Sydney had changed at the last minute into a turtleneck, hoping her father wouldn’t question the clothing choice. Vampires didn’t always dress seasonally, anyway. She tugged at the fabric to cover Noah’s mark. Maybe her dad wouldn’t smell it before she had a chance to figure out how to tell him.
She jumped out of the tree she’d been sitting in, and the gun swung toward her. She threw her arms up. “Reynard, it’s just me.”
The vampire’s eyes glowed a dangerous red, and his fangs dropped. “Where the fuck have you been, Syd? The king is going to kill you. He almost killed me for letting you out of my sight. Then where would my mate have been? You think Anthony would let Persephone hang around the compound without a vampire protecting her? He’d toss her out on her ass. How would she survive all by herself out here? You don’t think about anything but yourself and your own petty dramas. Did the little princess get tired of being locked in the tower?”
Sydney shrugged, feeling once again like she’d regressed in age back to the teen years. They’d always treated her like a kid. They’d never once seen her as an adult. She wanted to shove her dad’s vampire goon back on his ass. He deserved it. The shock and surprise on his face would be worth it. But she wasn’t ready to play that card yet. Let them think she was the same weakling that had run away.
He cocked his head to the side. “Get in there. Don’t make me drag you in kicking and screaming. If I accidentally shoot you, you might bleed out before we can find you someone to eat.”
“Maybe my dad will kill you, then I can have your mate.”
Reynard growled. “If you weren’t the princess…”
“You’d what?”
“You have no idea little girl. And you don’t want to.”
The urge was strong to wipe the smug smile off his face. He thought her only safety and protection was who she was. He had no idea how much the game had changed.
None of them would let her feed off their mates. Jacob had been her only human food source for years. Anthony could have made them all share, but Sydney suspected he had enough trouble dealing with the possibility of what she’d done with Jacob while feeding. The visual of girl-on-girl action would be way too much for him to cope with.
Sydney pulled the door open and turned back. “What kind of mood is he in?”
“Just go. He’s only had one mood since you left. Bad.”
She took a deep breath and went up the stairs. It was quieter than she remembered. The main living area was empty. Ordinarily around this time it was loud with everyone chattering away. It was as if the entire compound had fallen asleep or died when she’d left.
Sydney wandered the halls until she found her father’s study. The door was cracked just enough to let light out. She knocked.
“Leave me in peace,” he growled.
“Dad?”
Anthony blurred to the door and jerked it off its hinges. His eyes glowed red. He was livid, but he crushed her in a hug, anyway. He quickly got control of himself and backed off. “I’m sorry, did I hurt you?”
“A little,” Sydney lied. Something told her not to show her hand too soon.
He shoved her sleeves up to inspect her arms for bruises while she hoped he couldn’t tell what was different about her.
“Where were you?” he demanded. “I sent out search parties. One of them is still out looking for you. Your mother and I have been worried sick. She’ll hardly eat. I’ve been giving her my blood to keep her strong.”
Lie your ass off!
Her dad looked gaunt. She hadn’t been gone long, but in that time the vampire had defied the laws of vampirism and seemed to have aged decades.
Typically, she was a terrible liar, but with any luck he’d be so happy to have her home, he’d believe anything she could string together into a coherent sentence. And weren’t the best lies peppered with truth?
“Jacob kidnapped me. He made me write the letter. He had some deal to be reunited with his family by some magic users.”
“I’ll torture him slowly. Then I’ll kill him.”
“He’s already dead.”
“How did you get away?”
“I didn’t.” And this was where she had to tread carefully. Noah’s dad had probably been much cooler about all this. “Do you remember Noah?”
“The wolf?” Anthony asked.
Sydney nodded, hoping her face didn’t give anything more away. She hoped she didn’t look smitten.
“How could I forget him. That stupid pup wouldn’t leave your side when you were little.” The bitterness edged into his voice. “I’d thought that perhaps if you could feed from him you’d get stronger, but Cole wouldn’t have it. Selfish asshole.”
She was tempted to confess the full story now. If it had been her dad’s idea to let her drink from Noah, surely he couldn’t be too upset if she was mated to him, but a cowardly voice inside her head warned her not to tell.
“He was being kept in the same facility they kept me in. He recognized me and broke out and broke me out with him.”
Anthony’s eyes narrowed as if he could see the whirlwind romance unfolding before him. “And where is your wolf hero now?” His eyes flashed, but he quickly covered it.
It was too late. Sydney had seen it. If Noah had done anything more than just bust her out and bring her home, her father would kill him.
“He’s at your old penthouse.”
A territorial growl.
Sydney pressed on. “We’re afraid the magic users might come here. Cary Town looks abandoned, so maybe they did a quick sweep and assumed everybody moved on, or maybe they’re making plans and will show up when we least expect it. We’re having a meeting tonight on the rooftop. The wards need to be stronger. We need to rebuild the city.”
“What is all this ‘we’? What are you going to do, Syd? I love you, but you know your involvement will be minimal. I think it’s for the best if you stay here at the compound. I’ll go to the meeting. You need to stay where you’ll be safe and conserve your strength.”
“No way. I’m going.”
“And why would you want to do that? Sydney, if there is something you’re not telling me… If that filthy wolf touched you, I will kill him.”
“N-no, he didn’t. N-nothing like that.” Lie your ass off! “I just want to go.”
“You will stay here. Your mother has been beside herself.”
“W-where is she?”
“She’s in our room.”
Her parents’ room was underground at the end of the hallway opposite from the stairs.
“Charlotte, you have a visitor,” Anthony said, pushing Sydney into the room.
Her mother bolted up in bed. “Syd? Is that you?”
“It’s me.” Despite the lie she’d told her father, the guilt over the truth ate at her now that she was dealing with her mom. She’d wanted freedom, but not at this expense.
“When you’re father claimed me, he said I’d never get sick. The big fat liar.”
Mystical bonds didn’t seem to cover the pain of losing someone you loved.
The door slammed behind her, the lock turned into place. Sydney banged against the steel. “Dad, open this door!”