wasn’t sure I liked where it led us.
“This is a shit fest,” I grumbled. I was wandering around the room, restlessly yanking on things and prodding decorations. Being in their world felt deeply wrong, and I couldn’t manage to just sit and relax yet. My body was on full alert, and I could practically feel my wolf prowling inside me, just as alert.
“It could be worse. All things considered, this might just be the safest place for those girls when the cleaners are after them.”
“Worse than staying in a mansion full of vamps? How, exactly?”
“I’ve worked with these vampires a few times now while you’ve been wallowing, Riggs. Before, I only ever saw them as the enemy. But get to know them, and they’re people. Just people.”
I made a dismissive sound. “You’re welcome to kiss their asses. Doesn’t mean I will. All I care about is keeping Sylvie safe. Her sister too,” I added, but I doubted I was fooling anyone with my true motivations by now.
“Maisey is doing well,” Felix said. “She is strong, like Vladimir said. She only drinks exactly as much as they tell her to. She doesn’t give in to the urges. They say most vampires in her state would’ve gone feral already. And more still wouldn’t be able to control their thirst enough to ease back to sanity.”
I grunted. “What do you know about this Prince?”
Felix shrugged. “There’s not much to know. He’s young, but somehow they say he’s almost as powerful as the elder vampires. He made a few moves against the Coven and quickly gathered a following. They treat him like royalty and his parents back him.”
“What does he want?”
“You know what he wants. The rebels are just trying to co-exist. No more Coven bullshit about dominance or in-fighting over whether vampires should hide from humans.”
I shook my head. “I don’t buy that.”
“You don’t have to. You just need to avoid causing trouble here till the cleaners have to recognize Maisey as a sanctioned vampire. She’ll be a rebel to them, but it’ll mean they lose the special permissions the Coven gives cleaners to hunt her.”
“Don’t you think it’s strange that Lazarus just let us come here?”
“He didn’t. He sent that car you rammed off the road.”
“Right. He sent a few low-level grunts. The cleaners are the meanest fuckers the vamps have to offer. Have you ever heard of anyone getting away from them? Ever?”
Felix clenched his jaw, then shook his head.
“Yeah. So why wouldn’t they do anything they could to stop us from getting here? Why would Lazarus not bring high hell down on us? He knew we were going to have to move.”
“Like you said, maybe. He was occupied.”
“It’s too easy. I don’t buy it. I think he wants us here. I just don’t know why.”
Felix got up and clapped his big hand on my shoulder. “Maybe try sleeping more than an hour at a time, Riggs. You’re getting paranoid, and you look like shit.”
“Yeah,” I grumbled. “At least I only look like shit when I’m neglecting sleep.”
Felix grinned. “By the way, be careful with Sylvie.”
I paused. I’d been about to leave and head for the room, but I looked over my shoulder at him. “What does that mean?”
“It means she’s a good person. So be careful with her.”
“The only goal I have is to keep her alive. What else would I be?”
“I mean there’s more than keeping somebody from getting killed. I’ve seen the way she looks at you. Don’t save her life and toss her out into the world with a broken heart.”
“You’ve got to be kidding,” I said.<
br />
Felix just raised an eyebrow. “You’re a shitty actor, Riggs. Stick to punching things.”
I left him there, feeling irritated for too many reasons to count.
I felt like I’d just led us all into a trap, but I had no idea how to confirm that. My sister I swore to never speak to again was somewhere in this very building. And a human girl I had no business caring about felt like the only thing keeping me going.
God, I’d really made a mess of things.
25
Sylvie
I sniffed deeply, smiling to myself. The scent on the air was laced with flowers, fresh air, and maybe just a little touch of hope.
It was early afternoon and the sun was warming the back of my neck and shoulders. I’d been given a fresh set of clothes by Faraday—a simple gray skirt and white button-down shirt. I probably looked like one of the students, but I didn’t mind.
“It’s so quiet here,” I said.
