“Maybe the phone won’t, but what about you?” She glanced up at him and then looked back at the device.
“I’ve recently eaten. You have nothing to fear from me.”
“Good grief.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “When did my life get so effed up?” After another few moments, Alice took the phone and touched the screen. A number was there with the call button just below it. She took a deep breath and then tapped the button. Alice put the phone to her ear and listened to it ring. It only rang once.
“Claude?” a female voice said briskly.
“Not Claude,” Alice answered. “In fact, not a vampire at all.”
“Alice.” The woman breathed out, sounding both relieved and in awe.
“You know my name?”
“I know a little more than that. My name is Tenia. I’m a fae.”
Alice glanced over at Claude, who was watching her with a strangely intense gaze. He almost looked as if he was in pain. “Is Claude a friend of yours?”
“Not exactly,” Tenia said cryptically. “What’s he doing?”
“He’s staring at me, but he looks like someone is stabbing him in the heart.”
“Could you please hand him the phone for a minute? Then I will explain things to you.”
Alice held the device out to Claude. He reached for it slowly, as if he was actually trying to fight the motion.
“Hello,” he bit out through clenched teeth. As the woman on the other end spoke, Claude’s face relaxed, and his body leaned back against the wall as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “Of course. Thank you.” He held the phone back out to Alice, and she took it, though she kept her eyes on the vampire as she put the device back to her ear.
“What do you want with me?”
“I’m not your enemy, Alice. In fact, we want to get you out of there, along with Lizzy and Finn.”
“You know Lizzy and Finn?” Alice’s nerves were on edge, and she gripped the phone tightly.
“Yes. Finn reached out to Fane, the alpha of all werewolves, and asked for help,” Tenia explained. “Finn told Fane about you. You probably don’t realize how special you are, not to mention what a surprise you are to our kind.”
“I’ve heard that song and dance already,” Alice said dryly. “You know I’m a gypsy healer, and you obviously know more about that than I do.”
“I do. And I also know other healers who want to meet you and want you to get to safety.”
“How do you know I’m in danger?” She knew she sounded defensive, and it irritated Alice that she was coming across that way. But then again, who was this Tenia chick but a voice on the phone? Alice had no reason to automatically trust her. For all Alice knew, Tenia might not be a fae at all. Maybe she didn't even work for this Fane guy. Maybe this was a test from Cain to see where her loyalties lay.
Tenia snorted. “You’re trapped in a securely guarded government compound with the king of the vampires. I guess I thought the danger was assumed.”
“He hasn’t hurt me.” That wasn’t entirely true, considering he had bitten her. But she wasn’t going to play semantics with this woman.
Tenia didn’t respond right away. After a few moments, she spoke. “Are Finn and Lizzy okay?” Alice was confused by the conversation's change of direction.
“Yes?”
“You don’t sound sure, Alice. We know that Cain has attempted to turn Lizzy into a hybrid. Is she okay?” the woman asked more slowly.
Alice clenched her jaw and tried to figure out what to say. She didn’t know if she should trust this woman. She nearly growled as she wrestled with her thoughts. Alice cared about Lizzy and Finn. She didn’t want anything to happen to them, but what was done, was done. She couldn’t undo it. “We will know more tomorrow,” she finally said. “The transformation takes—”
“Six days,” Tenia finished for her. “I’m very old, Alice. I know a great deal about the supernatural races. But the hybrid thing is new … to everyone. But Finn and Lizzy are alive?”
“Yes,” Alice snapped. “I wouldn’t let them die.”
“I apologize for my skepticism. You seem to be operating under the assumption that Cain is some kind of good guy. I assure you, healer, he is not. He’s not even an antihero.”
