Chapter Five
Shoni hugged her waist tight and kept shooting side glances at the huge, scary man driving the car. Chaz wasn’t human. She’d seen him kill. He’d grown massive wings, and his skin had been a dark gray color.
Gargoyles weren’t just stone statues. Werewolves were real. Vampires, too. Her entire life had been turned upside down, and she felt nauseous from the knowledge.
Her head ached from being knocked out, but she wasn’t going to complain about that. Her vision wasn’t blurry. It had to be a good sign that she didn’t have a concussion. At least, she hoped not. She doubted Chaz would take her to a hospital to be checked over.
She reached up to touch where her scalp throbbed but didn’t feel wetness. There was only a small lump on the back of her head. Shoni dropped her hand. She decided all of it was Marco’s fault. She’d be on her honeymoon if he hadn’t screwed her over. That’s who she focused her anger on. She could kick Marco’s ass, though. No way was she going to be mad at Chaz. He was terrifying.
Chaz had promised not to hurt her. A shudder ran down her spine, remembering what she’d seen inside that warehouse. So much blood and body parts had no longer been attached to where they should be. His black wings had sliced through those furry bodies as if they’d been sharp blades.
She stared out the window, watching as they pulled into the hotel parking lot. Chaz isn’t going to hurt me . She kept saying it over and over in her mind. “Why are we here?”
He parked and turned off the engine. “We’re going inside to get our bags. I assume you’re still checked in?”
She nodded. “I was grabbed while going up to my room after we parted ways.”
“I knew you had to have been taken shortly after I left you. I’m sorry you got dragged into this.”
She faced him, remembering that morning. “You came to my rescue then, too.” He had stunned her step-monster with the bullshit show he’d put on about them being romantically involved. “Thanks for that.” Her gaze went to his lips. Ones that she’d kissed. Or, more appropriately, that had kissed her. “Shit.”
“What is it? I highly doubt the Lycans would be stupid enough to attack us while we go inside to get our bags.”
“You kissed me,” she blurted.
“I did.” He grinned.
She hated not being able to see his eyes. They weren’t human. That’s what she’d noticed in that warehouse. They had looked strange and weird. She just hadn’t been close enough to understand why. “Can you take off your sunglasses?” She wanted a better look at them.
“No. There might be cameras in this part of the lot. I parked closer than I normally do since we’re not staying here long.”
“What’s wrong with them?”
He sighed and reached up, lowered his chin, and moved the sunglasses enough to gaze at her over the top of them. She stared into his eyes. They were definitely not human. The irises weren’t a solid color but more like moving liquid, light and darker silver fluid in motion.
“Breathe,” he reminded her.
She sucked air into her lungs.
“I’m what’s known as a silver. It’s a trait I inherited from my Gargoyle father. My twin has the same flaw. At least, that’s how I view it. I can’t pass as a human because of them. I hate wearing contacts. Not only do they annoy my eyes if I wear them, but I have to pick a color for the lenses that are near black to hide the fact that my real ones are always shifting colors.”
“Why is that?”
“Think of it like a heartbeat. It’s just a body function. Only my eyes never solidify into a single color. They are mostly silver, but some blue and black show up in them, depending on my moods.” He pushed his sunglasses back, hiding his eyes from her again. “I can’t help it. It just is.”
“They are really cool.” She instantly regretted blurting that out.
He smiled. “I’m glad you think so.”
“And terrifying.”
He chuckled. “They tend to freak people out. Hence the sunglasses.” His features turned somber. “We need to have a serious talk, Shoni. Ready?”
She nodded.
“You have two options, but you need to be honest with me. Are you able to walk into that hotel, remain calm, and get our stuff without alerting anyone that something is wrong? You can’t trust your police. I’m guessing you might think of screaming for help, believing the cops would save you.”
She’d been in a state of shock and hadn’t thought of that as a plan. It didn’t sound like a bad one, though, now that he’d mentioned it.
