Page 46 of Stripped

Axel nodded once, but his glare didn't falter. “We'll be back in two hours, and I'll get some answers or I'm going to put her in a cage.”

Zane's expression hardened. “That's not happening.”

Julie sighed the sigh of the long suffering. “Enough. We'll talk about it in two hours. Come on, you big lug.”

Julie dragged Axel out of the house and Zane set a plate of dry toast in front of me. “It's hot,” he said.

I took a sip from the glass of water he placed next to the plate and placed a hand over my rumbling stomach, willing it to be patient. “Want to fill me in on what's going on?”

Zane sighed and took Julie's seat at the table. “I had to tell them you'd been attacked by a vampire when I called for backup, but I didn't tell them which vampire. Now that they know the vamp was Leopold, they're even more worried.”

“Why does Leopold want to hurt the pack? I know you got in a fight at the club, but I figured that was just typical werewolf vampire animosity.”

He rubbed a hand over his face. “Could be it was, but Leopold shut down my studio, and he's been making other moves to cut into our income sources. The previous vamp leaders wanted our pack territory, wanted our pack as their personal blood source. When Leopold took over, he claimed he wasn't interested in our land or our pack, but ordering you to spy on us makes it pretty clear that he wants something from us.”

“And Axel and the rest of the pack think Leopold has somehow weaponized me?”

“Yeah.” He hesitated. “I don't want you to talk about this if you aren't ready, but if you remember him telling you something, compelling you to do something that would hurt the pack, tell me now. If I know about it before the others, I can protect you.”

“You'd protect me over the pack?” I lifted the toast and took a bite. It tasted terrible with no butter or jelly, but it was better than puking.

He shrugged. “I don't think it'll come to that. If you've been given an order to hurt the pack, I just have to make sure I get you far enough away to keep you from carrying it out.”

I didn't want to remember Leopold's hands on me, his voice in my ear, but I wouldn't put the pack at risk just because I didn't want more nightmares. “When he told me what he wanted me to do, when he was looking into my eyes, I felt this pull, like I'd do anything he wanted, I'd do it because I wanted to do it. After he bit me, it got worse. I felt desperate to please him, to do what he asked. After I threw up, though, the feeling went away.” I took another bite of toast and chewed, while I searched myself mentally for any sign of compulsion. “I feel like me.”

He didn't seem reassured. “That could just mean his command is lying in wait for a specific moment. What did he tell you to do?”

I finished the toast before I spoke again. “He told me not to tell you he'd been there. He told me not to say his name in your presence. But I can say his name. Leopold, Leopold, Leopold.”

Zane's eyes widened. “You really think the compulsion didn't work? I've never heard of that happening to anyone.”

“Have you ever heard of anyone puking after being compelled? Alice and Carly haven't vomited up black sludge, have they?”

He shook his head, his expression full of wonder. “I'm assuming he told you not to tell me what he wanted you to do. Can you tell me that?”

My stomach was protesting a tiny bit, but otherwise I felt warm and good and, well, a bit sleepy. I took another sip of water and braced myself. I was confident I wasn't under a compulsion, but a tiny part of me worried that trying to tell Zane everything would send me to the bathroom to puke up the dry toast I'd just eaten. “He wants me to spy on you, on the pack. He wants me to meet him in Aspens Whiten every Wednesday to tell him what the pack is doing, what you're planning.”

He leaned back in his seat, shaking his head. “Damn it, I knew he was coming after the pack. That lying sack of shit.”

“I don't mean to defend him, but maybe he just wants to know if you're planning to come after him.”

He considered that. “Yeah, maybe.” He focused on me. “Anything else?”

“He told me he'd break me, he'd destroy my friendship with you and the pack, so there'd be no one to protect me. And then he bit my lip and sucked my blood.” I licked my bottom lip, still tender from his bite.

He leaned forward, elbows on the table. “Maybe the compulsion is still all about him coming after you, but he runs the risk of pissing off the whole pack and I can't imagine…” He stared at the table for a long moment, before looking back up at me. “You really are immune to his compulsion.”

I snorted. “Yeah, I just puke up everything I've eaten for the last twenty-four hours and sleep for a day. I'm a superhero.”

He grimaced. “You can't get anywhere near him again, I don't know what will happen if he tries to compel you again.”

“I've got no problem with that. The sooner I get to Denver, the better.”

He frowned and looked out the window over the sink. He laced his fingers together on top of the table and turned back to me. “How are you feeling? Did the food help?”

I stretched. “It did. I'm still hungry. Think I can have some more?”

“I think you should wait a little while. Make sure the toast stays down.” He stood. “Still tired?”

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