tried to act aloof. “Do you know him?”
“He and I are…acquainted.” A snide smile played along his lips. “Tell me what you know of my brother.”
She shook her head, disarmed by the sudden subject change. “I don’t know anything. I’m sort of unintentionally involved in all this.”
“How do you mean?”
The last thing she wanted to do was confess to this intimidating vampire that she had apparently ingested his brother’s blood. Once again, she pictured that solitary grain of sand, circling.
“Didn’t you say something about ale? I could really use a drink.”
Cortez studied her for a moment. “We brew our own here.” He crossed to the fridge and retrieved a dark bottle, popped the top, and handed it to her, waiting expectantly.
She took a swig and then offered her compliments, hardly having tasted it. Cortez smiled and waited patiently, his question still hanging between them.
“Seriously, I don’t know anything. I’ve never met your brother. I never even knew there was an underground market for vampire blood until a couple days ago. I was married to someone who might have been involved. A man named Winston. He was murdered, and now I’m under Mason’s protection.”
He narrowed his eyes. “There’d be no need for protection unless you know something more than that.”
She shrugged. “People keep trying to kill me. That’s the extent of my knowledge.”
“Even still. Unless there’s more you’re not telling me, there’d be no reason for the VEA to protect you. That’s not really their forte.”
She considered that for a moment. He was right. Why would the VEA bother keeping her safe…from anything ? Especially when one of their own was in the crossfire? Mace had said she was a witness, but witness to what? She’d been completely ignorant of Winston’s testing his product on her. She hadn’t known he was involved in nefarious activities. She didn’t know who killed him, or exactly why. True, she’d witnessed his murder, as well as the woman he was with, but Mace and Trent had seen it for themselves. Plus they had surveillance of it. They didn’t require her testimony.
So then what did they want from her?
Cortez seemed to be reading the progression of her thoughts just by her features, while his own betrayed nothing. Something in her expression made him back off. “Feel free to eat whatever you like. Someone will be by shortly to show you to a room.”
“Aren’t I staying with Mason?” she blurted before she could think better of it.
“If you prefer.”
After a thoughtful hesitation, she nodded. She was feeling dangerously exposed being away from him after only this short period.
“That is, unless Mace wants to have the room to himself.” She recalled the beautiful woman brought in to feed him. A faint—almost unnoticeable, really—twinge of chagrin pinched the forefront of her brain.
“Very well. I’ll check with him.” He moved to the door. “I hope I don’t need to warn you not to wander the club on your own.”
“I think you just did.”
The corners of his lips quirked. “Indeed. Have a pleasant evening, then.” He inclined his head and then left her alone.
She waited in nervous silence for a moment before she decided it was safe to raid the refrigerator, which, surprisingly, was filled with the most normal, as well as boring, food one could imagine. Bagged, precut lettuce, an array of unusual vegetables she couldn’t even begin to name. Gourds, maybe? Some kind of melon? There was tofu…ugh…kale, a pink liquid that looked like fresh squeezed juice, and a package of uncooked chicken.
Although vampires could eat some food —their main form of sustenance came from blood—it was clear by the contents in the fridge they had no taste buds at all.
On the counter beside the fridge was a stack of green and red apples, among other fruits. She grabbed a green apple, washed it in the sink, and then sank her teeth in. It
“He and I are…acquainted.” A snide smile played along his lips. “Tell me what you know of my brother.”
She shook her head, disarmed by the sudden subject change. “I don’t know anything. I’m sort of unintentionally involved in all this.”
“How do you mean?”
The last thing she wanted to do was confess to this intimidating vampire that she had apparently ingested his brother’s blood. Once again, she pictured that solitary grain of sand, circling.
“Didn’t you say something about ale? I could really use a drink.”
Cortez studied her for a moment. “We brew our own here.” He crossed to the fridge and retrieved a dark bottle, popped the top, and handed it to her, waiting expectantly.
She took a swig and then offered her compliments, hardly having tasted it. Cortez smiled and waited patiently, his question still hanging between them.
“Seriously, I don’t know anything. I’ve never met your brother. I never even knew there was an underground market for vampire blood until a couple days ago. I was married to someone who might have been involved. A man named Winston. He was murdered, and now I’m under Mason’s protection.”
He narrowed his eyes. “There’d be no need for protection unless you know something more than that.”
She shrugged. “People keep trying to kill me. That’s the extent of my knowledge.”
“Even still. Unless there’s more you’re not telling me, there’d be no reason for the VEA to protect you. That’s not really their forte.”
She considered that for a moment. He was right. Why would the VEA bother keeping her safe…from anything ? Especially when one of their own was in the crossfire? Mace had said she was a witness, but witness to what? She’d been completely ignorant of Winston’s testing his product on her. She hadn’t known he was involved in nefarious activities. She didn’t know who killed him, or exactly why. True, she’d witnessed his murder, as well as the woman he was with, but Mace and Trent had seen it for themselves. Plus they had surveillance of it. They didn’t require her testimony.
So then what did they want from her?
Cortez seemed to be reading the progression of her thoughts just by her features, while his own betrayed nothing. Something in her expression made him back off. “Feel free to eat whatever you like. Someone will be by shortly to show you to a room.”
“Aren’t I staying with Mason?” she blurted before she could think better of it.
“If you prefer.”
After a thoughtful hesitation, she nodded. She was feeling dangerously exposed being away from him after only this short period.
“That is, unless Mace wants to have the room to himself.” She recalled the beautiful woman brought in to feed him. A faint—almost unnoticeable, really—twinge of chagrin pinched the forefront of her brain.
“Very well. I’ll check with him.” He moved to the door. “I hope I don’t need to warn you not to wander the club on your own.”
“I think you just did.”
The corners of his lips quirked. “Indeed. Have a pleasant evening, then.” He inclined his head and then left her alone.
She waited in nervous silence for a moment before she decided it was safe to raid the refrigerator, which, surprisingly, was filled with the most normal, as well as boring, food one could imagine. Bagged, precut lettuce, an array of unusual vegetables she couldn’t even begin to name. Gourds, maybe? Some kind of melon? There was tofu…ugh…kale, a pink liquid that looked like fresh squeezed juice, and a package of uncooked chicken.
Although vampires could eat some food —their main form of sustenance came from blood—it was clear by the contents in the fridge they had no taste buds at all.
On the counter beside the fridge was a stack of green and red apples, among other fruits. She grabbed a green apple, washed it in the sink, and then sank her teeth in. It
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