nothing to do with this," I said, keeping myself between them and Noah. "Ryker sent for me."
Both guards raised their brows at the same time and then the closest one pulled in a breath. "She's lying," he said with satisfaction.
Damn Were noses. "Or I'm nervous because you're, you know, so intimidating to a wee human and all." They gave me matching scowls and I wondered if Weres could be cloned.
"Get her out of here," the second one said to Noah, and I felt his sweaty hand grab my arm. Before I could slap the kid away with the books Dr. Barrett had given me, the door opened and there was Rosalind.
I pulled my arm out of Noah's grip. "Discrimination!" I said, pointing at her.
Her light green eyes narrowed on me and then her gaze landed on the nearest guard. "What is she doing here?"
Ryker came up behind her. I remembered him as a robust, imposing guy with hair like Cooper's, the same dazzling good looks and eyes the color of polished gold. His pale, haggard face and gaze dulled with suffering shocked the hell out of me.
Rosalind stepped in front of him, blocking my view. "Noah!"
The kid grabbed both of my arms and tried to pull me away. I dug in. "How is Cooper more dangerous than a vampire?" I blurted out. "He's collared. At least let him stay in the apartment with Miller and me."
"The law—"
Ryker pushed around her and his gaze bore into mine. "My brother is here?"
"And he's wounded. As long as the PRC's on him—"
"The Aesei is here?" he bellowed, and I was surprised something didn't crack and fall down on us...like maybe the mountain. Rosalind and the guards cringed away from him and it felt like Noah was doing his best to be invisible against my back.
The feral wildness of a wolf flickered in and out of Ryker's eyes and sweat beaded up on his pale face. "Bring him to me," he bit out, then he shoved Rosalind out into the hall and slammed the door.
The bolts being thrown echoed like sledge hammers in the silence of the hall and we all stood there, stunned. Then Rosalind's hate-filled gaze locked onto me.
I braced myself for orders that I was to be shot at dawn, but instead her mouth compressed into a hard line and she stalked down the hall, slamming the door to the breezeway behind her. The guards glanced at each other and then at me, and their looks of sympathy scared me more than all the yelling had.
"Come on," Noah said in a low voice, and this time I didn't give him any grief when he took hold of my arm and pulled me back down the hall.
I'd wanted to force the issue of Cooper's situation with Rosalind and had counted on the element of surprise to work in my favor. Instead, I'd made a worse enemy of her and discovered something that I had a feeling nobody was supposed to know.
Ryker was sick.
* * *
Noah opted to stay in the hall when I got to the apartment, and I decided that two confrontations an hour were enough even for me, so I didn't push it. Inside, I found Miller on the sofa with his leg propped up on a footstool, reading a book. A tray of mostly eaten lunch was on the cushion next to him.
He glanced up as I locked the door behind me and crossed the room to flop onto a leather covered arm chair. Stacking my feet on the coffee table, I let out a long, relieved sigh. "Been busy?" he asked, turning the page.
"No more than usual." I tossed my library books onto the coffee table. Miller looked at them and then at me.
"Unusual choices."
"Dr. B gave them to me."
"Ah." He went back to reading.
"That's it? 'Ah'?"
"You should read them. Whenever he does that, it's usually important."
Getting up, I took his lunch tray to the kitchen. After putting the dirty dishes in the dishwasher, which I was incredibly happy to see, I got myself a glass of water and went back into the living room. Picking up the smaller book, Demons and Dimensions, I settled in for some studying. As I browsed through the slim volume, I thought about Cooper and hoped another idea for getting him out
Both guards raised their brows at the same time and then the closest one pulled in a breath. "She's lying," he said with satisfaction.
Damn Were noses. "Or I'm nervous because you're, you know, so intimidating to a wee human and all." They gave me matching scowls and I wondered if Weres could be cloned.
"Get her out of here," the second one said to Noah, and I felt his sweaty hand grab my arm. Before I could slap the kid away with the books Dr. Barrett had given me, the door opened and there was Rosalind.
I pulled my arm out of Noah's grip. "Discrimination!" I said, pointing at her.
Her light green eyes narrowed on me and then her gaze landed on the nearest guard. "What is she doing here?"
Ryker came up behind her. I remembered him as a robust, imposing guy with hair like Cooper's, the same dazzling good looks and eyes the color of polished gold. His pale, haggard face and gaze dulled with suffering shocked the hell out of me.
Rosalind stepped in front of him, blocking my view. "Noah!"
The kid grabbed both of my arms and tried to pull me away. I dug in. "How is Cooper more dangerous than a vampire?" I blurted out. "He's collared. At least let him stay in the apartment with Miller and me."
"The law—"
Ryker pushed around her and his gaze bore into mine. "My brother is here?"
"And he's wounded. As long as the PRC's on him—"
"The Aesei is here?" he bellowed, and I was surprised something didn't crack and fall down on us...like maybe the mountain. Rosalind and the guards cringed away from him and it felt like Noah was doing his best to be invisible against my back.
The feral wildness of a wolf flickered in and out of Ryker's eyes and sweat beaded up on his pale face. "Bring him to me," he bit out, then he shoved Rosalind out into the hall and slammed the door.
The bolts being thrown echoed like sledge hammers in the silence of the hall and we all stood there, stunned. Then Rosalind's hate-filled gaze locked onto me.
I braced myself for orders that I was to be shot at dawn, but instead her mouth compressed into a hard line and she stalked down the hall, slamming the door to the breezeway behind her. The guards glanced at each other and then at me, and their looks of sympathy scared me more than all the yelling had.
"Come on," Noah said in a low voice, and this time I didn't give him any grief when he took hold of my arm and pulled me back down the hall.
I'd wanted to force the issue of Cooper's situation with Rosalind and had counted on the element of surprise to work in my favor. Instead, I'd made a worse enemy of her and discovered something that I had a feeling nobody was supposed to know.
Ryker was sick.
* * *
Noah opted to stay in the hall when I got to the apartment, and I decided that two confrontations an hour were enough even for me, so I didn't push it. Inside, I found Miller on the sofa with his leg propped up on a footstool, reading a book. A tray of mostly eaten lunch was on the cushion next to him.
He glanced up as I locked the door behind me and crossed the room to flop onto a leather covered arm chair. Stacking my feet on the coffee table, I let out a long, relieved sigh. "Been busy?" he asked, turning the page.
"No more than usual." I tossed my library books onto the coffee table. Miller looked at them and then at me.
"Unusual choices."
"Dr. B gave them to me."
"Ah." He went back to reading.
"That's it? 'Ah'?"
"You should read them. Whenever he does that, it's usually important."
Getting up, I took his lunch tray to the kitchen. After putting the dirty dishes in the dishwasher, which I was incredibly happy to see, I got myself a glass of water and went back into the living room. Picking up the smaller book, Demons and Dimensions, I settled in for some studying. As I browsed through the slim volume, I thought about Cooper and hoped another idea for getting him out
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