Deceived By the Others

chapter 29



Sara spluttered, something that I’d never seen her do before. It was comical enough to make me laugh, even given how shitty my mood had become.

“Are you joking? What the f*ck are you thinking?”

“No, I’m serious. He owes me for saving his life. He’s no more dangerous than waiting around my apartment for one of the Sunstrikers to come finish what they started, and more likely to be able to protect you if I start changing.” Sara sobered, but she still looked ill, and she fidgeted nervously with her lap belt. “You’re not contracted, and as long as you hold your ground, never will be. His place is practically a fortress, and every vampire in it is prepared to defend it. With John and Max gone, it’s probably the safest place for us to hide without having to leave the state.”

“But what about you? You’re contracted to him. He might not want you around if you’re … if you …”

“No,” I said shortly. “He might not. I already talked to him early this morning, though. He’s also got some ideas on how to handle this mess.” Ideas I wouldn’t share with Sara until I’d made my choice.

She nodded, fiddling with the strap of her purse now. I was tempted to slap at her hands to make her stop, but her worry was understandable. She was rarely this nervous; I was more used to seeing this kind of behavior out of her neurotic sister, Janine.

“He lives by Central Park, too, which is Moonwalker territory. The Sunstrikers don’t come by here often, so as long as we don’t stray too far we should be fairly safe.”

“Has Royce agreed to this?”

“I haven’t asked him yet.”

She quieted again, and the tension in the air crept up a notch. I was too on edge not to react; the words spilled out of my mouth before I could stop myself. “For f*ck’s sake, Sara, he’s not the Antichrist. He’s been the most decent man—creature—whatever, that I’ve dealt with since the shit hit the fan. I’m sure he won’t mind helping us out here.”

“That’s funny, coming from you,” she said, too flatly for me to take offense. “A couple months ago, you would’ve cut off your own hands before driving to see him. What changed?”

“F*ck if I know,” I snarled, fingers tightening on the wheel until the rubber Tinkerbell cover slipped off. I scrabbled at it until it snapped back into place, cursing under my breath. Then slammed on the brakes when I realized the guy in front of me had come to a sudden stop, prompting more cursing and a one-finger salute from me.

“Do you need me to drive?”

“No!” I shouted. After a few deep breaths, I managed a much calmer reply. “No. Sorry. It’s been an incredibly shitty day. Why am I telling you this? You already know.”

“Getting in an accident won’t make it better.”

“I’ll be careful,” I said, settling back and rolling my shoulders to help ease out the tension. “Sara, really, I’m sorry. I’m not thrilled about this either, but it’s the best idea I can come up with on short notice. Maybe we can find someone else to stay with later. At least for now, he’s someone who can provide us shelter and protection.”

“Never thought I’d hear those words used in conjunction with a vampire.”

“Pulling out the fancy lawyer-talk on me, eh?”

A short laugh escaped her, though I could tell she hadn’t meant to let it slip. Some of her nervousness was easing off. “Yeah, yeah. Don’t make me go all devil’s advocate on you.”

If she knew the real reason I thought staying with Royce was a good idea, she’d have been wrestling me for control of the wheel. For now, I relaxed and followed the path burned into my memory from the day I’d first visited Royce’s home.

He owned a small apartment building half a block from Central Park that housed the closest and most trusted or valuable members of his “family,” plus the humans he’d once offhandedly mentioned were closest to being turned by him or one of the other vampires in the building. I’d met most of them during my stay while the bond between us wore off, though I’d made no special effort to get to know them. I wasn’t even sure I remembered all of their names; unless they were guarding me, they were the least of my concerns at the time.

If I was lucky, there would be space for Sara and me to stay for a while. A couch to crash on, at the very least. Royce had often extended the offer to me to return to his side, though I’d made efforts to ignore it—until now. Hopefully he wouldn’t mind my dropping in and wouldn’t have a problem with Sara, or her dogs, tagging along.

I was lucky enough to find parking directly across the street from Royce’s home. We left the dogs and the bags in the car while we went to test the waters and find out if we were welcome to stay.

The apartment building didn’t look anything like you’d expect from a vampire den. With the white shutters and brick façade, not to mention the roses entwined through the iron-and-brick fencing surrounding the property, it looked more like a bunch of families with kids should be calling the place home. That it housed over a dozen vampires, and another dozen human servants, was enough to make me shiver once we passed into the shadow of the building.

Though the sun was still high in the sky when we arrived, I wasn’t surprised a vampire was pulling guard duty, seated in the shadows at the back of the windowless foyer. He looked up from the paperback he was reading, puzzlement reflecting in his gaze before he rose from his seat at the table covered with in-baskets for tenant mail. I recognized his angular, handsome features, and took his offered hand.

“Shiarra, I remember you. Good to see you again.”

“Hi, Wes. This is my business partner, Sara Halloway.”

The vampire took her hand as well, and she did an admirable job of hiding her uncomfortable flinch at his touch. Wes’s pale blue eyes locked onto her throat, and I was sure he’d detected her heart rate speeding up out of what I hoped was fear.

