Chapter 10
Chapter
Ten
My stirring hand froze, my knuckles whitening as they clenched around the wooden spatula. My fingertips left wet spots on the wood.
I was a coward for not wanting to face Hayden after what had transpired between us three years ago. I owed him an explanation, at least. I supposed so anyway.
My heart raced as I resumed making breakfast.
Dad couldn’t have known that Hayden had starred in my dream realm. Otherwise, he would have said something about it and wouldn’t have missed the chance to have me complete the mating ritual with my bodyguard.
The King’s plan of passing on the throne to me would be as smooth as the platinum surface of Mom’s lustrous Queen crown-—mate Hayden and become the next Queen.
But something felt wrong with this plan. And it wasn’t only about Hayden trying to suffocate me in a hug in my dream realm. There was more danger to him, a mysterious aura surrounding him that made me think I was missing something important about him.
My muscles stiff, I rolled my shoulders.
Calm down. No one knows who my mates are. Yet.
I awkwardly took off my apron with one hand and threw it on the countertop. The bedroom door creaked, and Tammy appeared in front of me, yawning.
“Why are you staring at me?” she whispered.
I shook my head. “Dad, I have to go.”
“Is Tammy okay?” He rushed his words.
I couldn’t stay angry with Dad for a long time when he showed me his softer side. He cared deeply about humans and werewolves and advocated for our co-existence.
“Yeah, everything is okay,” I said and hung up after saying our goodbyes.
But then I remembered that I wanted to ask him about shutting down the nightclub. If he’d send someone to take care of it.
My best friend sniffed the air. “Bree, is something burning?”
“Oh, shit.”
I leaped to the oven, lifted the pan, and turned off the stove. Swirling the wooden spoon, I scrambled the brown eggs into a pile of mush, a meal worthy of the horror movies Tammy liked so much.
She peeked behind my shoulder. “What were you doing?”
She chuckled, and my breaths came out easier. Tammy sounded like her old self again.
“Well, you can have that”—she pointed to the pan—“all by yourself. I’m having cereal.”
“It’s in the pantry. Help yourself,” I said, but then I froze, staring at Tammy.
I kept red and pink cereal that Tammy claimed was made of healthy grains and oats for when she visited me or slept over. But would the color of the round red pieces trigger her? I studied her for any signs of memory loss or disorientation.
“Do you want oatmeal instead?” I asked.
She grimaced. “Um, no.”
Tammy took out a bowl and the milk and made herself breakfast while I scrutinized her movements. She sat on the barstool on the opposite side of the countertop. “What? Why are you so strange this morning?”
I swallowed hard and dumped the eggs in the trash can.
“How do you feel?” I asked.
“I’m so hungover. How much did I drink, Bree?” She rubbed the side of her head with her free hand. With the other, Tammy held her spoon. “My headache is killing me.”
“You did drink. Do you remember anything after you started drinking?”
I scrubbed the frying pan under the faucet, but my gaze was stuck on Tammy. She squeezed her eyes shut and reopened them after a moment while I held my breath.
“I remember the sexy guy in chains. Johny didn’t mention anything about that kind of private show in the club.
I’m thinking of asking if they’ll have it on Halloween night, on the day of my birthday.
” She chewed, then looked at me. “Remember, you were going to make the calligraphy on the invitations, but why are you looking at me like that, Bree?”
I clenched my hand and squeezed the life out of the sponge.
“We can find another venue for that night. That’s not the only club in the city,” I said in a strained voice.
So far, Tammy hadn’t mentioned vampires.
I looked to the bandage on her wrist and then back to Tammy’s face.
She had stopped eating, her spoon in midair.
“Did we participate in some of the shows in the club? Is that why I got these holes on my wrist?” She lifted her hand.
“And now you’re concerned, and you don’t want me to go back to the same club. ”
“I am worried about you, Tammy.” Sweat drops formed on my forehead. I wiped my face, but the soap on my hands got all over it. I turned off the faucet and took a hand towel to clean off the bubbles.
“So, how did I get these wounds on my hand?” Tammy asked, and I drew in an audible breath.
