Page 73 of Bite of Sin

“Zan doesn’t hate you. If he did, you’d already be dead.”

“They’re waiting until my birthday.”

She sighed. “Kali. I’ve known Zan since before he became a vampire. Believe me when I say he does not hate you. I have a feeling you’ll be around a long time. Which is fine with me. I like you. As long as you aren’t a threat to my family. And I consider Zan family.”

Her warning wasn’t lost on me, and her eyes flashed dangerously before she shook her head and went back to loading bullets into the guns. My gaze trailed to the back room, where my own weapon was hidden.

“Kali,” Warner whispered from behind me.

I spun around, grabbing the bars. His hands covered mine, and relief flooded his face. I opened my mouth before immediately closing it again. There was so much I wanted to say, but Gia was listening to every word, so I had to be careful.

“Hey,” I said softly. “Are you okay?”

“Are you?” His gaze slowly trailed down my body. “I thought they were going to hurt you after finding out you were human.”

“They just locked me in a room upstairs. I’m fine.”

“How the hell did you make them think you were one of them?”

“I had the lotion on the first night. They guessed that, and I just ran with it.”

“Smart,” he muttered. “I’m glad that you’re still…you.”

A lump grew in my throat. “I wanted to tell you, but they hear everything.”

“Yes, we do,” Gia sang out.

Warner shot her a death glare. “PARA is going to destroy this place.”

“And us along with it,” I mumbled. “They’re going to kill us, Warner.”

He gave me a small lopsided grin, trying to ease my worry like he’d done when we were kids. “Hey. We survived this long. We’ll get out of this too.”

I returned a weak smile of my own. I pulled my hands from the bars and glanced over my shoulder at Gia. She was staring at the front door, her head tilted slightly, making a chill run down my spine.

“Can you hear them?” I whispered.

“They’re closer than they should be.” Her eyes snapped to mine. “I want you to go into a back room, and don’t come out until I say.”

“No,” I protested. “I’m not leaving Warner—”

“Go,” she demanded sharply. “Or I’ll lock you in a room.”

“Let him go with me,” I pleaded, staying right next to the cage. “If they get in here, they’ll kill him.”

“No. This is the last time I’m telling you. Go, or I’ll make you.”

“Kali, just go,” Warner said in a low voice. “I’ll figure it out.”

I gave him one last look before backing away. I had every intention of getting my gun, and I didn’t want Gia to put me in a different room where I didn’t have a weapon. I slipped inside, gripping the edge of the door while keeping it halfway open. Warner was pacing, watching Gia as she stayed behind the counter with a shotgun in her hands. My mouth grew dry when flashlights began shining through the dark in the front windows.

“Close the door,” Gia hissed, not looking away from the windows. “Now.”

“Fuck,” I muttered, shutting the door and locking it.

Rushing to the couch, I ripped the cushion off and hurriedly unzipped it. My fingers wrapped around the gun, and I checked to make sure it was loaded with a bullet in the chamber. They might be wooden bullets, but they were still deadly to humans. I fell to the floor when there was an explosion loud enough to shake the entire building. Glass shattered from outside the room, followed by yelling and gunshots.

I scrambled to my feet, flinging myself forward and pressing against the wall right near the door. There was a feminine scream, and my heart thudded painfully. Was that Gia? Worry sat on my chest before I could force it away. She was a vampire—I shouldn’t care. I tightened my hold on the gun. She’d been nothing but nice to me since I got here. I stared at the doorknob, trying to listen hard enough to guess how many soldiers were out there, but it was suddenly silent.

---