Page 70 of High Stakes and Soulmates
Yorick pulls back. “Casimir did it.”
“I think I’d remember him… oh shit, you’re right,” I say.
“You… forgot that the leader of the territory drained you of blood?” Maeve asks.
“We get up to some real weird shit,” Yorick informs her. “Like the other day, we were having the werewolf run an agility course at a dog show.”
Maeve stares at us, apparently getting how weird we are… or maybe she’s jealous she never thought to put her daughters in show business and make some money off them.
After Cyrus commented a while ago about Julian requiring Casimir’s blood, Casimir had Julian feed from me to see if my blood would keep the silver inside him at bay. It didn’t work, but Casimir is nothing if not determined. As time passed, he proceeded to collect blood from multiple vampires and try them in different ways, such as part his blood and part mine. He even tried Yorick’s blood, and blood from Atticus, an older vampire. He’s terrified that he’ll die and without his blood, Julian will die as well. At this point, I’m convinced the man has a secret underground bunker just filled with his own blood. But does that mean… Louis got hold of the blood?
“I need to talk to Casimir,” I state.
“Wait, we’re not finished here,” she says.
“I know, but…” I don’t even know what to say to that. I really just don’t feel like talking to her. I want to talk to Cyrus about this, but of course he’s gone. So then Casimir it is. “I need to talk to Casimir. I’ll be right back.”
Maeve seems reluctant to let me go but doesn’t stop me as I head out the door with Yorick on my heels. I step outside before sitting down in my car so I’ll have some privacy. There aren’t any vampires currently here, and the weres are all at home because of the full moon, so I should be pretty safe to talk.
I pull out my phone, but before I can even type Casimir’s name in, my phone rings and I see it’s Cyrus. Relief washes through me that he’s not too busy to call me. I can talk to himabout this and see what he thinks about it. And hopefully, he can make the hell happening inside of me calm down.
“Hey,” I say, far too thrilled at the prospect of hearing his voice. “I’ve been wanting to get ahold of you. You won’t believe?—”
“Ezio, I need your help. I need you and Casimir… I’m at that club I told you about. I came here with my brother.”
I hesitate as that sinks in. “Joaquin? He’s… dead… isn’t he?”
After Cyrus explains that Joaquin was turned into a vampire and has been in hiding, I promise to get there as fast as I can and beg him to be careful.
“I will,” he says before he hangs up so I can call Casimir. I just want to keep talking to him, make sure he’s safe and hear his voice, but I know I need to keep moving.
Quickly, I call Casimir, but he doesn’t answer. Is he busy with Julian? But I can’t do this alone.
“I’m going to run; it’s faster if I don’t have to follow the roads. Can you please go get Casimir?” I ask.
“Shouldn’t I just go with you? We don’t know what’s happening.” Yorick seems anxious about the idea of leaving me, but two of them are better than one. Even if I have to hold someone off for the minutes it takes him to get Casimir, it’s best if he goes back for him.
“What if I need you both? It’d take you minutes to get Casimir, and I’d have help from both of you,” I say as I throw my keys at him in case he needs my car.
Then I rush off into the darkness, prepared to do whatever it takes to keep Cyrus safe.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CYRUS
My body tenses as I realize that what is facing me is not a dog. The broken crate in Donovan’s adjoining room… that wasn’t for a dog… it was for a fucking werewolf.
Fuck, fuck…
I pull out my gun and aim it at the werewolf that has caught sight of me. It’s completely focused on me as my stomach sinks.
My hand tightens on my gun, but I don’t want to kill the werewolf. It wasn’t its fault it got out of the cage that must have been crushed by the vampire who killed Donovan. But it’s blocking me from both the club and my car. The music oozing out of the club would drown out my cries, and it’s not like I could call someone inside when I have no idea who any of them are.
Its ears flatten as bared teeth glisten in the light of the moon. It takes slow steps toward me, like it’s stalking me. It’s a large werewolf too, significantly larger than Julian who is quite small for a werewolf.
I aim my gun at it, hoping that maybe a loud noise will scare it off or at least tell someone I need help. I don’t know whether it’s the movement of my arm or it was just waiting foran opportunity, but it rushes me, so I fire off my gun into the sky. The noise startles it, but it’s not enough. Its eyes are fixated on me, and it’s coming at me no matter what I do. I turn and bolt, hoping to get back to the open window or at least to the front of the club where I might run into someone who can help. It’s closer to the front of the club than I am, so I go for the window. If I can get through, I can slam the window shut or seek help or dosomething. Because out here… it’s just a human against a monster, and I’m well aware that I’m not going to win.
I reach the open window and grab on to the sill as I leap forward and pull myself into the room, but I’m not fast enough. The werewolf catches my pants and jerks me out of the window with impressive speed. I hit hard on the ground and kick it in the face, but when I try to get up, it grabs on to my leg and starts dragging me.
