He lifted a hand and waved it.
“Seriously, I’m not lying,” I grumbled as the door shut behind him.
There really wasn’t a plan.
twenty-one
I lingered in theshower for over an hour, savoring the feel of cool water on my body to wash away the memory of the desert and everything that had happened there.
When I’d finished, there was a set of clothes that smelled like Caroline waiting for me on one of the dressers. I put them on and left my room with the intention of tracking down Liam. In a pinch, I’d settle for Thomas or Ahrun. Anyone who could tell me what the hell was going on.
Where oh where would I be if I was a big, important vampire who’d just been driven out of my mansion.
The answer—the penthouse.
Always.
The problem was that penthouses generally require a key card to access. At least in movies and TV shows. I had no idea if that held true in real life, never having stayed in one. With nothing to lose, I followed the signs for the elevator.
Sondra’s two wolves were waiting in front of it when I got there.
“Heading up to find your people?” the brown haired one asked.
I stopped far enough away that I’d be able to react if either tried anything, eyeing them cautiously. Sondra might have claimed the pack owed me a blood debt, but I’d had enough experience with their kind to never take something for granted.
Seeing my wariness, the brown haired one snickered and shook his head. “Relax, vampire. We know the stakes. Hank and I won’t hurt you.”
If the shorter one was Hank, that must mean he was Emmett.
“That’d be a first,” I muttered, crossing the last few feet to wait beside them.
At Emmett’s nod, Hank summoned the elevator with a key card he had secured in his back pocket.
See—the movies were right. You really did need a special card to get up there.
“What’s that mean?” Emmett asked.
“Just that I’ve learned not to take werewolves for granted.”
You never knew what the future would bring, and Brax’s wolves had a history of taking chunks out of my person. My own best friend had gone for my throat on more than one occasion. Sondra too. Brax was just the latest in a surprisingly long list.
“Your fight with the alpha was impressive,” Emmett admitted grudgingly as the elevator arrived. “Only Clay and Sondra can last that long against him. You’re lucky he woke up when he did.”
I waited for Hank to scan the keycard and hit the button for the penthouse before stepping onto the lift. “That’s me. Possessor of good luck.”
It seemed my conversation with Brin had left me worried for nothing. There were very few who would realize I’d let that fightdrag out on purpose. Even fewer who would realize that I was the reason Brax came back to himself when he did.
Good. Exactly what I’d intended.
“Sondra was right about you though,” Emmett said. “Anywhere you go, trouble is sure to follow.”
The doors slid closed a second later.
“How rude.”
I was hardly a harbinger of doom. What were these wolves teaching each other?
The ascent was a quick one. A few seconds before the doors were opening to a room that made me freeze at the sight of it. Only the elevator closing got me moving again.
