Shattered Restraint Page 23

  “Tell me,” Roger said thoughtfully as he followed Abram to a cell down the hall. “Do you have any family?”

  Abram had the key in the lock when he stilled. “No,” Abram said, sounding almost unaffected by the question, but Roger smelled the sudden tangy scent of Abram’s sweat. The vampire was nervous. With his back to Roger, Abram couldn’t see his smirk.

  “Did you want to play with the prisoners or not?” Abram asked a little too harshly, proving he had family he didn’t want Roger to know about.

  “Lead the way, my friend,” Roger murmured.

  After they were done here, Roger would find Abram’s family. Then he’d have some real fun.

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  It came as no surprise that Danny had overslept after his late night with Quinn. Still, he was annoyed that he didn’t have time to enjoy showering with her before he headed out. Not that he’d expected to have sex in the shower. Danny’s shower had just enough room for them to both fit, so sex hadn’t worked out too well. Their attempt had actually led to them laughing so hard that Danny had nearly fallen. It was the foreplay which had led to fantastic sex with Quinn sitting on his bathroom counter. He’d definitely been hoping for a repeat of that.

  “These beds are really comfortable,” Quinn said as she rubbed her cheek against the pillow. “It’s one of the things I loved most that night I stayed here.”

  Danny chuckled as he slipped on his pants. “That’s only because you didn’t take a shower that night.”

  “Showers truly are one of the most wonderful things you have,” she agreed before bursting into a fit of giggles. Obviously, she was remembering his comical attempts at shower sex too.

  He’d made sure Quinn had keys to his house and promised to get her a phone so she could call him if she needed anything. All in all, he was satisfied that he wouldn’t be in trouble with Raven for not taking proper care of his mate. He’d heard enough complaints about what Ian hadn’t done during Kyleigh’s first days at the settlement to know what to avoid.

  Danny hated leaving Quinn alone all day. “Are you sure you don’t want to come with me today?” he asked. “I’m not really sure what I’ll be doing. The meeting is at nine, but I have no idea if Connor will put me back on rotation right away. He said he’d talk to me after the patrols head out, so I’m assuming I’ll be around here today. Even if he doesn’t send me out, I’ll have to train because Con’s a stickler for training.”

  “I’m actually hoping to spend most of the day on your computer,” she admitted. “That thing is really fun.”

  Danny grinned. “A woman after my own heart. When I first moved here, I spent hours on that thing. I’m just going to grab a bag of blood before I head out.”

  “I could feed you,” she offered with a temptress’s smile.

  “As much as I’d like that, it would make me late for my meeting. I also took enough in bed last night,” he said before walking over to give her a quick kiss on the mouth. “Behave.”

  She laughed. “So, I can’t look at sex stuff on your computer?”

  “Please look at as much sex stuff as you want,” he said eagerly. “I like the idea of you being all hot and bothered when I get home.”

  “Go, or I’ll make you late,” she warned. “And give Raven’s shoes to Connor. She left them by the front door.”

  Danny chuckled. “Yeah, she has a tendency to do that. She’s not a big fan of shoes.” He quickly leaned down to kiss her one last time before jogging down the stairs with images of Quinn looking at sexy stuff on his computer while he was gone. He wondered if she’d touch herself while she did that. Those were thoughts he really needed to get out of his mind. Walking into the training center with an erection would be like asking his friends to give him a hard time.

  Grabbing Raven’s shoes, he headed out the front door to find Mitchell waiting for him.

  “Hey, Mitchell!” he greeted. “Don’t you have school?”

  “I can be late,” Mitchell said with a shrug. “Just wanted to see if you’re doing okay first.”

  “Great!” Danny said with a forced smile.

  “I would have rather died than become a vampire,” Mitchell said, studying Danny in a way that proved he saw through Danny’s smile.

  Danny looked down at his feet. “I never thought this would happen to me.”

