Page 53 of A Token of Blood and Betrayal

I smiled at the phone and squeezed a few more drops from the cloth.“Are you still at the compound?”

“No, I’m at the gym.Nora told me to take her car.I’ll drop it off the next time I’m—”

“What thehellare you doing?”a voice bellowed from the hallway.

Chapter Fourteen

Ileapedtomyfeet and spun, damp cloth held ready to fling like a puny dart as Melissa stormed into the room.

“Are you suicidal?”she demanded.

“Are you?You’re barging in—”

“Move away from the goddamn bed.”

“Melissa?”Christian called.“What’s going on?”

“She’salonein Deagan’s room.”

“I’m taking care of him.”I matched her angry tone.Now that my adrenaline was leveling out and there wasn’t another emergency dropping on my head, I was pissed at the way she’d charged in here.

“Yeah,” she said.“You’re taking care of an unconscious vampire so deep in bloodlust his master couldn’t bring him out of it.Very smart.”

“Melissa, chill,” Christian said.

Her eyes fastened on the phone.“Chill?If he kills her, we’ve lost everything.Plus I’ll feel like shit for not watching her back.She’s growing on me, even if she’s so dense I want to scream sometimes.No offense.”She threw those last two words my way with a quick glance.

“I’m offended.”

“It’ll be handled soon,” Christian said calmly.“Plus Deagan’s in the Null.The chance he wakes up and kills anyone is small.”

“Not small enough.”Anger still iced Melissa’s blue eyes.Yelling at me wasn’t the best way to show it, but I guess it was nice she cared if I was alive or dead.

“He’s not waking up anyway,” I said, trying to be the levelheaded person in the room.

Melissa blew out a breath.“Okay.Maybe I’m overreacting a little, but next time,pleasemake sure someone else is with you.Just in case.”

I grabbed my phone off the nightstand.“Hopefully he wakes up soon and there won’t be a next time.”

“Hopefully,” she agreed.Then she eyed my phone.“Can I talk to him?”

I didn’t want to hand it over, but I also wasn’t going to keep Christian from his sister.“Make it quick.”

“Thanks,” she said.Then she took the phone off speaker and held it to her ear.

I pressed my lips together.She’d already figured out what Astrid was up to.She already knew about Garion and my bargain.Would Christian tell her about my idea to use the spell?Did it matter if he did?

She and Christian talked for a minute or so, but nothing made much sense on this end of the call.She tapped the phone to hang up, then handed it back to me.

“Really,” she said.“Be careful.Christian doesn’t need to run off to rescue you again.”

“I don’t need rescuing.”Yeah, that was a flat-out lie.Was I taking it back?Nope.

“I disagree.”Her voice sounded peppy now, like she hadn’t been worried or angry at all.Nice talent.I found it harder to let her sudden entrance and attitude go.I’d sleep it off.Eventually.

I didn’t intend to avoid the staff on the way back to the main building.But I definitely didn’t expect to encounter anyone three steps outside the Catalans’ door.

Phedre and Thordis popped out of the shadows.