Page 84 of Bite of Sin

“One more condition—keep him out of your bed.”

I whirled around. “Excuse me?”

“If you want me to keep giving you information, then Warner stays the hell away from you.” Danger lurked in his eyes, and he was giving me a smirk that only riled me up more. “He wants you—”

“He’s my family,” I cut him off.

“That’s the deal, Kali. He doesn’t kiss you. Or touch you. Nothing. Or I won’t say another word. That goes for any man.”

“You’re fucking ridiculous. And you have a control issue.” I glared daggers at him as Warner called my name again.

“I’ll be listening.”

That statement proved what I’d already guessed. He could hear me in my room upstairs. Or he was lying. But I wasn’t sure I could take that chance. Once I told Tim about the medical center, he’d want more. And since I was the easiest avenue to get it, he’d be relying on me. From the way Zan was gloating, he knew that too.

Chapter32

Kali

Ipulled my hair back, tying it up in a ponytail before slipping into the clothes Jill had brought me. The baggy pants were a bit large, and I swam in the T-shirt, but it was better than having nothing. Jill promised she’d grab my clothes when she was in Project Hope. She and Tim had already left to go home, since Collin could only cover for them for so long. Tim wanted me to keep talking to Zan to see what else I could get him to admit. Although Tim was annoyed that I wasn’t getting the information the group wanted.

There was a light knock on the door before Warner poked his head in. He didn’t wait for me to invite him in, but why would he? I’d been living with him and Helena for years. It was habit. Zan’s words rushed back into my head about keeping Warner out of my bed, and I frowned in annoyance, positive that he was listening right now.

Warner stepped into the room, giving me a small smile as he made himself comfortable on the edge of the bed. The room was as old and run-down as the rest of this house, but I was grateful we had walls and a decently safe place to stay. Although I still felt like we were in the open. It was a neighborhood of houses that had been abandoned years ago. Apparently the Clovers had been living here for a long time, and PARA never came this way. Other than a couple of rogue vampires, this place had never been bothered.

“Tim and Jill should be back in a few days,” he said. “I’ve been getting to know a couple of the people here. They seem good. We could make a life here, Kali. Live free outside the city like you’ve always wanted.”

He’d just jumped into the serious talk. I sighed and leaned against the wall. “I’ve already told this to Tim, but keeping Zan here? They’re going to come looking. If they find us—”

“They won’t,” Warner cut me off. “We’re hours away from there.”

I wasn’t so sure about that. After seeing how their city worked and how organized the vampires were, I felt we were underestimating them. Especially with how calm Zan was about being trapped here. He was expecting his brothers to find him.

“I’m going to talk to him again,” I stated, watching Warner’s eyes harden. “Can you make sure everyone leaves the house?”

“You just woke up,” he grumbled.

“Tim wants me to find out as much as I can.”

“Is that the only reason you’re rushing to talk to the vampire?”

My gaze met his. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Fuck,” he breathed out, running a hand down his face. “You talk about him like you know him. Not like he’s a vampire—a fucking Kane—who held you hostage. Who locked me in a cage. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you didn’t hate him.”

I stared at him, choosing my words wisely since I was sure Zan was listening to this entire conversation. “I know what he is. I also know that he’s only talking to me right now. What do you want me to do, Warner? Tell Tim to fuck off when he asked me to do something to help the Clovers?”

“Of course not,” he muttered, standing from the bed. “I just want to know what’s going on in your head. What did he do to you when we were stuck in his city?”

“Not much,” I answered. “He thought I was a vampire. They were teaching me.”

“Just…be careful with him,” he said slowly. “Don’t let him get into your head.”

“He can’t,” I replied stiffly. “He can’t entrance me.”

“That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”

“I’m doing what the group needs me to do. That’s it.”

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