She cast a quick look at Paris. He stared at her with a ravenous gaze. She licked her lips then dragged her gaze back to Garrison. “Why not?”
“My alpha gave me an order.” Garrison marched toward her. “He told me to protect Paris, and that’s what I’m going to do. I won’t break my alpha’s command.”
Are you freaking kidding me? “Even if your alpha suffers for it?”
Garrison bit his lip, but…nodded. “I swore to protect Paris, and that’s what I’m going to do.”
Oh, hell. Now he was going to be a rule follower. “You damn well better protect him.” She jabbed her finger into Garrison’s chest. “And do not cross that dirt line until I get back.” She was actually starting to worry about just how much longer that dirt of the dead would work. It hadn’t stopped Aidan and the more time that she spent with Paris…
He doesn’t seem like just a vamp to me. He had werewolf claws a bit ago. Aidan’s blood and Jane’s blood…they’re mixing in him now, changing him. And it just might be enough of a change to fool the magic she’d put in place.
They were running out of time, she knew it. Annette had to act. She wasn’t going to leave that building, but she would go get Vincent. If anyone was strong enough to stop the alpha, it would be him.
Garrison would never stand a chance against Aidan anyway.
Annette left her bag and rushed out of that back room. It was eerily silent in the long hallway. Where was Vincent? He’d taken Drew away earlier, but she had no idea where they’d gone. She ran by several empty rooms and then, through an open doorway, she saw them.
Drew was on his knees. Vincent’s hands were locked around Drew’s throat. “I snapped your sister’s neck,” Vincent said, his face twisted and angry. “Just like I’m—”
“What are you doing?” Annette yelled at him.
Vincent stiffened. Then he shoved Drew away from him.
Lena just stood there, a few feet to Vincent’s right. She was watchful, silent.
“Were you about to kill him?” Annette marched closer to him, her gaze sweeping the room. Drew’s lips were still pressed tightly together. “Why the hell haven’t you called Captain Harris? She should be handling him.”
“I didn’t hear you coming.” Vincent slanted a quick glance at Lena. “Why didn’t I hear her coming?”
Lena just shrugged.
Annette glanced between the two of them.
Drew threw his body forward and tried to crawl toward her, but Vincent caught him and jerked him back.
This is wrong. “Captain Harris should be here,” Annette said as she edged back a bit. “She handles the paranormals.”
“I can handle him.” Vincent smiled at her. “I’m trying to understand why he hates vampires so much. I mean, his father was a vamp. Shouldn’t he be grateful to our kind? This hatred…this determination to kill paranormals is unnatural.”
Drew’s gaze fired fury at the vamp.
Lena just watched them.
Annette found her gaze dipping to the bracelets around Lena’s wrists. There was something familiar to her about those golden bangles. Something that nagged at her mind.
“You won’t be a threat to Jane any longer,” Vincent assured Drew. “You won’t be a threat to anyone.” He bared his fangs and Annette knew he was about to rip out the human’s throat.
“Stop it!” Annette yelled. “He’s her brother!”
“A murdering bastard of a brother.” Vincent glanced over at Annette. “You do realize, of course, that he came to this town with the express purpose of killing paranormals?”
Annette hesitated.
“Think about it,” Vincent said. “When he shot Jane at that college campus, he was armed with a gun that contained silver bullets. Humans don’t just pack silver bullets by chance. He knew what Aidan Locke was. He knew about werewolves. He was here to kill them. And to wipe out any vamps who got in his way.”
“How would he have known?” Annette asked.
“Because he had hired a man to follow Jane around town. A bastard named Roth Sly.” Vincent paced closer to her. “That’s what I’ve been able to learn so far. Drew hired Roth to watch and to report back on everything that he learned. Roth was his eyes and ears but…” His shoulders slumped. “He killed Roth tonight. That’s where Lena and I found this bastard…at Roth’s apartment. The whole building reeked of blood and death.”
Her heart thudded too fast and hard in her chest. Annette inched back another step. “Drew Hart hasn’t said a word.”
Vincent lifted one perfect brow. Such a handsome face. So charming.
“You had Lena stop him from talking earlier. His lips…they’re still sealed together.” She could see it. Drew was straining hard to talk but it was as if his mouth had been glued shut.
Vincent shrugged. “He was talking a moment ago, I assure you. Just ask Lena. Lena…” He threw a quick glance her way. “Tell the voodoo queen that Drew was talking.”
“If that’s what you wish…” Lena’s voice was mild, but there was just the faintest emphasis on that last word.
Wish…