“We are not going back there no matter what,” I snapped at her and immediately regretted it.
I threw the towel on the countertop.
“What’s gotten into you, girl?” Tammy’s frown grew. I put my hands on my hips.
“I think they spiked your drink, so I just don’t want to go back there. It made you dizzy, and then there was a commotion and a bar brawl. I also got a cut.”
Tammy’s gaze slowly traveled to my arm. “Are you okay?”
I nodded. The urge to tell my best friend—one of only two human friends I had—about the supernatural world pushed through me so hard that my body swayed.
Supernatural secret be damned.
I pressed my palms to the countertop, bowed my head, and groaned. Would I be able to share my secret with Tammy?
She stood and took out the first-aid kit from one of the cabinets. She moved within my apartment as if she’d lived in it this entire time. My eyes moistened as she bandaged my long cut and wrapped it with stretchy medical tape.
I tried smiling at her. “Thank you.”
Thank goodness she misunderstood my grunts as if I were in physical pain.
“You can’t go to work like that. And you have the fundraiser tonight.”
Shoot. I’d forgotten about my promise to attend the event.
She put the kit back in its place and turned to face me. She opened her mouth to say something, but her body tensed, and her hands flew to her face. She let out a scream, and her chest heaved.
I immediately hugged her.
The vampire compulsion was like hypnosis. Now that she was awake, she likely had a hard time knowing which flashes of images were real.
“What did you see?” I asked.
Her body trembled, and she started sobbing. “A vampire, but a scary one. His face was right in my face. His red eyes looked so real.”
She pulled away from me and wiped her face with the back of her hand.
“It’ll be okay, Tammy. Another reason why I don’t want you to go back to the club. Please finish your breakfast. I’ll call Steven to let him know I’ll be late, and I’ll drive you to your apartment. Take the day off. Rest.”
I couldn’t tell my best friend the truth about what had happened to her and give away the secret of the supernaturals. But I wanted to tell her so badly. Withholding the truth from her was the equivalent of lying, causing my stomach to tighten uncomfortably.
One day, I’ll tell her the truth. I promise.
Tammy went back to eating her cereal, but her hands shook. Her mind must have told her that the vampire in the flash of the image she’d seen was different from the fake vampire wanna-bes in the club.
Would her visions turn scarier and more frequent as the day went by? Tammy’s behavior might be unpredictable for the next several days if the flashes came at random.
I’ll keep an eye on her.
I spoke to my boss on the phone that I’d be late to work but assured him I’d be there for the fundraiser in the evening. I rushed through my morning routine, drove Tammy back to her place to rest, and caught a cab from her place to the library.
I was so busy with rebinding the stack of rare books on my desk, my mind foggy with worries and clouded by anxiety, that I didn’t notice when the workday flew by.
I realized I'd forgotten to bring my fundraiser outfit when Steven walked into my office to remind me to get ready for the event. It would start in an hour, not enough time to go to my apartment, get ready, and come back to the library on time.
My office door swung wide open as soon as my boss left, and Tammy sauntered in like she owned the place.
“You forgot about your event, didn’t you, missy?” She had a silly grin on, making me smile. “I’m here to rescue you. As usual.”
Tammy was right about that. She had no idea she’d rescued me almost seven years ago when, for some odd reason, she wanted to be my friend.
She had a dress draped over her forearm and a bag in the other hand. “I helped myself to the key to your apartment, as usual, and brought your stuff. Oh, and makeup, too.”
I dashed to her and embraced her. Seeing her not acting strangely made me breathe easier.
“Thank you.”
“Gosh, you’ve been so sensitive today,” she mumbled while I squeezed her.
After releasing her, I took the dress from her. I couldn’t stop blinking as I stared at the material.
“But where’d you get this dress from? I don’t think it’s mine.”
She gave me a “duh” look.
It was an elegant black, one-shoulder dress with shiny golden patterns embedded from top to bottom. It’d be tight around my curvy body except at the bottom, where it flared out.
“Chop, chop, Bree,” my best friend ordered.
I locked my office door and changed clothes while Tammy rummaged through makeup kits.
