“I couldn’t let you die,” he said softly. “I had to give you my blood.”
“Yeah, well, no good deed between us seems to go unpunished, because I couldn’t let you die in Reno either and look where that got me.”
He inhaled and then backed away and Cassie put distance between them, her mind racing even as she walked to the closet and looked for something to put on. It was empty. She turned around. “Why are you living like this? Don’t you have any clothes in this place?”
“I’ll get you a shirt,” he said pulling a duffle bag from under the bed.
Cassie shoved her hands in her hair. “Test me. Run the damn blood test. If I’m not changed then it clears me. If I am, then I can deal with whatever that means for you, for me. In fact, take me to Vampire Nation and let your people question me or torture me or whatever you want to do.”
“I’m not taking you to Vampire Nation.”
“Why? I want you to.”
He studied her a long moment. “Let’s sit down and talk.” He tossed her a shirt and she caught it. “Put that on before you drive me crazy. This new me doesn’t have the willpower the old one did.” He grabbed a pair of boxers and started to put them on.
Her gaze slid to the floor, to the cell phone on his pants. She wasn’t going to let this go on. She wanted it over and she wanted peace restored between their races. Cassie darted forward and grabbed his cell phone, hitting the call log and dialing one of several programmed numbers.
“What are you doing?” Troy asked, and he was there in front of her in a flash, but it was too late.
“Marcus,” Cassie said. “We need you here now.” And just like that, Marcus was standing in the middle of the room.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Troy cringed as Marcus lifted an eyebrow at the sight of him in his boxers and Cassie bare-naked.
“Put the shirt on,” he ordered her grumpily, pushing her behind him. He returned his ‘Warden-in-Charge’s’ once over. “We don’t all sleep in leather like you do.”
Marcus’s lips twitched. “And here I thought the leather was why you keep inviting me to orgies.”
“What?” Cassie gasped, stepping around Troy as she pulled the shirt down, and studying Troy. “What orgies?”
Great, now he was a monster and some sort of pervert who only wanted her to feed some new sex addiction. He was batting about a million with Cassie. “Damn it, Marcus,” Troy ground out before explaining, “Marcus has a demented sense of humor that doesn’t even qualify as an inside joke. I haven’t invited him to any damn orgies.” She kept staring at him. “I do not have orgies.” He glared at Marcus. “Not cool, Marcus.”
“Perhaps I forgot how delicate your sensibilities were,” Marcus said with an edge to his voice. “Since I haven’t seen or talked to you in months.”
“I’ve been busy,” Troy said.
Marcus flicked a look between them. “I see that. Should I assume the state of undress you two are in means that you have kissed and made up?”
“No,” Cassie said. “We have not. I’m concerned about the growing tensions between our people and yours that’s emerged since Reno. And since Troy believes I am the one who attacked him, which, I assume because getting him to talk is near impossible, means that a bigger plot by The Society against the vampires is suspected. I’d like to go to Vampire Nation, have my blood tested and answer any questions I can to tear down such false assumptions. If my blood work is clear of the changes Troy’s has, then that should quickly resolve most concerns.” She shifted her gaze between both vampires. “If any of you would have told me what was going on during my many attempts to reach Troy, I would have volunteered to test before.”
“There’s a reason why I didn’t take you to the council to start,” Troy said. “If you test positive Cassie the council will throw you in a jail cell and Nico will come for you. And being that Nico is the highest-ranking member of the Royal Guard, the chances of war become almost certain.” He eyed Marcus. “I gave her some of my blood. I could have infected her.”
“It requires a near death experience for a typical Red Virus to convert someone. Drinking the blood alone won’t do the job.”
“It’s not a typical Red Virus or I would have been immune. In theory, she should be too.” Which was why he didn’t dare drink from a human, for fear of infecting them, why he’d worried about feeding Cassie his blood to save her life. He shook his head. “She can’t test or we might well have full out war.”
“I’ll call Nico,” Cassie said quickly. “I’ll make sure he knows this is my choice.”
“If you test positive,” Troy said. “It might not be Nico’s choice. The Vampire Council feels they negotiated and operated with honor. They are not convinced The Society did the same.”
“Nico refused to allow either of you to be tested right after Troy was attacked,” Marcus said, walking to the bed and dropped down onto the mattress on his side, crossing his booted feet and resting his weight on one arm.
“What?” Cassie asked, sounding stunned. “Nico knew you requested a blood test and he refused?”
“This is news to me,” Troy said, and not good news. It supported his concerns about Nico.
“It seemed the easiest way to put everyone’s fears to rest,” Marcus replied, his attention on Troy. “Especially with your belief that the wolf who attacked you was female.”
“Female,” Cassie repeated, turning to Troy. “You think the wolf was female?”
“I know it was.”
She made a sound and looked at the ceiling a moment, before fixing him in a steady stare. “And I was the only female there but Sarah. I guess I’m lucky you didn’t try to kill me while I was busy trusting you. The wolf that attacked you was male. I know. I attacked him, I bit him, I smelled him. That’s why I was so shocked when he ran. Male wolves do not run from battle. They kill or get killed.”
“Then why shift to fight him instead of using a weapon?” Marcus asked.
“I had one star left and it hit the wolf’s shoulder,” Cassie said, giving Troy her profile. “I either had to shift or watch Troy die.”
“And yet you were certain to die yourself,” Marcus pushed.
“Troy had seconds to live,” Cassie said and she didn’t turn, didn’t look at Troy. “I, at least, had a chance to survive. When I rounded the corner, Sarah was straddling him and trying to stab him. He turned the knife on her, and she collapsed on top of him. The next thing I knew a wolf was charging towards him. He never saw the wolf attack coming, it happened so fast, and from behind him. But nothing I say is going to change the suspicion placed on me. Just test my damn blood and get it over with.”
“That’s what I suggested,” Marcus reminded her. “Nico-”
“Isn’t here to stop me,” Cassie said. “Did you tell him Troy thought his attacker was female?”