Chapter 16
Chapter
Sixteen
Back in the werewolf kingdom, Torin didn’t go out of his way to talk to my bodyguard. They scowled at each other, intuitively disliking one another.
Even though I had expected the confrontation here at some point, it still terrified me on some level.
The mere thought of my mates meeting sent a chill down my spine and weighed heavily on my heart. If these two forces of nature were to collide, I only hoped no one would be hurt.
I walked to the front door and opened it to reveal a smiling Tammy. My shoulder muscles relaxed. I was about to let out a sigh of relief when I looked at her closer.
Everything about her was different today.
The goth girl I had known for almost seven years was gone.
I had no idea she owned a different pair of boots.
These brown ones with no heels came up to her calves.
The indigo blue jeans and the green jacket were the brightest colors she’d ever worn.
No bloody-red lipstick. No scary skeletons or bug necklaces.
“What in the world are you doing?” She raised her eyebrows at me. “Why are you staring at me, Bree?”
She put her palm on my forehead as she walked inside.
“No fever. So what…” She paused and sniffed the air. “Oh, you made me breakfast.”
After a second, I realized I still had my mouth wide open and my hand still rested on the door handle. My mind couldn’t accept the changes in Tammy’s clothing.
Muffled voices echoed from the kitchen, and I closed the door and went to join my friends in the kitchen.
Tammy and Hayden had fallen into a lively chat, but Hayden had that effect on people. His easy-going demeanor made everyone feel safe around him.
Unlike Torin, whose vampire side pushed everyone away.
Tammy held a cookie while talking to Hayden. They had met on a few occasions when he visited me in London. She clearly remembered him, a good sign.
The vampire compulsion hadn’t made her lose more of her memories other than from last night.
“Did Lisa make these?” she asked Hayden, and he nodded while chewing his food.
“In the evening, we should go pick up groceries for her,” Tammy said.
“I agree,” Hayden said.
Tammy took a step back, hiding behind Hayden’s broad back, and mouthed, “Boyfriend material.”
I rolled my eyes at her and mouthed, “Shut up.”
My bodyguard chuckled. Tammy had no idea how big the Big Bad Wolf’s ears were or that he was one.
“How’s your business going, Tammy?” Hayden picked up his empty plate and went to the faucet to wash it.
Tammy studied his actions with wide eyes and turned to me to mouth one more time, “Boyfriend material.”
I face-palmed.
“You won’t believe it. Every day, the line is out of this world. I can’t wait for the next holiday. The holiday theme seems to work well.”
Tammy kept on talking to Hayden, but an unsettling feeling formed in my gut.
“Hey, Tammy, what are you doing for your birthday?” I asked.
Hayden watched me with amused eyes, but I became warier by the minute.
“Maybe we can go see a movie. Hayden is invited too if he’s around.”
I leaned on the high stool for support and blinked repeatedly. No fake vampire clubs?
“You okay, Bree?” she asked, her face now serious.
“Wait…are you okay? Do you have a headache?” I asked.
She shrugged. “No, I’m feeling great.”
I looked at Hayden, but he had the usual charming smile tugging on his lips.
Tammy pulled her phone from her beige purse and glanced at the screen.
“Let’s go.” After she saw me not moving, she added, “I promised to drive you to work today, remember?”
I frowned. I was sure we didn’t make any such plans.
Then it hit me like a tornado. Torin must have compelled her last night after he left my apartment. There was no other explanation. But did Torin tell her to drive me to work today?
I could breathe easier now that Tammy wasn’t having flashes of scary images anymore or a migraine. She seemed to have forgotten about anything vampire-related and didn’t want to return to the fake vampire club for a birthday party.
Still, if Torin did compel her, then she was likely compelled without her consent, and that wasn’t right. Or was it justified if it brought more good than evil?
And if he compelled Tammy without her agreement, Torin gave credence to the kingdom’s rumors about him being a cold, ruthless beast. Torin could have had good intentions by helping my friend forget the effects of a bad compulsion, seeing it as a necessity.
