None of them answered, and I took that as a resounding ‘No.’ I could practically feel them backing down. Well, not all of them.
Spots of colour stained Paige’s cheeks. “You know, I never had you down as naïve, Imani. Clearly I was wrong, because from what I’ve seen of Butch and Marco, you sure know how to pick ’em.”
I sucked in a breath. “That was a low blow. And it’s the last I’ll let you make.”
Shoulders drooping, Paige looked like she wanted to take the words back.
I didn’t give her the chance. “I’m happy. Does that not matter to anyone here? Is it only your feelings and opinions that count? I’m very aware that I’m taking a risk. You don’t have to like it. You don’t have to like Butch. You don’t have to support me in this. But you do have to get rid of this idea that I need to explain myself to you. Seriously, why is it that you feel I owe you that? Huh? Why? Because I gotta tell ya, girls, if you really feel I owe you a piece of my soul then fuck you all.”
The door swung wide open, and Butch took a step inside. His dark gaze swept the room, taking in everything, and his anger seemed to vibrate through the air. It was simple enough for him to conclude what had just happened. In fact, he may have overheard some of it.
His eyes moved to me and he held out his hand. “Come here, baby.”
Pushing back my shoulders, I went straight to him. “Does this mean dessert’s ready?”
His arm slid around my waist; the move was both possessive and protective. “It means that you were gone too long and I got worried.” He sliced the girls a withering glance that would have made me flinch if I was the recipient of it. “You couldn’t let her just enjoy her evening? This was really necessary?”
Alora cleared her throat, the image of regret. “We just—”
“They were rhetorical questions,” he rumbled. “There’s never a good reason to fuck up your friend’s evening.”
Paige lifted her chin. “We didn’t want to mess up her evening. We just wanted to talk to her.”
“And look how that turned out.” His face went hard, his voice cold as he added, “All of you hear me when I say this because I’m absolutely serious: You don’t talk to Imani again until you’re ready to apologise—and that won’t happen unless I’m there to make sure you don’t hurt her any further. If you’re lucky, she’ll forgive you. But I won’t. She’s done nothing to deserve this shit, and none of you have a right to dish it out. She owes you nothing.” His glare fixed on Paige. “And you…you’re the one person I trusted with her. Now? That trust has gone.”
I thought she’d go on the defence, but her face fell. “I—”
He shook his head as he said, “You’re not the person I thought you were.”
With that, he guided me out of the restrooms.
CHAPTER TEN
(Imani)
The Alpha dragon shifter was seriously good-looking. Unkempt russet hair, tall toned body, and electric blue eyes that saw way too much. He didn’t hold a candle to Butch but, still, I wouldn’t kick him out of bed—or, at least, I wouldn’t if my bed wasn’t already occupied.
Two equally good-looking males flanked him, but they weren’t the only ones around. I could sense people standing amongst the trees that fringed the large field. Really, considering the history that existed between our two species, I couldn’t blame the Alpha for being so cautious.
For long moments, no one said a word as we sized each other up. The Alpha took in Butch’s protective body language, and his eyes smiled. Yep, he saw way too much. Then he nodded at the male on my left and greeted simply, “Marco.” The Alpha’s eyes shifted to me, now glinting with curiosity. “You must be his first-born.”
“I must be.”
Marco spoke. “Imani, this is Andres. Andres, Imani.”
Andres inclined his head ever so slightly at me. I gave him a brief nod.
“Ask your questions,” said Andres. Apparently there would be no chit-chat. Good.
“Actually,” I began, “I don’t have any questions. I’m here to pass on a message from the Grand High Pair.”
His lips flattened. “What message is that?”
I lifted my chin. “Whichever dragon drove is planning to obliterate The Hollow should seriously reconsider it.”
The air seemed to chill and the three dragons went unnaturally still. Finally, Andres asked, “What makes you think any such plan exists?”
“Someone had a premonition; they saw the dragons warring with us at The Hollow.”
