“Never heard of the dude.” That didn’t mean anything. My DNA and the money one could get for it was becoming common knowledge. “Well, what now?”
“Take her up to the infirmary and remove the spell from her sister. Jo is up there. I’ll text her to see if she can read Layla’s mind better than me. Afterward, she’ll be our guest and help us flush out who this Dowell character is. But son, tread lightly around her.”
I wasn’t about to promise him anything. I’d learned my lesson quickly after being in that room with her. “I’ll try.”
His phone rang. “I have to take this. The Council of Elders is breathing down my neck about the Aberdeens. I’ll alert Webb and Tripp about Dowell.” With his phone to his ear, he walked out of the main entrance.
“Where are you from?” Harley asked Layla.
I sauntered over to the reception desk, racking my brain about Dowell, but the minute I was ogling Layla from behind, I lost all thought.
I felt such a strong pull toward the redheaded goddess. Maybe it was her essence or the fact that I wanted to taste her blood, and fuck her until the sun went down, came up, and went down again.
Layla shrugged. “Montana.”
“Cowboys and ranches,” Harley tittered excitedly. “Any good-looking ones you know?”
Layla giggled. “Many.”
Maybe I should just keep walking and have Harley take Layla up to the infirmary. Then again, Harley couldn’t leave the reception desk with Ruth gone.
Harley smiled. “What brings you here, aside from targeting my good friend Sam?” Harley emphasized the wordgoodwith a warning in her tone.
My leg brushed Layla’s as I sidled up to her, and an electrical charge zapped me. “Some guy named Dowell?”
She huffed before sliding away from me, snarling, “Take me to Rianne.”
Harley’s eyes went wide, no doubt from the sudden change in Layla’s attitude. “I can take her if you want to answer phones, Sam.”
I snorted. “You want me to answer phones? I can’t. I have to help her sister.”
“I’ll be fine,” Layla assured Harley. “I’m in a place that brags about protecting humans.” Layla pointed to the plaque on the wall behind the reception desk.
We did protect humans, but I wasn’t sure about vampire hunters. “Come on, Layla. Let’s get this show started.” I was ready to hit the gym to blow off some pent-up energy. Maybe I should do that before I even entertained getting into an elevator with her.
She followed, her footsteps resounding in the quiet room, blood pumping through her veins at warp speed. Stabbing the elevator button, I held back a laugh. My own blood was doing the same if I were being honest.
She sighed, puffing out her cheeks.
“Are you worried about getting in the elevator with me?”
“Not at all,” she said as the doors slid open.
“Liar.” I swung my arm out. “Ladies first.” I might be an ass, but I would like to think I had some redeeming qualities.
Layla stiffened. “Maybe we should take the stairs.”
“This is the only way up.” That wasn’t exactly true. We had a back way into the infirmary, but that was through the building next door and the long way around. The faster we got up to the fourth floor, the better for both of us. My old man might have slightly changed his tune about easing up on me when it came to Layla, but if I drained her of blood, he would definitely go ballistic on me.
Regardless, my gums throbbed at the thought of her and me alone with no distractions. Maybe it was wise if we took the stairs. Either way, it didn’t matter. My thirst for her blood wasn’t going away anytime soon.
“If you so much as touch me, I will cut off your balls.”
I belted out a laugh. “Seems like you’re all talk. At the club, I recall you saying, ‘the next time we meet, I’ll be cutting off your dick.’ Yet my cock is still alive and well.”
She stomped into the car and found a spot in the corner, hugging herself.
Following her in, I couldn’t help but smirk as my throat burned like an inferno.
