Page 65

My stomach did not feel good. All I wanted was for her to stay away from me. I didn’t want to even look at her, but their words rang true. I knew she wouldn’t stop coming for me if she discovered I was alive.

She was an older vampire too—much stronger.

“Shh,” Jax said, cocking his head. “Do you hear that?” Everyone went silent. The tapping started up again and all of us turned toward the sound coming from across the kitchen.

Tap. Tap. Tap. In quick succession. I started toward it, but Asher stopped me with a touch to my shoulder and approached the door leading to the garage.

Asher’s nose flared and he gripped the doorknob. He pulled it open. Maddy toppled face-down on the tile. Asher moved out of the way before she fell on him.

“Maddy!” I hurried forward and helped her turn her head to look at me. Her eyes widened on me and tears flooded them, spilling down and over the duct tape wrapped around her mouth. The muffled talking was intelligible. I couldn’t roll her over because her arms were tied tight to her ankles. She’d been trussed up like a turkey until she couldn’t move. I dropped to my knees beside her to hunt for the tab end to lift the tape. I smoothed my fingers along the textured surface until I reached an abrasive bit and used my nails to peel it up.

“This is an excessive amount of tape,” I muttered, unwinding it from around her head. Finally, at the final layer, I stopped. “It’s stuck on your hair.” Instead of tugging the tape and her hair along with it, I pulled off the final layer from the other end across her mouth.

She gasped, tears continuing to spill.

“A little help would have been nice.” I eyed Asher balefully. He’d watched as I struggled. I moved down to the rope and took hold of it with both hands.

“Why would Imogen leave her tied up here?” Asher asked, eyes narrowed.

“I’m so sorry, she ordered me to bring you the drugged tea.” She shuddered, crying until she hiccupped. With a quick yank, I ripped the threads binding her. Her arms and legs flopped out and she groaned. The position did not look comfortable.

“You’re right, it doesn’t make sense.”

I brushed at the bits of fibers that flew off the rope and clung to my shirt. A palm pressed into my spine; I looked over myshoulder at Jax. He hooked his hands under my arm and hoisted me to my feet. He brushed his hands over my clothes. I could only study him in shock. What had happened to Jax and who was this?

I caught Asher’s smirk, and he quickly smoothed his face. Maddy bumbled to her feet. I was about to make a comment to Jax about his weird behavior, when Maddy lunged toward us.

She moved in a lagging motion, as if she were under water. I stepped in her way as she lifted a sharp metal stake and swung it so hard it sliced my shoulder open. I hissed, flinching. Shock kept me in place and holding my stinging arm. She swung again, aiming behind me, toward Jax.

I gasped and put my foot out to trip her.

Ren caught her by the wrist, he squeezed until she cried out and released the weapon. It clanged against the ground.

“Don’t hurt her,” I shouted.

Ren’s lips tightened.

“I will not take chances with your safety again.”

“Ren! Please,” I cried. Jax wrapped an arm around my waist.

“If she is at fault, she dies.”

“Fine, but it wasn’t her.” They’d see, this was another stupid move of Imogen’s.

“Look at me.” The push of Ren’s compulsion forced her eyes up, so she faced him. Maddy’s lip trembled. I tried to approach but Jax held me tighter.

Maddy’s shoulders tensed and since she faced Ren, I couldn’t see her expression.

“Wh-what happened?” she croaked.

“Why did you attack?”

“I don’t know what?—”

“Tell me.” The force of compulsion thickened his voice.

“Imogen ordered me to kill Jaxon Crimson,” her voice took on a low, sleepy tone. I knew it.