“Really?” He sounded bored and unconcerned. Granted, I wasn’t expecting fear from him. But, at the very least, I’d expected him to take this seriously.
“I respect that your kind is powerful,” I told him. “But you have one weakness.”
He didn’t like that comment. “We do?”
“Your numbers are low in comparison to ours. The vampires at The Hollow are there because they’re very powerful. If dragons come, they will die. Personally, I think enough dragons have died at the hands of vampires.” I didn’t hide my regret about the latter, and the emotion seemed to appease him slightly.
“The vampire who had this premonition…they lied.”
Of course, Butch tensed. Before he could leap to my defence, I asked Andres, “Why would you say that?”
“If an attack was being planned on The Hollow, I would have heard about it.”
“You’re sure?”
His eyes narrowed. Oh, he didn’t like being questioned.
“The vision was real. Your kind will soon attack mine.”
The certainty in my voice seemed to reach him. “How soon?”
“Soon enough.” Even if I did have an exact date, I wouldn’t have given it to him. That could have led to a self-fulfilled prophesy.
His lips twitched. Why my evasiveness amused him, I couldn’t say.
Frustrated, I said, “Let’s say that, hypothetically, dragon shifters were planning to attack The Hollow. Why might they do that?”
Eyes gleaming, he said, “Hypothetically?”
“Sure.”
“There are only two possible motives. One, your Grand High Vamps made a serious enemy of a drove. Or two, they were hired to attack The Hollow. If the first had occurred, I would know.”
Which left… “Mercenaries.”
“Yes. They will work for anyone, if the price is right.”
Shit. “Maybe you could pass on our message. We truly don’t want to war with your kind. But if there is an attack on our home, we will stand against it. There will be deaths on both sides. I don’t think you want that any more than we do.”
Andres studied me for a moment before shifting his attention to Marco. “We’ll no doubt speak again soon.” As one, he and his dragons turned—giving us their backs to communicate their lack of fear. Whatever.
At my signal, Ian teleported all five of us to the castle entrance, where Sam, Jared, and the two squads waited on high alert.
Sam moved straight to me, but it was Ian she spoke to. “Take Marco inside; this is Hollow business.”
Marco’s spine snapped straight. “You brought me into this. That makes it my business.”
Sam snorted. “Not on your life, Marco.”
Ian teleported him out of there before Marco had the chance to object again. Within seconds, the teleporter was back.
Jared arched a brow at me. “Well?”
After I repeated the short conversation I’d had with Andres, Butch said, “My gut says that he’s telling the truth and hasn’t heard of a plan to attack our kind. And, since I think Imani’s right and he doesn’t want a war, I’d say he’s likely to pass on our message. I just don’t know if anyone will heed him.”
Sam sighed. “And that’s the problem.”
“Now that that’s over and done with, we can get back,” said Jared.
“Before we leave, I’d like to just wish Eleanor a happy birthday,” I said. We’d all been invited to the party that was currently in full swing, but I didn’t think
it would be a good idea to attend. The guests would most likely be drunk out of their minds by the end of it, which meant they wouldn’t be thinking straight. That could lead to either Tait challenging me or Marco blindsiding Butch. Neither of those scenarios appealed to me.
“Not alone,” stated Butch.
“I agree,” said Jared. So, at his order, I was accompanied by him, Sam, Butch, David, Ava, and Salem through the castle and out to the massive courtyard.
David frowned. “They’re having a rock concert?”
I smiled. “It would seem so.”
(Butch)
Spotting Lazarus and Annalise in a VIP box, Imani mouthed, “Where’s Eleanor?”
They both pointed to the front row, near the stage. Imani shot them a smile of thanks, and then we all pushed our way through the crazy throng of dancers. Eleanor gave her a huge hug and seemed disappointed that Imani wasn’t staying, but whatever explanation Imani said into her ear had the other female nodding in understanding.
