Chapter Five
Sherese
“Back up,” I snap at him. He doesn’t. “Don’t you have someone else to annoy, Wolf?”
“Careful, Vamp,” he says in a low voice. “Your attitude is showing.”
I glare at him but keep my mouth shut because it’s truly a warning.
When I get angry or annoyed, it becomes more obvious that I’m not exactly human.
Humans don’t know what I am, but they stare and can’t seem to look away.
I don’t meet his eyes. “Lead the way.” I already know where we’re parked and how to get back; it’s part of my vampire side now.
My mind works faster as well and never slows.
In fact, I know where every exit in the mall is.
I know where the weak spots are. It’s like the knowledge comes to me whether I want it to or not; my brain is always working at warp speed.
But I like keeping some things to myself.
I don’t want Hunter or anybody else in this wolf pack, for that matter, knowing all my strengths.
..or weaknesses. They might be welcoming to me right now, but that can change in a heartbeat.
I’m not naive. I know the only reason I’m protected and safe right now is because Ava has claimed me as her friend.
But not everybody in the pack feels that way.
Their enforcer certainly doesn’t. He watches me constantly, just waiting for a reason to take me down.
As if he knows what I’m thinking, Hunter’s dark gaze lands on me.
I look away and pretend the look of a dangerous predator doesn’t bother me.
I know I could hold my own with most of the members of this pack; I’m fast and strong.
But with Hunter, Bryson, and maybe the beta, I’m not so sure.
I’ve felt Bryce’s power; as an alpha, he would be really hard to take down.
Ryan would be right up next to him. As beta, he would be the second most powerful in the pack.
I’ve only ever met him once. He was kind-ish, but I don’t know that I would be able to take him on and win.
Then there’s Hunter. Pack enforcers are always a dicey bunch.
They may not have as much power as an alpha, but they were obviously chosen for their position for a reason.
..or they killed to get to it. Either way, enforcers are a nasty breed.
The ones I’ve met have been downright terrifying.
Hunter, though, is a threat in so many ways.
But the one area that terrifies me more than anything else is that I don’t know exactly what he is.
And not knowing is worse. Once you know how dangerous or powerful a threat is, you can work to combat that threat. With Hunter, he’s an unknown.
The reason I know this is he’s the one they sent after Ava when she was with the vampires.
It wasn’t Bryce. That was a very strategic decision.
There’s also the matter that he was able to cross the vampire barriers without any problem.
All the other wolves, even the strongest alphas, were affected by the wards.
Bryce came through after Ava and paid the price for it.
Crossing the wards as a wolf is the equivalent of getting dosed with a heavy charge of electricity.
I’ve seen many a strong wolf taken out by those wards.
I saw a lot of terrible things during my time with the vamps.
A dark feeling descends on me, as it always does when I think about the vampires.
The feeling gets heavier, and my eyes narrow.
Everything around me seems to slow down, but I know that just means my vamp powers are rising quickly.
Under stress or threat, my vampire speed and strength grow.
I scan the mall, looking for the threat.
I clock them instantly, my eyes covering the distance across the mall quickly.
Two male vampires. I know Hunter spots them as well because he stops in front of a store and turns towards the window, like he’s interested in something.
I start to turn towards the food court where Ava is vulnerable, but Hunter stops me.
His arm wraps around my back and lands on my side, and my entire body goes still.
He leans towards me, his voice right next to my ear.
It looks like he’s nuzzling my neck to anybody that’s watching.
“Take the north entrance to the food court; I’ll take the south.
Don’t make it obvious. Keep your distance unless they attack.
Only reveal yourself if you have to.” He’s gone a moment later, and it takes me an extra second to move.
When I do, I turn towards the food court.
I don’t look for the vampires yet. I pretend to head to a store near the food court and look in the window.
When I look back, they’ve moved closer. They’re not far from the food court now, and they’re not bothering to hide their presence.
I head towards the north entrance to the food court and focus on keeping my movements slow enough to appear human.
I should have had my phone to my ear; that would have sold it.
I stop in front of a smoothie shop at the north entrance and scan the area for Ava.
She’s sitting with her back to me, and Bryce is across the table from her.
The other wolf is sitting next to Ava, but I ignore her.
She can take care of herself. Ava’s the only one that’s truly vulnerable.
Of course, she’s not vulnerable with her alpha mate sitting across the table from her, but he won’t show himself and what he truly is.
He can’t, not in a public place like this.
If it came to getting Ava out of here, I would be the best option.
I’m not sure the alpha will agree. I feel a dark gaze on me, and I look across the food court and make out Hunter.
He surprises me. Usually, he melds into the shadows, but he must want his presence to be known right now because he’s making no effort to hide.
Bryce’s eyes meet mine over Ava’s head. For the first time since coming here, I almost wish I could talk to them through the pack link they have.
I have no idea what he’s trying to communicate, but I know what Hunter said.
The hairs at the back of my neck stand up, and I’m suddenly no longer alone.
