Chapter 6 #3
Fox was moving before his brain could catch up with his body.
Varik was the name of the vampire who supposedly wanted him dead.
He wasn’t sticking around to find out if it was true.
Lunging across the bed, he made for the door, not caring about the food or even logical plans for escape.
He needed out. Fast. Fast as he possibly could.
But despite his obvious fatigue, Winter was faster. He zipped in front of the narrow hall that led to the door. The only escape from the room.
Sucking in a deep breath, Fox opened his mouth to scream. Maybe someone would call security if they heard him, but Winter’s hand slapped across his face while the other grabbed his arm.
“Don’t!” the vampire snarled. “I don’t want you dead.”
“But—” Fox tried to say, the word muffled under Winter’s hand. His breaths were coming in short bursts, brushing against Winter’s skin.
“Think. If I wanted you dead, it would have been a lot simpler to just stab you while you were tied up at Damon’s, right?”
Okay, that kind of made sense. Winter had made sneaking out of the house look easy, but it probably would have been a hell of a lot easier without Fox in tow.
Hell, Fox had been tied up like a goddamn present.
Winter could have crossed the room, stabbed him, and been out the door again before Fox took his last breath.
Instead, he was here in this hotel room with aspirin, ointment, and a basket of junk food.
“Feeling rational again?” Winter demanded. Fox nodded. Winter slowly lowered his hand and released Fox’s arm. “Back to the bed and your junk food.”
Fox couldn’t help sticking his tongue out at the vampire before climbing across the large bed.
The candy bars, canisters of premium nuts, and bags of chips were scattered everywhere from his poor attempt at an escape.
He carefully gathered it up and organized his stash in order of most to least favorite.
He wasn’t normally like this, but it gave his heart and brain a chance to settle.
His hands were still shaking, and panic was threatening to choke him.
Because Fox was convinced that blood and oxygen were no longer reaching his brain, he asked, “Were you planning to kill me? When you entered the room at the vampire’s house?”
Winter sighed. “Do you really want an answer to that?”
“Oh, come on! Really?” Fox snapped.
There was just the tiniest hint of a smile on Winter’s lips. “You shouldn’t have asked.”
“But you just told me it would have been easier to kill me while I was tied up.”
Winter spread his open hands out to his sides. “And yet here you are, alive and with a pile of junk food.”
Fox tightly folded his arms across his chest as if it was the only way to hold himself together. He could feel the lines of confusion digging deep into his brow. “So…what? You changed your mind?”
“Do you have some evil plot to murder my family, the Variks?”
“Fuck, no!” he said on a gasp. That question alone managed to lock off Fox’s brain. The idea that he would plot to harm anyone was ludicrous and simply impossible. He’d never intentionally hurt anyone in his entire life.
Winter shrugged and dropped his hands back to his sides. “I don’t kill innocent people. I need to make sure you’re not guilty of plotting to hurt my family. If you’re not, you go free.”
Of course, the other half of that was perfectly clear. There was suddenly no doubt in Fox’s mind—Winter Varik had no problem killing people who weren’t innocent.
As the vampire approached, he waved to the side of the bed where Fox had settled. “Is this where you’re planning to sleep?”
“Sure.”
Winter came to the side of the bed closest to Fox and suddenly grabbed his right arm. Before Fox could say anything, one handcuff was slapped around his wrist.
“Hey!”
Winter didn’t hesitate to pull him down and attach the other handcuff to the metal frame of the bed.
“Really? What the hell!”
“It’s so I can get a few hours of sleep undisturbed.” Winter turned and pulled the food closer to Fox. Grabbing a cold bottle of water from the mini fridge, he cracked the seal on the lid and placed it on the nightstand. He even put the TV remote within reach.
“Freaking bloodsucker,” Fox cursed, jerking a couple of times on the handcuff.
“Three hours is all I’m asking. Watch TV, eat, or sleep,” Winter murmured, sounding as if he were talking more to himself than Fox. “When I wake up, we’ll order room service and talk. Damon or his men had to have said more to you.”
Fox hated to disappoint the prick, but they hadn’t. Of course, he had no intention of being around when Winter woke up to tell him that. He’d just chow down on his junk food while the vampire drifted off and then find a way to sneak out of the room. Easy fucking peasy.
Winter stopped at the foot of the bed and sighed heavily. Leaning over, he snatched up the ointment and crossed back to Fox’s side. Fox tried to move, put a little more space between them, but the handcuff rattled against the frame. He was trapped.
His breathing picked up, and his entire body tensed as he watched Winter slowly kneel next to the bed.
Fox couldn’t take his eyes away as Winter screwed off the tiny cap and carefully squeezed some of the ointment onto his finger.
With more gentleness than Fox had thought possible, Winter slowly spread it across his rope burn.
He hissed at the initial sting and Winter froze, as if he didn’t want to cause Fox more pain.
The sting was almost immediately replaced with a soothing coolness.
“It’s okay. It’s better,” Fox whispered.
Winter resumed spreading the ointment around his wrist, covering all the red and angry areas. When he was done, Winter stood again, and Fox automatically lifted his free hand toward him. The vampire didn’t say a word for a minute as he gingerly worked his way around Fox’s other injured wrist.
“Should have let you do this before locking you up,” Winter muttered. “But you weren’t being rational.”
“Well, I did just find out that the vampire holding me is from the family that wants me dead.”
Winter lifted his eyes to Fox, the cold blue depths holding his prisoner for a second. “And you’re the witch who wants to destroy all of my family.”
Point taken. Somebody somewhere was lying their ass off.
Winter screwed the top on the tube and placed it on the nightstand next to Fox, so it was within his reach. “Get some sleep, Fox. We’ll pick up some more of that tonight.”
Fox could only watch as the vampire grabbed one of the pillows from the far side of the bed and walked toward the door.
Winter dropped the pillow to the floor, sat down, and positioned the meager cushion behind his back. With his feet flat on the floor and knees bent in front of him, Winter rested his head against the wood and his arms on his knees. He looked exhausted.
Well, fuck. What the hell was he supposed to do? Run and hide? That wasn’t going to get rid of this stupid prophecy or any other lies someone was telling.
Stay with Winter and uncover the truth? That seemed incredibly stupid too.
Except Winter hadn’t tried to hurt him. He’d actually pulled him out of a situation where he was in danger of being murdered. It would have been much easier from Winter’s point of view just to kill him.
Resting his elbow on his bent knee, Fox stared at the glistening ointment already soothing the painful burn and sting in his flesh. This all seemed so much clearer before…well, before that.