After she gave Eleanor one last hug, we all began to retreat through the tight crowd. I cursed when someone knocked into me, causing me to stumble and—in the process—separate from Imani. With a growl, I shoved my way through them, easily catching up to her since she’d come to a halt. “Keep moving, we—”
A violent tremor wracked her body. “Butch…”
I spoke into her ear. “Baby, what’s wrong?”
Turning, she blinked up at me. “I don’t know. Something…”
“What?”
“Something pricked me in the arm.” She swayed, eyes glazing over in a truly creepy way.
I examined the arm she held out just in time to watch a tiny red mark fade away.
“I don’t feel good.” Her knees buckled.
“Shit.” I lifted her, cradling her against my chest. “Hold on, baby.” I carried her to where Sam, Jared, and the others were waiting. They all stiffened at the sight of Imani in my arms.
“What’s wrong?” demanded Sam.
“No fucking idea,” I rumbled.
Lazarus and Annalise appeared at my side. “Oh my God, what happened?” asked Annalise, face creased in concern.
“I don’t know,” I replied. “She said she felt a prick in her arm. Now her eyes are misty, she can’t stay on her feet, and the occasional tremor runs through her.” I watched Lazarus take an almost unconscious step back, head shaking slightly in denial. “What do you know?” I growled.
“We must get her inside.” In vampire speed, Lazarus led us all to a parlour. “Please lay her on the sofa so I can examine her.”
I was hesitant to release her but I did as he asked. I stayed at her side and kept my hand on her hair, needing to touch her.
“Imani, where exactly did you feel the prick?” he asked, an urgency in his tone that was freaking me the fuck out. She shuddered, but she didn’t answer him. He waved his hand in front of her eyes, but they were unfocused and her pupils didn’t respond.
“She felt it in her left upper arm,” I told him. “When I looked, there was a small red mark fading away.”
His eyes flew to mine. “How small? Like an injection site?”
Come to think of it… “Yeah.”
Annalise gasped, hand flying to her chest. “Lazarus, you don’t think…”
“Think what?” snapped Sam.
Lazarus’ expression crumpled as a tremor again assailed Imani from head to toe. “Yes, Annalise, I do.”
My frustration mounting, I advanced on him, invading his personal space as I jabbed a finger at him. “You need to explain what the fuck is going on.”
As if he didn’t have the strength to support himself, he sank into a plush chair. “You remember I told you about my many attempts to create a cure for vampirism?”
“You said they haven’t been successful.”
“My last serum came very close,” Lazarus told me, but there was no excitement in his voice. “We tried it on four people. Unfortunately, the serum didn’t work in the way that we’d hoped.”
Something about his tone made the hairs on my nape rise. “What do you mean?”
“It is designed to reverse the transition we all endured as we changed from human to vampire. As such, they have to re-experience the pain and bloodlust they suffered during that transition before they are once again human.”
My fists clenched, and I barely resisted the urge—no, the need—to punch something. “You think Imani’s been injected with that serum?”
Lazarus swallowed. “It is possible.”
“She’s going to be human again?” asked Ava.
“Not necessarily,” replied Lazarus, regret staining his eyes.
The vague answer made me growl. “What happened to the four volunteers?”
“The result differed from person to person. But in all cases, the transition didn’t fully reverse.”
Leaning into Salem, Ava bit her lip. “What happened to them?”
“The first was Pierce’s cousin,” said Lazarus. “Mid-way through the transition, he weakened until his strength became that of a human. He no longer craved blood. His gift faded. But he also aged at a dramatic rate until his body was that of a hundred year old man. He died of heart failure.”
A chill scuttled up my spine. “Fuck.” I scrubbed a hand over my face. My breath coming in short, soft pants, I asked, “What about the other three?”
“One developed a stronger craving for blood while at the same time aging even faster than Pierce’s cousin. She died when her organs shut down. The second vampire didn’t age at all, but he became so weak and frail that he fell into a coma and died.”
