“Keep him with you, even if he wants to stay behind or come home.”
“I will call when I have more news to share. If you have any trouble, do not hesitate to call. I do not want you to handle a situation alone.”
“You have my word.”
Niko hung up and set the phone on the armrest. People changed over the course of centuries, but something told him that Kallisto would pick off Keystone. Not just because of Niko, but because after escaping Christian and Claude, he knew they would be hunting him.
There was a chance he might show up at the mansion, and how Niko wished for that. He fantasized about arming himself and standing out front to greet his Mage brother. Kallisto didn’t deserve to live. Centuries ago, he’d raped women and laughed about it.
Niko lowered his head in shame. If only he hadn’t relied on those men for his survival. If only he could have been strong and skilled enough to have killed them instead of escaping.
If only he hadn’t turned a blind eye.
Chapter 13
Claude opened his hotel room door and glared at Christian, who leaned smugly against the jamb.
“Someone looks all perked up on Vampire blood,” Christian remarked with a cavalier attitude. “Your cheeks have a rosy glow.”
Claude scowled and spun around to shut off the noisy television.
Christian remained by the door, staring at his fingernails. “I don’t give my blood to just anyone, you know. It’s sacred.”
Claude folded his arms, still upset about the whole affair. “You violated my rights.”
“Jaysus wept. The right to what? Die on a wooden couch?” Christian waltzed in and kicked the door shut with his heel. “I gave you my lifesaving blood not my cock. Don’t expect me to do that again with this kind of ingratitude.”
“You slay me.” Claude guzzled down his root beer as if he could still taste the blood in his mouth.
It wasn’t dignified for a Chitah to drink from a Vampire. Yeah, he would have died if Christian hadn’t forced the blood down his throat, but maybe death by a sword would have been an honorable way to go. Vampire blood had magic in it that no one understood, and he didn’t like the idea that it might attach itself to his own blood like some kind of virus. Would Christian have influence over him? Would it affect his venom or Chitah abilities? As far as Claude was concerned, drinking a man’s blood was about as intimate as drinking his semen.
Christian reclined on one of the beds and interlocked his hands behind his head. “Looks like we’re roomies. Do you like sleeping on the left side or the right? No. Wait. Let me guess. Chitahs like the foot of the bed.”
“You can sleep in the bathroom.”
“Don’t get your knickers in a bunch. I only need a place to stay since Viktor wants us all here.”
“Did Raven kick you out for talking too much?”
Christian sat up and looked at himself in the closet mirror. “She’ll be staying with Blue. Viktor doesn’t want any distractions, and you’re the only one with a free bed.”
Claude sat down in the small wooden chair and rested his arm on the wobbly table. “If we find that male, he’s mine.”
“And why should you get all the glory?” Christian pushed up his sleeves and wrung his hands. “I’d like to get a taste of that wanker myself.”
“He tried to kill the male child in West Virginia, and he almost killed me. This is personal. I want him, and he’s mine.”
“You don’t think Niko has a stake in this? Maybe we should string him up like a piñata and take turns.”
Claude felt his fangs elongating, and the wildness within him stirred. He stared at the empty plate on the table. “I’m done eating. I say we should go.”
Viktor had commanded everyone to eat, rest, and hunt as a team. Raven and Christian didn’t need sleep, but Viktor didn’t want anyone going off alone.
Meanwhile, there were checkpoints around Cognito where insiders monitored public transportation, hotels, and bars. Even the Mageri had put their Enforcers on high alert. After Kallisto had impaled Claude, which distracted Christian, their enemy had grabbed a bow and quiver and fled. But without identification, money, or even a change of clothes, he wouldn’t get far. People had a tendency to notice men wearing prison attire.
Raven had suggested they search the human district. She said it was the perfect place for an immortal to lie low, something she’d done for years. At least that would narrow down the search area. Viktor wanted to map out potential locations while everyone went up to their rooms and ate something. Claude didn’t care what the plan was. Now that he had a full belly, he just wanted to leave this room and hunt.
“If that shitebag robs someone and rents a motel for a month, we’ll be here a long time,” Christian said, rubbing his eyes.
“He can’t get a room without ID. Anyhow, it doesn’t matter. Let him camp out in the city all he likes.” Claude hooked his arm over the back of his chair. “I own his scent, so if he stands on a corner or brushes up against anyone, I’ll know. All I need is one good scent trail.”
Christian laughed darkly. “I’m trying to remember how many square miles there are in this city. Roughly three or four hundred? Is your nose up for the task?”
A knock sounded at the door. When Christian opened it, Raven strutted in with daggers still strapped to her leg and hips. She had a tough aura about her, and Claude noticed how comfortable she was on assignments that took them into the city, more so than the recent one in the mountains.
Raven sat at the foot of the bed and took off one of her black boots. “How are you feeling?” she asked, shaking out a pebble. “I heard you sucked on my partner.”
Christian tucked his hands in his pockets and leaned against the dresser. “He’s still pining over his lost innocence.”
Claude drummed his fingers on the table, finding no amusement in this whatsoever.
Raven chuckled. “It’s not so bad. It’ll be out of your system in a few more hours. The important thing is you’re not dead.”
Claude rubbed his chest where the sword had gone in. Chitahs had natural healing abilities. As long as they didn’t bleed out, their survival rates were good. But the blade had cut through his lung, and his heart had fluttered abnormally. There’d been a moment he was certain he would die.
She reached inside her boot and felt around. “There’s mouthwash in the bathroom if you need to gargle.”
Christian gave her a cross look. “And what are you trying to say about my blood?”
Raven met his gaze, and Claude could scent her amusement. “It has a certain… aftertaste.”
“Since when are you complaining about my flavor?”
“I’m not saying it’s bad, only that others might feel it wasn’t a good year.”
“Vintage is better than the shite they make these days.”
“Bite me.”
Christian’s fangs punched out. “I just might, lass.”
Raven laughed and put her boot back on. “You’re such a fanghole.” She crossed her leather-clad legs and nodded at Claude. “Ready to go clubbing?”
Claude frowned when he caught her scent. “You’re serious.”