Page 95 of Bite of Sin

I forced out a smile. “I’m fine. When do you go back to Project Hope?”

“In a few hours. Did Jill give you your clothes?”

I nodded. “Yeah. Thanks.”

The basement door swung open, and Garrett strode out. He gave me a smile that instantly made me uneasy. Even before Zan’s warning, I wasn’t a fan of Garrett. He lived here, and I had only met him when we arrived. He was in charge of this faction of the Clovers, like Tim was with ours, and I could tell in the short time that he loved the power.

“You’re not talking to him today,” Garrett said, locking the basement door and pocketing the key. “Go enjoy your free day.”

I frowned. “Why not?”

“He’s too weak to get a word out,” Garrett answered with a shrug, glancing at Tim. “I think he needs blood. We need to discuss what to do.”

I stood there, unmoving, carefully keeping my face blank. He was weak? Was the blood I gave him yesterday not enough? He had looked better right after he fed on me. Garrett turned his attention to me, his calculating stare giving me the creeps.

“Go, Kali,” Tim said with a smile. “We’ll let you know when you’re needed.”

“Yeah,” I muttered. “I’m going to find Warner.”

“He mentioned something about going down to the pond earlier,” Garrett said. “I can take you.”

“Thanks, but I’m fine.”

I nodded a goodbye to Tim before walking toward the back door. My thoughts were muddled, and I pushed open the screen, stepping into the muggy air. It was so hot today that I was wearing a tank top and a pair of shorts that were just long enough to cover Zan’s bite mark. I had planned on wearing pants, but the heat was too stifling. So now I’d been tugging on the hem of the shorts all morning to make sure they stayed in place.

I walked through the tall grass, thinking about Zan. Why was disappointment weighing me down? I’d gotten used to talking to him every day, and it felt odd not being in the basement with him. I groaned, wiping sweat off the back of my neck. I should not let him into my head like this. Yesterday had been a mistake. What I did with him…my face flushed. It had started as a way to question him but had turned into so much more.

The pond came into view, and I paused near the edge of it, scanning the area for Warner. The pond was large, and it was kept stocked with fish for food. I was sick of fish since it was pretty much all we’d eaten since arriving. But at least we weren’t starving. Warner was nowhere in sight, and I sighed, deciding to go back to the house. The sun was too damn hot to be walking around.

“Did you find him?”

I whipped around, my heart skipping when I saw Garrett standing a few feet behind me. How had I not heard him following me?

“Uh, no,” I answered. “I’m going back to the house. I’m sure I’ll find him later.”

He stepped in my way when I moved to go around him, and I raised my chin, silently giving him a warning. He grinned, moving with me again.

“I just wanted to talk for a moment,” Garrett said. “Having new people in my house is something I’m not used to. If you and Warner plan to stay, I want to get to know you.”

“I appreciate you giving us a room,” I said slowly.

“Are you and Warner together?” he asked, cocking his head. “You two seem close, but he didn’t give me a straight answer.”

I paused, choosing my words carefully. “We’ve never been without each other.”

“Except when you’re downstairs with the vampire.”

“Not really my choice,” I said, my eyes growing cold. “Tim wanted me to question him, so that’s what I was doing.”

“Of course.” Garrett advanced toward me. “And you’ve done great getting information out of him.”

“Thanks,” I muttered. “I’m going to get some food.”

This time, he grabbed my arm when I attempted to go past him. My eyes snapped to his, and I frowned when his fingers tightened on my upper arm. I had a small pocketknife in my bra, but I stayed still. Garrett was the boss here. If I attacked him, things could go very badly for me.

“What are you doing?” I asked, keeping my voice steady.

“I want to know why the vampire only talks to you.” Garrett’s voice bled with authority, and I bit back my retort. He was important here, and making waves with him was not smart.

---