“I’m so fucking confused.” I licked my lips as I felt my ass hit the cool leather couch.
“Sit still. Shut up. Let me figure out what the heck is going on, and then I’ll explain.”
With nothing else to do, I sat there. Lips zipped.
I wasn’t even offended that he’d told me to sit down and shut up.
My mind, however, was racing a mile a minute.
The man had to be a freakin’ teleporter. There was no other reason for me to be in one place one second, and another the next.
Clearly, Constantine had been keeping secrets from the rest of the world.
Then another thought occurred to me.
Constantine, when he’d been in that cell for hours upon hours, didn’t actually have to stay there. He’d chosen to stay there.
He’d remained in his cell, choosing to stay there and let the authorities figure out what was going on instead of leaving and causing a whole lot more uproar than him killing a bad guy would have.
My phone rang in my pocket.
I looked up to find Constantine looking at me.
“Answer it,” he commanded.
I leaned over, fished my phone from my jeans pocket, and answered it without taking my eyes off of him for a second.
“Hello?” I answered.
I knew it was my brother. The one that was for vampires, not against them.
“I’m trying to get a hold of Constantine. He’s a prime suspect in the murder of two humans tonight.”
I had no doubt in my mind that Constantine had heard every word.
“I’ll tell him,” I murmured softly. “Is there anything else?”
“Yes,” Nash grunted. “We need to go ahead and have his whereabouts confirmed so we can nip this in the bud before it even begins. Have him get his alibi, preferably a human that can vouch for him, videotape is even better. Once he has those, have him send them to me at my office. I’ll be here for a while. Probably well past dawn.”
Then he hung up, leaving me staring at a man who was well and truly pissed.
“Your brother?” he asked.
I nodded. “Nash.”
“Next time he calls, tell him thank you. I’ll get my secretary to send that information to his office now.”
But he didn’t move. Didn’t pick up the phone. Hell, he didn’t even blink.
“Uhh.” I cleared my throat. “Now, or later?”
“It’s done.”
I blinked.
“It’s done?” I asked in confusion. “But…”
His smile was kind of scary.
“There’s a lot about me that you don’t know,” he said cryptically. “Do you require refreshments?”
Before I could answer, a door opened, and who I assumed was his secretary walked in.
That was when I remembered that little snippet of conversation in my head from when I’d seen him. When he’d spoken in my head.
I’d convinced myself that I’d made that up.
“Yes, Mr. Worth?”
“Ms. Powell would like something to drink. Coffee, tea, chocolate milk?” Constantine asked, his voice deep and rumbly.
I shivered.
“How do you know I like chocolate milk?” I tested carefully.
His smile was forced.
“You smell of the drink every time I see you. The only time you didn’t smell of it was when you were running, alone and in the dark…”
I wouldn’t. I didn’t drink anything but water before I ran. I’d learned my lesson.
I turned to the woman. She wasn’t a vampire. She was a human. I could see her pulse beating at her neck, and I knew that she was pissed off that she was summoned in here to get me something to drink.
Better make it something she can’t spit in…
Constantine snorted, and I widened my eyes at him.
Had he heard me?
Constantine grinned, and I realized that yes, he sure as fuck could hear me.
Son. Of. A. Bitch. So, not a dream. He could talk, mind to mind, without opening his mouth at all.
I’d have to be careful about what I thought about while he was around.
“Chocolate milk,” I told the woman. “Thank you.”
The woman’s mouth pinched, but she nodded once and left without another word.
“I can’t hear all of your thoughts. You have a natural shield that I’d have to actually work at to penetrate. Your friend, Keisha, however. I could hear every single word she had to say and then some.”
I blinked.
“What’s a natural shield?” I found myself asking.
He held up his finger and started reaching for the phone even before it rang.
After a short, terse conversation, I bit my lip and watched as Constantine pinched the bridge of his nose.
“What?” I whispered.
He cleared his throat.
“Shields are complicated things,” he started saying, completely ignoring whatever had been said over the phone. “They can be built up over time if a person knows what they’re doing. I could teach Keisha how to shield, and after a time of practice, she would be able to shield her thoughts just like you do naturally. If I taught you how to shield, you would be impenetrable.”
“What else does my natural shield do?” I asked him.
“Most vampires won’t be able to mind control you. I could, but I wouldn’t,” he explained.
My brows went up.
“You could?”
He nodded. “Only Master Vampires can.”
“What makes a Master Vampire any more special than just your old regular Joe Vampires?”
He leaned back in his chair.
“Simply put? Time, power, and will,” he answered like he’d just given me the answer to all my questions.
I rolled my eyes.
“That’s so helpful,” I told him.
He winked. “That’s all you’re going to get until I feel like you’re worthy of more.”
Ouch.
But I couldn’t blame him.
His people were still getting slain, persecuted, and generally mistreated left and right. I wouldn’t tell me either had the situation been reversed.
“Are you okay?” I asked him.
His fingers steepled, and I wanted to walk over to him. Throw myself in his arms and work my fingers through his hair.
“I’m about as okay as I can be, I suppose. Chen had worked for me for over eleven years. His father had worked for me before that. I feel like I just lost a child.”
I blinked.
He didn’t look like he’d just lost a child. He looked calm, cool, and composed, but I’d seen how that last phone call had rattled him.
Looks were deceiving.
I realized that moments later when he stood, walked to the door, and ordered me to stay where I was.
He then pressed a button and walked out into the office beyond, shutting the door behind him as he went.
The glass that was looking out into the office dimmed, but didn’t frost over completely.
And I saw why moments later when police officers burst through the door dressed in full SWAT gear.
How had they gotten here so fast? And why were they here when they had no evidence?
Something shifted in the air behind me, and I gasped, turning around to find Pavlov and Abraham standing at my back, arms crossed, as they watched the proceedings.
“Your milk,” Pavlov said, his accent getting thicker and darker.