“The office wasn’t open yet when I went to sleep. I left Ryder a message to stop by the clinic during office hours and find out whether Hannah kept the appointment she had for her dog.”
Ryder was Gabriel and Maya’s son, and a hybrid, which meant he could be out in sunlight without the rays damaging his skin. But he and his brother Ethan and sister Vanessa were different from the other hybrids in his care. Their parents were very special vampires: before they’d been turned they were satyrs. Their species’ DNA was so dominant that even as vampires they retained some of their satyr traits and had passed them on to their children. And while their parents’ ability to tolerate sunlight had been extinguished at their turning, as born vampire-satyr-hybrids, just like as born vampire-human-hybrids, Ryder and his siblings were able to be out in sunlight without being turned into ash.
“I’m waiting to hear from him,” Blake now added.
“Good.” There was a short pause, before Wes added, “You’re doing everything you can.”
“It doesn’t seem to be enough.” Because Blake still had no lead on Hannah’s whereabouts. And with every hour that passed, the chances of finding her alive and well, dwindled.
A sigh on the other end of the line. “I’ll be there in half an hour. But you’d better tell those boys that I need to work and am not there to hang out with them.”
“You’ve got it. You won’t even notice that they’re here.”
“Yeah, right.”
Blake disconnected the call and walked to the guestroom. He knocked briefly, then opened the door and walked in, pulling it shut behind him.
Nicholas sat up in his bed and rubbed his eyes. Adam turned beneath the duvet and mumbled something.
“Hey, sorry guys, but I’ve gotta go to the office. Wes will be over shortly; he’s going to stay with you until I’m back.”
Adam shot up to a sitting position. “Wes is coming? Cool!”
Blake raised his hand. “Now, just so you know, Wes is bringing his work with him, so I don’t want you to disturb him unless there’s an emergency.”
Adam grimaced. “Then what’s the point of him coming over at all?”
“To watch us, dummy,” his brother replied. “As if we were little kids who needed a babysitter.” He huffed.
“Wes isn’t your babysitter, he’s your bodyguard,” Blake corrected him. “You should be used to it by now. You’ve had bodyguards since you were born.”
Nicholas rolled his eyes. “Yeah, and it’s getting old.”
“You won’t be saying that when your bodyguard saves your life.”
“We’re not in danger,” Nicholas protested. “I don’t know why everybody is constantly making such a fuss.”
Blake sighed. He’d had similar conversations with some of the other hybrids, who at some point or other, had rebelled against their parents’ over-protectiveness. He took a few steps forward, and sat down on the edge of Nicholas’s bed.
“There’s always danger, even if you don’t see it. You and your brother are hybrids; you’re precious not only to your parents, but to the entire vampire community. You can do things an ordinary vampire can’t. You’re stronger and less vulnerable. But there are many in the vampire world who consider your very existence an abomination. Your parents are right to protect you.”
For a few seconds there was silence in the room. Then Nicholas sighed. “Fine. We’ll just ignore Wes.” He swung his legs out of the bed. “But it’s not fair. If I’m really stronger than you and less vulnerable, then why do I need protection?”
With a few skilled movements, Blake lifted Nicholas off his feet and pinned him down on the floor, before the kid even had occasion to blink. “That’s why. You might be stronger, but I’m smarter and more skilled. Once you’re able to defeat me, I’ll gladly resign from protecting you. But until then, my dear boy, you’ll have to tolerate me or somebody else from Scanguards as your bodyguard.”
From the other bed, Adam chuckled.
Nicholas raised his head and glared at his brother. “Not funny, Adam!”
15
Lilo hesitated before walking down the stairs. She’d slept surprisingly well—and long—despite all the things that had happened the night before, the good and the bad. In the end she’d been so tired that she’d fallen asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. Now, as she slowly descended the stairs, she felt apprehensive about seeing Blake again. Would the sizzle that had flared up between them last night still be there today? Or had it been only a reaction to the stress they’d both been under?
When she reached the hallway, she heard a sound coming from Blake’s office and walked toward it. The door was open.
“Hi, Blake, I—”