“Who’s all here with you?” he asks, and I can almost hear him thinking.
“The alpha, his enforcer, another of the alpha’s personal team, and I'm not all sure who’s nearby.” I stick as close to the truth as possible. I’m counting on the fact that he doesn’t do any of the dirty work himself. From what I sense, it’s just the two vampires standing on either side of me. I don’t recognize either of them, but that’s good because that means they’re not his top vampires.
“You know you were given a lot of privileges. I would hope you’re not thinking of turning against us. That would be,” he pauses. “Very disappointing.”
Threats from Rizo were never direct, and that’s what makes them so potent. I resist the urge to shudder. “Never,” I manage to get out.
“Good,” he breathes, sounding pleased. “Be sure to pass on my congratulations, will you? We will be in touch soon.” By the time I draw oxygen into my lungs, they’re gone. My eyes scan the area, looking for Ava and Bryce first. I don’t see them anywhere, nor do I see Hunter.They made it out; they had to have.I force myself to start walking, as I can’t stand here any longer without making myself even more noticeable. I start blindly for the exit, wondering if I’ll even find them here or if I’ll be on my own. I wouldn’t blame them. I’m sure Bryce got Ava out as soon as he saw the vampires, especially as soon as he realized what Rizo was.
Rizo was a master, and that made him incredibly dangerous. He's an apex predator, the most dangerous of the vampires. Bryce would have known that. I’m actually shocked that Rizo showed his face in public; he never does that.Why?I don’t understand, and yet, the sick feeling in my stomach tells me I do. I’m the only one they’ve successfully turned into a vampire. They don’t know why; I don’t know why. And that thought is terrifying. Because if I’m the only one, they’re not going to let me go.Ever. I force myself to slow down and walk like a human. I push out the exit and make my way in the direction of where we parked. I'm really not expecting them to have waited for me. Actually, I hope they didn’t. I hope Ava is already safe at home.
I walk through the parking lot, being sure to keep my speed normal. When I get to the parking lot where we parked, my eyes scan the lot. A sick feeling forms in my gut when I don’t see it. I keep walking, just in case Rizo and his men are watching.If they think I’m alone, there will be no reason for me not to leave with them. I search each row that I come to, hoping to see the car. When I don’t, reality crashes over me.They left me.I keep walking and try to figure out what I’m supposed to do. I could easily make my way back to their territory; it would take me no time at all. But am I welcome there? Or do I find Rizo and leave now with him? There’s something about the whole confrontation, though, that’s bothering me. My mind keeps running his words on repeat.Why the congratulations?It doesn’t make sense. Was he congratulating me on escaping successfully? On infiltrating the pack? I don’t know, and it’s making me crazy!
I come to the end of the parking lot and stand still a moment, unsure what to do. Do I head back to the pack? Or am I just bringing more danger to their doorstep? Do I go back with the vampires to protect Ava and the others? That’s probably the right thing to do, but I can’t force myself to do it. At the end of the day, I’m much weaker than I pride myself in being.
I start towards the Phoenix Pack territory. They may not allow me in, and then I’ll have my answer. But I won’t go back; I’ll never go back to the vampires...not unless it becomes absolutely necessary. I already had a lapse in judgment after I saw Rizo at the party. I won’t make that mistake again. I know going back to the vampires would destroy me.
“You ready?”
I whirl around at the sound of Hunter’s voice, heart thundering. “Where did you come from?”
“Just waiting for you to make your decision.”
“What decision?” I snap.
“Whether you were going to come back with us or return to the vamps.”
Chapter Six
Sherese
I fold my arms across my chest and stare up at him. “You know why I didn’t return to them?” His dark eyes assess me, but he doesn’t say anything. “Then I would no longer be able to make your life miserable.” I grin at his expressionless face.
“Come on, Vamp.”
I follow him, my long-legged stride easily keeping up with his even longer legs. I figure we’re walking back, but he surprises me by stopping at a car. “We’re taking your car?”
In the time I've been with the Phoenix Pack, I’ve never actually been in Hunter’s car. He eyes me across the roof of the fancy black sports car, though I have no idea what it is. “Don’t make me regret it.”
I climb in, surprised at how low to the ground it is. “Do you even fit in this thing?” I ask, glancing over at him. He doesn’t respond. The car thunders to life when he starts it. “That’s a powerful engine.” I lean forward and unzip my boots.
“What are you doing?” he asks in a low voice that I ignore. A moment later, my boots are off, and I put my sock-clad feet on the dashboard. I’ll admit—it's not comfortable in the least. I’m all scrunched up, but it’s the principle of the matter. “Do you mind?”
“I don’t mind at all,” I tell him, shifting against my seat. I fiddle around looking for the buttons. I try all of them until I find the one that makes the seat recline. I breathe a sigh of relief when it gives me more space. He doesn’t say a word, and I glance over at him. I can see the muscle ticking in his jaw, but he stays quiet. I stare out the window as we drive back to pack territory. Itake in the nightlife, enjoying myself immensely. I really haven’t been off the pack lands since I came here a few weeks ago. And before that...Well, it’s been a long time since I’ve ridden in a car and taken in the sights.
Hunter doesn’t say anything the entire ride back, which is only about twenty minutes. When we park in front of the pack house instead of his house, I’m curious. He turns off the car and speaks without looking at me. “Bryce called for a meeting, and you’re supposed to be there.”
“When did he call for a meeting?” I ask curiously.
“As soon as he left the mall.”
I turn to him in surprise. “He knew I’d choose to come back.”
“No.” He turns his head towards mine. “Ava did.” Without another word, he climbs out of the car and heads into the pack house. I wait until he’s inside to open my door and climb out. I feel eyes on me and count at least six shifters surrounding the house, and I’m sure there are more further out. None of them stop me. Bryce would have given them orders to stand down. Still, I keep my head down and head right inside. Vampires are the natural enemy of the wolves, and I am never unaware of what I am. There are many wolves who have lostsomeone to the vampires, whether recently or in the war between wolves and vampires. I am always conscious of that fact and always watch my back. That’s why I’ve mostly stayed at Hunter’s. If I go anywhere, it’s just to spend time with Ava at her house. Every once in a while, I visit Brandon, her brother. I periodically check in on him to see if he’s improving. He’s been doing well and making progress. It’s slow, but he’s progressing. He hasn’t had what I call a “red-eye moment” since the day he thought Bryce was hurting Ava.
Ava had gone into Brandon’s room to see him, and he’d already been off. He was agitated and on edge. Bryce entered the room and could read the aggression in Brandon, so hetried to protect Ava and get her out of the room. But Brandon, in his aggressive state, had attacked Bryce, thinking he was hurting Ava. There were still days when he was off and extra aggressive, but since that day, he hasn’t attacked anybody. I’m always cautious when I go into his room. I could possibly trigger him, since the vampires were the ones who took him and did all sorts of awful things to him. When I check on him, if I feel any aggression or aggravation at all, I don't go in. Most days, he sits at his desk and journals. That’s the way he’s coping.
I’m not sure what he’s writing, but I hope it’s helping him. He’s a nice kid, and it isn’t fair what’s been done to him. They took him at the same time they took Ava, but they’d kept them apart. She had no idea he was even still alive. They experimented on him and finally turned him into a super soldier. They were putting vampire serum into him and the others that were still trapped in there. It made them incredibly strong, but it also made them easy to control. I’d watched many times when they had one of their supercharged wolves that now had vampire speed and power coursing through his veins do whatever they were told by Rizo or Ajax. The guys would act on instinct, like they weren’t even human. I’d seen some awful things that they’d done under those commands, things I could never even speak of because they were so terrible.