Riggs had been trailing behind me like a grouchy shadow. “When the sun burns you to flakes of carbon, it has a way of making for quiet days.”
He had to make everything so morbid. “Well, it’s nice to be able to get outside and not have to worry so much about getting sick.”
“You’re sure you feel okay after the trip to get here? We were around a lot of people.”
I spread my hands, smiling and doing a little twirl. “Healthy as a nut.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Right.”
“I want to go see their library after this. Is that okay?”
Riggs shrugged. “We’re stuck here for the foreseeable future. Might as well enjoy yourself.”
“Do you think maybe vampires and werewolves don’t have the same kinds of germs as humans?” I asked. I bent down to sniff a vibrant purple flower and smiled. It smelled like fresh laundry.
“How am I supposed to know.”
I gave him a look. “You’re stuck with me for the foreseeable future,” I said, mimicking his deep voice. “You might as well get used to making conversation with me.”
That earned a rare, small smile from Riggs.
“It’s possible, I suppose,” he said. “Vampire and werewolves don’t get sick. Our bodies may fight off any germs before they have a chance to spread. It could be that you’re safe around us.”
I beamed. “Wouldn’t that be incredible? Maybe the answer is that I just need to live with vampires from now on.”
“Or werewolves,” Riggs suggested.
I looked at him, quirking an eyebrow. “Would you like that, Mr. Riggs? For me to come live with you and your hairy friends?”
“Once this is through, I don’t particularly care what you do.”
I turned so he wouldn’t see my frown. “Well,” I said. “So far I’ve seen that werewolves hang out in smelly bars with weird, feral half-conscious dancing fiends. Vampires live in cozy mansions with beautiful gardens. I think my vote is leaning their way.”
“Werewolves and vampires live in all sorts of places. My home when I was alpha of the Silverbacks was beautiful. You would’ve liked it.”
“Was it a bar?” I asked.
He chuckled. “No. We had a small town to ourselves in the countryside. It was surrounded by forests. Not a human for miles. We’d free roam the woods most nights and hardly anyone ever bothered us.”
“So, what, you guys lived like some idyllic TV show life by day and ran around in the forest by night? Eating questionable berries,” I added.
Riggs’ eyes twinkled with amusement. “Not exactly.”
“Well, it sounds like I wouldn’t be welcome in your world, anyway. No humans for miles, huh?”
I nodded. “If a powerful werewolf wanted you there, you could come. But it’s true that my kind don’t usually associate with humans. At least we don’t use them for food.” He said the last with a dark look toward the looming shape of Blackridge behind us.
“It sounds like they just take a few sips, though. It’s not like they’re killing people.”
“Not that they’ll tell you about, no,” I said.
I was quickly learning it was best not to let Riggs dwell on the topic of vampires. There was some deep-seated hatred there, and I had no idea how I’d even begin breaking him out of it—if that was even possible. “Library time!” I said cheerily.
The library was gorgeous. Two stories, dark wood, ladders on wheels, and the thick smell of dusty old pages. I did a slow spin when we came into the room, smiling. “I love this place.”
“Great,” Riggs said sourly.
I rushed over to the nearest shelf and started running my fingertips along the spines of books. “Do you think these are normal books? Or are they like… you know, vampire authors?” I asked, wiggling my eyebrows.
“Probably a little bit of both.”
I picked a book at random. “Tales of Jovan,” I read. “I’ll take this…” I walked over at random and climbed a few rungs up a ladder.
“Careful,” Riggs warned. He was at my side immediately, ready to catch me if I fell.
Just to mess with him, I pretended to lose my footing.
He swore and stuck his muscular arms up toward me. I was browsing the books for a few seconds when I remembered I was wearing a skirt. I hardly ever wore skirts, and I was hardly ever around men. But the cool air between my legs made me suddenly realize I was probably giving him a complete view of all things my ass.
I clamped my thighs together and pushed the back of my skirt against my thighs. I shot him a look, but he just met my eyes, giving no sign on whether he’d noticed.
