Chapter Fourteen
Melinda
Bryon stood there in frozen shock, staring at the wound I sported then to Lucien and back to the wound. “Melinda? What the hell happened?” he demanded as he stalked towards Lucien with growing hostility.
“Your boss, take me to him immediately,” Lucien commanded without answering his questions, his mind set on getting me help instead of idle chatter. Bryon bristled at his tone, but led us into the back where his boss was.
The owner, Hugo Strickland, was an old army veteran who had lost his leg on a tour and returned with a badge of honor and a bench in the square with his name. He was a recluse that kept to his shop while hardly going into town. I had seen him on two occasions, but we never exchanged words.
The times I had seen him, he struck me as a cranky old man with a chip on his shoulder and a bad smoking problem. Even when dating his grandson, I never saw him.
“I see you two managed to find me. Bryon, be a good pup and bring me my suitcase,” Hugo said without looking in our direction. Pup? That was a weird nickname for an employee. He was bandaging the nose I had most likely broken during our fight.
Could he be—No. I’d known him my whole life. He didn’t disappear on full moons or reacted to touching silver.
“Werewolves aren’t all a slave to the full moon nor weakened by silver. He is pure blooded so he doesn’t share those weaknesses.” Lucien said in my ear. My eyes looked into his, finding the intensity of his concern in their depths.
“So pure blooded means that you can eat garlic?”
“I know nothing about an aversion to garlic, but I guess that would be correct.”
“You two are the strangest mates I’ve met,” Hugo snorted.
“I can tell the bond hasn’t been completed which is even stranger for a vampire of your magnitude.
What? You didn’t want to do it like your ancestors and take her with force?
It doesn’t seem like she would need much coercing.
She shagged the werewolf without a problem. ”
Lucien glared daggers at him, his fangs poking through his lips as he tensed under my touch.
Hugo was trying to get under our skin and he was succeeding with Lucien.
“Don’t,” I urged Lucien with a restraining hand on his chest. To Hugo, I continued my scolding despite my weakening appearance.
“Stop acting like a child and give us the damn antidote. You could have killed me out there, but you didn’t.
You even hesitated before shooting. So, I know you have it on standby. ”
Hugo looked at me fully now and I gasped at the face that stared back. One eye was nothing but an empty socket while scars marred his face. Four long gashes made mincemeat of his skin.
“You think yourself a smart one, don’t you? Why are you begging for an antidote to a blade that I stabbed you with? Do you have all the answers or were you hoping you were right?”
“You attacked me to provoke Lucien.”
“But if that were true then—,” he stopped as I quickly grabbed the nearby trashcan and emptied more poisonous blood into the bin.
Lucien held my hair back while rubbing my back in a comforting manner.
The pain started again and it took everything in me to set the trashcan down instead of dropping it.
Tears brewed in my eyes as Lucien held me.
“Bryon, you might want to hurry before your friend dies. I’d say she has the number of minutes left that I have fingers. ”
“Here,” Bryon said, entering the room with a large brown vintage trunk. Hugo rose from his seat to wobble over to the suitcase and when he opened it, the scent of blood and herbs filled the room. “You could have gone about this differently, Hugo.”
“Yes, but that’s not in my nature. Now, eat this, witch,” Hugo instructed before shoving a weird yellow plant with barbs on the ends in my direction. The roots and weird attached bulb remained which had shown he had ripped it from the earth instead of cutting it free.
“That looks like it would kill me if I ate it like that,” I stated, taking the plant from him and poking the barb that did, in fact, hurt like a sticker barb. “Do I eat all of it?”
Hugo looked over at the plant, “No, you idiot. You bite the bulb at the end and drink the contents inside. Eating the stem and barbs are poisonous. Do you know nothing?”
“No, I don’t,” I snapped before flicking one of the barbs at him.
He swatted it away with an amused scoff.
I looked at the weird sack-like object amongst the roots at the end, finding it having the consistency of a gummy bear with liquid inside that made my stomach churn.
Plants weren’t supposed to feel like that.
