―Sterling—‖
―Get back inside,‖ he told her, keeping his eyes locked on the two warriors. ―Now, Elise. Everything‘s all right.‖
―What‘s going on, Sterling? Why are they here?‖
―Just do as I say, damn it! Go back in the house. Everything is going to be okay.‖
―Oh, I don‘t know about that, Harvard.‖ Dante prowled toward him, those wicked, arced blades at his hip glinting in the moonlight with every long stride of the warrior‘s legs. ―I‘d say things are about as fucked up as they could be right about now. Thanks to you, that is. You get lost last night or something? Maybe you just misunderstood what I told you to do with that drug-dealing scum—that it? I told you to haul his ass in to the compound, but you thought I said let the bastard walk?‖
―No. There was no misunderstanding.‖
―What am I missing here, Harvard?‖ Dante drew one of his blades from its sheath, the steel whisking out as softly as a whisper. When he spoke, Chase saw the tips of his fangs. A bright amber gaze locked on him like twin laser beams. ―Start talking fast, because I‘ve got no problem cutting the truth out of you right here in front of the woman.‖
―Sterling!‖ Elise screamed. ―Leave him alone!‖
Chase whipped his head to the side just in time to see her dash down the brick steps of the Darkhaven entry and onto the pavement below. She didn‘t get far. Tegan moved like a ghost, vampire speed no match for Elise‘s human limbs. The warrior captured her around the waist and held her back as she struggled to get away from him. Fury rose in Chase like a lit match on dry tinder. His fangs ripped out of his gums, his vision going sharp
as
his
pupils
narrowed
with
his
transformation. He roared, ready to take on both warriors simply for the offense of touching Elise.
―Let her go,‖ he growled. ―Damn it, she is not a part of this!‖
He pushed at Dante, but the vampire didn‘t budge.
―At least we have your full attention now, Harvard.‖ Dante shoved back at him, a freight train coming at full steam. Chase‘s feet left the ground, his body propelled backward by the force of Dante‘s rage. The brick facade of the residence stopped their trajectory, slamming hard against Chase‘s spine.
Dante‘s enormous fangs came right up in Chase‘s face, his eyes burning into Chase‘s skull.
―Where is Ben Sullivan? What the fuck is really going on with you?‖
Chase glanced over at Elise, hating that she had to witness this brutal side of their world. He just wanted it over for her. He saw the tears streaming down her cheeks, the fear in her eyes as Tegan held her so coldly against all of the deadly steel and leather that girded his immense body.
Chase swore roundly. ―I had to let the human go. I had no choice.‖
―Wrong answer,‖ Dante snarled, bringing that hellish blade up under his chin.
―The Crimson dealer would do me no good if he was locked up at the compound. I need him on the street, helping me look for someone—my nephew. I let him go so he would help me find Camden, my brother‘s son.‖
Dante scowled, but the blade eased up a little.
―What about the others who‘ve gone missing? All those kids Ben Sullivan has been feeding with his drug?‖
―Getting Camden back is what I care about. He‘s been my true mission from day one.‖
―Son of a bitch, you lied to us,‖ the warrior hissed.
Chase met the accusing amber glare. ―Would the Order have bothered to help me if I‘d come around asking for you to find one missing Darkhaven youth?‖
Dante cursed, low and furious. ―You‘ll never know, will you?‖
He wondered now, having come to understand some of the warriors‘ code—having seen firsthand that, despite their ruthless methods and the efficiency that made them such a mysterious and deadly force among the Breed and humankind alike, they were not without honor. They were merciless killers when needed, but Chase suspected that every one of them was, at heart, a far better man than him.
Dante abruptly released him, then pivoted around to stalk back toward the waiting Rover. Across the lawn, Tegan let Elise go as well, the warrior‘s steady green gaze lingering on her as she anxiously stumbled away from him, rubbing at the places where he had touched her.
―Get in the truck, Harvard,‖ Dante said, indicating the open back door with a look that promised hell to pay if Chase didn‘t cooperate.
―You‘re going back to the compound. Maybe you can persuade Lucan that we ought to let you keep breathing.‖
CHAPTER Twenty-seven
Cold sweat trickled down the back of Ben Sullivan‘s neck as he finished up the first sample of his new batch of Crimson. He hadn‘t been lying about not having the recipe committed to memory; he did his best to re-create the drug in the absurdly short time he‘d been allowed. With barely a half hour to spare, he collected a dose of the reddish substance and carried it over to his test subject. The young man, dressed in filthy blue jeans and a Harvard sweatshirt, slumped against the restraints that held him prisoner in a wheeled office chair, his head down, chin resting on his chest.