“Here’s a lesson to learn about Lycan packs. They infiltrate the police and judicial systems in towns near their packs. It’s how they prevent humans from finding out about them. Even if a human cop showed up, they’d take you to the station or a hospital. Probably a hospital since you’d sound insane if you told anyone the truth about what you’ve seen and learned. No one wants to believe we exist.”
Shoni was willing to believe that was true. She felt a little nuts after what she’d seen.
“Lycans have pack members working at hospitals, too, in case one is ever brought in after being seriously hurt. Blood tests would be bad. Lycans are embedded everywhere to destroy the evidence of our existence. That would be you to them. Am I clear in explaining that? Either way, instead of being with me, you’d be back with them. I want to keep you alive. They will kill you. It’s against our laws to allow a human to know about us unless they are a mate.”
She felt sick again but fought the urge to puke.
“I’m not going to hurt you, Shoni. Can you walk in there, act normal, and not cause a scene? I’m willing to trust you. You’re smart. All I want to do is check us out, get back into this car with our bags, and take you to a place where you will be safe until someone can erase your memories. It will be like this never happened. You’ll wake up in your bed none the wiser.”
“You can do that?”
“Not me, but I can have it done. Ever seen any Vampire films where they make humans forget things? It’s kind of like that,” he explained.
She was scared, but he had saved her in that warehouse. “Do you promise?”
“I swear.” He put his fist over his chest. “I could have killed every Lycan in that warehouse. I didn’t. I don’t enjoy killing, but it was necessary to save a lot more lives from being lost. Lycan territory wars are savage. I’ve seen packs almost completely obliterated. That could be anywhere from fifty to hundreds of deaths. The alpha I killed was a total dickhead. He wouldn’t have cared if kids or women were murdered in the process. I’d do it again to save the lives of innocents.”
She studied him, wanting to believe every word he said. “I promise.”
“Promise what? I want you to be clear.”
“I won’t do anything to draw attention to us. I’ll stay with you until you can get my memories erased.”
He let his fist drop from his chest. “Good. I want to keep you safe, Shoni. We’re not so different.”
She wasn’t buying that, and her expression must have shown her disbelief.
“Physically, sure. I can’t deny that. But I have a family I love. I never want to see people I care about being hurt or killed. My life is a hell of a lot tougher than yours as far as violence goes. It doesn’t make me an evil bastard. The last thing I want is for you to get hurt. You’ve had to suffer enough of that lately. I’m sorry about your ex-douchebag. Marco and the lake slut deserve each other. You were lucky to dodge that dickhead. Your stepmother is not a witch. She’s a cruel bitch.”
She felt her cheeks heat. “How do you know so much?”
“I have excellent hearing. I have a few more questions for you. I need the truth. Do you really live near here?”
“Yes. It’s why I chose this hotel for my wedding. I also got a discount for living so close to them. The hotel does that for their neighbors.”
“Does Marco share your home?”
She shook her head. “We never lived together. He was going to move in after the honeymoon.”
“Do you live alone?”
“Yes. It’s a two-bedroom condo.”
“We’ll go there after we’re done here.” He smiled. “Let’s go grab our shit and ditch this hotel. I won’t allow any harm to come to you. Just stick with me.”
She debated it before nodding. “I’m going to trust you. Please don’t let me down.”
“I won’t.”
Then, he climbed out of the car. She released the seatbelt and reached for the door. Chaz got to it first and pulled it open, offering her his hand. Shoni hesitated but took it, allowing him to help her out of the car. Once again, she was reminded of how big he was.
Chaz’s hold on her hand was gentle as he closed the car door, put on the alarm with a chirp, and pocketed the fob. They walked side by side toward the hotel. He closed his long coat to hide his bare chest.
“Just act cool,” he murmured. “Like we’re a couple. We’ll head to my room first and yours second. Do you have your keycard?”
“In my pocket. Thankfully, I left my purse in my room this morning. I figured Perri might upset me enough for me to forget it at the table if she was nasty enough. It wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened.”
“Okay.”
They entered the hotel together. She noticed that people stared at Chaz but seemed to ignore her. The trench coat and dark sunglasses he wore probably made him appear strange to them. It was also his good looks. He did stand out from other men. She kept her chin down until they stepped into the elevator. No one else was inside it.
