“We’re trying to help you.”
“Liars! Both of you. Let me go!”
“Shit,” Sage mutters.
Just as I reach the landing, the human bolts through the second door, hands out like he’s ready for a fight. I drop the plate and reach for him, gripping both arms. Intense heat burns my palm on his left arm, making both the human and myself cry out. Instinctively, I let go, but when he tries to slip by, I wrap an arm around his stomach and pull him to my chest.The slender man kicks furiously, body trembling with rage. He’s definitely stronger than he seems.
“Let me go!” he roars.
“Just listen for a minute. We’re not going to hurt you.”
The man writhes again, trying to break free.
“We want to kill the vampires who did this to you.”
That gets his attention. The man whips his head around, stunning gray-blue eyes piercing me with confusion and rage.
“Foxx killed one of our pack members,” I say, “and he hurt our friends too. We know they’re terrible people, so we want tohelpyou. That’s why you’re here. Please just let us help.”
His dark brows furrow, and he slowly shakes his head. “No. No, you lie. You all lie! I saw you! You were killing them that night. You’re just as bad—”
He kicks me again, making my knee buckle.
I grunt in pain and tighten my hold. “Would you fucking stop! We’re not going to hurt you!”
“Rowen is telling the truth,” Red says. “We know Foxx was holding you captive at the club. We saw you there. We’re only trying to help.”
He snaps his attention to Red. “Itwasyou, then? It was your pack that broke into the club?”
Red and Sage both nod.
“We were there to kill Foxx,” Red says. “Just as Rowen told you. But we failed, and his coven is still very strong. So we need your help to find them.”
The man doesn’t reply, casting angry glares at each of us.
Sage rubs his hand, attention fixated on the man’s left shoulder. He must’ve felt the burn too. “What can you tell us about that mark?”
The human flinches and steps away. I let him go but block the door. He glances at it, then at me, as if sizing me up, and doesn’t make a move for it. Without saying a word, he reaches for a blanket. He must be freezing,dressed as he is in nothing more than a sheer top and silver metallic underwear.
He pulls the blanket around himself before sinking to the floor by the dresser. His shoulders slump. Everything about him is defeated and tired, like he’s giving up. It breaks my heart.
When he doesn’t answer Sage’s question, I crouch before him and speak in a low, soft tone. “How about your name? Can you tell us that?”
His lips tremble. “T-Tobias.”
A flicker of warmth skitters across my chest, a pull I can’t explain, as if his fear reached into me. I tense, even as my wolf stirs, aware of something… different.
I wish I knew what to say to get him to trust us. Clearly, this man has been through hell. “Tobias, I’m Rowen. That’s Sage and Red behind me. You don’t know us, so I get why you’re scared, but I promise you, we’re the good guys. We want to help you.”
Tobias glances at Red before looking away, fear flashing across his features. Slowly, he pulls his hands out, rubbing a thumb over one wrist. My stomach sinks when I see the thick, pink scars around both wrists. They’re as wide as three fingers. Unmistakable.
His burns must’ve been pretty deep. Red would’ve done everything he could to heal Tobias, but some wounds even magic can’t fix.
What did they do to him?
“You’re free to go if that’s what you really want,” Sage says, “but I hope you’ll stay. You’re safe here. We can protect you from the vampires.”
Tobias scoffs coldly, shaking his head. “No. You can’t.”