But violating a person’s consent was a huge violation to me, creating this lingering feeling of unsettling wrongness that I couldn’t brush away.
Regardless, it was probably Torin’s doing, and I needed to talk to him.
I dashed to my bedroom to pick up my leather bag with the book while Tammy and Hayden argued about who would drive me to work.
Tammy won. Hayden wasn’t like Torin because he didn’t throw his power and weight around to get what he wanted.
“I’ll check on a few things,” Hayden said.
Would he investigate the fake vampire club?
Inside Tammy’s car, I ran my fingers over the fabric of the passenger seat, recalling the master vampire’s bite on her wrist. Whatever Torin did to help Tammy forget about the vampires was done with good intentions, and I was grateful to him.
Another reason why I needed to see him.
In front of the library, I waved at her as she drove away, and I rushed to get to my office. On the tenth floor, I knocked on Steven’s door, and after waiting for a moment, I gave up. I entered my office and locked the door behind me.
I sat down at my desk and pulled out the magic book, sighing heavily once I finally had it in my grasp again.
I ran my fingertips over every inch of the worn-out cover, hoping it would open the same way as the secret door to the abandoned attic had.
Just then, an idea struck me—blow my hot breath over it. The magic cover could react the same way as a fogged window with a secret message on it.
I lifted the book to my face and opened my mouth when my office door swung wide open, hitting the wall behind it.
I whirled, my pulse humming. The force of the door would leave a dent for sure.
The loud crack should have alerted my coworkers, but I doubted anyone else would come this early to work today.
Three strangers in their late twenties sauntered into my office and closed the door behind them. My heart did a strange hiccup in my chest as my mind sifted through different scenarios about the identity and purpose of these intruders.
Humans. I slowed down my breathing as I studied them. One man was shorter than me, bald, and wore a black T-shirt with a rock band logo. The one in the middle was taller with a round beer belly and unproportionally long limbs. The last one wore a black cap that threw a shadow over his eyes.
They looked like a small gang loitering on the street, and someone had randomly stopped them and gave them money to scare the librarian lady.
Although they didn’t appear as dangerous as supernaturals, I stayed alert.
“I don’t have a whole day to stare at each other,” I said and placed the book on my desk. “I’m actually feeling kind of insulted.”
Only because whoever sent these wannabe thugs had underestimated me.
The men exchanged strange looks.
“What is this bitch talking about?” the one in the black cap asked.
I shook my head. Now they were insulting me. In my office.
The same man took a step forward. “Hand over the book.”
“The book?” I raised my eyebrows.
People wanted my book? How did they even know about it?
So, this had nothing to do with the fake vampire club. At first, I thought the vampires had hired or compelled these humans to bring me to them.
“What book?” I repeated.
“Don’t play dumb with us.” The bald one looked around the office.
Many books were stacked on my desks and shelves. But only one was magical. I placed my hands on my lap.
“Why would you be interested in my books? You look more like movie lovers.”
I wouldn’t be able to place the book back in my backpack. The men watched my every move.
“Bitch, stop talking and give us what we want,” the man in the cap said and glared at me.
The book must’ve been more valuable than I thought if others were after it. Even if they sent jokers to retrieve it. But I didn’t understand why anyone would want a book that clearly belonged to me—unless this person also had a birthmark with a daisy wheel symbol. Very unlikely.
“Jake, I’m running out of patience,” the bald one said and looked at the tallest guy.
“You idiot, don’t use our names,” the man with strangely long arms spit out.
I sucked in my cheeks to stifle laughter.
The one in the cap who seemed the most capable groaned. “The book,” he said and took a step closer to my desk but stopped, leaving some distance between us.
Were they wary of me?
“Unless you want to deal with the vampires,” he said.
The tall man rolled his eyes and dropped his head back, looking at the high ceiling. “You really are an idiot. Shut your mouth.”
Was I in a funny secret camera show? Regardless, these jerks knew about the supernaturals.
“Who sent you?” I asked.
The master vampire from the club knew nothing of my magic book. Unless he’d found out my identity and my place of work. I thought I’d done a good job hiding the book.