  “Especially the turned vampire part of it,” Mitchell added. “I mean, it’s one thing to be a born vamp when you didn’t plan on becoming one. We have the extra worry that our hearts could stop and turn us into crazed killers.”

  Mitchell had been the first turned vampire of his kind they’d met. It was possible he was the first of his kind to have their heart continue beating. No one had even realized the new virus could result in turned vampires with beating hearts. If Mitchell didn’t have blood on a regular basis, he started to have problems. “I still don’t have any idea how often I need blood,” Danny said to himself.

  “I can go nine hours tops, but I have issues after three hours,” Mitchell said. “Ian said the shifter blood you’ve been getting makes you a little different, but you might want to stick to every three hours during the day to be safe. Dr. Moon might have some other ideas.”

  “I guess I should go see him,” Danny said, but he really didn’t want to.

  Dr. Harold Moon was the creator of the original Moon virus, and Danny had been shocked to find him living as a vampire at the born vampire settlement. He’d injected himself with the virus, believing it would kill him. That was before they’d realized that the Moon virus creates vampires. Those who contracted the virus while pregnant or those with cancer or HIV became born vampires. The others died and rose as turned vampires three days later. Now, Dr. Moon did his best to help the born vampires. Danny had met him a few times. The guy was brilliant but a little crazy. Eventually, he’d go see Dr. Moon, but he was guessing it would be a very long visit.

  “Damn!” Danny said. “I just told Quinn I needed blood and still forgot to grab a bag. Do they keep some at the training center?” Funny he didn’t know that, considering how long he’d lived at the settlement. Then again, he hadn’t really needed to know before.

  “Sure,” Mitchell said. “I’ll walk over with you and show you where they keep it. There are glasses, but you have to clean them after you’re done.”

  Danny nodded and started toward the training center with Mitchell by his side, feeling a little self-conscious as they passed people on the street.

  “They aren’t looking at you,” Mitchell said quietly. “I know it feels that way at first, but most people are too busy with their own lives to worry about you. Just keep walking and don’t think about it.”

  Danny nodded. “Doesn’t it seem strange that you’re the one offering me support now? I mean, I remember telling you not to feel bad about who you are and not to let people’s opinions get you down. Now, you’re pretty much doing it for me.”

  Mitchell shrugged. “I guess it would be kind of ironic if the situation didn’t suck so much.”

  That actually made Danny laugh. “You got that right. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad to be alive, but I don’t expect I’ll be thanking Roger for the fangs any time soon.”

  “I felt that way at first too,” Mitchell said. “I guess I still do sometimes. Mostly, I’m trying to remember that I have a purpose for being here.”

  Danny studied Mitchell as they continued to walk. “Yes, you do have a purpose.”

  When they entered the training center, people Danny knew on a more superficial level greeted him. Some stopped to tell him they were glad he was okay, while others just stared. Word of his change would have gotten around by now. Connor would have told people for two reasons. First, he wanted to make sure people understood how dangerous Roger was. Second, he wouldn’t want Danny to have to explain what had happened to everyone. Danny was grateful that people knew already, but it still made him feel like he was on display.

  Mitchell led him to a small room with a refrigerator,
a sink, and a drainer filled with glasses. “They stock it with plenty of blood, but some people complain because there’s no place to heat it up.”

  When Mitchell handed him a bag of blood, Danny dropped Raven’s shoes on the floor.

  “It’s not as good from a bag,” Danny said as he poured it into a glass. “I’m not really sure heating it up did much to improve the taste.”

  “In my opinion, it doesn’t taste any better warm,” Mitchell said. “I’ve only had bagged blood, so I have nothing to compare it to. We aren’t allowed to drink from a donor until we pass all of our feeding classes,” he explained.

  “I guess that makes sense,” Danny said. “Connor does a lot to protect the donors.”

  “I’m not sure if you’ll be allowed to use the donors without taking classes first,” Mitchell said. “It might be different since you’re not in school. I guess not many humans decide to become vampires.”