“There is a camera, so be cool,” he softly reminded her. “You’re doing great.”
“Thanks.”
They stopped on his floor and got out. He kept hold of her until they reached his door. He pulled out his keycard and slid it through the slot. It beeped, flashing green, and he twisted the handle. “After you.”
She entered, glancing around. The bed was unmade. It was obvious he’d slept there. Chaz removed the ‘do not disturb’ sign from outside the door and put it on the interior handle. He took a few steps inside, grabbed a black duffle bag, and turned. He put his keycard on the desk. “All set. Let’s get your belongings next.”
She led the way back to the elevator and pushed the button for the top floor. A maid cart was in the corridor as they went to her room. She withdrew her keycard and unlocked her door, walking in. She felt certain he’d follow. Chaz did.
The honeymoon suite was nice, and she once again cringed. It was supposed to be where she’d spend the first night as a married woman. Instead, it mocked her. The hotel had sent up a bucket of ice with a bottle of champagne. It sat untouched next to the nice flower arrangement, along with the card that was probably to congratulate the ‘happy’ couple.
She strolled through the room and into the bedroom. The bed in there was made. She’d slept on the couch instead. Her suitcase was packed near the door, so was her makeup case, and her wedding dress remained bagged on the bed.
Chaz moved past her and went for the garment bag.
“Leave it.”
He paused and slowly turned, frowning at her.
“Spoiler alert. I had put my wedding gown on, and my cousin was doing my hair and makeup when Marco called to tell me not to bother meeting him at the altar. It was less than an hour before we were supposed to say our vows. He didn’t even have the balls to tell me in person. Then the prick texted me a picture of him kissing a friend’s sister to let me know he’d dumped me for her.”
“You dodged a dickhead. I can’t say that enough.”
“I know. Leave the gown. Maybe the maid knows someone who could use a slightly worn one. Or they’ll throw it away. I don’t care as long as I never see it again.” She moved forward and lifted her makeup case, then grabbed her purse off a chair. “The suitcase has wheels. Do you want me to pull it?”
“I’ve got it.” He just lifted it by the handle.
“Now we check out?”
“Place the keycard on any surface. Housekeeping will find it and automatically check you out. We need to leave here fast. I wasn’t kidding about the local pack being unstable until the new alpha gains control. I see some challenges in Corlin’s future today. I have faith he’ll win.”
“Challenges? Like fights to take over?”
“Yes.”
She nodded. “I’ve read that in Werewolf books. Okay. Got it.” Then, something crossed her mind. “I’m supposed to have lunch with my cousin Ember after I check out. She’s currently taking my dad and Perri to the airport.”
“Send her a text to tell her that you need to cancel. I’m sure she’ll understand.”
“Ember totally would.” She pulled out her cell from her purse. Chaz moved close enough to see what she typed. Shoni sent the text, shoving it back inside her purse before her cousin could respond.
Chaz gave her a nod. “Let’s go. Stick close to me. I don’t want you getting grabbed again.”
She hesitated. “Do you swear you’re not planning on offing me? I mean, I’ve already bypassed my limit of being stupid enough to trust a man after Marco. I can’t take anymore.”
“I swear, Shoni. We’re going to go to your home and order some good food to be delivered once we get there. I’ll make a few calls. Someone will come to make you forget all the bad shit you’ve learned. In the end, you’ll wake up in your bed at home, safe and sound. None the wiser.”
“Can this mind person make me forget about Marco?”
He shook his head.
“Because what he did was way worse than being kidnapped and seeing what I did today? Really?” She arched her eyebrows, giving him a sarcastic look.
“You need to remember what he did to prevent you from ever trusting him again. I have a feeling his new relationship won’t last long. He’s a low enough sort to come crawling back to you. Do you really want to risk forgiving that asshole because you’ve forgotten what he’s done?”
“No way. I plan to beat the crap out of Marco if he comes near me again.”
Chaz chuckled. “Exactly. You need to remember everything he’s done. I’ll only have the memories removed of the things that happened right after we kissed.”
