Chapter 23
Ansley
The new safehouse is on the north side of Chicago in a nice, residential neighborhood.
From the outside, it looks like the rest of the houses on the cul-de-sac. It’s a two-story colonial with pale off-white siding, gray shutters, and a well-maintained lawn that wouldn’t draw a second glance from a neighbor.
Inside is a different story.
The front door is wider than most doors, the frame reinforced with steel beneath a veneer of wood. Every doorway has been expanded. Hayden and his brothers could easily pass through them in their true Human Forms. The rooms are bigger too, as is most of the furniture.
“Daisy, there’s a room upstairs you can stay in,” Hayden offers, gesturing for us to follow him as we look around.
“Nice place,” Daisy says. “Really big doors…”
Daisy hasn’t seen Hayden’s true Human Form yet. I’m not sure how she’ll react to that. I’m not sure how she’ll react to any of the things I have to tell her.
Upstairs, the bedrooms are even more telling. Each one has been gutted and remodeled, walls removed to create sprawling spaces. The beds are enormous, just like the ones in the last safehouse.
Daisy peeks into a bedroom, raising a brow. “What do you guys do here? Sleep or have massive orgies,” she laughs.
“Daisy!” I squeal.
“Just asking,” Daisy laughs.
“You’re in here,” Hayden says, pointing to a room.
“Oo, I get a big bed too!” she says, gliding into the room.
I lower my voice as I walk up to Hayden. “I guess I should take her downstairs and tell her everything. The longer I wait, the more difficult it will be.”
“It’s your call,” Hayden says, watching as Daisy explores her room.
“I kept one of the vampire fangs,” I sigh. “Maybe that’ll convince her. Otherwise, she may want to have me committed.”
“You’re not going anywhere,” Hayden rumbles, then he turns and walks towards the stairs.
I walk into Daisy’s bedroom, just in time to see her hop on the bed.
“Nice and comfy, even if it looks like a giant orgy bed,” Daisy laughs.
“You wanted a drink, right?” I ask. “Let’s go downstairs and talk.”
“Okay,” Daisy says, bouncing off the bed and landing on her feet.
Daisy follows me downstairs. I’m not sure where Hayden went, but I’m sure he’s close by. There’s a bar set up to the left of the living room, so I walk over to it.
“I’m the bartender!” Daisy chimes. “I’ll make the drinks. What do you want?”
“There should be some wine,” I say, glancing behind the bar. “Yep, white wine for me.”
Daisy makes herself comfortable behind the bar, bounces on her toes for a moment while she examines the selections, and chooses a bottle of wine.
“Hayden must be rich. This is some really expensive wine,” Daisy says.
“Oh, maybe don’t open that one then,” I say hesitantly, but she’s already twisting a corkscrew into it.
Daisy pours me a glass of wine, then she grabs a shaker and starts mixing something with vodka, and a few other ingredients. The drink itself is pink when she pours it over ice.
“Okay, tell me everything,” Daisy says, sipping her drink.
I walk over to the couch and sit down. Daisy sits next to me, pink drink in hand, green eyes sparkling with interest. Her eyes are still bothering me, but if that’s the only side effect she has from being fed on by vampires, then I’ll get used to them.
I reach into my pocket and touch the vampire fang. I don’t know if I’ll need proof, but it’s all I have outside of having Hayden come shift in front of her. Hopefully, that won’t be necessary.
“In all the time you’ve known me, I’ve never pulled the best friend card.
Ever. I’m pulling it now. I need you to listen to me without asking a bunch of questions until I finish,” I say, taking a nervous drink of wine.
It’s surprisingly good, but it’s hard to enjoy it considering what I need to tell Daisy.
“This is going to sound crazy, but I swear it’s all true. ”
“I’m listening,” Daisy says, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly.
“Where do I start?” I huff, looking up for a moment. “First, you weren’t just kidnapped. Not exactly. Xander was… Xander was a vampire.”
“That explains why he freaking bit me,” Daisy responds calmly, rubbing her neck and her chest. Her fingers pause over a spot just above her collarbone, and for a moment, her expression goes distant. “I don’t think he was the only one who bit me.”
“The place you were held was a blood bank for vampires. That’s why you needed a blood transfusion,” I continue.
“But there’s more. A lot more. I was at your apartment to feed Caddo, worried to death, and then…
something happened. It was like a vision or premonition or something.
I knew exactly where you were. The vampires took you to St. Michael’s Cathedral. ”
“The vampires took me to church?” Daisy sips her drink and raises an eyebrow. “Oh wait, you said no questions. Sorry!”
“Forget everything you’ve heard about vampires from stories,” I tell her.
“Anyway, I came to find you, obviously. I didn’t know you were being held captive by vampires.
That’s when Hayden showed up. You probably don’t remember him, but he’s the guy who was watching me at Fletcher’s Bar. The one I asked you about.”
“Oooo!” Daisy grins. “I can see why you were more interested in him than the guys I was introducing you to.”
“Hayden helped me save you. He’s um, not exactly human. He’s a wolf shifter,” I explain hesitantly, waiting to see her reaction.
“Wolf shifter. Okay,” Daisy says, taking another sip of her drink. “That’s kind of hot.”
I roll my eyes before I continue. “And, um, I’m not human either, I guess. I’m not sure, but Hayden says I’m something called a Scion. Wolf shifters. Vampires. They’re all Scions. He’s just not sure what kind of Scion I am.”
“Is that why you’re such a nerd?” she laughs. “Sorry! No questions. I keep forgetting.”
