Page 66 of Club Blood

The color in my cheeks drained, the thought hitting me like a punch to the gut. I hadn’t considered that anything untoward could have happened to Laura after we got split up; my psyche hadn’t let me even go down that avenue of thought.

“I… Yes, she has to be.”

Warren winced and pulled at the grass more, making a little pile of greenery on top of his jeans. It was such a human thing to do – I had done it myself as a child on the playground – and it made me wonder how much Warren missed his previous life. He put on the charade of torturer and bloodsucker extraordinaire, but the sweet, soft side to him that I was allowed to see normally won out.

“Why haven’t you spoken to her in a while?”

The guilt I felt twisted inside me, writhing like a vicious serpent. I had allowed myself to be caught up, first by my kidnapping and then by Mercy herself, and thoughts of Laura had taken a backseat. Life was a complicated path, and I was failing absolutely fucking miserably.

“She was with me the night I went toAmbrosiaand everything went down. She had been flirting with some vampire and then Tusker came up to me because I was alone at the bar…”

Warren swore, batting his little pile of grass from his clothes in anger. “Slimy bastard. Always liked preying on vulnerable people. I’m glad the fucker is already dead because I would be trying to tear his bones out one-by-one right now if he wasn’t.”

While the imagery of Warren enacting his vengeful fantasies made me queasy, I had to smile at the protectiveness he extended towards me.

“Anyway, everything just got really…complicatedafter that and when Mercy brought me home, it was made very clear that I couldn’t contact anyone outside of the compound. Security risk after what I had witnessed.”

“Hmph.”

I raised my brows at him, “What?”

“Mercy and her fucking rules, is what. She should have told me you were worried and I’d have done some digging for you. If you want me to see if your friend is okay, I’ll do it.”

“Mercy didn’t know, I don’t think. And do you really mean that?”

Warren smiled. “Of course I do. Anything to see a smile on that gorgeous little face, Queenie.”

I rolled my eyes, smacking him on the shoulder. “You’re such a flirt.”

Pouting his lips, he winked seductively. “You mean to tell me that you don’t want to kiss this handsome face? I amhurt, Cecelia. Absolutely devastated.”

We both erupted into a fit of laughter and I could almost feel some of the weight on my shoulders drift away with the clouds. As Warren pulled me to my feet and into another comforting hug, I was able to picture the immense relief I’d feel when I’d be able to hug Laura again.

But for now, I would settle for just knowing she was okay.

35

MERCY

My skin wason fucking fire. There was very little that could cure the burn besides a release from the prison that was the sun, and unfortunately, Vegas was not known for its shade. There were no blisters yet, but I could feel them start to bubble the longer I walked along this street directly underneath the heated rays. I felt like a glutton for punishment. There were no large buildings nearby, no trees to offer little salvation. It was strictly sunlight and agony.

This was not my first visit to the precinct. This was, however, my first time walking in broad daylighton purpose, to the precinct. Although the police department was open and available for visitors in the evening, they weren’t exactly a vampire’s favorite place, nor were we their favorite visitors. I was going to them for a favor however, and so despite my arms itching like crazy from the burn, I was open to being…amenable, to get what I wanted.

Humans still seemed to think that the sun was enough to protect them from the creatures of the night. But no one on the street looked at me sideways, even if I was absolutely certain I had that crazy look in my eye and mania in my movements as I eagerly searched for any patch of covering I could find. I was hoping the officers themselves would share that same sort of neglect of observation. It was unlikely, with my tall frame and noticeably pale features, I’d been told I blended in about as well as a wolf in a den of sheep. But I hoped for the best, anyway.

Not even idle thoughts could keep me from wincing uncomfortably in pain. I had a few hours left until it was absolutely dangerous for me to be out here, but no Known would willingly walk in broad daylight as I was doing now, no matter how many hours they had left. With my heels clicking faster and faster along the cement, I was finding myself regretting my decision to reject my private chauffeur.

I didn’t know who to trust, or what was safe. There was nowhere in this city where I could let my guard down, especially as Narcissa and Carlisle’s coven hovered dangerously. Even Warren’s intel made me wary. Nothing made sense, and everything in the world felt like a lie. Much to her immediate displeasure, I didn’t even tell Cecelia where I was going. The thought of meeting our enemies without warning was enough that I refused to entertain her pleas for me to bring her with. I could not concentrate while she was around, and didn’t want to be caught off guard. It was good then that Warren would be distracting her with more training. At least that was enough to put me at ease.

She seemed less a prisoner or a guest now, and more a permanent figure in the house. She and Warren had continued training each waking moment, and I was warily becoming more confident in her wielding a stake of her own and protecting herself with it. She practically carried my gift with her everywhere; where Cecelia was, it was almost always within grabbing distance. At first it made me wary, skittish even. Some would say I was crazy for even keeping something so deadly in my home, not locked in the dungeons, away from any prying hands. The longer it was out, the easier it was to desensitize myself to it. I trusted her to not kill Warren, or me.

No wonder Narcissa thought I was weak. There were very few vampires that would trust a human as far as they could throw them, not including the introduction of a deadly weapon in the mix. The very thing that could be my immediate demise.

I didn’t fear her, though.

Maybe in some ways, like in the way I was beginning to feel every time I watched her wipe away her sweat drenched hair from her forehead as she was concentrating on besting Warren. That was the real fear I felt. I was finding myself opening up my closed doors, letting her in. Cecelia was consuming every waking thought. I found that I was starting to want her in bed with me more than I ever wanted my queendom, and the hold I had on Sin City was crushing under the weight of my ignorance because of it.

That was nothing but an afterthought, in the grand scheme of things. Carlisle and Narcissa had to be my first priority, Vegas could not live under my rule unless that threat was taken out of it. The heart that sat in the small black box- the one that was now sitting in the palm of my hand and my fingers wrapped around it tightly in a protective embrace- was a direct threat to what was mine, disguised as a morose gift. I had no doubt Narcissa had every intention to take that girl from me.

---