Page 26 of Love Heals
Nicolai was dead. His orders shouldn't hold any power over me anymore, and yet...
I stared at the floor, my fists still balled. "I can't tell you."
Footsteps approached me. I didn't need to look up to know who it was. The magic in the air moved as Vlad did.
I drew back a step.
Jared stayed in place, though, positioning himself firmly between me and the older vampire. Only because he didn't know what he was up against, I was sure. My mouth ran dry, watching him.You don't want to stand in this vampire's way,I thought with my eyes burning a hole in the back of Jared's head, but he couldn't read my thoughts, and I couldn't find the voice to say them out loud.
Vlad didn't go around Jared, but he didn't seem to consider the mortal in his way an obstacle either, and why would he? What could Jared do against a vampire as powerful as Vlad? Nothing. If the older vampire wanted to harm me, he would. Without thinking about it, I took another step back.
Vlad's eyes fixed on me, gazing past Jared as if he didn't exist. "You should reconsider your decision." It wasn't a threat, but it felt like one nonetheless.
"I can't help you," I made myself insist, even though I could barely get the words out. Vlad didn’t deserve my obedience, though. He wasn’t Nicolai.
Which was exactly why I couldn't help.
Vlad took a step forward, and Jared shoved himself into his way. Vlad reached out as if to push him aside, but changed his mind at the last minute. Apparently, he didn't want to piss off Jared's family. With a grimace, he turned away from me, choosing to address the mortals in the room instead. "This vampire you're hosting has information that can help you in your fight for freedom. We need to know what the prophecy originally said, so you should do your best to convince him to share your secrets with you."
The expression on Jared's face remained stony. His siblings exchanged wordless glances. It was Elena who spoke up first. "Silas is our guest. We didn't bring him here to interrogate him."
"I'm not asking you to torture him." Vlad’s gaze slid to Luke. "I really thought you had what it takes."
Luke's mouth fell open, but no words came out.
With everyone's attention on Vlad, I grasped the opportunity to turn and flee from the room, out into the hallway and up the stairs.
