Chapter Thirty-Four
Hunter
I feel the bed shift, and my eyes pop open.
I’m surprised I even slept. I’d spent most of the night trying to wear myself out so I could sleep.
It was killing me to be stuck in this small room, and my wolf was knocking against the restraints I kept him behind.
It was bad enough we were stuck here; I felt like the most worthless male on the planet, unable to help my mate in any way.
But add to that, she wasn’t doing well. I look over and watch as she climbs out of bed.
When she stumbles, I sit up in bed, alarmed.
But she walks into the bathroom and closes the door behind her.
I make the bed, needing something to do with myself while I wait for her to come out of the bathroom.
I hear a thud and frown. Worry has me walking over to the bathroom door and knocking.
“Sherese?” There’s no response, and my worry increases.
I knock again, louder this time. “Sherese?” When there’s still no answer, I’m done waiting.
“Sherese, I’m coming in.” I open the door, and there’s a squeak and a flurry of movement.
“What are you doing? Get out!”
I frown at her. She has a towel wrapped around her, but she’s bent over like she’s in pain. “Sherese.”
“Don’t. Don't come any closer,” her words are gasps.
I walk over to her. I don't care that she’s in a towel. She could have been naked for all I care. Right now, in this moment, nothing mattered except for seeing what’s wrong. I grasp her arms and frown when she shakes in my arms. “Sherese?” Dread forms in my gut.
“Please, get out.” Her words are weak, and real fear flows through me.
“What is it?” I demand, keeping my hold on her arms, gently.
“Get away from me,” she says in a sob.
Shock rolls through me, and I instantly release her arms and put space between us, even though my wolf rams against my chest at the motion. “I will never hurt you,” I tell her in a voice that’s full of my wolf.
“No, but I might hurt you.” She lifts her eyes to mine, and I suck in a breath. Her eyes are so dark and so full of pain, it feels as if I’ve been gutted. I can hardly breathe. “Please,” she whispers in a broken whisper. “Please get out. I can’t...I can’t...”
I was over this. “No.” I stalk forward and wrap my arms around her, lifting her, towel and all, into my arms. She shrieks, but it’s weak, much weaker than it should be.
I frown at her light weight in my arms, and an anger so fierce wells up in me, I almost shift on the spot.
My fangs are out, and there’s hair on my arms. I want to tear this place apart and burn it to the ground, but I make myself focus on my mate.
She needs me right now, and that’s all that matters.
I sit on the bed and hold her carefully against my chest. And then, without a thought, I tear into my wrist with my fangs.
A sob rips from her lungs that’s so full of pain, it nearly tears my heart out.
She’d been through so much, and now, this is the one thing that might just break her.
“Sherese,” I say, holding her close and speaking right into her ear.
“I can’t,” she cries against me, her voice so broken. “I vowed.”
“I know, Honey, and you’ve done so good. But now, you have to. I need you to take my blood.” She doesn't move, and panic flows through me; I really need her to drink blood. Now.
“I said...I ne-never...would,” her voice is weak, and her desperation leaks through.
“And I would never force you to, but it’s time. You’ve done good, but keep your focus on what’s important. What’s more important? That you stick to your vow of not drinking blood, or that we keep Emma and Daniel safe?” I’m hoping my words will get through to her.
“I don’t want to,” she tries again, and I can feel her resolve crumbling.
“I know.” I kiss the side of her head. “I know, but do it for me. Do it for Emma.”
This time, when I offer my wrist to her, she groans, and I try to keep a rein on my anger. She’s starving, and I had no idea. “Come on, Honey. Take what I’m offering.”
“Don’t let me take too much; stop me.” She latches on tentatively at first, but then a deep guttural sound comes from her throat, and she sucks harder.
Shock courses through my system at the intimacy of this moment, and she’s not even drinking from my neck.
I push those thoughts away and focus on making sure she’s okay.
I have no idea when enough is enough, but I know she’s trusting me to stop her, to pull her back from the edge.
I try to pull my wrist back, but she grasps it harder.
“Okay. I think it might be enough.” She doesn’t listen, and I pull more forcefully this time.
“Okay.” She jerks back and shakes her head.
She keeps her head down for a moment. When she lifts her gaze to mine, I breathe a sigh of relief.
Her eyes aren’t as dark now, and she looks so much better. But now, she looks mortified.
“I am so sorry.”
“It’s fine.”
She shakes her head again, as if she’s trying to clear it. “It’s not. I could have taken too much; I could have—”
I stop her before she can spiral. “But you didn’t. You stopped.”
She blows out a shaky breath. “I didn’t want to.” She takes another breath; this one’s a little steadier. “No wonder vampires want fresh blood.”
I watch her carefully. “Maybe I just have superior blood.”
She looks up at me. “No, that’s not it.” She delivers it without cracking a smile, and I feel my own smile grow.
“Of course not.”