Like most of the vampires in the building, Wes was (pardon the pun) drop-dead gorgeous. With his killer physique, short blond hair, and neatly trimmed goatee, he looked like he would’ve made a handsome and dashing hero for the latest Hollywood summer blockbuster. Or maybe he would’ve played the part of a pillaging Viking warrior who left mayhem and murder in his wake. I cleared my throat to pull his attention off Sara and held my ground despite the fact that his pupils had taken on a reddish tint.

“We’re here to see Mr. Royce. I know he’s probably resting, but—”

“You never fail to surprise me,” Royce said, cutting me off. Sara and I both jumped, not having heard him as he settled into a comfortable lean in the doorframe leading deeper into Alice’s rabbit hole. Scars or no, he always cut a fine figure. The ancient vampire hadn’t bothered to put on a shirt, his hands pocketed in his fashionably faded jeans, leaving his toned chest and corded arms bare to view. If he hadn’t scared the crap out of me, I’d have been eating up the view with my eyes and damn the consequences.

Wes inclined his head to Royce, taking a step back from us to resume his station at the table.

“I suppose you’ve come because you need my assistance with something.”

“Yes,” I agreed, putting myself between the vampires and Sara as surreptitiously as possible. She reached for my hand and I took hers, hiding my misgivings at the way she was trembling by presenting as calm a front as I could manage. “I’m sorry to put this on your plate, but the police seem to think that Chaz and the other Sunstrikers might not be too pleased with us thanks to an article that ran in today’s paper. They suggested we get gone until we’re approved for a witness protection program.”

“So you came to me,” he stated flatly, frown lines appearing between his black-as-pitch eyes. “I’m not in the habit of doing favors like this, Ms. Waynest. The legalities of my involvement would be questionable, if it is as you say. Unless you have something new to offer?” His gaze flicked to Sara, back to meet mine.

“Shia, forget it, let’s go,” Sara whispered. The urgency in her voice only made me more determined.

“Don’t involve Sara in this. Whatever you want, take it from me. All I’m asking is for you to give her a safe place to stay until the trial is over and it’s safe for her to go home. If I can stay for a little while, too—”

“Are you sure you want to offer me anything I ask for?” Royce drawled. He pushed off the doorframe, moving with all the sinuous grace of a panther, stalking toward me on bare feet. I didn’t flinch when he ran a fingertip over my cheek, testing the heat that no doubt rose from the blush marring my skin. “That could be dangerous. Very, very dangerous …”

Sara’s nails dug into my wrist, dragging me back to reality.

“Within reason, you perv. Don’t touch me.” My demand would’ve been more impressive if my voice hadn’t been shaking so badly.

He threw back his head and laughed, giving me an excellent view of his extended canines. Wes was rolling his eyes behind the paperback he’d resumed reading.

“Oh, you are a treat. All right, enough with the dramatics. No need to worry, Ms. Waynest, Ms. Halloway. You are welcome to stay, and have my word you won’t be in any danger while you’re with us,” Royce said. He slid past me to take Sara’s free hand, the one that wasn’t clinging to mine in a death grip. He brushed a kiss over her knuckles, smiling that wicked, winsome smile that had won him a place on the cover of innumerable fashion magazines. Her blush was as clear as her unease. “Mr. MacLeod will no doubt be pleased to see you again.”

“Oh, he’s here?” she stammered, drawing back. I stared blankly at this exchange. Since when did Sara know anything about Royce or his people?

“Indeed. It just so happens that one of the apartments on the first floor is available. Your timing is convenient, as I was about to have some tenants reassigned. For now, I’ll have Ryan and Louis help you get your things from the car. If you’re planning to bring those dogs inside, see that you keep them quiet. Many of my people are asleep for the day and won’t appreciate being woken by excessive noise.”

“Oh,” she said faintly, her grip finally loosening on me. “Oh, all right. Thank you. I’ll see what I can do.”

“Wesley, if you can see to that?” At the Vikingesque vampire’s nod, Royce turned his attention to me. “Ms. Waynest, might I have a word with you?”

Sara looked like the proverbial deer in headlights at being left alone. Come to think of it, I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of separating either, but now wasn’t the time to be ticking off the vampire. I gave her hand one last squeeze, passing her my car keys and leaving her with Wes. He was busying himself with an intercom set into the wall, telling someone named Julio to kick Louis’s lazy ass out of bed.

Royce pointed out the apartment that I’d be sharing with Sara for the next month, then led the way to the stairwell at the far end of the building, saying nothing as we headed up to the third floor. On the way, a yawning guy who could have modeled for Calvin Klein ads in his spare time passed us, giving Royce a nod and me a curious look on his way down the stairs. His chiseled features looked familiar, but I couldn’t remember if that was Ryan or Louis, one of the human servants catering to the vampires in the building.

Sara would fit right in with all the pretty people here. I felt like the redheaded stepchild from hell, particularly with my hopelessly frizzy hair, utter lack of any curves where they counted, and the scars on my face, stomach, and arm acquired in my “adventures” over the last year or so.

Not that I was really worried about fitting in with a bunch of vampires and their servants. Yeesh.