She bit her lip. “You want me to remember that, huh?”
He grinned. “It’s a good memory, and you know your family will bring it up. You need to remember the kiss.”
“Okay. That’s smart. I get it.”
“I’m not going to let anyone hurt you, Shoni.”
She debated it but found herself nodding. “Just don’t be a deceiving douche. As I said, I’ve bypassed my limit.”
“Fair enough. I’m happy to say I’m nothing like your ex.”
“That’s always a good thing.”
“We need to leave the hotel now. The pack knows this is where I stayed, and some of them took you from here.”
“Right. Pack war and alpha challenges. I don’t want to see more blood today.”
Chaz led the way, and Shoni hurried after him. At least she knew he could fight if they were attacked. A shudder ran down her spine, and she pushed those memories away. Instead, she focused on Chaz’s clothing. The black duster was cool. His boots were kickass, too. He wore black pants to match them both. She figured he might have picked that color since blood wouldn’t show on it.
They left the hotel and got back into his car after he stored their bags in the trunk. She belted in. “This is a nice car. I didn’t notice before.”
“It’s a rental.”
“Oh.”
“I really do live in Alaska. I came down here to visit family, and that turned into work.”
“Negotiating.”
He chuckled as he started the engine. “Exactly. Tell me where you live.”
She gave him driving directions. They were simple since her condo was close. “Have you ever had to kill everyone in the room?” Shoni kept her gaze on the car driving in front of them. “Like, no man or whatever left standing at the end of a fight?”
“Why do you want to know?”
“Curiosity. It’s a flaw of mine. I admit it.”
“Yes. Mostly, it’s happened with Vampires, though.”
“Are they as creepy in real life as they are in the movies, or are they like normal people most of the time?”
“It depends on the Vamp. The general rule of thumb is the same for supernatural beings as it is for humans. Some are good. Some are bad.”
She nodded, locking her fingers together in her lap. “That makes sense.” Shoni thought about it more. “Do crosses and holy water work on Vampires?”
“No.”
“Does the sun burn them?”
“Yes.”
She thought more about it. “Can they enter your home without permission?”
“They can.”
“Shit. What about holy ground like churches? Do they avoid them?”
“That’s bullshit. I once tracked a Vamp who killed a priest, stole his identity, and was using the confessional booth to feed from his victims.”
She shuddered. “That sounds all kinds of screwed up and cold since people should feel safest there.”
“True. Depending on the church, some are actually the perfect homes for Vampires. Ever notice that some of them don’t have many windows, or it’s all stained glass? It cuts down on UV rays getting inside to burn them. Old, powerful Vamps can move around during the day instead of sleeping. Direct sunlight still cooks their asses, though. Why are you asking these questions?”
“I haven’t seen a Vampire before. At least, I don’t think so. This is keeping my mind off the craziness about how I was grabbed and what happened in that warehouse. It’s distracting me from worrying about being attacked again.”
The silence grew between them. He finally spoke. “There are actual Vampire hunter groups run by humans only. They are rare, but they work like terrorist cells.”
He had surprised her. Shoni turned her head, staring at him.
“They live in small groups, are top secret about their lives, even from each other, and only use the internet to communicate with other groups of hunters. They do it that way so if a Vampire captures some of their people, they can’t give up the location or names of other hunter groups.”
She gave that some thought. “Because Vampires can make them talk with the whole head thing they do with memories?”
“Yes.”
“I can see that. Then again, you have to wonder about groups who mimic how they work from terrorists.”
He laughed. “That’s true.”
“Do they only go after bad Vampires?”
He grew serious again, and his expression hardened. “I wish, but no. They go after anything not human. Good or bad.”
“So… they are a hate group?”
His lips twitched. “Basically.”
“Why’d you tell me about them?”
“I figured you’d like to know some humans out there purposely find themselves in a room full of Lycans. For fun or whatever motivates them.”
“They sound like they need a hobby or, you know, major meds and a good therapist.”
He chuckled. “I like you, Shoni.”
“Thanks. You’re less terrifying when you laugh.”