Christian didn’t want to put Raven’s life in peril, but he needed to secure the bid. He stood up and raked his hair from back to front. “Can it be done?”
Wyatt walked his chair in circles while cleaning the inside of his ear with a pencil eraser. “It’ll raise red flags. He’s expecting a deduction from your account, and we have no idea if he’s already located and scanned it. Viktor has a good banker, but nothing is foolproof. Money on the side from other possessions might work, but if you match the amount, he’ll never believe it. He’ll know something’s up if you come up with fast cash. Besides, this isn’t about a special order anymore. Speaking of special order, can someone run out and get me some fries?” He tossed the pencil on the desk. “And don’t judge. You need my brain cells functioning at full capacity, and I didn’t sleep a wink last night.”
Blue forced herself out of the beanbag chair, her long brown hair sticking out in the back from static electricity. “I’ll go if it’ll shut you up about that machine, but I’m not driving my car out in this mess. Toss me your keys, amigo.”
“Why don’t you just fly?”
“You want me to walk through the drive-through naked? I’m not flying back with a bag of fries.”
He reached into his drawer and eyed her. “Be careful with my baby.” Wyatt flung the keys to his clown car, and Blue caught them in midair.
“Back in a jiffy,” she said, taming down her hair with one hand. “Any tagalongs?”
Gem launched herself off the couch. “I’ll go. I need to get out of here. This is more stress than I can handle.”
As they bustled out of sight, Wyatt leaned back in his chair and yelled, “And the world ends from an asteroid, not a Breed war!” He turned in a circle, eyes bloodshot. “That’s what happened to the dinosaurs.”
Niko slid off the desk and made a quiet exit, the sleepless hours finally taking their toll on everyone.
When Shepherd struck a match to light up a cigarette, Viktor rose and gave him a curt look. “Take that into the hallway. There is so much smoke in here my eyes are burning.”
Shepherd reluctantly got up—the unlit cigarette dangling from his mouth—and kicked Claude’s foot, startling him awake. He chuckled quietly and left the room. Claude stretched his long limbs before excusing himself to take a shower.
Wyatt reached beneath the desk and switched on an air purifier. “I wish Shep would get on the patch or find a new addiction. That smell seeps into the walls, and I’m going to have to paint them again. Either that or strip them apart and rebuild.”
Christian fished a red lollipop from his pants pocket and peeled off the wrapping. He’d gotten into the habit of stuffing candy in his pockets. Sweets were a form of stress relief the way smoking was for Shepherd. Back in his days as a personal guard, he couldn’t pick up habits that would call attention to him the way smoking would. His job was to go unnoticed, not smell like an ashtray.
“How much time until the next bid?” he asked.
Wyatt rolled up to the computer. “Forty-five minutes. But things will get interesting around four.”
“Why?”
Wyatt found his slouchy hat and pulled it over his head. “I’m guessing that’s the time the minimum bid will increase. Maybe you shouldn’t bid it all. She’s a smart girl, and I feel sorry for the dipshit who ends up with her. He’ll have his hands full if he thinks she’s a new Vampire. She’ll play that card too. You can bet on it.”
If the seller knew who Christian was, then he must have figured out that Raven wasn’t human. He probably had measures in place to prevent escape. Raven was resourceful and fearless, but despite that, Christian would do everything in his power to get her back, even if it meant selling his last possession.
Somehow he was going to make this right. He was going to get her back. All the petty bullshit and apprehensions about their relationship vanished, eclipsed by one purpose—to save her life.
Hopefully it wasn’t already too late.
Chapter 16
My intention was to rebel. But the longer I sat on the bathroom floor, the more uncomfortable I became in those tight leather pants. Not only were they hot, but they hindered my movement. As it turned out, Houdini hadn’t left me pajamas. Instead, I found ripped jeans and a threadbare T-shirt. They were exactly my style, and him knowing things about me—personal things—made the whole situation insufferable as I reluctantly put them on. At the end of the day, petty arguments for the sake of pride weren’t going to get me out of here. I needed to stay strong and focused, so if he wanted to feed and clothe me, I wasn’t going to refuse. He didn’t respond well to resistance, so I had to come up with another plan.
Christian was right. I’d always hated my Vampire maker more because his betrayal was far more crippling than any torture I’d endured at the hands of my Creator. They’d both hurt me in different ways, but had it not been for Houdini’s indifference, I’d have a much different life. Albeit one of crime and servitude, but at least I wouldn’t have suffered.
Hours had passed—enough that I knew it was the next day. Without windows or the ability to use my Mage gift, I couldn’t be certain of the exact time. When I finally emerged from the bathroom, Houdini was nowhere in sight. I glanced in the cubbyhole and saw a thermos, two beignets, sugar cubes, and a small container of coffee cream. For whatever reason, it made me smile that he didn’t know everything about me. I always took my coffee black, something Christian knew.
Christian.
He must have been cursing up a storm.
In the dark room, I plopped down on the mattress, my back against the wall and knees pulled up. My heart did a somersault when I noticed two dim lights moving on the other side of the glass. They weren’t lights but eyeshine from a white panther. When he rose to his feet, a low growl rumbled before he walked into the shadows.
Minutes later, Houdini casually crossed the room, wearing tight black pants that ended just below his knee. The light from the fridge blinked on, and he grabbed a carton of milk. After filling two plastic glasses, he strode over to the recessed cubbyhole and slid one of the cups to my side. When his hand briefly appeared, it made me wish I had impalement wood. Even if I managed to do it, where would that get me? He’d be paralyzed on the other side of the wall, and I’d be trapped in this room… forever.
“Please eat something,” he urged. “I give you my word I haven’t spiked the food or drinks.” He put his hands on his hips. “You need your strength.”
“Only if you stop this.”