I swallowed, then tried to casually come down a little until I wasn’t flashing him and could take my time picking out a few more books. Just past the embarrassment of thinking he’d seen up my skirt, there was a dangerous little flicker of excitement in my stomach. I wondered if he had seen. And I wondered if he’d liked what he saw.
Stupid, I thought.
When I was done, I had so many books that Riggs had to help me carry them.
We were on our way out when we practically bumped into Victor.
He was wearing a glossy black suit with faded gray swirling patterns sewn into the fabric. It was beautiful and oddly hypnotic. He took us in passively, then smiled. “I’m happy to see you’re enjoying the library,” Victor said. “Unfortunately, Blackridge rules are that no books leave the library.”
Riggs moved so his huge frame was between Victor and I. “Daywalker, eh?”
Victor nodded. “I try not to make it a habit.”
“But you’ll make an exception to keep an eye on your guests,” Riggs noted. “Is that right?”
The Prince calmly lifted the stack of books from my hands and walked past us to replace them on the shelves. “I spoke with your sister yesterday,” Victor said offhandedly while he worked. “She’d like to see you. I thought maybe we could arrange for a sit down tomorrow.”
“No,” Riggs said. His voice came grinding out of him like two stones being smashed together.
“I insist,” Victor said.
Riggs walked past me toward Victor. I made a fleeting effort to hold him back because his intent was clear. I got two hands on his arm, but he jerked free with ease, striding forward.
Victor turned just in time for Riggs to grip both lapels of his jacket and lift him off his feet, slamming him against one of the large bookshelves. A few books toppled free from the impact.
“I don’t give a shit what they call you,” Riggs said through clenched teeth. “I’m not one of your vampire groupies. You don’t insist with me.”
I barely felt like I could breathe. My neck felt like it was wrapped in tight fabric, constricting my airways. I tried not to think about what Riggs was doing. Assaulting the leader of the entire rebel resistance of vampires. Doing it in their mansion. Doing it while we were surrounded by them and hemmed in by the Coven vampires who also wanted us dead.
“Riggs,” I whispered. “Please.”
Victor was watching Riggs impassively. It didn�
��t make sense. You would’ve had to be blind not to see that Riggs was a twitch away from ripping Victor’s throat out, but the vampire didn’t look bothered. He just looked… interested.
Riggs was wound tighter than a rope. It looked like he hadn’t heard me.
“Riggs,” I said again. “I’m scared. Please, let’s just go back to our room.”
It took several agonizing seconds, but he finally relaxed and lowered The Prince to the ground, but not without giving one last antagonizing shove that bumped the vampire against the shelves. He turned his back on Victor. “I am not sitting down with Kyla.” He motioned for me to follow him, and we both left the library together.
We didn’t speak until we were in our room. “Are you crazy?” I demanded once the door was closed. “I thought your job was to protect us? Because it looked like you were just trying your best to commit group suicide in there.”
Riggs was pacing around like a restless beast. He was breathing hard, studying the ground while he walked back and forth in a slow oval by the door.
“Riggs?” I said. I took careful steps toward him, half-way worried he’d lash out at my touch. I slowly reached out, touching his arm with my fingertips. He froze. I gently turned him to face me. “I can’t imagine how hard it must be for you. To be here with them. With her,” I added. “But you’re not alone, okay? We’re all here in this together, and we’ve got to keep it together. For everyone’s sake.”
He dipped his chin, staring into my eyes. I saw his were glinting with yellow flecks that seemed to fall magically down across his iris, dancing like golden leaves being blown from a tree.
I was mesmerized by the sight of them and leaned closer, but he must’ve taken my body language and words to mean something entirely different. Riggs let out a soft sound, then cupped the back of my neck and pulled me in, kissing me roughly.
My eyes flew open and I struggled against him at first, but the sensation of his lips against mine was intoxicating. My forehead scrunched together, and my eyes closed. His big arms were around me, crushing me against his body and swallowing me.
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