“Are you okay?” she asked, the words leaping from her lips as if she could no longer contain them.
He nodded. His gaze went to the autoinjector Richart held. “How did you find me?” Étienne asked him.
“Krysta answered your phone.”
“Does anyone else know you’re here?”
“Jenna and Sheldon know I’m with you, but not where.”
Étienne turned to Krysta and her brother. “I assume you got me out of there. Thank you. Both of you.”
“You saved my life,” Krysta said. “Again. Thank you.”
Sean nodded. “Thank you.”
Richart held up the autoinjector and drew Étienne’s gaze. “We have a problem.”
A colossal understatement.
Étienne’s eyes widened as a thought occurred. Oh shit. We have to call for a cleanup, he told Richart mentally. If humans haven’t already found the bodies we left lying around, it will be a miracle.
Richart swore and tucked the autoinjector away. I’ll go to Chris now. He glanced out the window. The sun will rise soon. Are you coming with me? Or are you going to stay and handle this? He glanced at their audience.#p#分页标题#e#
I’ll stay. And do not give Chris this address. Or their names.
Étienne, they’ve seen too much.
And Jenna didn’t get an eyeful when she was still mortal?
A muscle in his jaw twitched. Jenna could be trusted.
I believe Krysta and Sean can be, too. They saved my life. If that isn’t an endorsement, what is?
“Um,” Krysta broached, “what’s going on? You guys are looking kind of intense.”
Just do what you can to appease Chris when you tell him what happened.
As you wish, brother. Call me if you need me.
Richart nodded at Krysta and Sean, then vanished.
“That is so cool,” Krysta professed.
Étienne smiled. “Yes, it is. I’ve always envied him that talent.” Rising, he reached for the black cargo pants Richart had brought him and tugged them on.
Krysta, he noticed, didn’t even pretend not to watch him, her gaze roving him like fingers and making him wish her brother weren’t in the room with them.
“You can’t do it?” she asked. Had she been the one who had undressed and bathed him?
“Teleport? No.”
“Why is he the only vampire who can do that?”
“I feel pretty! Oh so pretty! I feel pretty and witty and gaaaaaay!”
Étienne raised his eyebrows. What the hell was that?
“Oh.” Krysta grabbed something off a nearby table and held it out to him. “Sorry. Here’s your phone.”
That was coming from his phone?
Sean’s lips twitched.
Étienne frowned. “Damn it. Who keeps changing my ringtone?” He took the cell. “Hello?”
“Finally!” Cam said. “Where the hell have you been? Sheldon called and said you’d been injured and tranqed. Or that he thought you had been tranqued.”
“I was, but I’m all right.”
“Where are you? Do you need me to come and get you?”
“No, I’m safe.”
“Are you sure? Because Richart called, too, and he didn’t sound too confident about that.”
“I’m sure.”
“He didn’t go into details. What’s the situation? What do you need me to do?”
“Nothing. Just sit tight. I’ll fill you in when I return home at sunset,” Étienne ordered, knowing his friend would chafe at having his hands tied.
“Fine. You’re the boss,” Cam griped. “And, Étienne?”
“Yes?”
“Richart told me to tell you Chris knows about the woman.”
Click.
Merde.
Mind racing, Étienne tucked the phone into the back pocket of the pants Richart had brought him, then reached for and donned the T-shirt.
“Who was that?” Krysta asked.
“A friend.”
Sean frowned. “Why didn’t what happened at Duke tonight make the news?”
“We kept waiting for someone to come after us or track us down,” Krysta added.
Little did she know they would if Richart didn’t succeed in cooling Chris’s temper.
Sean swore.
“What?” Krysta asked with a frown.
“I have to get ready for work.”
“Call in sick. Your head must still be hurting.”
“I can’t. We need the money and I can’t afford to lose this job if Ed gets a bug up his butt again.” Sean crossed the room, pausing in the doorway to look back at Étienne. “Harm my sister in any way and I will hunt you down and destroy you. Not a threat. A promise. And I won’t play nice like she does. I’ll do it during the day when you’re vulnerable.”
Étienne didn’t mention that he wasn’t physically weaker during the day as vampire folklore suggested. He may have to avoid sunlight, but he could still kick ass. Instead, he said. “I’ve no wish to harm her. Or you.”