Page 24 of Hitched to the Vampire King
Avery chuckled. “Yeah, I could see you doing that. You’re pretty kick ass, you know. Has anyone ever told you that?”
“Not in so many words,” I said, laughing.
“Well, I’m glad to have you on our side.”
“And I’m glad I was able to help you escape that warehouse.”
Her cheeks flushed. “Yeah, I’m thankful for that too.”
“I’ll help you track down Nash,” I told her, “and then we’ll kill him. Together.”
Avery’s resolve strengthened with my words, color returning to her cheeks. “I’m going to hold you to that. I’ve been chasing him for far too long. It’s time to end this. And it’ll only end when I drive a stake through his heart.”
I glanced at the nearby clock and noted the time. It was almost noon. Which meant food—becauseyes, I was hungry again.
“How about we make some lunch, then you get some rest,” I suggested to her.
Fear immediately flashed in her eyes.
“Don’t worry. I’ll keep watch. I won’t let anyone harm us, and I’ll be here in case you need me,” I said.
Avery eventually nodded, the tension in her shoulders slowly easing. “I can’t believe I’m hungry again.”
Oh, I believed it. Werewolves and food went together like vampires and blood. And after a week of imprisonment, her body needed all the energy it could find.
As we made our way to the kitchen, the normalcy of the action felt almost alien after everything we’d been through. I found comfort in the mundane. It was a brief respite from the chaos that had become our lives.
While I busied myself fixing another sandwich, Avery sat at the kitchen table, watching me. Her gaze was distant, lost in thought.
“You know,” I started, breaking the silence as I sliced up a whole new tomato, “this is a messed up situation, but for me, it’s oddly normal.”
Avery looked up, a wry smile touching her lips. “I suppose I should find that comforting?”
“Exactly,” I said, before placing a generously sized sandwich in front of her, then returning to make one for myself.
We ate in silence, then I cleaned while Avery made herself comfortable on the couch.
I watched her settle in, my senses alert and ready to pick up on anything abnormal. Outside, the world went on. But inside, I was preparing for battle. I had a new vampire to add to my kill list, but that didn’t bother me. I lived to slay evil vampires. Nash was just another in a long line. And at least this time, Iknewhe deserved what was coming to him.
ChapterEight
At one fifty-fivein the afternoon, I caught the sound of an approaching vehicle. My pulse quickened, and I leapt to my feet, my hand instinctively moving to my side, where I usually kept a weapon. Of course, I had no weapons right now, thanks to Adrian. But it was called muscle memory for a reason.
I hurried to the nearest window and peeked through a slit in the blinds. A white, nondescript van pulled up in front of the house, its windows completely blacked out. Before anyone stepped out, I returned to Avery and nudged her awake. She hadn’t slept deeply—tossing and turning—so she came awake instantly, her eyes flashing open and darting to me.
“Someone’s here,” I said. “I’m hoping it’s your people.”
She scrambled off the couch and stole her own peep through the blinds. A moment later, she stepped back and rubbed her eyes with the heels of her palms. “Yeah, that’s them. The extraction team.”
“You’re sure? Adrian’s people could use a van too.”
She shook her head and yawned, then pried apart the blinds and pointed at the front windshield. “See the bobblehead on the dashboard? That’s one of our markers. We couldn’t very well stamp the words ‘New Orleans Werewolf Pack’ on the side, now could we? So we used that instead.”
I narrowed my eyes and peered closer. “Is that?—”
“The Wolfman,” she said, chuckling. “Clever, hey?”
It was something alright. “Let’s let them in and get this done. The sooner we get Gabriel somewhere more secure, the better I’ll feel.”
