“Mr. Winters,” Wes greets me the moment he makes it into the long hallway. There’s been a noticeable change in him over the last few weeks. He moves a lot quicker after his transition into a blooded vampire, but he still fidgets too much. I trust him though, always have. That’s why I posted him at the front desk.
“Wes, let’s take a walk.” I tilt my head in my intended direction, and he swiftly moves to my side to walk with me. His hands are folded together behind his back, leaving his posture completely open. He came to Havenfall when he was pretty young. His clan was murdered by another more powerful clan, and because he was the last remaining son, they left him alive so as not to wipe out the entire line. Even facing that misfortune, I would still call him fairly lucky. Most of the kids who end up here either come because they’re forced by the human authorities once they are caught breaking the law, or because they sought us out.
Leaving a clan or a pack can be risky business. That’s why all the places like Havenfall are run and overseen only by very powerful supernaturals. No matter how poorly these kids get treated at home, most of their families are reluctant to release them. There can be power in numbers. If the headmasters were perceived as weak, or if a pack or clan decided they wanted their property back, then the schools wouldn’t stand a chance against an outside threat.
“What do you need from me?” Wes inquires as soon as we’re out of hearing range of the other security members, proving he’s exactly who I want for this job. He’s smart enough to know I want discretion.
“I want you down here for the next few hours. I need you to make sure no one gets in to see those kids, and I want you to tell me if anyone tries. You are not to leave that desk.” I point in the direction of where I know the desk is.
“You need a piss break, you call me, the fire alarm goes off, you sit your ass right there until I get here. We clear?”
“Yes, sir.” He nods once, looking me right in the eye.
“There’s a situation beyond what’s been discussed regarding the kids. I’m evaluating who I can trust.” I drop my hand onto his shoulder, and he absorbs the weight much easier than you would think by looking at him, but he is a vampire, a newly blooded vampire, so looks can be very deceiving. “Luckily or unluckily for you, you made the cut. I’m putting a lot of faith in you to make sure this is handled right. I won’t have another incident like the one that had Michelle disappearing from right under my nose.”
I turn and head back the way we came. I don’t want to give anyone the opportunity to speak with the kids, even briefly. Wes is right by my side. Seconds before the others are in hearing range, he says, “I need a way to contact you. Is your phone still out of service?”
“Shit!” At some point, I’m going to need to get my head screwed on straight. “My phone will be working in about ten minutes. If you need anything before then, call Stone.”
“Got it,” Wes confirms as we make our way closer to the other officers still milling about. Without prompting, he spins the chair around behind the desk and takes a seat. His eyes are already trained on the doors as if he’s expecting one of them to burst open.
I give him a nod, then look at the small group. “You guys can head out. Wes will be here until I make a schedule.”
The group disbands quickly, most of them continuing down the hall together, still chatting, but Letty lags behind. “Do you want me to stick around too? My shift was just starting this morning.” She spares Wes a small glance, but her question is directed toward me.
“Nah, you can head to your usual detail,” I tell her, keeping my tone casual.
“All right, well, let me know if you need anything.” She turns and walks down the hall, disappearing around the corner.
I turn my attention back on Wes. “Remember what I said. No one else down here. You have a problem, call.”
“I got it,” he assures me, and I leave, jogging up the corridor so I can get back to Quinn.
Quinn
There’s a bang on the door that almost has me jumping out of my skin. When I look up, Evan is standing in the open doorway. His chest is rising quickly as if he’s been running. I angle myself on the couch so I’m facing him. “Geez, you scared me. Is everything all right?”
“Fine.” He huffs, confirming he’s a little winded.
“Griffin’s in the shower. I was just grabbing a bite, can I get you anything?” Half of my lunch is still on the table. Griffin called and had someone bring it up, and I didn’t put up too much of a fight. I really didn’t feel like going all the way downstairs to get something for myself.
“I’m good,” Evan replies, not taking his eyes off me while reaching back to close the door.
“Did you already eat?” He looks super serious, and I’m not sure I’m ready to have the conversation we avoided earlier.
“No,” he says, his voice deeper than usual. I’m tempted to say something silly, like he sounds like Griffin with his monosyllabic answers, but I don’t. Evan makes his way over to the sofa and takes the seat next to me. He’s holding his body rather stiffly, and none of the fluid grace I’m used to is present. He lets out a small sigh and places both of his palms on his knees, not quite facing me but still watching me.
“You stayed,” he finally murmurs after a long pause.
“I told you I wasn’t going anywhere,” I answer softly, then grab my bowl of pasta from the table to have something to do with my hands. Everything about this feels like it’s either going to be very awkward or super deep, like one of those conversations my previous boyfriends would want to have that would make me run for the hills.
I sort through my food with my fork, waiting for him to continue. “Are you sure you don’t want some? There’s a huge bowl in the kitchen,” I tell him, starting to ramble when he doesn’t say anything.
“Maybe later,” Evan responds, sounding super distracted. I shove a bite of food into my mouth so I’m not tempted to keep talking. He blows out a long breath as if he’s preparing for bad news. “About last night…”
A nervous laugh almost escapes me. Isn’t that how so many bad discussions start? “Uh-huh,” I mumble.
“I’m going to assume you don’t know much about bonding. When we talked on the plane, you had some questions.” He peers at me from the corner of his eye. Goodness, he seems so dang nervous, which is making me nervous.
