His tone brooked no argument. “Yes.”
“All right. Fine. Has anyone ever told you that you’re very pushy?”
Mikhail flashed a confident smile that showcased the wicked points of his fangs. Dear god, he was magnificent. He sheathed the dagger and took her hand just as his cell rang. With a grunt of annoyance he dug the phone from his pocket and answered. “What is it, Jenner?”
Mikhail’s eyes widened a fraction, enough to tell Claire that whatever was going on, it wasn’t good. She released his hand and he plunged his fingers through the length of his hair and let out a frustrated breath. “I should have known better than to unshackle him. Do you know where he’s gone?” A pause followed and Mikhail’s eyes flashed silver. “To Siobhan no doubt.”
Whoever was gone, from the sound of Mikhail’s tone he was in big trouble. The conversation continued on and Claire had a feeling that this was going to take a while. Her vampire paced the confines of her apartment, his conversation fading to the back of Claire’s mind. The sun was about to rise and he’d drag her out of there before she had a chance to talk to Vanessa.
She left his conversation undisturbed and snuck out the door and went across the hall. Her stomach clenched and her vision blurred from a rush of adrenaline as she took in the sight of the girl’s apartment door hanging open, the jamb splintered.
“Vanessa?” Claire’s voice broke on the word, her lungs burning with the need to take a breath. The sparse apartment had been completely destroyed: furniture upturned, cupboards ransacked, and drawers emptied and discarded.
A low moan caught her attention and Claire’s heart beat a frantic rhythm against her rib cage as she rushed down the narrow hallway. Carlene lay facedown on the carpet, her body halfway out of the bedroom. Blood soaked into the cheap carpeting, a deep crimson stain that caused Claire’s stomach to heave.
She dropped to her knees beside Vanessa’s mother. She was breathing, but just barely. Blood oozed from a wide gash in her head.
Claire rushed for the kitchen and grabbed the phone. Her fingers shaking, she dialed 9-1-1. The dispatcher answered, “Los Angeles County Dispatch—”
The phone dropped from Claire’s grip as a hand came around her mouth. She was hauled against the solid form of a body, every inch a wall of unyielding muscle and strength. Shock punched through her chest and she fought against the iron hold. She should have expected this. Should have been prepared! Cowardly bastards!
How long had the slayers been watching her? Waiting for the opportunity to lure her from Mikhail’s protection rather than fight the vampire here? They would set a another trap, lure him in. And they’d baited Claire with Vanessa as surely as they’d bait Mikhail with her.
From the corner of her eye Claire caught sight of Vanessa being hauled out the door by a monster of a man. Helpless, her eyes wide and fearful, she struggled against her captor. Claire fought for all she was worth, kicking and swinging her arms. She sank her teeth into the hand covering her mouth, a grim sense of satisfaction spurring her on as she broke the skin and tasted blood. The slayer cursed, pulling his hand away with a hiss of breath.
She opened her mouth to scream for Mikhail, but the slayer’s hand came back to Claire’s mouth, this time covering her face with a rag that smelled sickly sweet and sucked the air from her lungs. Her head swam and her vision blurred. And though she tried to fight, her limbs became heavy and her arms hung limp. They were going to take her, take Vanessa, and there wasn’t a goddamned thing she could do to stop it.#p#分页标题#e#
She tried to form the words as darkness descended, but she couldn’t get her lips to move. Her mind screamed his name; her soul reached out for his. Mikhail! But he couldn’t hear her. Couldn’t do a damned thing to help her.
It was already too late.
* * *
Gods, how could Claire live in this place? From the sound of it, there was a rave going in full force in the apartment next door. The sound of the music, coupled with myriad voices penetrating the walls, made it difficult to focus on his conversation with Jenner. Or anything else.
“He seemed like he had his shit straight when he left, but who knows.” That Ronan would leave the house wasn’t surprising. Vampires fresh from their transition were restless and hard to control. Once Mikhail got Claire home and behind the safety of his walls he’d deal with Ronan’s disappearance. Until then, the male was on his own.
“Don’t go out looking for him. I need you at the house.” The slayers had become more brazen in their attacks, their numbers increasing. “I’m bringing Claire back with me and I want the property well protected.”