Cole was livid. He’d given Angelique specific instructions. She had no choice but to obey. And his sister wasn’t bright enough to figure out what was going on, or to fight her own maker. Amanda was too sweet and innocent to ever suspect her master was capable of deceiving her.
He stormed to the cell and glared at the exotic man-child behind the bars. Pale curls fell around his pixie-like face. Crystal blue eyes stared back. The kid was missing a pair of translucent wings on his delicate frame.
“Do you feel Angelique?” Cole asked without using his magic.
Flynn’s eyes narrowed, anger flushing his cheeks.
Cole reached through the bars and grabbed Flynn’s silk shirt, yanking him to a stand before delving deep into the boy’s eyes. His pupils dilated and his breathing slowed. Once Flynn was deep in the trance, he ordered, “You will tell me if you feel Angelique. Now.”
“No. I feel nothing from my master.”
“And her fledging, Amanda?”
“Nothing.”
“Where are they?” he screamed.
Flynn stood, unblinking.
Dropping the affected boy’s shirt, he stalked off through the warehouse, an innocuous and tired-looking building on the outskirts of town. There had to be a way to find Mike, with or without his sister’s involvement. His whole plan was falling apart.
He sent a text to all of his scouts, telling them to drop everything and search for Michael Nights.
It was tempting to shut down the club, but he had a few more things to hide. Josephine had been safely relocated to the warehouse, to a private section he’d remade into a luxurious suite.
Once Josephine was breathing again, they would disappear and start anew.
* * * *
Mike watched with wide eyes as Amanda scrambled into the corner and crunched into a ball, not looking at anyone.
She let out a sob. “You should let me leave. I’m nothing but a danger to all of you.”
Tremaine spoke up. “Not happening, kiddo. You’re staying here, and you’re going to be fine. Give the guys a couple minutes. They went to get what you need.”
“Don’t want to drink in front of anyone. Especially not in front of Mike,” she whined.
Crouching down in front of her, Tremaine’s voice took on a gentle tone. “Oh, that’s not the solution I’m referring to. We have a friend who has a stash of blood for when she’s not feeling social. It works in a pinch. And she’s not greedy with her supply. She can always get more.”
“What?”
“You can drink bagged blood. Might not be as satisfying, but it gets the job done.”
“You mean I don’t have to bite anyone?”
Tremaine closed his eyes, tension flowing down his shoulders. Mike caught it, and it made him wonder what was really going on.
“Were you given a choice, Amanda?”
“A choice about what?”
“Becoming a vampire.”
“Not really. I had overdosed. Angelique saved me. Made me better.”
“Interesting. Though, she’s a firm believer in drinking from the vein.” He let out a sigh. “There are other ways if you don’t like biting.” He reached out to touch her shoulder. “Later, once this mess is settled, I’ll take you to a friend. She’s been helping another vampire adapt. She’d be willing to take you on.”
Amanda looked up and met Tremaine’s gaze. “She can help?”
He nodded. “She can.”
Liz walked over to Mike and Gwen with a concerned look. “You’re planning to leave, aren’t you?”
He’d known Liz almost as long as Tremaine. She oozed power, bringing a sense of calm with an edge of chaos around her. “Unless you have a good reason for us to stay put. One problem, my dog. I mean, I could have Roxy pick her up, but…” he glanced over at Amanda and shrugged, “it’s weird.”
“We’ll keep an eye on you,” Liz told him.
“Thanks.” He looked to Gwen.
She squeezed his hand. “You okay?”
“Will be.” He hoped. He didn’t want to go back to how things were, but he was terrified of where his world was going. With Gwen, he could accept whatever life threw his way.
Preston and Robert popped back into the room, holding up several bags of blood. With a grim face, Preston walked to Amanda and gave her a bag. “Bottoms up.”
Amanda’s nose wrinkled but she took the bag and looked at Preston. “What do I do?”
Mike’s stomach turned as Preston knelt and tore the corner off the bag. “Drink it,” the mage instructed.
Placing the hole at her mouth, she drank noisily. Mike had to turn away.
Blood didn’t normally bother him. Watching Amanda slurp down the crimson substance, like she’d marched through Death Valley without access to water, was unnerving.
The slurping ended, and Amanda’s tiny sob tore through him. “I’m sorry, Mike.”
“Don’t. You need it to live.” He turned back and offered a weak smile. “Though I’ll admit it’s weird to see.”
“You’re repulsed.”
He almost said, No more than you were about the sparks, but that would leave her feeling guilty. “It will take time to get used to. Like I said, we can still be friends.”
“You always were a great guy.” She looked up at Preston. “Thank you. It wasn’t so bad.”