I was sure I didn’t own such an expensive and extravagant gala dress. The long sleeve covered my “good” arm, and the exposed shoulder and arm were the ones with the medical tape. I sighed. Just great.
I twirled in front of Tammy, and her smile widened.
“The dress was on your bed. From all the texts you sent me today, not once did you mention that you were getting ready for your event, so knowing your head was in the books, I knew you forgot. I decided to surprise you.”
I started to grin, but there was something very wrong with her statement.
I left my apartment with Tammy in the morning and never went back to lay out a dress on my bed. But she seemed not to catch on, and I wasn’t going to worry her.
A sensation of breathlessness heightened my unease, leaving me feeling suffocated by my own thoughts. My palms grew clammy.
Tammy walked to my office chair and started setting containers on my desk. Thank goodness my friend would apply my makeup. The dampness of my hands made it difficult for me to grasp anything at the moment.
From my desk, I cleared the books that waited to be categorized onto a table close to the window.
I sat down on the chair so Tammy could work her magic on my face. While she dabbed and tapped on my skin with little brushes, I chewed on the inside of my cheek as my mind filled with thoughts and anxiety.
Tammy was the only one with a spare key to my apartment, so who else could drop off a dress on my bed?
Hayden came to mind since Dad had warned me my bodyguard was on his way here. Supernaturals, and especially trained warriors like Hayden, would easily get in without a key.
But it didn’t make sense. Why wouldn’t he meet with me first?
Maybe it was Dad. I almost laughed. He would send me one of the warrior’s uniforms rather than a dress.
That left only Mom. She had great taste and knew my style and color preference for black. She must have selected this beautiful dress.
While Tammy scolded me for fidgeting too much, I sent Mom a text. Her reply came in an instant. She hadn’t sent any care packages to me this month.
My insides quivered.
“Ta-da! You look gorgeous, girl,” Tammy said and handed me a small mirror. “More natural look suits you just fine.”
“Thank you, Tammy. You really have a talent.”
I stood and did a little circle in one place. Tammy’s wide smile told me that she approved.
“But you didn’t bring your stuff. You’re not staying?” I asked.
She put away the brushes and makeup into containers. “No, my head still hurts, and I had another vision. Will you be okay alone, though?”
I dashed to her, hugged her, and then stared into her eyes like an idiot. Her pupils were dilated.
“Okay, too touchy today. You’re so weird,” she said.
“I worry about you.”
“I’ll be fine. I’ll catch up on sleep. Now, off you go to slay dragons or something,” she said, massaging her temples. “Oh, I almost forgot.”
She rummaged through her bag and pulled out a pair of thick-framed black glasses. “They’re fake and will be a great accessory to that dress to help you pull off that sexy librarian thing.”
I loved this girl as a sister. At least she didn’t hand me fake glow-in-the-dark fangs. I let out a small laugh.
“Call me if you feel anything else, okay?” I ordered, and she gave me two thumbs-up before she left my office.
If I could, I’d glue myself to her side tonight, but she’d become more suspicious and uncomfortable.
I shook my head slightly. Put your game face on, Breanna.
I stood in front of the office door, looking down at my dress then to my bandaged arm.
The edge of the purple bruise peeked out from behind the tape. I wished for a scarf. No, a parka would be even better.
People would ask about my injury. Maybe I could come up with a stupid cover-up story. My neighbor got a new cat that sneaked into my apartment, and when I picked her up, she got scared and scratched me. I let out a small laugh .
I was a good storyteller, but I was a bad liar.
I took the elevator to the lobby, where the music, chatter, and clicking of heels surrounded me. But with every stride, goose bumps rose on the back of my neck.
A chill crept up my spine, raising every hair, as I recognized the unmistakable signs of a supernatural presence lurking nearby. I’d felt a similar otherworldly energy last night at the nightclub.
But this time was different.
The realization hit me with a sickening lurch in my gut. My heart skipped a beat, and my body tensed into high alert. The sinking feeling in my stomach and my tightening chest reminded me that I only felt the same in the presence of one man.
A supernatural man I did not want to see ever again. A dangerous man from my dream realm.
He was near.
Torin Adair.