When we reached the top floor, Royce let me precede him into the giant, wide open room with its Greek statuary of long-dead gods lit by tiny spotlights. All the windows were, of course, shuttered for the day, leaving the space in a semblance of twilight. The little lights helped brighten the room by reflecting from the mostly bare hardwood floor, giving the illusion of walking on a carpet of stars.

There was a girl seated cross-legged on one of the chaise lounges in the middle of the room, a stack of books to one side of her, typing furiously on the laptop balanced between her legs. She was effortlessly lovely in that way that some girls manage to pull off. The smooth, clear skin that needed no makeup to the grace infused in the simple motion of absently sweeping long auburn tresses out of her eyes made her a vision of quiet, calm beauty that was right at home amidst the statuary. She glanced at us briefly then did a double take, fingers pausing over the keyboard.

“Jessica, will you excuse us, please? I need a moment alone with Ms. Waynest.”

She shrugged, packing up her laptop. “Sure. I’ll come back for the books later. Let me know when you’re ready.”

He drew her to him when she rose, cupping her cheeks as though she were made of the finest, most fragile porcelain. I was admittedly shocked at the—dare I say it—tender way he kissed her. She rose on tiptoe to meet him, and I looked away, feeling far too much like a voyeur, even though they weren’t doing anything terribly inappropriate.

When they broke the kiss, she gave me a cheery smile and a wave, practically skipping out of the room. She was far too … too … nice to be so intimate with someone like Royce. The way his eyes followed her as she left the room spoke of hunger, but not the kind that lusted for blood. He wanted something else from that girl, something less tangible. The implications made my head, already hurting, reach whole new levels of what-the-f*ck.

“She will be John’s replacement in due time,” he remarked, blinking and turning his attention to me. Though it didn’t surprise me that he hadn’t found a replacement for his turncoat flunky yet, that he wanted a woman—a human woman—to take the place of the dead vampire was entirely unexpected. I wasn’t sure what expression I had on my face—maybe incredulity—but Royce was amused by it. His smile widened, and he gestured to the chaise. “Please, sit.”

Once I did, he chose a seat facing me, settling back in the cushions and propping his feet up. He was far too relaxed and cheerful for my peace of mind. I wasn’t used to seeing him this way—not at all.

He saved me from having to explain myself by resuming the persona I was more familiar with. Royce-at-home was not the same as Royce-at-the-office, and the disparities bugged me for no reason I could readily put my finger on.

“Now, then. To business. Knowing you, I don’t dare assume that you came with the intention of allowing me to turn you.”

I nodded, biting my lower lip. Whatever he expected in payment would most likely involve my opening a vein—which wasn’t something I was terribly excited about doing. I’d thought he wanted me for other reasons, but his actions with Jessica made me question his motives on levels I hadn’t previously thought to explore.

“If you turn Were, I can’t have you stay here. Sara can remain, but you would present too much of a hazard to my people. I have properties upstate, but I usually require some form of exchange when I offer shelter to those who come to me. I know the state of your finances. You have few reserves to call on, and fewer friends to back you or trade in that most valuable commodity, information. Despite what you have done for me in the past, I would call our debt to each other even by now. That does not leave many options. What do you intend to offer, Ms. Waynest?”

“I’m not sure what you want. You’ve already got willing donors, and I don’t even want to think about you bumping uglies with somebody—least of all, me.”

He chuckled at that, folding his hands behind his head and giving me a wicked smile. “Are you sure? You’ve never once thought about it? What it might be like?”

“Don’t play games with me,” I said, more harshly than I intended. At his sardonic look, I swallowed hard, and my voice shook, but I somehow managed to meet his gaze levelly. “Clearly you’ve got Miss Sunshine to fool around with. You don’t need me for that.”

“That all may very well be true, but you have not yet answered my question. I expect an answer, Shiarra. My patience is not limitless.”

I closed my eyes and clenched my hands in my lap to hide how they shook, praying I was making the right decision this time, that I wasn’t plunging into an abyss from which I might never return. Despite his threat, Royce waited for me to gather myself enough to answer him, unmoving, not speaking, intent upon my response. I gathered my courage and gave him what he was waiting for.

“Keep Sara safe, and let her go when it’s time. None of your people can touch her or even talk to her about a contract. Arnold is searching for a cure for lycanthropy, so there’s a greater chance I won’t turn Were. In exchange for offering us sanctuary, I’ll be yours on more than paper.”

His black eyes were pitiless cold pits when I met them. His voice was low, smooth, as empty of emotion as his eyes. “Explain.”

Though I wanted to hide away, to flinch from him, to escape this life and start over somewhere new, I had no time to come up with a better solution. The words spilled from my mouth, hollow, dry, like someone else was saying them. I needed to remember to breathe or I might very well pass out from the strain of offering what shreds were left of my soul to this monster on a silver platter.

“I won’t fight you, I won’t try to seek vengeance, and I won’t try to avoid it like I have in the past. I’ll submit to a blood bond, and offer my blood to you willingly. It’ll be yours to take whenever you want.”