He patted her shoulder before standing. “I’ll go stash these in the fridge. If you get hungry, you’ll have access.”
Amanda climbed to her feet and stood next to the fire with a faraway look. She drew a breath before speaking. “You’re the Council, aren’t you?” Her gaze hit Robert, then Preston as he came back to the room.
“Part of,” Preston answered. “Why?”
“Cole deLuna has a safe hidden in his office. It’s behind a painting of white roses dripping in blood. Combination is 13-89-13. There are forbidden magics books in it. He also keeps a journal about the experiments he runs on corpses and other things.” Her hands started to tremble. “I don’t know much, except that what he’s doing is wrong.”
Preston looked to Robert. “We could go in, find out what’s hidden in her head.”
Robert sighed and looked to Amanda. “If you give us permission, we can look through your memories. Oftentimes we know more than we think, but haven’t processed the details.”
She looked to Mike.
He trusted Tremaine, and Mike knew Tremaine trusted them. “It might help.”
“I’ll do whatever you need.”
* * * *
Gwen cleared her throat and nodded to the kitchen. “Preston, Robert, may I have a word with you?” She hopped up and left the room.
They followed. Before Preston could get a word out, she started, “Mike’s uncomfortable here. I’ll convince him to go to my place. It’s well-warded.”
“Okay, but you call us if anything happens,” Robert demanded.
“I promise. You guys okay with her? She seems to want to help. I feel sorry for her.”
“We’ll take care of her.”
“And I’m going to be watching you two. I have a bad feeling,” Preston pointed out.
“Me too. Cole came to Mike before I caught up with him at the park. I’m not letting him out of my sight.” Gwen shrugged. “Mind if we take off?”
Robert nodded. “I’ll take you back to your place. Encourage Mike to get someone to deliver the dog, or take care of her for him.”
“If he isn’t already thinking about where Sasha is going, I’ll remind him. Probably best if she goes elsewhere for the night, so we don’t have to take her out.”
“Sure about this?” Preston asked.
She glared at him. “Would you really want to stay under the same roof where Dacia’s ex is?”
His head turned slightly. “Good point. Keep him busy until we figure this out.”
“I will.” She found Mike standing in front of Amanda. He seemed relaxed, finally.
He looked over. “We ready to get out of here?”
Gwen nodded.
Mike took a step toward Amanda and gave her a hug. “Be safe. Trust Trem and his people.”
“Sorry I wrecked your night,” she replied softly.
He stepped back with a smile. “I’m glad we were able to help you.” He looked to Tremaine. “You’re a lifesaver, dude.”
Trem snorted. “At least you’ve finally come to your senses. See ya soon.”
Gwen took his arm and Robert stepped up next to them. “I suggest you go to Gwen’s and stay there.”
He nodded, but she saw him thinking something through, most likely Sasha.
Robert zapped them back to her condo. “She mentioned your dog. Can someone watch her?”
“Most likely. I’ll call my sister. She has the key and lives across the street from me.”
“Then good night.” He disappeared without waiting for a response.
Gwen moved to the kitchen. “Beer or wine?”
“Beer. I need to call Roxy.”
“Go for it.”
* * * *
Roxy answered on the second ring. “Hey, Mike. I hear you disappeared from Shenanigans before we got there. Flat out vanished. You had Isa worried.”
Mike sucked in a breath. “Yeah, I probably should come clean to a few people about what I am. That can wait. We had to take care of Amanda.”
“You didn’t kill her, did you?”
He rolled his eyes. “No. She’s a victim. Her brother…” he trailed off, not sure what to say. “Anyway, she’s safe now. I’m in protective custody for the moment.” He waggled his brows at Gwen. “Can you take care of Sasha?”
“Sure. Should I tell Jordan he might have to wait a few days for practice?”
“Would you mind if Gwen came to practice? If not, we can do it sooner. I’m supposed to keep a low profile. As long as I’m not wandering around, it’s probably okay.”
“What the hell is going on?”
“Would you believe me if I told you I’m not totally sure?”
Roxy snorted. “Yeah, considering you’re finally stepping into our world.”
“Please, I’ve known about Others all along, you only found out a few months ago.”
“Grr, whatever,” Roxy growled.
Sighing, he rolled his eyes. “It’s been a weird night. I’m with Gwen. We’re safe. Amanda is elsewhere, and safe. Please, keep my girl safe.”
“All right, all right. We’ll keep her occupied.”
“Thank you. If I can wrap my head around this, I’ll tell you all about it when we set up practice.”
“Deal. Good night, Mike. We’ll head over in a few to grab Sasha.”