I stare up at the menu board of the smoothie shop, like I’m trying to decide what kind of smoothie to get.
But I am very aware of the vampires standing on either side of me.
Neither of them says anything, and I’m trying to figure out why when my entire body feels like it’s on fire.
Every nerve is alert. I close my eyes for the briefest second because I know what that means.
Rizo is here. I feel somebody behind me, and I know with every fiber in my being that it’s him.
“Hello, Little Lamb.” That velvet voice hits every one of my fiery nerves. “How fun is this? Out shopping with friends?”
I don’t dare look over at Bryce and Ava or even Hunter.
I’m not sure if Hunter has moved, but I’m not going to look and find out.
My hair is pulled to the side, and I feel hot breath on my neck.
I fight every instinct in my body to move away from him.
He needs to think I’m happy to see him. I can’t imagine why he’s here.
In all my time with them, Rizo rarely left.
He was always at the vampire compound. This is the second time I’ve seen him in less than twenty-four hours.
“Is there a reason you’re here, Rizo?” I ask, keeping my voice calm and cool.
I feel a huff of breath against my neck. “Funny, this one.” All the humor is gone from his voice with his next words. “Did you think we were going to let you just leave?”
It’s my turn to huff out a laugh. “You think I was given a choice to leave?” My mind races. “You get me out of here, and I can go with you right now.”
“Who’s all here with you?” he asks, and I can almost hear him thinking.
“The alpha, his enforcer, another of the alpha’s personal team, and I'm not all sure who’s nearby.
” I stick as close to the truth as possible.
I’m counting on the fact that he doesn’t do any of the dirty work himself.
From what I sense, it’s just the two vampires standing on either side of me.
I don’t recognize either of them, but that’s good because that means they’re not his top vampires.
“You know you were given a lot of privileges. I would hope you’re not thinking of turning against us. That would be,” he pauses. “Very disappointing.”
Threats from Rizo were never direct, and that’s what makes them so potent. I resist the urge to shudder. “Never,” I manage to get out.
“Good,” he breathes, sounding pleased. “Be sure to pass on my congratulations, will you? We will be in touch soon.” By the time I draw oxygen into my lungs, they’re gone.
My eyes scan the area, looking for Ava and Bryce first. I don’t see them anywhere, nor do I see Hunter.
They made it out; they had to have. I force myself to start walking, as I can’t stand here any longer without making myself even more noticeable.
I start blindly for the exit, wondering if I’ll even find them here or if I’ll be on my own.
I wouldn’t blame them. I’m sure Bryce got Ava out as soon as he saw the vampires, especially as soon as he realized what Rizo was.
Rizo was a master, and that made him incredibly dangerous.
He's an apex predator, the most dangerous of the vampires. Bryce would have known that. I’m actually shocked that Rizo showed his face in public; he never does that.
Why? I don’t understand, and yet, the sick feeling in my stomach tells me I do.
I’m the only one they’ve successfully turned into a vampire.
They don’t know why; I don’t know why. And that thought is terrifying.
Because if I’m the only one, they’re not going to let me go.
Ever. I force myself to slow down and walk like a human.
I push out the exit and make my way in the direction of where we parked.
I'm really not expecting them to have waited for me. Actually, I hope they didn’t. I hope Ava is already safe at home.
I walk through the parking lot, being sure to keep my speed normal.
When I get to the parking lot where we parked, my eyes scan the lot.
A sick feeling forms in my gut when I don’t see it.
I keep walking, just in case Rizo and his men are watching.
If they think I’m alone, there will be no reason for me not to leave with them.
I search each row that I come to, hoping to see the car.
When I don’t, reality crashes over me. They left me.
I keep walking and try to figure out what I’m supposed to do.
I could easily make my way back to their territory; it would take me no time at all.
But am I welcome there? Or do I find Rizo and leave now with him?
There’s something about the whole confrontation, though, that’s bothering me.
My mind keeps running his words on repeat.
Why the congratulations? It doesn’t make sense.
Was he congratulating me on escaping successfully?
On infiltrating the pack? I don’t know, and it’s making me crazy!
I come to the end of the parking lot and stand still a moment, unsure what to do.
Do I head back to the pack? Or am I just bringing more danger to their doorstep?
Do I go back with the vampires to protect Ava and the others?
That’s probably the right thing to do, but I can’t force myself to do it.
At the end of the day, I’m much weaker than I pride myself in being.
I start towards the Phoenix Pack territory.
They may not allow me in, and then I’ll have my answer.
But I won’t go back; I’ll never go back to the vampires.
..not unless it becomes absolutely necessary.
I already had a lapse in judgment after I saw Rizo at the party.
I won’t make that mistake again. I know going back to the vampires would destroy me.
“You ready?”
I whirl around at the sound of Hunter’s voice, heart thundering. “Where did you come from?”
“Just waiting for you to make your decision.”
“What decision?” I snap.
“Whether you were going to come back with us or return to the vamps.”