CHAPTER EIGHT || DANIEL #3
Lee lifted himself off me. His face was close—inches away—and even in the near-darkness, I could see the intensity in his green eyes. This was the second time in two days he’d thrown himself between me and sudden danger.
“Are you hurt?” he asked.
“No,” I managed, though my voice shook. “Thank you. Again.”
Something almost like a smile crossed his face. “Stop thanking me for that.”
“Did you—did you see that happening?”
He paled. Then he nodded, his gaze fixed on mine. “Yeah. I did.”
Across the room, Hunter’s golden shield popped like a soap bubble and he lowered his hands. Like Lee, he was paler than before.
Reed stood motionless, his hands at his sides, staring at the destruction around him. His face was ashen. The fight had gone out of him completely. He looked at his own hands as if they’d betrayed him.
“Well,” I said weakly. “Um—it could’ve been worse.”
Hunter’s eyes widened at me. Then, impossibly, he laughed. It had a manic edge to it. “Well, shit. I guess Reed needs to be added to the quarantine list.”
Before anyone else could reply, there was a groan from the makeshift examination table.
Oh no, Robert.
He sat up, blinking, shards of glass sliding off his shirt. His eyes were wide and confused. “Where—what happened? Where am I?”
Reed glanced over at Topher.
“We need Robert calmed down,” Reed said. His voice was deceptively steady, but I could see the tremor in his hands. “He can’t tell anyone in town what happened here.”
Topher’s expression cooled. “His memories have already been tampered with by whatever did this to him. You’re asking me to alter them further.”
“I’m aware of that.”
“It isn’t ethical.”
“No,” Reed agreed. “It isn’t. But if Robert convinces enough people that something unnatural is happening in Crescent Springs, there’ll be a panic—or, at the very least, it’ll be attention that none of us can afford.
And it could prevent us from being able to find and stop whatever’s doing this, which means more innocent people get targeted.
This is the right thing to do, and you know it. ”
Topher regarded him for a long moment, his pale eyes unreadable. Then he gave a single, curt nod. “But I want it noted that I’m not comfortable with this. And I’m taking him home after, to make sure he’s alright.”
“It’s noted,” Reed said. Then grudgingly, he added, “And thanks.”
Topher frowned at him, then crossed the room to Robert, who stiffened at his approach, his eyes wide.
Then the vampire crouched in front of him, and began speaking in a low, soothing murmur.
Robert’s eyes went glassy almost instantly, his rigid posture loosening, the panic draining from his face.
Within moments, he was calm and compliant, allowing Topher to help him to his feet and guide him toward the door.
I resisted the urge to shudder.
Once they were gone, Reed turned to me. The tremor in his hands was worse now. “Daniel, you said you can use that residue you collected to find whatever did this?”
“Yeah,” I said immediately. “I mean, I’ll need a minute to recover, but I can—”
“Absolutely not.” Hunter stepped forward, positioning himself between me and Reed, and for a wild second I thought he might actually take a swing at the alpha. But he didn’t raise his voice this time when he added, “He just passed out from the last spell, Reed.”
“Hunter,” I said firmly. “I can do this.”
“That’s the problem!” He rounded on me, and the look on his face was something I’d never seen from him before—not anger exactly, but a furious, desperate protectiveness.
“You’ll do anything anyone asks you to! You’ll drain yourself dry if you think it’ll help, and you won’t say a word about the cost because you think you owe us something!
But you don’t, Daniel! You don’t owe anyone a damn thing! ”
The room went very quiet.
“We’ll do it tomorrow,” Lee cut in. His voice was mild, but his expression told a very different story.
His gaze locked onto Reed. “Daniel will do the locator spell tomorrow, after he’s had a chance to rest.” He paused, glancing at me, and added, “If you’re up to it and willing? This is your decision.”
Thunderstruck, I nodded at him.
Lee continued, “Hunter and I will stay with him. If we find whatever did this to Robert, we’re not going to engage unless we have to. We bring the information back to the pack, so we can figure out what to do next.” He looked back at Reed, raising his eyebrows. “That’s the deal.”
Reed held Lee’s gaze, looking momentarily startled. I didn’t blame him—Lee was usually pretty easygoing and definitely not the type to try claiming authority in pack affairs. Ever.
But then, at last, Reed nodded. “Yeah. Sure. That’s fair.”
Then Reed turned to me. “I apologize for asking so much of you.”
“You don’t need to apologize,” I said immediately. “This is what I’m here for. I want to help.”
Hunter made a sound that might have been a laugh if it weren’t so bitter. He glared at me—a long, searing glare that I felt all the way down to the marrow of my bones—and then he turned and stalked out of the bar, the door slamming shut behind him.