Cool, damp mist suddenly enveloped her, and she shivered. Then a man appeared before her, too close for comfort, his massive build stealing her breath. He was blond, had brilliant blue eyes and a gargantuan smile. She recognized him at once. “You’re…you’re the guy who was dancing with Atreides’s girlfriend at the club.”
“Ragnar,” he said and bowed.
She didn’t feel any animosity from this man.
Before he could say another word, a sudden flurry of flapping filled the air, and Atreides appeared, his look black. He grabbed Ragnar by the throat and pinned him against the brick building.
Selena stood dumbstruck as if Medusa had turned her to stone. Had Atreides and his friends—as they all suddenly stood around them in a semi-circle watching Atreides—intended to follow her wherever she went?
“What the hell are you doing here?” Atreides asked the hulking blond vampire, his voice low and angry.
Expecting Ragnar to break free as big as he was, Selena watched in awe as the man merely smiled. “You want the huntress, yet you let her roam the streets on her own. Ja?”
“You will leave here,” Atreides said to Ragnar.
“If you have no intention of making the huntress your ward, I will watch over her.”
Selena observed the battle of male vampire wills and shook her head, not believing that Atreides and his pals had been spying on her, nor that Atreides’s enemy, Ragnar, had been also. Hell, had they seen the way her brother had treated her?
“Leave, Ragnar, now,” Atreides ordered.
“What say you?” Ragnar asked Selena.
“Goodnight.” She stalked off, hoping to get to her apartment without any further trouble. If she could just hail a taxi…
Atreides released Ragnar and appeared in front of Selena, blocking her path. With a gasp, she took a step back. Seizing her wrist, he pulled her to his van. “You will tell me where you live, and I will take you there. I will have no more games.”
She cast him her most hostile look, but he ignored her. Nearly making her run, she tried to keep up with his long stride. She hated the way his touch heated her inside, when she was annoyed with the way he tried to control her. But for now, she had little choice.
“Where do you live?” Atreides asked, his voice annoyed.
“Riverview Apartments. I already told you.”
“You said Rivercrest.”
“I did?” When did she say that?
He stared at her for a moment, then shook his head as he walked her to the vehicle, then made her sit in the passenger’s seat.
“I just moved in. Maybe I got it mixed up.”
“She told you after she was hit,” Basil said. “Maybe she had been confused.”
She suspected he was right.
“Why don’t you like Ragnar?” she finally asked, wondering if the man had put the moves on Atreides’s vamp girlfriend before and that was the reason. She could understand that.
Atreides remained silent though, his countenance darkening, if that was possible.
An uneasy silence filled the vehicle, and she figured the vampires weren’t even communicating telepathically with each other. They probably figured her to be more trouble than she was worth, so why were they bothering?
Which made her change her view of them a little more. They had been protecting her all along. Yet, she reminded herself, they probably hadn’t had a good diversion like this in a long time either.
Or maybe it all had to do with worrying that someone would tie her assault directly to the members who frequented the club, and they wanted to make sure she got home safely so no connection could be made. That was more likely.
When they arrived at her small apartment complex, Atreides and his friends escorted her to her front porch. She was tired, feeling as though she could sleep nonstop for a week. Then she realized her key to her car and her apartment were still in the vehicle—that had been stolen. For a moment, she just stood there, trying to figure out what to do next. Then she remembered the crown frog prince statues under the shrubs next to her door. One of them had a hidden key.
She retrieved the key and then she unlocked the door and stepped inside. Immediately, Atreides commanded, "Call your family."
He and his friends stood at the entryway to her apartment, unable to enter, but they didn’t force the issue. They were attempting to keep the status quo. Vampires out, hunters in. Even so, it appeared he wasn’t going to leave her alone unless she proved to him that someone was coming to watch over her.
She was torn between acquiescing, when she knew she couldn't call her family, and coming up with a foolproof strategy to get rid of him. She took a deep breath, grabbed her portable phone off its stand, and called Tara Green, hoping she could fake a scenario with her friend without Atreides or his friends becoming suspicious. “Tell my brother to come see me. I’ll explain later.”
“What?”
Not good.
“Daniel’s not speaking to you, unless something major has changed that,” Tara said, sounding suspicious.
Avoiding looking at Atreides or his friends, Selena studied the carpet under her feet and hoped the vampires couldn’t hear Tara’s words. “He’ll be here within the hour? Thanks! I’ll talk to you…”
“You’re not making any sense, Selena. What about Twilight? Did you meet with her?” Tara asked.
Selena glanced back at Atreides. His scowl had deepened. Ohmigod, he hadn’t heard Tara’s comments with his enhanced hearing, had he?
“Uhm, no, she wasn’t there. Or at least, uhm, didn’t come forth.”
Suddenly, Tara blurted, “Yes, yes, come in, Atreides.”
“What did you say?” Selena’s gaze shot to Atreides.
Tara said, “What did I just say?”
She’d just invited the vampire in. How in the hell had he done that? He had controlled Tara’s thoughts through the damned phone?
Atreides moved like a panther, sleek, sure of himself, the wicked look of satisfaction playing on his lips. He motioned to his friends with a wave of his hand, and they all entered the apartment.
Before Selena could react, Atreides tore the phone from her grasp. Immediately, her heart pounded, and Selena grabbed for the phone, but Colt intercepted her and pulled her away.
Atreides’s eyes glittered with malice, and he said into the phone, “What would Selena need to see Twilight about?”
“Who is this?”
A vampire who would know the truth from the huntress one way or another. “A friend of Selena’s. But a vampire bit her last night. She needs a hunter’s protection in the event the rogue returns for her. Why wouldn’t her brother do it?”
“She has…she has had a falling out with her brother.”
“What about a cousin? Her father? Who else could protect her?”
“Who is this?”
“You’re not a huntress, are you?” Tara Green was a human, or Atreides couldn’t have so easily controlled her mind, which didn’t make any sense since most hunters only associated with their own kind. Though very little about the huntress made any sense.
“No. I’m her friend. Why…why don’t you protect her?”
“She needs a hunter’s protection. Why did she need to see Twilight?”