“Well, I should probably get dressed now,” she says, pushing back from me and keeping the towel wrapped around her.
“Or not,” I suggest, and she just shakes her head. “Wolf.”
“Vampire,” I return with obvious affection in my voice.
At least, that’s what I hope she hears. She stands up and hightails it into the bathroom.
I take a breath and try to settle my wolf.
I glance down at my wrist, but it’s already healed.
I focus on anything but being trapped in this room underground.
When she comes out of the bathroom a little bit later, she looks so much better. Some of the worry eases in my chest.
“I’ve got to get going, or I’m going to be late.” She rushes over to the door but stops and turns back. “Thank you for taking care of me and letting me feed from you.”
I want to tell her that I will always take care of her, but she leaves before I can say anything.
As soon as the door closes, I crack my neck and start doing some pushups.
I can’t afford to think. I get lost in doing as much as I can to work out in this small apartment.
I'm not sure how long it’s been when I hear a sound at the door.
I wonder if Sherese is coming back early today.
But the door stays closed. Something slides beneath the door, and I frown.
I walk over warily and stare at the tablet on the ground.
I squat next to it and let my wolf senses guide me before I touch it.
When I don’t smell anything unusual, I pick it up.
The screen isn’t locked, and there’s nothing on the tablet except an app for photos.
I stare at the tablet in confusion. I flip it over but don’t see anything unusual.
Giving in to curiosity, I open the picture app.
I go still when I see a picture of Sherese walking down the hallway, wearing the clothes she was dressed in when she left here.
I look at the time stamp. Sure enough, this was taken a few hours ago.
Unease builds in my chest, and I swipe through more pictures.
Every picture is a picture of Sherese. Some are from today, others are from other days.
I’m not sure what the point of this is, but I keep swiping.
And then I go still. I stare at a picture of Sherese standing at a table next to.
..someone. I zoom in on the picture and falter.
There’s a girl lying on the table, strapped to the table.
I stare at the picture; it can’t be right.
I swipe to the next and see a picture of Sherese inserting a needle into the girl’s arm.
I swipe through more pictures, feeling numb.
I don’t want to believe what I’m seeing, but.
..I stand to my feet and shove the tablet under my pillow.
I walk over to the door and debate leaving the room.
I need out; I can’t stay in here anymore.
The door suddenly opens, and Sherese stands there. She looks up at me in surprise. “Were you trying to leave?” I stare down at her, unsure what to say. “Hunter, you can’t leave. That will jeopardize everything we’re working for here.”
“Will it?” I ask. My mind is swimming, and I’m trying to sort out what I just saw with what I know of Sherese. “Why are you here?”
She blinks up at me. “I had to go to the bathroom and figured it’d just be faster to stop in.” I watch her, wondering if that’s the truth. And I hate that I’m suspicious. I run a hand over my head. “What’s wrong?”
“Are you helping them?” The question just comes before I’ve had a chance to think it through.
She blinks. “What?”
“The vampires. Are you helping them?”
“Yes.” She doesn’t look away, doesn’t try to lie. I feel sick, betrayed. “That’s the only way to—”
“Don’t.” I turn away from her, feeling so off kilter.
“Hunter, I have to. It’s the only—”
Anger burns through me. “You have to strap down a healer and steal her blood? That’s what you’re doing, isn’t it? You’re doing to that girl what they did to Ava.”
She stares at me. I wait for her to argue, to tell me I’m wrong. But she doesn’t. “Yes.”
That one word guts me. “Leave.”
“What?” I can hear the surprise in her voice. “You don’t understand, Hunter.”
I face her, and I can feel my anger rushing through me. “I don’t understand what, Sherese?” I wait for her to give me something, anything that would explain those pictures. But she stays silent. I watch as her face hardens, and any emotion is wiped away.
She stares up at me with a coldness that makes my chest ache. “This is who I am. I tried to tell you. I told all of you time and time again. I’m a vampire. These are my people.”
Betrayal cuts through me so fiercely, I feel like I can’t breathe. And then I remember who I am. I’ve been through this before and survived, and I'm certainly never going back to that. I cross my arms over my chest. “I won’t let you do this.”
She arches a brow. “And just how do you plan to stop me when you’re trapped in this room?”
I take a step closer and take a deep breath of the penetrating vampire smell. I need it to remind me who she is. Maybe it will keep me on track and remind me that she’s the enemy. “Don’t forget I’m part vampire. I will figure a way out, and you’d better not stand in my way when I do.”
“Why?” she challenges. “What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to get the healer out of here and then make good on delivering Ajax.” I force out my next words. “Don’t get in my way, Vampire.”
“You’re only going to get hurt.”
I stare down at her. “I’ll take my chances.”
She strides towards the door, and I mentally plead with her to stop and tell me it’s all untrue. But she never looks back. She steps out and closes the door behind her, oblivious to the fact that she just stomped all over my heart.