I took Imani’s hand, trying to calm the panic that was riding me hard. “What about the last volunteer?”
He looked pained. “As with the others, the reversal partly worked. But whereas they died mid-transition, he didn’t. However, his mental state remained that of a partly formed vampire. Consumed by bloodlust, he was more animal than man in his way of thinking. Saw everything as prey. We had to kill him.”
Shell-shocked, Sam gaped. “You’re saying that there’s a chance that Imani could find herself either dead or stuck mid-transition, consumed by bloodlust?”
“Yes,” sighed Lazarus. “I’m sure you remember what that’s like.”
I couldn’t recall every moment of the transition, but I remembered the bloodlust, the pain, the confusion, the high sex drive, and the pressing urge to hunt.
Salem asked the question haunting me, a question I couldn’t bring myself to voice. “So either way, she’s going to die?”
“It is likely.”
The words hit my chest like a fucking sledgehammer, causing the breath to explode out of me. No. There was no way I’d let that happen. No. Fucking. Way.
Lazarus sighed again. “I feel responsible.”
Right at that moment, I was holding him responsible. “You should,” I spat. “You knew the serum didn’t work, knew what it could do, but you didn’t get rid of it!”
His eyes squeezed shut as his face pinched in pain. “I did not for one moment think it would ever be misused this way.”
Jared raised a hand. “Butch, I understand you need someone to blame—”
“Imani isn’t like the others! She didn’t volunteer to take part in any trial!” I turned to Sam and pointed at the floor as I demanded, “Get Paige in here. She can fix it.”
Teeth biting down on her lower lip, Sam looked at Imani’s arm. “There’s no point, Butch, Paige can’t do it.”
“She can.” If Paige was able to remove the taint of the Reaper’s Call, she could fix this.
But Sam shook her head. “Paige heals by taking an injury and passing it to someone else. Imani doesn’t have any wounds. The prick from the needle healed. Without a wound…”
Fuck. I swallowed hard, and the movement hurt. “So how do we get rid of it? Don’t say we can’t. There are thousands upon thousands of vampires out there. At least one must have an ability that will somehow combat this.”
/>
“I’ll have Mona and Cedric look into it,” said Sam.
“Look into it?” I clipped. That was it?
“I know you want something done right here, right now. So do I, believe me. But at this moment in time, we have no bloody clue how to fix this. We will find a way.”
I looked down at Imani; she’d now passed out. “We need to take her back to The Hollow.”
Fists clenched, Salem spoke. “What I want to know is, who the fuck did this?”
“I would like to know the same.” Annalise’s voice was as hard and dark as her expression.
“It had to have been Marco, Juliet, or Tait,” I said. “No one else here would have a motivation to kill her.” And that was exactly what the person who was responsible intended when they gave her the serum. And that was exactly why they would die. But they wouldn’t die easily. Or slowly. They’d pay in the worst way—I’d make sure of it.
Jared turned to me. “You were behind her outside in the crowd. What did you see?”
“We got separated. It was only for a second. When I got back to her, she told me something had pricked her arm.”
Just then, the parlour door opened. Marco, his consorts, and a few other vampires strolled inside. My already pounding heartbeat accelerated and my fingers retracted so they were almost claw-like. I tensed, ready to lunge and kill. I didn’t know which one of the fuckers was responsible and nor did I care. If they all had to die just so the culprit would be punished, so be it.
Salem came to my side and said quietly, “Don’t. Stay with Imani. Guard her while she’s vulnerable.”
I was pretty sure Salem had chosen those very words because he suspected they just might penetrate the rage hazing my thoughts. He was right. I took a deep breath, searching for some element of calm.
Marco didn’t notice my struggle as his gaze went straight to a trembling Imani. “I heard she was carried inside. What’s wrong with her?”
I bared my teeth. “You know.” The words were almost animalistic.
Ava took a threatening step forward, only to have her way barred by her mate’s arm. “And so do your bunnies.”