Heat spiraled through my stomach, which was ridiculous considering we hadn’t done anything.But his words could be so easily misinterpreted, and Ifeltthe scrutiny in the room.“You were carrying an unconscious vampire over your shoulder.”A heartbeat later, I realized that might not have been the smartest thing to say.I looked at Jared.“Deagan’s fine and resting.”
Jared’s expression didn’t change.“We will not discuss this here.Come.”
“Will your vampires be a problem?”Christian asked.The question was just a formality.He intended to leave.
Jared paused.He and Christian had an odd acquaintance.I wasn’t sure exactly when they’d met, but Christian had been the one to show Jared The Rain’s secret corridors.In exchange, Jared promised to kill Melissa’s master.That hadn’t happened yet, and Christian’s patience was beginning to turn into frustration.Despite that, the two men seemed to respect one another.Jared could clear Christian’s path to the surface with a single mental command.
That’s not the command Jared gave though.
“You will remain.”The walls of the chamber seemed to amplify Jared’s declaration, like the compound itself bolstered his words with power and intensity.The vampires who hadn’t fled or been killed had acknowledged Jared as their master.I think the stronghold had just done the same.
Chapter Eleven
Jaredledthewayto wherever his “residence” was located.Nora walked beside him, exuding grace and confidence.Her silk robe hugged her slender body and softly reflected the light from the battery-powered lanterns and intermittent torches we passed.She was regal even in the vampires’ den, and she was far more composed than Blake.
I cast a worried look at him.The farther we descended, the more his movements became…Stutteredwas the best description I could come up with.I wasn’t super happy to be headingdownthe stairs either, but I wasn’t fighting a wolf for control of my consciousness.The presence of an Aged vampire, the violence in the past half hour, his instinct to protect Nora—all of it had him struggling to remain human.
I wanted to help.
My heart thumped hard in my chest, sending a spiral of heat into my stomach.I bit my lower lip, resisting the urge to reach for his hand.
I do want you.It’s a problem.
I bit my lower lip harder.
Needing a distraction, I glanced back to see how Christian was doing.He was still behind us, but he didn’t raise his eyes to meet mine.Overall, he just seemed tired.The fight with Arcuro had only been a few days ago.We both needed more time to recover.
Guilt weaved its way between my ribs.Proximity to me tended to put Christian into dangerous situations.But he’d chosen to stay at The Rain, and I hadn’t asked him to chase after Nora or to rush into the compound with Blake’s wolves.
But I had asked him to help me free Deagan.That was my fault.He had a guilt-driven need to protect me, and I’d leveraged that to…
Actually, Ihadn’tleveraged it.He’d told me no.Melissa was the one who’d changed his mind.
Thinking of her made me think about the thought I’d had in my living room, the one that I hadn’t quite been able to grasp.It was the beginning of an option though.A way to fulfill my bargain without betraying Garion.I just had to—
I jarred to a stop on the next step down, not because I’d come up with a plan but because I’d been so lost in my thoughts I’d almost crashed into Jared and Nora.
Jared spoke to Marco and another vampire I didn’t recognize.I missed the conversation’s beginning but picked up the ending where Jared ordered them to “keep vigil.”
I snorted.When he looked my way, I shrugged and smiled.
Without one flicker of an expression, Jared entered the dark room to the left.
No, the dark corridor.A curtain of black swallowed me.
I jarred to a stop a second time.That’s when I realized my body didn’t protest the sudden movement.It wasn’t protesting these stairs, and it hadn’t hurt when I’d smiled a moment ago.Considering I’d been backhanded by a vampire Heir hard enough for Jared to have to “mend my skull,” the lack of pain was remarkable.
“Are you okay?”I jumped when Blake placed a hand on my lower back, partly because I hadn’t known he was so close but also because his touch was dangerous.It made me want his arm around my waist, pulling me closer, and I wasn’t quite sure if I had my walls erected tall enough to conceal my emotions from the paranorms.
“I can’t see,” I said.
Behind us, a light cut through the dark—Christian’s phone.I’d left mine at home.Blake’s and Nora’s would have vanished when they shifted, and if Jared had one, he obviously wasn’t sharing.
Irritation flashed through Blake’s eyes.That was good.Irritation was safe.Rage was not.Still, I was surprised when Blake didn’t insist I stay with him.He even stepped aside to let Christian take up position beside me, then he fell in as the tail end of our procession.
Christian’s phone wasn’t the best light.It barely lit our path, but the compound bordered on dark even with the lanterns, candles, and torches.Our eyes had adjusted enough to follow Jared’s and Nora’s silhouettes without stumbling.
We bumped shoulders as we walked.It was comforting to have him there, especially since the paranorms walked without a sound.I didn’t want to compare the place to a coffin, but… Yeah.It had that feel up until the surface beneath our shoes changed from stone to metal grating.