  Danny just shook his head. “I’ll only use bags or Quinn’s blood,” he said before giving it more thought. “I might feed from the shifter brothers again when they visit.”

  “What’s shifter blood like?” Mitchell asked, his eyes sparkling with curiosity—and a little hunger.

  “Intense,” Danny said. It was definitely more potent than human blood, but nothing like Quinn’s blood.

  “This must seem like a strange conversation,” Mitchell said, looking down at his shoes, which is when Danny realized Mitchell hadn’t looked at him since he’d handed Danny the bag of blood.

  “Why are you trying so hard to avoid looking at me?” he asked.

  “Most people are uncomfortable having others see them drink blood at first, so it’s considered polite to look away when new vampires feed. They taught us that in feeding etiquette class.”

  “I didn’t know that,” Danny said thoughtfully. “Maybe I should take some of those feeding classes, even if it’s not required. I’m not uncomfortable having people watch me take blood.”

  Mitchell gave him a shy smile. “I still am, which sucks since I need blood so often. Hopefully, I’ll get over it.”

  “Does it bother you because of what you are?” Danny asked.

  “Sort of,” Mitchell admitted. “It’s not so much what I am as how I became this way. It reminds me that I have no choice but to take blood, just like I had no choice in becoming a vampire.”

  Danny was about to say more, but Mitchell’s alarm on his phone went off.

  “I’d better get to school so I’m not too late,” Mitchell said. “You can call me if you need anything.”

  “Thanks, Mitchell,” Danny said, feeling much better after their talk. Mitchell was the only one like him living at the settlement, and he was even more amazed that Mitchell had managed to settle into the community since he’d had no one like himself before now.

  Danny was running late when he walked into the conference room. Still Connor barely spared him a glance when he dropped Raven’s shoes on the table. Instead, he finished briefing those on patrol for the day, while Danny took a seat near the back of the room and waited.

  When Connor was done, most of the people cleared out without talking to him. Danny might have taken it personally if Connor hadn’t been adamant about all of them leaving immediately. Only Danny, Connor, Rand, and Mark stayed behind.

  Rand had been held captive for a year at the island settlement where Danny had grown up. Danny had actually been part of the group who’d freed him, so Rand was probably there to offer some sort of support. Mark was probably there because he’d insisted on being there. Danny doubted Connor had invited him.

  “Sorry about being late,” Danny said. “I forgot to grab a bag of blood before I left home, so Mitchell had to show me where you keep them.”

  “You didn’t really need to be here for the briefing,” Connor said. “I’m not planning to just drop you back into the patrol rotation. In my opinion, you’d be better off taking things slow.”

  “Thanks. I’d prefer to take a little time getting used to things again,” Danny said.

  “How is Quinn settling in?” Connor asked in a tone that made Danny suspect Raven had insisted Connor ask. While Connor cared about the people at this settlement, he was the type who liked to handle business first. In this case, Danny felt the same. He’d had all the talking about his feelings he could handle for one morning.

  “Quinn’s enjoying the computer,” Danny said. “I invited her to come with me today, but she wanted to stay home and explore all the stuff I have.”

  “Is she a capable fighter?” Connor asked, likely because he was always in need of more fighters.

  “She grew up with shifters,” Danny said, as if that explained it all, and it really did.

  “So, she likes to fight,” Connor said. “How are her instincts?”

  “Good, for the most part, but she’s a little too trusting,” Danny said honestly.

  Connor nodded, looking thoughtful. “I’ll keep that in mind. As I understand it, she’s going to be staying with you permanently.”

  “I hope so,” Danny said.

  “Things aren’t quite settled yet?” Rand asked.

  Great! They were going to talk about his feelings.

