I put into practice every ounce of acting I possess, which honestly isn’t much. But I’ve developed some in my years with the vampires. “He goes with me everywhere I go,” I throw out. “I really shouldn’t have to explain that...to any of you.”
Rizo levels that dark, cold stare at me—the one that makes every vampire jump to do his bidding or suffer the consequences. “You want us to believe that you’re feeding from him?”
I shrug. “You don’t have to. It’s the truth, whether you believe it or not.”
“Where are the bite marks?” Rizo asks
I return his dark stare. “He’s a wolf; he heals quickly.” I’m not sure a vampire has ever bitten a wolf before; I’m going to go out on a limb and say no. But either way, I did...just in case. When Rizo continues to stare at me, I make a show of rolling my eyes. I reach up and pull Hunter’s shirt to the side, revealing two bite marks that have almost completely healed already. Thankfully, you can still see the impression at least. Rizo gives me a look, and I shrug. “Like I said. Werewolf. He heals quickly.”
“What does his blood taste like?” Rizo challenges.
I don’t skip a beat. “Rich, dark, like the most luscious chocolate.” I stop a moment and pretend to think. “At least, what I remember chocolate tasting like; it’s been a while.” Honestly, it’s not really that much of a stretch. I have a feeling Hunter’sblood would taste just like that—decadent and completely off limits. “Can I go to my house now?” I try even though I already know from Ajax how this is going to go.
Rizo stares at me, and I meet his stare. “We will make other...arrangements for you this time.”
“Why?” I ask, and just like that, I know I’ve gone too far. You can only push Rizo so far, even me.
His stare is cold. “You and the wolf will stay in the facility, where we can keep tabs on him.”
I keep my voice level. “Okay.”
Rizo nods at somebody, and I don’t realize what’s happening. Two vampires grab either side of Hunter and shove a cloth over his head. I tighten my grip on his arm and will him not to fight back. “Was that necessary?” I ask in a bored voice.
“Yes,” Rizo says, watching me carefully. “Does that bother you?”
I wave a dismissive hand and release my hold on him. “Of course not. He’s just a food source, but it’s a pretty good one. So, I’d like him to stay intact, please.”
Rizo finally turns that cold stare away from me. “Have Reina prepare room twenty-nine.” Two of his vampires whir off to do his bidding, and we follow them. Hunter doesn’t say a word, and I force myself not to look back at him. It’s a quiet trip to the main facility. When we get there, Rizo puts his thumb on the keypad. I pretend not to look too closely, but dread fills me once again because if it’s coded to his thumb, then there are probably precious few that can come and go. And I won’t be one of those people. We step inside, and the door closes behind us, sealing off our exit. I try not to breathe heavily as we follow Rizo. The familiarity of this building does not bring back a sense of comfort; instead, all I feel is heaviness and dread. We enter the elevator and go down. When the doors open, Rizo leads us into the long hallway. To the right is the entrance that leads to thearea where the supercharged soldiers are kept and monitored twenty-four seven. We turn left and walk down the hallway. There are closed doors on both sides of the hallway. I know some of them are offices, and I know some of them are apartments. Lucky for Hunter and me, that’s where we will be staying. When we near the middle of the hallway, Rizo stops in front of number twenty-nine. It doesn’t escape my notice that we are almost exactly in the middle of the building. I wait for somebody to open the door, but no one does. When I look at Rizo, he nods his head. I step over to him. He puts his thumb in the digital scanner of sorts and then motions for me to do the same. I do, and a red light scans. When it makes a small beep, Rizo turns to me. “Now, the room is programmed to you.” I don’t miss what he’s not saying—Hunter won’t be able to come and go. I don’t think about the fact that his wolf will be trapped inside the underground apartment for who knows how long.
I feel sweat running down my back, but I portray an air of nonchalance. “Thank you.”
He motions us forward, and I step inside. The two vampires shove Hunter in, and he somehow manages to keep his feet beneath him. “Search the bags,” Rizo says. I stand to the side as they pull everything out of my bag and then Hunter’s. I bite my lip as my clothes, underwear, and bras all get tossed aside. When they’re satisfied, I bend to pick it up, but Rizo snaps his fingers. The two vampires who made the mess pick it up. They’re not neat about it, but at least everything gets shoved back into the bag instead of being strewn across the floor. “Everybody out.”
The room empties except for Rizo. In less than a second, Rizo stands next to Hunter and puts his hand on Hunter’s chest. His razor-sharp nails are obvious against Hunter’s chest, and I know the point he is making. He could rip out Hunter’s heart faster than I could yell at him to stop. I know because I’ve seen it. I don’t breathe; I don’t think I could if I tried. But I don’t say aword. I know this is a test. I force myself to turn away and pick up my bag and drop it on the bed. “I really don’t want blood all over the floor, so be careful. If you do get rid of him, I think I’ll go back to blood bags. I don’t want to go through all that again.”
It’s silent in the room. I unzip the bag and try to still my shaking hands. “I’m glad you’ve finally learned to feed from a fresh source,” Rizo says after a little bit. “The wolf stays here. Always. He’s not allowed to leave the room.”
“Wasn’t planning on it,” I tell him. I try to still my shaking hands and then finally turn around. Rizo studies me, and I don’t cower under his heavy stare. “You need to prove your worth to our clan.”
“I will.”
“Yes, well, returning with a wolf was not the best way to start.”
“I told you, he’s my feeding source. I’ve grown rather attached to him.”
“Yes, so you have.” He watches me with those cold eyes, and I try not to shiver. “Ajax told me you tried to thwart my vampires when they took the child.”
I was prepared for this. “I’m still with the vampires, but I draw the line at kidnapping a child, Rizo.”
He eyes me but doesn’t say anything more about it. “Be ready in an hour.” He’s gone before I can respond. As soon as the door closes, I walk over and flip the lock, not that it would keep out a mature vampire. I walk over to Hunter and pull the bag off his head. His eyes flash, revealing the presence of his wolf. Before he can say anything, I put a hand to my lips. I close my eyes and listen for the tiny, high-pitched sound of a bug. I’ve had years to hone this particular skill. I find two and get rid of them. I know they can put more in, but for now, they’re gone. “Okay. I think we’re good now.”
He doesn’t say a word as he takes in the small apartment. It’s a studio. There’s a queen-sized bed, a bathroom, a love seat, a small kitchen table, and a small kitchen. And you can see it all from the bed. “I’m sorry,” I finally tell him.
He finally looks at me. “Not your fault.”
I look around the room. “I didn’t realize they’d put us here, but I should have. It's going to make things a whole lot more difficult.”
“We’ll manage.”
