Maybe Cody’s imagining Simon’s air of resentment. Probably not. He doesn’t like the way Dima surprised Simon with a werewolf at his door.Dick move.
Then again, Dima may have a lot on his plate. A hunter planning to kill a vampire, staking out a blood club? That’s dangerous treaty-related shit, well above Cody’s paygrade.
“Normally in an active threat situation, we would have an entire team out here,” Cody says. “Not just one guy.”
“Don’t think you can handle it?” Simon asks, fake sweet.
Cody leans back in his chair. “Werewolves sleep too. But Atwood Security was short on paranormals, so I’m the team this time. Luckily, your new security system is higher tech than we’re supposed to be capable of. You’re safe here, even when I’m sleeping, and I’ll accompany you any time you leave the house.”
Simon is silent for so long, Cody braces himself for an argument. But Simon’s eventual question is simple. “Is that all?”
“We should review some other protocols,” Cody says. “I won’t tell you to do much. But if I say something, then do it. No questions asked, even if it doesn’t make sense right then. You can always yell at me later.”
“I look forward to that.”
Cody bets he does. “I also want to review your daily routine. And do you have a phone? I want to add a panic button.”
“Sure,” Simon says brightly. “Tomorrow night. I’m busy now, but you can play with my phone and review protocols to your heart’s content tomorrow night.”
“Now would be better,” Cody tries.
“Either I’m safe here with your fancy security system, or I’m not.” Simon waves his hand, an echo of his sire’s dismissal. “Tomorrow night.”
Fine. Cody knows how to pick his battles. This isn’t one he wants to fight with the full moon hangover pounding his bones. There are other settling-in procedures he can handle tonight. “That’s fine. I should inspect the system. Do you want to show me around, or should I explore on my own?”
Searching would be more efficient without the vampire lurking nearby. But principals sometimes get jumpy about Cody poking around unsupervised, at least for the first few days. By the time Cody settles in, he’s invisible unless he’s needed.
As expected, Simon straightens up. “I’ll give you a tour,” he says, and hops from the couch.
But once standing, his face whitens even further. His blue-green eyes go blank—before rolling back.
Lunging forward, Cody catches Simon as he falls. His charge’s body is cold and light, featherweight bones in his arms. Cody lays Simon out on the ground, careful to stabilize his neck.
Training and instinct drive each thought at breakneck speed. Cody puts two fingers to Simon’s wrist, and his heart sinks when he doesn’t feel a pulse. Simon is cold, not breathing—
Right.
Rationality kicks in. Simon is a vampire. He’s supposed to be cold. His pulse is supposed to be slow.
And he’s a sneaky little liar. Looks like that poison wasn’t so temporary after all.
“Hey, Simon,” Cody says soothingly, pressing two fingers beneath Simon’s jaw. Maybe he can catch a pulse there. “Can you hear me?”
One faint beat against his fingertips. A moment of relief.
Then Simon’s eyes fly open, and he claws at Cody’s face.
Chapter 5
Simon
Instinctive alarm slashes through the darkness. Simon lashes out, only for heavy hands to catch his wrists. He twists, teeth bared, but can’t break free—too weak to even try again. He’s as dizzy as he was when the poison first struck, and the werewolf has him trapped, helpless on the floor.
Is this how Francisco felt, three centuries ago?
“Shit,” Cody hisses, tightening his grip. But his next words are soothing. “Easy there, Simon, it’s me.”
Like that’s supposed to be reassuring. Simon falls limp, staring up into the looming werewolf’s face, and drags his fear back into the shadows of his mind. He can’t be afraid. He can’t. Thankfully Dima isn’t here to see how pathetic he is.
