“I don’t know,” Everett said, “but we have to be careful. If the pills give him a psychic link to Charlotte, he could activate her at any time. And if he’s as old and powerful as we suspect, he has a stable of prey who serve him.”
“Or alliances with other vampires,” I said. “They don’t share hunting grounds, but they’ve been known to cooperate when it benefits them.”
Everett’s face was grim. “Either way, we’re screwed. Killing him could trigger retaliation from his stable or other vampires. It would be a declaration of war.”
My beast’s anger leaked into my voice. “He’s been poisoning Charlotte for years.”
“We can’t tell her,” Everett said. “Not until we know more about the strength of his connection to her mind.”
I wanted to argue. To insist she deserved to know. But Everett was right. If Henry could access her thoughts, telling her could sign her death warrant.
“We need to figure this out,” I said. “The vampires aren’t known for being passive, especially when they want something. The longer this goes on, the more vulnerable we become. We might not have to worry about starting a war. Henry might bring one to us.”
Everett paled, probably thinking of Skyler and Wyatt. “What do we do?”
“I’ll think of something,” I said, hoping I sounded more confident than I felt. “Margot Sutton’s father is one of the most powerful alphas in the country. He’s also a good friend. I’m going to give him a call and see what he and his allies can dig up about Rupert Henry. In the meantime, alert the clan.”
“You got it, Alpha.”
I drove back to the bed and breakfast with anxiety roiling my gut. In the space of an hour, my primary concern had gone from convincing Charlotte to stay to figuring out how to keep her and the rest of the clan alive. But as I’d predicted, my time had run out.
As I entered the bed and breakfast, Charlotte’s voice drifted down the stairs.
“…just surprised to hear from you.”
I stopped, one hand on the banister, my ears pricked for the other side of the conversation.
“Are you?” a man’s smooth voice replied. “I’ve been trying to reach you for days.”
Every muscle in my body went rigid. To a human, Dr. Henry probably sounded like any other middle-aged American man. But my sensitive hearing picked up the cultured, subtly Old World intonation in his tone. Whoever he really was, Dr. Henry wasn’t from Colorado. Not even close.
The floorboards creaked overhead as Charlotte moved across her room. “I’m sorry, Dr. Henry. Service is spotty here.”
“Your preliminary data triggered some alerts,” Henry said. “But then your uploads stopped. Are you still taking readings?”
A pause. “Yes, of course,” Charlotte said, the lie obvious in her voice. The anxiety I’d carried since I received Everett’s text ratcheted up several notches.
“And your medication?” Henry asked. “You’ve been taking it regularly?”
In my mind, my bear showed its fangs. Blood rushed in my ears, and I gripped the banister to keep from pounding up the stairs to Charlotte. If I could hear both sides of the conversation, Henry could undoubtedly hear everything happening in the bed and breakfast.
Charlotte’s bedframe squeaked, and I pictured her perched on the edge of the mattress, her fingers tight on her phone.
“I stopped taking them a few days ago,” she said. “I’ve been sleeping better, and I thought?—”
“That medication is essential for you to maintain your focus,” Henry said. “You know how you get without it.”
“Yes, but?—”
“It’s also dangerous to stop taking it without warning.” Henry’s voice went low and silky. “We need to discuss this in person.”
No, my bear raged, tugging at its bond. I swallowed the growl that tried to burst from my throat.
“I’m coming to Alaska,” Henry continued, the words sliding down the stairs like thick poison that stained every tread. “I’ll book the next available flight into Anchorage.”
There was a heavy pause, then Charlotte’s voice came slow and soft, as if she struggled to push out each word. “That…sounds good.”
“I’ll text you my flight details,” Henry said. “You’ll pick me up when I arrive.”