I took a bite out of the bulb and nearly threw it up as the thick, tasteless liquid inside ran down my throat. When it was all swallowed, Hugo took the rest of the plant back. I noticed my wound had healed halfway, leaving only a small cut instead of the large hole from the blade.
“You had a good technique to eat that. Have plenty of practice with that shape in your mouth?” he teased with a sinister smirk. Lucien snarled, but it only caused Hugo to laugh. “I would think you would get a kick out of your mate knowing her way around the male anatomy.”
“Don’t talk about her like that,” Bryon and Lucien said in unison.
Hugo shut the suitcase, but the metallic smell of blood remained in the room. Bryon held out a washcloth to Lucien, who took it cautiously. “It’s not poisoned, is it? Forgive me for being careful when your boss just tried to kill Melinda.”
“She has that black stuff on her chin,” Bryon answered with a matching placated tone that held hidden venom behind it. Hugo only watched with increased interest. It was like he was getting off on seeing the two interact like this. “It’s just water.”
Lucien begrudgingly followed his suggestion, softly wiping my chin free of the poisoned blood.
“What did you need so greatly that you would go to the extent of luring in a vampire like Lucien? What could a hunter want with a witch and a vampire?”
Hugo sighed in disappointment before standing. “Look, witch, you aren’t in a position to talk about the shadow world when you’ve barely been a part of it. How long have you even known? Days? Hours? Minutes? You have no ground to stand on. Maybe let the adults talk this one out?”
“Well, maybe when you start acting like an adult then I would. You’ve done all that you can to get a reaction from both of them. You’re enjoying the chaos instead of getting to the point. If it’s down to adults then you are not included with your attitude.”
He raised a brow, “Oh, you think I’ve done all I can? What about this?” he asked before producing a small gun from his boot and pointing it at me. Lucien was quick to yank the gun away, delivering a punch to his face.
He took advantage of the hunter’s surprise to hold him against the wall with fangs bared. A part of me was frightened by the show of power, but another side found the display oddly arousing.
“Lucien, stop this. He was trying to provoke you. Let him go,” I urged while pulling on his other arm. Lucien snarled at Hugo again, ignoring me.
I put my fingers to my lips to let out a shrill whistle that made Bryon clasp his hands over his ears. I was quick to apologize, but he gave me a dismissive wave to let me know he was fine. I turned back to the quarreling men and found Lucien had released Hugo. “Lucien, wait outside.”
He scoffed in disbelief at my command. “What? Why me?”
“You’re too easy to provoke and I have already had enough. I’m not going to continue sitting here while he refuses to answer my questions. Go wait outside.”
“Yes, listen to your mate, bloodsucker,” Hugo taunted. Lucien hissed at him, ready to strike the hunter down. “I’m shivering in my boots.”
Realizing this would go nowhere, I stooped down to grab the forgotten gun and shot it into the ceiling.
When the attention was on me, I pointed the gun at Hugo.
“I’ve shot squirrels that were less annoying.
Lucien, go outside so he can stay on topic.
If he refuses to answer me, the next blood drawn will be his.
” I waited a minute, but no one moved at my command.
“Are we going to act like adults today? I’ve already had a shit day so before I play god, perhaps we can put our big boy pants on? ”
Lucien stepped away from the hunter to take my side. I felt his lips on my head before they went to my ear. “You’re crazy, but it seems a part of me enjoys that. Try not to kill him before he answers your questions.”
He left the room and the hunter turned disappointed.
“I really thought it would take more,” he said.
Slapping his hands onto his knees, he leaned forward with a more serious attitude.
“Well, I guess since the source of my entertainment is gone I’ll answer two questions. I will answer no more than that.”
“Why did you lure us here?”
“I needed the vampire to bring you. Bryon was becoming useless in that task so I figured poisoning you would be the more productive route,” he answered.
His smugness made my hand tighten on the grip of the gun, but I made sure not to move my trigger finger.
“It worked and you avoided death by a hair. I’d say a job well done. ”
“You purposely didn’t answer fully so my next question would be decided, but I think I know exactly what you need. I wouldn’t have guessed this before, but you need me to find someone for you. Are you also after the killer? The one hunting supernaturals?”