“An attack against a member of my line is the same as an attack against me, so I’m no longer asking you as your friend. I’m commanding you as your sire to tell me who did this.”
With those last three words, Bones unleashed his aura, and the weight of his power filled the room. This wasn’t the tingling caress of sensations I’d felt from him earlier, but chilling waves of building pressure and crackling currents, like being in the center of an ice storm. Anyone undead within a hundred-yard radius would feel the force of Bones’s aura, but most especially those tied to him through blood, as Annette and I were. She flinched as though he’d struck her, her champagne-colored gaze flickering between Bones and the floor.
“Crispin, I . . . I can’t,” she said at last, bowing her head. “I told you, I don’t know.”
Anger pulsed in palpable waves from Bones, showing that he didn’t believe her. I was torn. Aside from one incident with me when we first met, Annette was as loyal to Bones as the day was long. She was still in love with him, too, and probably always would be. So why would she defy him over someone who’d tortured her? That was beyond my comprehension.
Unless she thought she was protecting Bones by her actions? I’d thrown myself in front of a few metaphorical trains for that reason. If Bones was right and Annette did know her attacker, maybe she thought whoever sliced and diced her was too powerful for Bones to take on in retaliation.
“Let’s get her back to the house,” I said, placing my hand on his arm to soothe away some of that furious energy. “We can figure out our next move there.”
Bones gave Annette a look that promised he wasn’t done with this discussion, but he swept his hand toward the door.
“All right, Kitten. After you.”
Three
TO GIVE US some privacy, Spade, Denise, Mencheres, and Kira went back to the guest cabin instead of rejoining us at our home. We hadn’t needed to update everyone on what happened. With their hearing, they’d gotten the full scoop while guarding the perimeter of the inn. Annette, Ian, Bones, and I filed back into my house, where the balloons, confetti, and banners now seemed out of place with our new, somber moods.
“Look at all these lovely gifts,” Annette remarked.
“All I want to hear from you is a name,” Bones cut her off. “Stop acting as though nothing happened and give it to me.”
Annette flounced onto the couch with none of her usual grace. “I told you. I’ve never seen him before.”
Bones sat on the couch across from her, stretching out his legs as though getting ready for an extended nap. “If that were true, you would have given me his description straightaway instead of trying to convince me that you don’t know who he is.”
“Not to mention you wouldn’t have let him in, and you would’ve fought instead of lying quiet while he carved into you,” Ian added, ignoring the dirty look Annette shot him.
Both men had very good points.
“You’re wasting your time hoping Bones will let this go,” I chimed in. “No self-respecting Master would allow the torture of one of his people to go unpunished. You told me that yourself a long time ago.”
Under these admonitions, Annette should have folded. Everything we’d said was true, and she knew it. Yet when I saw her lips compress together, I could tell she still wouldn’t budge even though it made no sense.
Fabian materialized in the center of the room. “There’s a vampire in the woods!”
I immediately jumped to my feet, going to our nearest cache of weapons. Ian didn’t seem interested in armoring up first. He started toward the door.
“Stop.”
The single word came from Bones. He hadn’t moved from his position on the couch, his lean body still sprawled as if totally relaxed. I knew better. The tension exuding from his aura made the air feel thicker.
“I hoped we’d be followed here,” Bones went on in that same quiet, unyielding voice. “Now we don’t need Annette to tell us who her attacker was. We’ll find out for ourselves.”
“Crispin, wait,” Annette began, alarm crossing her features.
“You had your chance,” he said shortly. Then he glanced at Ian and nodded in Annette’s direction. Whatever else she was about to say was cut off when Ian slapped his hand over her mouth. Only faint, muffled grunts came from her as Ian settled on the couch behind Annette, dragging her tight up against him.
“Don’t fret. She’ll stay quiet like a good girl, won’t you, poppet?” Ian drawled in her ear.
Annette’s grunts now sounded furious, but there was no way she could overpower Ian. That was also why I wasn’t too worried about our uninvited guest. Either he was suicidal, or he had no idea that he was sneaking up a hill where there were several Master vampires, one of whom could rip his head off with merely his thoughts.
“Fabian, you only saw one vampire?”
The ghost bobbed his head. “On the lower half of the hill.”