"For one of the world's leading researchers on the caldera, I would have thought you brighter. So many questions when I've already answered them. I just told you. We're still with the wolf. New Orleans, of course."
"Thank the Goddess." Kai sighed, unsure how she'd be able to go anywhere else. Materializing for the first time to Jake's cabin hadn't been easy.
"And Kai?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't think of leaving. You will do as I say. I've had wards set around my home. No supernaturals or humans may pass in or out without my permission."
"You're an asshole, you know that?" Kai's lips tensed, her fiery eyes trained on the window.
"So I've been told." Quintus gave a smirk and closed the door, leaving her alone.
Kai couldn't believe she'd allowed herself to be captured by a vampire. Goddess, I'm a fucking idiot. Anger coursed through her veins. She'd fucked up six ways to Sunday. Going to Kasdeya alone, thinking she'd had a shot in hell of getting help from the same nightmare who'd once attacked her and her relatives, had been disastrous. She'd been desperate, landing herself at the doorstep of an Acadian wolf she'd never met. She began to question his ability to even help her. If he didn't have the guts to stay an Alpha once, why the hell would he ever go back to California and help a stranger find her sister?
Then there was Quintus. The ancient vampire could have drained her dry, forced her into submission. Yet he hadn't. He'd simply saved her and was arranging for her to see Jake again. None of it made any sense, yet a sliver of what remained of her instinct told her the vampire wasn't lying.
Kai stretched her neck and padded toward the bathroom. She turned on the shower spigot, blasting the hot water. As she flipped on an overhead light, she caught sight of her marred appearance in the mirror. She dropped the throw blanket from around her chest, and inspected the bruises and dirt that maligned her otherwise flawless skin.
Shower. Sleep. Pray like hell the vampire doesn't kill me. It was the only plan that made sense. Even if she had the energy to try to break out of her gilded cage, she'd be forced to travel by foot. Her power hummed beneath her skin, never leaving her body, but it wasn't enough to manage another manipulation of her cells so she could flash to another location.
As the grim reality of her situation set in, Kai's resolve didn't falter. She'd sleep with one eye open and get the hell out of this viper pit in the morning. Jake was her only hope and she'd go to him again, beg for his help. She couldn't be sure if he'd believe her, or if he'd even care in the least about what was happening in Anzober wolves, but she had to try. Her sister's life was at stake. Tomorrow would come soon enough and she'd fight another day.
Kai stood in front of the wall mirror, and smoothed down her red satin dress. The formal gown's hem brushed the floor as she twisted to check the back zipper. She tugged on an over-the-shoulder sleeve, attempting to straighten it.
When she'd woken in the morning, she'd found a tray of food and piping hot tea at her bedside. She considered it could be poisoned, but reasoned if the vampire seriously planned to kill her, he'd do it in a manner that wouldn't taint her powerful blood.
She hadn't seen him all day, but the ornately handwritten note he'd left on the dresser had given instructions to be dressed by five. Half tempted to tear it to shreds, she instead spent her energy attempting to leave her room. After hours of prying at the iron-clad locked windows and doors with various implements, she resigned herself to her fate. Her unsuccessful escape left her frustrated but also more aware of Quintus' power. She suspected he'd hired witches to set the impenetrable wards. But given his age, it was possible he held his own magick.
A creaking of the door broke her contemplation. Her senses on alert, she whipped her head around, catching sight of Quintus brooding in the doorway. He impatiently tapped an intricately carved cane on the floor. The tails of his Victorian tuxedo brushed his thighs. The old-fashioned style had been updated with hand-crafted silver buttons. His top hat was tilted slightly, his thick hair pulled back into a ponytail.
"Ready to go, pet?" Quintus retrieved a pocket watch from his jacket and glanced at the time. "I don't want to waste a minute with the wolves."
"What makes you think for a minute I'm going anywhere with you?" she spat, irritated with his arrogance as he strolled through the very doorway she'd spent hours trying to escape …
"You want to talk to the Alpha?" He raised an eyebrow at her and slipped his timepiece into a pocket.