Chapter 24
TWENTY-FOUR
Oh, to live like a Prime.
I lay submerged in an enormous tub filled with hot water and fragrant bubble bath. Music streamed from the fancy speaker on the counter, and I took my first deep breath in what felt like hours.
I was wading into uncharted territory. Two supernatural leaders wanted the same thing from me. Silas hadn’t told me why. Alric might be—probably was—lying to me about his reasons. Trying to lure Beckett out seemed a dumb way to fulfill my desire to keep breathing, but he was the key to all of this.
I reached for my cell phone, keeping a tight grip as I typed a text to Tiegan. Leaving out what Beckett had done to my house, I explained what was going on as best as I could and asked what she thought about everything.
Her response came within a minute.
Don’t mess with the vampire. Witches are powerful when it comes to defense, but we do not possess the physical strength or speed to take them on. Keep your head down and let them deal with their own mess.
Wise words. Heeding them might be another story, since Alric was involved. Silas had left me alone, but I had no doubt he’d come back around soon.
I sent Tiegan a text back to ease her mind and tossed my phone onto the towel on the edge of the tub, only for it to ring a second later.
I answered only to hear Alric’s crisp voice on the other end. Ignoring the way my heart leaped at his voice, I barked an annoyed, “What?”
“Letting the cleanup crew in would be easier if I had a key,” Alric said in a tight voice.
A loud bark of laughter escaped me. “Not a chance. I’ll be there to meet them tomorrow.”
Without giving him a chance to argue, I ended the call, wincing at the pull of tape against my skin as I tossed my phone away.
The bandage adhesive on my arm had started to curl from the steam. I grimaced, wondering how I could get new bandages without alerting Leo.
Strangely enough, the wounds didn’t itch or hurt. I lifted the edge and peered under to see how everything was healing. Tiegan thought I might be in bandages for a week or two, but if my last go round with shifters and vampires was anything to go by, I hoped to be out much earlier.
I’d never been vain, but claw marks were an unfortunate conversation starter. If I’d escaped scars the last time, maybe this time would be the same. I peeked inside to check. All I could see was smooth skin. Frowning, I tilted my arm up toward the light and peeled the bandage down a little farther.
Still smooth skin. There was no way my wounds could have healed yet. Even the last time, it took a couple of days to feel normal. This time, Beckett’s claws had come close to hitting bone. I peeled off the edge of the other bandage only to find the same.
“Holy shit,” I murmured under my breath. I peeled the rest of the first bandage off and stared at my arm in horror. Once the second bandage was off, I turned my arm to and fro in the low light.
Nothing but smooth, unmarred skin, not even a small scar to show for the attack.
“What the hell?”
Just to be sure, I lifted the other arm and peered at that one too. It was the same. I’d never healed that fast in my life. If a human endured the kind of wound I had, they’d be in bandages for a month.
If I was dying, I wouldn’t heal like this, would I?
None of this made any sense.
I grabbed the fancy glass bottle of shampoo and poured it over my head. When this was over, I planned on calling room service and ordering one of everything.
Alric was footing the bill, and I put fifty percent of the blame for all this on his shoulders.
Maybe I’d get the lobster too.
Leo was waiting for me in the lobby early the next morning. He rose when he spotted me and took the small duffle from my hand.
“Everything worked?”
I nodded. Alric’s strategist hadn’t stuck around last night. She’d knocked, shoved a bag at me, and told me to call Leo if I needed anything else. All I’d gotten was a glimpse of a beautiful redhead with light brown eyes and a blank face before she’d spun on her heel and walked away.
I thought for sure I’d find a man’s T-shirt and a pair of sweats in the bag, but the strategist had blown me away with her choices.
She’d damn near duplicated my current wardrobe, down to the brand name of the underwear I liked, but she’d also thrown in some very expensive lounge clothing, including a pair of cashmere joggers, a silk tank top, and a cardigan made with a silk and cashmere blend.
All the colors suited me far better than my own wardrobe choices, and when I slipped on the lounge clothing, I found myself a little bit jealous at how the one percent lived.
I wasn’t broke. Far from it. But almost every extra penny I made went straight into either investments or my high-yield savings account. I gave myself a little spending money each paycheck, but for the most part, I was a bit of a miser.
While I did try to make good clothing choices for the environment, my small budget precluded me from purchasing certain materials—materials I would now be hoarding like the holy grail, a fact I would never admit to Alric or his strategist.
