She noted a few females interspersed with the majority of males. Everyone at the tables had dark hair. Here, Dominic would really stand out. Eric too, she figured, seeing so many pairs of dark eyes focused on her.
So much for stealing out of this place undetected today.
Deciding to take the initiative, she shored her determination and buried her unease at being surrounded by so many predators. “Anyone seen my cousin Sean? He looks just like me, only bigger.”
Not surprised when no one answered, she swore under her breath, passed directly through the dining room and out the other door into the rest of the estate. Or should she say, mansion.
Holy hell, but the Ravagers had to have some money to live in a place this grand. It wasn’t fancy, but the furnishings were quality, in decent shape and lived in. The place had an earthy feel, the decor something that might work best in a log cabin. Everywhere she turned she saw Ravagers sitting in pairs or groups. Always close enough to touch—
She quickly backed out of one open room where an orgy took place. Good Lord. These people had no problem sharing. Men and women, men and men. Didn’t much seem to matter as long as someone had a slot B for tab A. More than curious about Ravager sex, she wouldn’t have minded staying to watch. But she didn’t want to give anyone the wrong impression. God forbid Eric find her goggling at some other Ravagers. Would he be jealous? She’d had sex with him and his pack. Did Ravagers really share lovers?
Flushing at the thought and discomfited, she hastened to find her cousin. She entered a large foyer and ran up an expansive stairway that ended at a landing. Vicki continued up the right stairwell and paused when she reached the second floor.
The realization came late, but when it did, she felt like an utter idiot. “Must be the shock of being surrounded by werewolves,” she muttered, ignoring the quizzical stare of two more giants passing her on their way downstairs.
Casting her power, she sought tendrils of Sean’s unique energy. Catching it, she followed the trail toward a corridor on her right. She passed several doors in a beige hallway and paused in front of the last one. She raised her hand to knock and heard the breathy moans of a woman enjoying herself.
Not wanting to wait any longer, she interrupted with a few hard bangs on the door.
To her relief, Sean answered dressed in a pair of jeans. Seeing her, he sighed.
“About time.” He pulled a shirt over his head and said over his shoulder, “I’ll be back later. Entertain yourselves for a while.” He snarled and slammed the door behind him then hurried to the end of the hallway, staring at a blank wall.
“Um, Sean? There’s nowhere to go.” Maybe the Ravagers had exhausted him beyond thought. He wore no shoes, his hair stuck up in odd places, and he looked pale. The bite mark on his shoulder, interestingly enough, looked completely healed.
She leaned closer to get a better look when he pushed against the wall. It opened to reveal a hidden set of stairs. They entered a dimly lit passage, and the door closed quietly behind them.
“Secret passages too. This place has it all.” Enthralled despite her worries, Vicki followed her cousin down the stairs and through another passageway.
He stopped suddenly and waited. She felt his energy disperse and return to him. When he pushed on the wall, a doorway appeared. Through it, they entered an unoccupied library. Though small compared to the dining hall and living spaces, the library held two couches and several mahogany reading chairs. Books lined the walls from floor to ceiling. There were no windows and only one door, not counting the secret one through which they’d entered.
“Finally. A moment of peace. Diana showed me this yesterday.” Sean exhaled on a breath and flopped onto a couch. He studied her with tired eyes. “You look better than I thought you would.”
“You look like crap.”
“Thanks. Don’t hold back, Vic. Tell me what you really think.”
“I really think we’re in trouble. I’ve seen more than fifty Ravagers skulking around this place. The pack you and I stumbled into belongs to their prime, their damn king, and tonight’s Great-Grandma Vicki’s night for dinner.”
Sean sat up, worry turning his gaze a dark amber. “Hell. We have to deal with Gran on top of this?”
“And no phones to speak of.”
Sean groaned.
“But hey, things are looking up,” she said with false cheer. “I gave King Eric one hour to come to his senses and let us go.” Vicki checked a nonexistent watch on her wrist. “So hey, we’re almost saved.”
She sagged onto the couch next to Sean and laid her head on his shoulder.
He hugged her tight, his arm around her, and kissed her forehead. “Don’t worry, Vicki. I’ll find a way out of this mess for us. But you’re dealing with Gran.”
“Not fair.”
“Better you than me. Besides, you know you’re her favorite.”
Vicki sighed. “Gimme a few minutes. I feel sick from eating so many pancakes.”
Her cousin’s stomach chose that moment to rumble.
“You need to meet Rule. He doesn’t talk much, but he sure can cook.”
They sat without speaking, feeling each other’s exhaustion.
“The silence here is nice, you know?”
Sean nodded. “Just going to close my eyes a sec.”
Vicki did too, after convincing herself she’d find a way to make Sean deal with her great-grandmother while she rescued them from the ravenous Ravagers. Smiling at her play on words, she closed her eyes for just a minute.
Or two.
Chapter Fourteen
Dom grinned at the sour look on Eric’s face. Priceless. Prime finally had a worthy female, and he didn’t know how to handle her. Sure, they could keep Vicki here indefinitely. But they didn’t want her unhappy. Unlike the Lawless clan, the Savages prided themselves on pleasing their females. And there was no doubt in his mind that Vicki belonged.
“Well, Prime? What do you want to do about our new guest?”
“Not a damn thing. That woman is going to accept her place. One way or the other.”
The gathering menace on Eric’s face should have worried him, but Dom had a feeling Vicki would hold her own. In the short time she’d been with them, she’d nearly overpowered them twice and had taken on Tommy Chen, a man known throughout the city as the leader of the underground. Hell, he ruled The Tombs.
“Yeah, well, something we should consider. Chen’s after her. He won’t stop because this isn’t his territory. We need to find out exactly what business our female had with him.”
Eric raised a brow. “Our female?”
Dom flushed. “Say what you want, but you know that as your guard I’m the closest thing you have to a shadow. She’s yours, yes, but that very fact makes her mine as well.”
“I know. I just wanted to see if you knew it.” Eric paused. “What do you really think, Dom? You told me to mark her, and I did. The sex was incredible. But she’s human. I’m not so sure I did the right thing.”
“We’re not talking about you claiming her, Eric.” Not yet. “No one’s going to protest you taking her as consort. The woman’s a walking wet dream.”
“It’s bad enough we have two females in the pack who won’t conform. And now Diana’s marked a non-Ravager as well?” Eric swore. “She and Kate are a huge pain in my ass. They do nothing the way they’re supposed to. I should have given them to another pack when they tumbled into this stale world. But no, my guard told me to take them in. Give them a home, a family.” Eric snorted. “You’re fired.”