“Got it, boss.”
With a nod, Eclipse vanished, taking form at the coordinates hislieterrahad given him. It was all he could do to cloak himself when he walked into the hospital, ensuring the humans weren’t aware of his presence. He stormed through the main waiting room, then went one by one in the various sections of the hospital until he found Orianna. She was sitting in the cafeteria, staring down at her phone as though she could will it to ring in her hands.
Eclipse backtracked to a vacated hallway and dropped the cloak before making his way back to her.
He wasn’t quite ten feet away when two human males stood from their spots and headed right for him. Beneath those leather dusters, he could see the outline of their weapons. And based on the way they moved, they knew how to use them.
It was then Orianna lifted her head and glanced over, tears pooling in her eyes as she shot to her feet and raced into his arms.
The two males backed off instantly but didn’t leave.
“I didn’t need bodyguards,” she said, her face pressed against his chest. “But thank you, anyway.”
Eclipse met the gaze of the taller one, nodding his head. There were no words, but their expressions said it all. They’d fulfilled their favor to Kaj.
“They refuse to let her go, Eclipse,” she said when they were alone. “Forcing her to do all these tests. Like an animal. I can’t believe he would do this to her. After all the shit he’s put her through.”
“We’ll get her out of here.”
“They said they can hold her for seventy-two hours.”
When she pulled back and met his eyes, Eclipse offered the hint of a smile. “I’ve got ways around that,sezari. Don’t you worry about it.”
The way her eyes lit up settled something in his chest. It erased the anxious worry that had plagued him for hours. But at the same time, it solidified a few things for him, and he knew once they got back to the mansion, there were things he had to address with her. Things that would ultimately change Orianna’s life forever.
“I’ve got Miklós packing up your mother’s house.” He went on to explain the conversation her father’d had, leaving out the bits about Amber.
As expected, Orianna’s response was arctic. Her anger was so potent he could feel it coming off her, washing over him.
Tilting her head up with his finger on her chin, Eclipse met her gaze and held it. “Trust me to take care of it,sezari.”
“I do,” she whispered. “I do trust you, I just…”
He could see a million questions brewing but he shook his head. “It’s best you don’t know the details. But we do need to get your mother out of here. I’ve got Echo on the way to escort her back to Darkness.”
“I should go with her.”
Eclipse shook his head. “It’s safer for both of you if you don’t.”
“I can take care of myself,” she countered hotly, clearly not amused by his desire to handle the situation.
“And I’m not arguing that point. But we’ve got some issues going down with vampires right now that directly affect theamsouelots. The less time we’re away from the mansion, the better off everyone is.”
“What issues?”
Eclipse didn’t have all the details on the vampire traitors, but he told Orianna what he’d learned from Obsidian regarding Darko and his attempt to overthrow the Alpha. Thankfully, it seemed to be enough to appease her, if only temporarily.
“Your mother’s safe with Echo and Cayden. They’ll get her back with as little interaction as possible. If they leave now, they’ll make it to Darkness before sunrise.”
“And us?” Orianna asked.
“We’re not driving this time,sezari.”
“Then—”
Taking her hand, he cut her off with a request for her to take him to her mother. He figured it was probably best not to let her know that he intended to evanesce her physical form and return her to the mansion that way. Not only was it not a traditional form of travel, it was also going to be slightly painful. For her.
But it sure as hell beat the alternative.
