None of that sounded like his Riley. She was strong, of course, but she hadn’t called upon magic to escape Patrick’s gang. “I do not understand what this has to do with Riley.”
“If she doesna’ know what she is, and she isna’ using her magic or doesna’ know how to, it could kill her.”
* * *
Declan parkedhis Audi in the alley behind Riley’s hotel. He would not force her to talk to him. Or to return to his castle. But he had to ask. Had to at least hear her voice one last time.
Taking the stairs at a run, he tried to ignore the cold, hard knot forming in his gut and the tang of fear in the back of his throat. Riley was fine. She’d obviously made it back to her hotel, and daylight hadn’t been far off. No vampires would have been able to get to her, and though his face felt like he had the worst sunburn of his life, he’d risked leaving his home before darkness had fully claimed the sky, relying on the heavy UV blocking in the coupe to keep him from bursting into flames. He’d only seen a few faint curls of smoke rising from his hands.
He halted several steps from her room.No.The door jamb was splintered, the Do Not Disturb sign providing the barest hint of camouflage for the damage. Inhaling slowly, he scented the air. A faint hint of citrus. Something sickly sweet. Fear.Riley’s fear.With a growl, he pushed through the door.
The bedclothes were mussed, the chair kicked over, and Riley’s purse on the floor, the flap open. Her wallet, room key, and a bottle of prescription blood thinners were all inside. She had not left willingly.
But how? Running his hands over the blanket, a familiar scent swirled around him. The Hunter. The one he’d spared. He would bet his entire existence on it. Her scent lingered in the hallway, and he followed it into the service elevator and out onto a side street. And that’s where her trail ended.
“Fuck!” Declan punched the brick wall, cracking two knuckles and sending shards of red clay raining down onto his shoes.Think, you arse. Where would they take her?
Above ground. Somewhere private. The outskirts of town.
“I have her meds,” a male voice said from around the corner. “What the hell is rivaroxaban?”
Riley’s pills. The fucker must have been only steps behind him, and surely knew where she was. He would lead Declan right to her. Angling a glance around the corner, he focused on the short, stocky man unlocking the door of an old, beat-up sedan. Declan took off at a run, using every bit of his enhanced speed to reach the man before he could say another word to whomever was on the other end of the call.
Snatching the mobile from the Hunter’s hand and pressing Mute, Declan pinned him with his dark stare, using his glamour to hold the man silent. “You will continue your conversation. You will not mention me or warn your cohorts. You will take me to where you are keeping the human. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” the man whispered. His dilated pupils would give his altered state away, but Declan would not need long to kill every Hunter between him and Riley. The Hunter resumed the call, confirmed he’d be back in fifteen minutes, and hung up.
“Very good. What is your name, human?”
“Nigel.”
“Get in the car, Nigel. And take me to Riley.”