“If you don’t get your fine ass moving and give us the book, you’ll meet them yourself, and you’ll turn into their delicious breakfast,” the guy with the hat said.
“Then come and get the book,” I said and stood up.
I moved my gaze over the three desks in my office to assess the value of the books lying around. I had several rare and valuable books to be archived and preserved. I’d be very angry if these men messed with my work.
I walked around my desk, faced the man in the cap, and shook my head.
“This is not a way to treat a lady, asshole,” I said and turned my body to the side, anticipating his strike.
Without hesitating, he swung a punch to my head. Too slow and too obvious.
I ducked. Glad I wore pants today. Using my small frame to my advantage, I punched him on the side of his neck and then followed with a quick jab to the side of his rib cage.
These were not powerful hits but strong enough to make him hunch forward.
Big mistake. I stepped in front of his curled-up body and twisted his hand behind his back. Then I pushed his head down while I lifted my knee high for a hard strike to his face. His cap flew off his head and landed somewhere on my office floor.
He crumpled to the ground, grunting incoherent words, probably insults, holding his nose, which gushed blood. I bet it was broken.
My favorite pair of blue jeans was now stained red. I sighed. One down on the ground in a fetal position. Two more to go.
“You must be crazy if you think I’d give you my book,” I said and stared them down.
The tall guy flashed an angry glare and reached for the back of his pants. For a second, my eyes widened, and my breathing hitched.
The guy revealed a pair of handcuffs, regular ones, not silver.
I smiled. “I like the idea of handcuffs. I’ve always known I was a little kinky.”
He snarled at me. “Bitch, I’ll hurt you.”
Did they know any other insults?
He took a step into my personal space and grabbed my wrist. Too easy and too basic.
“Where did they find you guys?” I asked.
It was more of a rhetorical question.
I turned so his palm faced the ceiling, and then I rotated my hand, escaping his grasp.
“My turn,” I said.
Snatching his wrist with both hands, I twisted it hard, positioning his arm behind his back in one move. Scrunching his face, he grunted, and I pulled his arm back farther, almost to the point of dislocating his shoulder.
I kicked the back of his knees, and he fell to the ground. Without disconnecting my grasp on him, I bent over to pick up the handcuffs he’d dropped. I snapped them around his wrists, and with my leg, I pushed him so he’d fall forward to the floor.
I realized my mistake of taking my eyes off the last guy standing when the bald guy grabbed my long hair and pulled it so hard that I screamed. I thought my scalp was going to separate from the rest of my head.
I stumbled backward as he yanked me harder, and then he smashed my head into the office door. I hit the surface hard above my temple.
Throbbing pain radiated everywhere on my face all the way to the back of my head. The skin stung, and a small drop of warmth ran down my cheek.
Dizzy, I took quick, shallow breaths. For a moment, I thanked my lucky stars that these men were not vampires. The scent of my blood would have aroused their thirst into a frenzy.
The man grabbed my neck from behind.
“Let’s finish this little game of yours,” he said, tightening his grip.
My neck and shoulder muscles quivered. This man had no idea what I’d had to endure around much stronger people in the werewolf kingdom.
I squatted abruptly and bent over to the side. His grip loosened. I grabbed his knees and yanked them to the side and forward, making him lose his balance. He fell. Although I hadn’t done any damage, I was free.
“Now you’re dead,” he said with a devilish grin I didn’t like.
He reached for the back of his jeans.
No.
This time it wasn’t going to be handcuffs.
He held a gun and immediately pulled the trigger.
Everything happened so fast. The office door flew open, and a huge body appeared in front of me.
Bang, bang. Two more shots.
But I felt nothing other than the enormous man who’d barged through the door, protecting me in his arms. His body jerked two times. He’d embraced me right on time, and the bullets must have hit his back instead of my chest.
A familiar forest scent infused my senses.
He swayed, and his heavy weight took me to the ground with him, engulfing me in a wave of solid muscle.
I could only hope the bullets were not silver.
I didn’t want Torin to die.