  “We’re getting there,” Danny said without offering more details. That was true, but she was still reluctant to fully commit. If she weren’t a shifter, he’d think that was perfectly normal, but shifters tended to act more on instinct. Hell, normally, he’d be taking it much slower, but his instincts were screaming to keep her with him. When he noticed they were all waiting for him to elaborate, he let out a frustrated sigh. “She doesn’t seem to want to stay away from me. Everything is still new between us, so there’s nothing wrong with her being a little reluctant to fully commit.”

  Mark laughed. “It’s good to see you worked up over a woman other than Layla.”

  Danny had thought himself in love with Layla for years. It was only recently that he’d gotten over that. Thankfully, that had been before she’d gotten together with Simon.

  “Can we sit around and talk about our feelings later?” Danny asked.

  “Yes, you can sit around and talk about your feelings later,” Connor said. “For now, let’s see what you can do.”

  Danny grinned. “Now, that sounds like fun!”

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Anticipation coursed through Cam’s veins as the vampires led them through a secret tunnel into the compound. Roger believed the underground tunnels had been destroyed, but this one had simply been altered slightly to make it appear that way. Cam was excited about seeing Claire. He needed to touch her, make sure she was okay. He honestly wasn’t sure how much longer he could handle the separation. Shifters didn’t handle time away from their mates very well. In this case, it was even worse because Cam hadn’t marked Claire. He’d never even asked to mark her because he knew it would put her at risk. Claire needed to get away from this place soon. Jase and Zane were wired too, but for different reasons. His brothers were excited about the danger and the possibility of a fight.

  Cord had only brought along one shifter, a female. They both looked focused, and it was hard to read them. Cam was guessing Cord was worried about his cougars, and Cam didn’t blame him. They’d filled Cord in on some of Roger’s crimes so he would be prepared.

  Their rescue plan was simple, and no one expected anything to go wrong. They were all dressed in the same worn clothing the residents of the settlement wore to avoid drawing any unwanted attention. While the vampires had a keener sense of smell, they generally couldn’t figure out if someone was a shifter by scent. That meant they should be okay as long as they acted like they belonged at the settlement. Sneaking in and out went against their nature, but it was the smart way to handle things.

  “Which way is Claire’s room?” Cam asked as soon as they emerged from the tunnel.

  Jase gave him a sharp look. “We’ve already discussed this. Looking for Claire is not an option.”

  They had discussed it. After Ja
se had agreed that Cam could find Claire while they were at the settlement, their father had threatened to break both of Cam’s legs, making it impossible for him to go on the rescue mission, if they didn’t agree to stay away from Claire. Jase had agreed, while Cam had remained silent, something his father must have noticed.

  “You discussed it,” Cam reminded him. “At no time did I agree with you or our father.”

  “Let him go to his female,” Cord said, much to Cam’s surprise and Jase’s annoyance.

  Cam’s gaze shifted to Nate, the vampire in charge of getting them in and out. “Where is Claire?”

  Nate grinned. “Go down that hallway and take the first left, then the next right. Claire’s room is third on the left. Convince her to leave with you. Things are definitely going to turn ugly soon. Roger may be many things, but stupid isn’t one of them. He’ll figure out she’s betrayed him eventually, and I’ve seen the way he looks at her. Roger wants to hurt her. Thinking about it turns him on. That man is a crazy sadist and coming completely unglued.”

  “Then why are you staying?” Jase asked.

  Nate shrugged. “I’m in much less danger than Claire. Roger needs her, and that means he can’t forget about her. One benefit of Roger’s ego is that most of us are too insignificant to remember we exist.”

  Cam nodded and set off in the direction of Claire’s room. The others could handle getting the cougars out without him, even if he felt bad about letting them handle it alone.

  Most of the people he passed simply nodded nervously as they walked by. Apparently, people weren’t sure who they could trust and didn’t want to take any chances. That said a lot about the quality of life under Roger’s leadership. Even without Nate’s warning, Cam would have guessed Roger was more unstable than the last time he’d seen him.

  When he reached Claire’s door, he actually hesitated, which was crazy considering how much he wanted to see her. This female tied him up in knots. Finally, he tapped on her door.