That’s a lot to take in. “Once I’m scented?”
“You are leman.” Flatly, maybe daring her to disagree. “The least hint of you will alter the battlefield completely; other fledglings will be made outright drunk by your presence.”
Which brought up the question of the two young biters her crew had dispatched. Even Ben had commented on how they’d both gone straight for Layla; for a single mad instant she considered telling Max about that, seeing what he’d say.
Thankfully, sanity hurried to reassert itself. If this guy found out she’d been party to vampire murder, it might convince him to change his mind, leave her imprisoned for another night.
Or for good. And that, as Suze would say, wasno bueno at all.
“So…” Layla worked all the information around in her head, arriving at what she hoped were reasonable conclusions. There were concerning bits, likeonce you are scentedandyou will be caught. Still, she could figure out the details later. Right now,she had to appear at least mildly useful, and thankfully she had a bit of experience in that department. “So you need me to decoy? That’s great.”
Max settled on his heels briefly, as if physically pushed back by the notion. “Great?”
“Yeah. I mean, my main duties are research and logistics, but I’ve been the lookout before. Decoy duty is like that—it’s how we got… never mind.” A strange, almost crazed relief filled her chest; he must have been worried she wouldn’t understand the concept. As heady as seducing a vampire was, the proof that he considered her capable of actual work was an additional shot in the arm of her self-esteem. At the moment, she’d take anything. “So which direction do you want me to go?”I don’t even know where the hell we are. She resumed braiding, her fingers suddenly working again.
“It does not matter.” Max’s expression had changed again, gazing down at her like she’d done something incredibly unexpected—or made an embarrassing bodily noise, it was a fifty-fifty bet. “The important thing is to submit if you are caught. Do not struggle. You may be jolted during transit, but you will not be injured; do as you are told. Survive, and I will arrive to collect you apace. Do you understand?”
Do as you’re toldwas pretty clear. Still, Layla didn’t like the sound. “Collect me?”
“Of course.” The snarl returned, though his teeth thankfully didn’t change this time. Red pinpricks glittered in the center of his pupils for a brief, heartstopping moment. “It is a terrible thing I ask of you, Leila. You will see a great deal of savagery this night, but understand this:I will find you. All you must do is survive until dawn.”
“Dawn.” Her internal clock was all fuckered up; she swallowed hard. Seeing his eyes light up like that was prettyhorrible. Would her own do the same, on some distant day? “Sure. What time is it now?”
“It is just past dusk. Now, listen. You are for all intents and purposes a fledgling. When the sun rises, you will sleep—if we are separated and you are by some chance not held by an enemy, you must find a place well away from daylight to do so. Anaphylactic shock and combustion are unpleasant, and I will not have you thus harmed. Understood?”
His tone was oddly familiar, like Shawn giving orders to his crew or Dan laying out an operation. “Ten-four.” Her braid was finished; she had to move in order to get a strip of material from the pile on the unmade bed. “I need something to tie this with.”
Max was silent as she tied her hair, maybe doubting her comprehension. She was used to that from male creatures, even if he clearly expected her to hold her own on decoy duty. Now she wondered if he’d been watching their team, judging performance, and selected her?
Nah, couldn’t be. She could brood over the hows and whys to her heart’s content once she was out of this goddamn prison. Right now the important thing was getting free—the calm, flatyou are a fledglingstatement took second place to the prospect of fresh air, even if it arrived with another vampire or two and one of those snarling, car-destroying fights.
While the biters were all occupied with each other, she might be able to slip away. Her chances were better if she had some kind of superspeed now. The problem of blood-drinking, though…
Oh, God. Focus on what’s in front of you.
She shook her braid and bounced on her toes lightly, glad he hadn’t destroyed her boots. She looked ridiculous and the sweater was too heavy for a summer night, but that didn’t matter.Run away and find a place to hunker down, let the vampires sort it outwasn’t exactly a cheerful prospect, and thewholeif you’re taken do as you’re toldthing could take a flying fuck at a rolling donut, as Suze used to cheerfully intone when talking about bitchy customers at the craft depot.
What if she ended up caught by another vampire like Max? Of course, he seemed pretty one of a kind.
The sense of invisible eyes on her returned, now so strong she spun, searching for the source.
Had it always been him?
Max’s shoulders had sagged, and he looked… well, almost tired. Like Dan late at night, staring again at Suze’s autopsy photos, dull suffering rage unable to find an outlet. Some of O’Shaughnassey’s guys had worn the same expression when they thought nobody was looking; so had Ackerman during the long drive toward this city, his finger tapping the Wrangler’s steering wheel as a preacher on AM radio ranted about Judgment Day.
Her heart hurt, another familiar sensation. “Don’t worry.” Another of her duties, to cheer everyone up before go-time. “I know how to run, been doing it for years now. Where are we meeting up?”
Which was strange—did she really intend to rendezvous, not just head for the hills while he was busy with a whole bunch of other biters?
Exceptshewas a biter now, too. How many of them had been forced into it? What was she going to do when she got that terrible word,thirsty?
So far she felt all right, but that could be leftover monster blood. Layla was going to have to face facts sooner or later, always an unpleasant chore. Anaphylactic shock and combustion—baby biters couldn’t survive daylight, she knew that much.
If all else failed she could head out into the desert and wait for sunrise, right? That way, she wouldn’t hurt anyone else.
Not like you’ve done a helluva lot of good in your life anyway. Might as well.
Max tilted his head, a feline, listening look. “Do you hear? They are firing the wells.”
