“Probably.”
“He can’t do that. Did anyone try to talk him out of it?”
Frustration and sadness drifted from katina . . . and wait, how did Nicole sense that? But it wasn’t so much a feeling as it was a smell. Like burning sugar and stagnant water.
Nicole sniffed the air, taking in other odors, most of them identifiable as both specific fragrances and emotions. Had she been living in such close proximity to vampires that she’d learned to read them by scent?
It was a question for Grant but later. Like when they weren’t on the brink of war.
“Trust me,” katina said softly, “none of us are happy about this. Riker is one of our best fighters, worth any two of most of us. We’ll work on a way to get
him back, but right now, this is all we have.”
“What, you’ll work on getting his body back?” Nicole’s harsh words weren’t fair, and she knew it. katina wasn’t responsible for any of this, but dammit, Nicole had hoped that they could talk after Riker cooled off from their fight.
No, she didn’t see a future for them, not if he couldn’t let go of his anger and guilt over Terese’s death and her family’s role in it. But Nicole wanted to be in Bastien’s life, to make amends for her family’s sins, which meant that she and Riker would have to learn to work together.
And she couldn’t deny her love for Riker. No matter how he felt about her, she didn’t want him to die.
“We’re going to do everything we can to get him back alive. I swear.” Bastien looked over and waved, and katina lowered her voice. “It’s probably best to not let Bastien know what’s going on.”
“Of course.”
“You’re cool for a human,” katina said solemnly.
“And don’t worry. Riker made sure we would treat you like any other clan member for as long as you’re with us.”
Nicole’s mouth went dry. He’d done what she’d asked and made sure she was safe.
“For the record,” katina added, “it wasn’t a hard sell. We appreciate the help you’ve been to Grant and
Bastien, and we’re grateful for how you tried to rescue Neriya.” She pivoted toward the door.
Nicole’s mind raced. She had to stop Riker from doing this. But how?
First things first. She had to get to him. “Grant.”
The vampire looked over at her from where he was trying to comfort a mother holding a newborn infant.
The one Neriya had delivered before she was taken, perhaps? “I’m going to grab something from my quarters,” she lied. “I’ll be back in a little while.”
She doubted he believed her, but, overwhelmed with a lab full of people, he didn’t bother arguing.
“The secret passage is behind the back wall in the chem closet.” He pointed to the door on the far side of the lab. “If you tip the bottle marked fermented guano, the wall will slide open.”
“Fermented guano?”
He shrugged. “I figured no one would randomly pick up anything they thought was full of superstinky bat shit.”
Crazy smart thinking . . . exactly what she’d expect from a mad scientist.
“I’ll be back in a little while.” She hurried over to Bastien, who was now pacing in front of the wash station. “How are you doing?”
Bastien swallowed. “Too many people.”
She looked up at him, thinking he’d grown since he arrived. He seemed a little taller. He’d definitely put on some weight. “It’s okay to be afraid, you know that, right?”
“I’m not afraid,” he said. “But I don’t know what to do.” He thrust his hands into his jeans pockets.
“Where’s my . . . um . . . Riker?”
Ah, damn. She should have seen that question coming. “I’m not sure,” she said, and that, at least, was the truth. “But I promise he’s doing everything in his power to keep you and the entire clan safe.” She glanced over at the group of people milling nervously about. “And do you know what you can do? See all those kids? I’ll bet that if you take them your picture cards, they’ll love to guess the shapes. And I’m sure they’d love it even more if you read them a book.”
Bastien’s eyes grew bright. “Really?”
“Yep. That would help Grant a lot.”
Grinning, he swiped the deck of cards off the table. And then, in a surprising move, he hugged her.
It was a fleeting embrace, and he blushed shyly as he broke it off, but it was nice to see him getting comfortable enough to show affection. He’d come a long way in just a few days.
She waited until he was too busy with the kids to notice her exit, and then she hurried to her chamber, grabbed a coat someone had loaned to her until the clan placed its next supply order with their human contact, and went in search of a way out of headquarters.