Not that plying me with silk and cashmere eased the pain of someone defiling my personal space and destroying my belongings, but the feel of the fancy clothing against my skin made it hurt a little less.
Leo pressed a to-go cup of coffee into my hand. “The cleanup crew is waiting for you to arrive.” His lips thinned. “They said you refused to give Alric a key when he called.”
“Sure did. He doesn’t need easy access to my house.”
“He’s a billionaire,” Leo said. “You have nothing in there he wants.”
I clicked my tongue. “Rude. I have an entire collection of David Bowie wigs, including the one from Labyrinth. People would kill for those.”
The vampire let out an aggrieved sigh and stalked for the hotel exit.
I grinned at his retreating back and hurried after him.
The hotel Alric had chosen was in the greener part of the city, bordering the state park. Tall pines and oaks dotted the landscape, along with densely wooded brush and bushes. I stepped outside and inhaled the fresh air, drawing the scent of pine deep into my lungs.
A heavy moon hung in the sky, a precursor to tonight’s full moon.
I felt no pull toward it, no urge to sit on my haunches and howl up at the sky.
My fingers touched the wolf pendant resting in the hollow of my throat.
The small pulse of the spell beat against my fingertips, a steady rhythmic hum that comforted me.
Leo was waiting for me, holding the passenger door open. I climbed inside and tossed my bag in the back.
Once he was settled into the driver’s seat, he clicked his seatbelt on and asked, “Can we keep the insults to a minimum when you see him this morning?”
I shrugged. “Depends on him. I have no plans to speak to Alric unless I must.”
“He’s having your entire house cleaned.” Disapproval rang in his voice. “You can’t be bothered to even say thank you?”
“That’s what postcards are for.”
Leo pulled away and jumped onto the feeder road. “You don’t know him.”
“I don’t care to know him.”
Leo’s jaw tightened. “He doesn’t have to do anything for you.”
“I’m aware. But he allowed a dangerous vampire to exist and walk free for however many years Beckett has been around. And then, if you haven’t forgotten, he left me bleeding to death in an alley.”
Once again, Leo was silent for the rest of the journey.
The cleaning crew was milling around outside my front door when we pulled up. A mix of men and women held buckets of supplies, and I also noticed a large machine—I wasn’t sure of its purpose. I slid out of the vehicle and walked up, only for Alric to intercept me.
“Good morning, little witch.”
Even this early in the morning, he was gorgeous. Bright green eyes reflected the orange rays of the new sunrise. His pale skin looked like creamy marble, and his lips were quirked in amusement.
“Morning, Prime.”
“Alric, please.” He gestured for me to walk up the steps, and as much as I didn’t want him at my back, I didn’t want to seem like I was afraid.
“They’ll be here for about an hour,” he said.
“After that, I promise you’ll have your house back.
” He grimaced. “Well, minus some things. My strategist will drop by sometime this afternoon with a selection of new furniture and kitchen items.”
I unlocked the door and gestured for the crew to enter. “No need. I’ll replace my own things.”
Alric’s expression went blank. “I’ve already told you this was my responsibility.”
“And I told you, I do not want to be in your debt. While I appreciate your offer, I will choose my own furniture and pay for it myself.”
How I would do that was anyone’s guess. I wasn’t made of money, and my furniture was a bunch of well-cared-for hand-me-downs from my mother. I’d had it for years and had planned to keep every piece until it fell apart.
Grief at my lost things pained me. Telling myself they were only things helped because it was true. And yet, I still felt the loss keenly.
Once everyone was in, they went straight to my bedroom, while I headed to the kitchen. “Would you like a cup of coffee?” I’d had Leo stop for a new pot on the way home, just in case Beckett did something to the other one.
He inclined his head. “I would. Thank you.”
“Leo is welcome to one, but he’ll have to come get it.” I unpacked the pot and washed it out with hot water.
Alric’s lips twitched. “I’ll tell him.”
“You didn’t have to oversee the cleaning,” I said.
The machine beeped. I dumped out the water, replaced the liquid with new and measured grounds into the filter before starting the machine again. Beckett had missed the coffee and the filters during his rampage, thankfully.
He shrugged. “I wanted to see you. We left on the wrong note last night.”
“We did,” I agreed. “I think it’s because you want me to risk my life saving yours.” Whatever he wanted Beckett for was important. Enough for him to do all of this and then some.
Apparently, my words had not amused him.
“We will protect you. I give you my word.”