“You used to be a nerd too,” I mutter, then take a deep breath. “But I’m more than a Scion. I’m also… Hayden’s mate. Not just his mate, but possibly the mate for his entire pack.”
“I knew those beds were for orgies!” Daisy shouts dramatically. “You’ve been having orgies with wolf shifters while I’ve been in a coma! Wait, so this means you’re not a virgin anymore? I need details!”
“It’s not like that. Hayden is in disguise right now. Once you see what he really looks like, you’ll understand why the beds are bigger,” I say, downing more wine. “Things have been crazy since you got kidnapped.”
“Sounds like it,” Daisy says. “That everything?”
“No, but… you’re really just accepting it? You don’t think I belong in a mental institution?” I ask apprehensively.
“You’re not lying, so… why wouldn’t I accept it? You’re my best friend.” She shrugs nonchalantly and sips her drink. “I trust you more than my parents.”
“Yeah, but…” I trail off. “How do you know I’m not lying?”
“I don’t know. I can just tell,” Daisy says, then her tone gets a little more serious.
Something about the way she accepts it so easily makes my stomach tighten, but I don’t have time to analyze it.
“Ansley, I woke up in the back room of some building, and my eyes have changed colors. I assumed something fucked up was going on. I wasn’t expecting this, but… can I ask questions now?”
I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. “Yeah, ask away.”
“If you’re a Scion, does that mean you have cool abilities and powers?” her green eyes light up, just like her blue ones used to. “Other than having visions or whatever. Can you turn into a wolf?”
“I don’t know. Honestly, all I’m aware of so far is the visions and that vampires can’t bite me. One of them tried,” I say, taking a sip of wine and reaching into my pocket. “The fangs can’t break my skin. Well, they hurt, but they don’t make me bleed.”
I hold up the fang so she can see, then push the tip into my hand enough to make me grimace, then I pull it away, showing that there’s no mark. Daisy seems fascinated. She leans closer and touches the indention in my skin.
“Does that work for everything, or just vampire teeth?” she asks curiously.
“I haven’t really had time to test it,” I admit. “But Hayden could still scratch me, so I’m not immune to everything.”
Daisy takes the vampire fang and studies it. “Damn, this thing would leave a huge freaking hole. I can’t believe I don’t have any scars.”
“I’m not sure if that’s because of Morgan or the blood transfusion,” I say.
“Morgan is a Witch Doctor. My blood… well, I wasn’t really thinking about the fact I wasn’t exactly human.
He said he needed blood, and I knew I was O negative.
That could be why your eyes changed colors. You’re okay other than that, right?”
“Honestly Ansley, I feel better than ever,” Daisy says, shrugging a shoulder. She flips the vampire fang around in her hand and drags it across her skin. I tense up, especially when she stops and presses down. “Wait, this tooth isn’t doing anything to me, either. I feel it, but… that’s it.”
“Really?” My eyes widen and I watch. Her skin reacts the same way mine does. There’s an indention, but it doesn’t make her bleed. “Um, let me find Hayden.”
Daisy seems fascinated with the vampire fang. She doesn’t react when I get up and scurry out of the room. I call for Hayden and he walks out of the kitchen, still in his Third Form.
“Did it go badly?” Hayden asks.
“No, um, Daisy’s immune to vampires. Like me,” I say cautiously. “That has to be from the blood transfusion, right?”
“No other explanation,” Hayden answers. “Let me take a look at her.”
Hayden follows me to the living room. He glances at the bottle of wine but doesn’t say anything as he sits down next to Daisy on the couch. The wine probably costs more than my monthly grocery budget, but if he’s not worried about it, I’m not going to be either. It really is quite good.
“May I?” he asks, gesturing to the fang.
“Hello again, handsome,” Daisy grins, handing him the fang.
Hayden takes Daisy’s hand and presses down with the fang. Hard enough that Daisy gasps, her eyes flashing with pain and anger.
“Ow, what the hell?” she blurts, rubbing the indention as soon as he lets go of her hand. “You didn’t have to try to stab me, handsome.”
“Huh, I’ve never heard of a blood transfusion doing that, but there’s a lot we don’t know about Scions. Most of our history was lost,” he says. “It appears you no longer have to worry about vampires biting you.”
“Hope I don’t start having visions,” Daisy says, downing what is left of her drink. “Ansley, do you want more wine? Anything for you, handsome?”
“Not right now,” Hayden growls, standing up. “I have to go meet with my brothers. Are the two of you going to be okay here?”
Daisy glances at the bottles behind the counter and laughs before I can respond. “We have a full bar. I think we’ll manage. I’ll get Ansley nice and drunk so you can take advantage of her, don’t worry!”
“She’s going to be a bad influence on you, isn’t she?” Hayden grumbles.
“No more than usual,” I quip, standing up and following Hayden out of the room. Once we get to the front door, he pulls me into a tender kiss, our lips searing together before he finally breaks our embrace. “I’ll make sure she doesn’t get too crazy.”
“It’s fine, just don’t burn the place down,” he warns with a smile.
“Did your brothers locate more vampires?” I ask, looking up at him.
“No, Remy and I are going to talk to Wyatt,” he replies. “You’ll get to meet him soon.”
“Another mate…” I say, trailing off. “Tonight?”
“Possibly,” he says. “We’ll see how things go with Daisy.”
I watch as Hayden leaves, holding the door open until his SUV is out of sight before closing it.
Daisy will probably have a lot more questions for me.
I doubt I’ll have answers for most of them.