Well, hello, once in a lifetime moment. Had tall, dark and silent actually sought me out and spoken directly to me? Like actual speaking? Okay, it was only one word, but for him that was practically a novel.
My eyebrows creased as I followed him into an open elevator. There was a vampire in there, so we both stood quietly as we made our way down to the ground level. The vampire inhaled deeply and I turned to see his eyes pulsing. For shit’s sake, not this again. Sam turned hard eyes on the bloodsucker, all of us in a weird stare-off. The male vampire swallowed hard, and when the doors opened at level five he all but ran out. Then Sam and I were alone.
I had no idea what Sam was going to say to me. Was he fetching me for Ryder, or was this to do with that look he wore the other night in the forest? Surely he didn’t want to talk about the weather or how insane the last episode of Supernatural was. If I knew anything, it was that this enforcer did not do the small talk thing. He hardly did the big talk.
When the doors opened at ground level, Sam strode out flashing the front desk ash his badge. Fumbling in my pocket I found my own special magic card and quickly did the same thing. No more signing in and out? Hells yeah!
Once we were outside, the sunlight and fresh air knocked into me with a welcome burst of energy. I should have mentioned this to Tessa—no more sunlight if she was changed. That girl was a big fan of Hawaii and the Caribbean, a beach baby through and through. After college we had planned on spending six months travelling through the islands. But as a vamp she would never suntan again.
The darkly handsome enforcer, with his few days of stubble on his jaw, looked menacing as he continued striding across the outdoor area. He didn’t look back to see if I was following.
“Sam?” I said, stopping where I was.
He still didn’t turn, just kept walking briskly, disappearing into the woods that dotted the front of the property. What the hell? This guy was all kinds of quirky. I debated whether to follow him, but in the end my curiosity was the strongest emotion. Groaning, I jogged to catch up with him, weaving through the woods to find him perched on a rock overlooking the creek. Damn he was fast.
I let out a big huff of air as I collapsed down next to him.
“Another rookie prank? Gonna throw me in the creek?”
He didn’t smile, only looked sideways at me. “I’m going away for ten days on my bi-yearly fishing trip.”
I gave him a deer in headlights look. “Okay … that’s nice.” First snowboarding and now fishing. Who knew?
Still, as interesting as that information was, why was he telling me this? As if he’d heard my thoughts he turned more fully toward me, his steely gaze penetrating. “Look, I think Ryder is blinded by his affection for you. I think this situation is much more serious than you know and you need to watch your back. Since I’m not going to be here to keep an eye on you, be extra vigilant.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
Sam leaned in and whispered: “You have no idea the power of the blood running through your veins, what it could mean for the world—a world caught in the grips of fear over a virus that is not curable.”
It was true, the Anima Mortem Virus had changed the world. Vampires and ash. Dividing the world of humans even further.
I was in a bit of shock over how much Sam was saying. Today he was channeling the love child of Chatty Cathy and Debbie Downer, with all of his ominous news and crazy insight. This was beginning to scare me.
“You act like you know something, something I don’t know…”
A flash of animation flickered across his face but it was replaced with a cold hard gaze. “I’m just looking out for you, little rookie. See you in ten days. Be safe.”
He jumped up and was gone.
Sam was … seriously? He barely ever talked, and the one time he does speak he gives me vague and cryptic information on how much shit I was in and how scary my life was—information I already knew, so why bother? I could have sworn he wanted to say something more but had stopped.
Damn. I stayed a while and threw rocks into the creek, trying not to think about Sam’s warning.
Eventually, I had to make my way back to the enforcer locker room. Ryder had only given me so much time to clean up and get blood. It was time for my first shift as trainee. Hells yeah. Screw Sam and his depressing drama. Screw Tessa and her vamp obsession. I was gonna shoot some shit today.
Two hours later, I sat on the bench with my head in my hands.
“Seriously? No calls?” I griped.
Ryder and Kyle were playing cards. “That’s a good thing,” Ryder reminded me.
Oliver was lifting some weights. He sat up and wiped a towel across his forehead.
“So what’s up with Sam’s lonely-guy fishing trip to Alaska twice a year? Think he has some hot human chick he shacks up with in a hotel?”