Page 17 of Fanged Embrace
My grip on the phone tightened. “River?” I echoed, as though I didn’t recall precisely who she was—orwhatshe was. “How’d you get this number?”
“You called me first, remember?” she said, an edge of amusement beneath her caution. “When you found my bag?”
“Right.” Dumb question. Of course she’d saved my number. But why the hell was she calling me?
A beat of awkward silence. She cleared her throat. “I was wondering if you’d be willing to meet up somewhere, uh, open? Public? We could talk. About… everything.”
“You want to… talk,” I repeated, buying time while I hauled my racing thoughts in order. “Talk about what?”
“About what you said at the diner. About the organization.” She sounded surprisingly genuine. “Look, I get that you don’t trust me, but I think we can help each other—if you’re open to it.”
I swallowed. The last time I got near River I’d ended up inher arms, barely able to breathe. Not exactly an experience I wanted to repeat. I had escaped out that window for a reason. Because I didn’t trust her. Because it had to be a trick.
Still, maybe it would be smart to have a vampire on my side. Even if she might not be fully trustworthy, it was a risk I could weigh.
I blew out a shaky breath, pressing my nails into my palm. The safest option would be to say no. To block her number, and maybe lay low for a while so she couldn’t find me. But I had questions. Questions that could only be answered by someone who knew the supernatural world better than I did.
“Fine.” I spoke curtly, working the tremor out of my tone. “But somewhere public.” Somewhere with witnesses, should anything go wrong.
Before she could say more I rattled off a place—a park nearby, big and open, plenty of people milling around constantly. If this was a trick or a trap of some kind, she’d have a hard time covering it up there.
“Sounds good.” River’s voice crackled through the line and I pictured her smiling. I remembered the slight dimples in her cheeks—which was an odd thing to recall. “Meet you there in about an hour?”
“...Sure. See you then.” I hung up before she could speak again and dropped my phone in my lap.
This was a bad idea.
It was risky. Very risky. But then again, so was everything else in my life.
Glancing around the disaster of my living room, I decided it could wait. Again. The only thing that mattered was getting closer to the organization, maybe gleaning some real leads from River.
Or she’d confirm my worst fears.
That no matter where I turned, there was no one left to trust.
9
River
The wind picked up along the edge of the park, riffling through the fallen leaves and sending them dancing across the footpath. I stood near a rickety bench, watching joggers flit by and dog walkers stumble after their leashed furry friends, waiting around for Laurie to show up.
She’d chosen this location strategically, and I couldn’t exactly blame her for wanting that extra sense of safety. If I were in her shoes, I’d probably do the same.
A woman walked by with a toddler babbling happily in a stroller and I waved at the kid when he looked my way. A burst of laughter bubbled from his lips and his mother reached down to pat his head. A small moment of infinite tenderness that had a smile tugging at my lips.
Eventually, I spotted my new associate: shoulders hunched under that worn jacket, hands shoved deep in her pockets, trudging up the path toward me. She walked quickly like she wanted to outrun any second thoughts, her gaze roving the area to check for threats.
I wondered if there was ever a moment when Laurie wasn’t tense. So far, our every interaction saw her taut like a rolled up newspaper.
“Hey,” I called softly, raising a hand in greeting and hoping like hell that she wouldn’t get cold feet before we’d even planted our asses on the park bench.
Laurie looked up at my greeting and approached with caution in every step. Up close, her tension vibrated through the air; I felt it as a tight coil of fear, suspicion, and lingering pain. Without meaning to, I let my power brush against her aura—subtly, gently, like approaching a skittish animal. I could feel her terror, and it was poignant, pulsing under her skin.
This was a power I didn’t use often, something I hadn’t quite refined.
Hunter’s abilities were all about enforcing her will, compelling people to do what needed doing by forging an unspoken command. My powers were similar in that they were based on influencing other people, but they worked a little differently.
Where Hunter took control and wrestled minds into submission, I could ease someone’s anxiety or nudge them off the ledge of panic. I could coax someone to rage, or bring them to tears. It was a matter of sensing their emotions and guiding the tide from there. All of it was more of a whispered suggestion than an actual order, but no less effective.
