Page 9 of Marked by the Pack (Crooked Point #2)

Wednesday

Zoey

He’d promised to do some research for me about vampires. But he’d had a lot of questions about why I wanted to know. I was already a little suspicious of him because all he ever did was talk to me. But now that he wasn’t here? Right after the vampire discussion?

Something just didn’t feel right.

I took a bite of my banana and arched my back.

Honestly, everything felt off recently. I thought I’d moved to this safe little town, but a vampire had shown up on my doorstep. And a few people got murdered last weekend at the Fall Festival. Which somehow wasn’t related to Callum. What the hell was going on?

As soon as Grudge’s username popped up on my screen I clicked on it. I had a thing or two to discuss with my so-called friend.

“What, you’re not going to finish your banana?” he asked.

I glared at him and took a violent bite of it.

“I feel like I’m in trouble… ”

“You think?” I pulled a robe around myself. Naughty boys didn’t get to see me in my lingerie.

“So…why exactly are you upset with me?” He adjusted the bandana around his forehead. He was fidgeting. He knew exactly what he’d done.

“Seriously? What the hell, Grudge? How long have you been hacked into stuff in my house? Have you been watching my every move this whole time?”

“I’m not watching your every move.”

“Then what the fuck is going on with my lights?”

He smiled. “Shouldn’t you be thanking me? Because last time I checked, an intruder broke into your house last night and I gave you home field advantage by turning off all the lights.”

“We both know that was Emma, not an intruder.”

“Well I didn’t know it was Emma at the time…because I’m not watching your every move.”

Why did he keep quoting me verbatim? “So what are you doing?”

He shrugged. “Mostly like…listening.”

I glared at him.

He held up his hands. “Look, it’s not my fault that you use your birthday as all your passwords.”

“Why do you know my birthday?”

“Zoey.” He laughed. “I can find out whatever I want about you.” He gestured to his computer. “I’m good at stuff like this.”

I just gaped at him.

He smiled back at me. “But you actually told me your birthday. Well, technically you just told me your password when I helped you set up your site. And it was clearly your birthday. And you use it for everything. So yeah, I tapped into some of your smart devices and shut off your power last night to save you . You’re welcome. ”

I shook my head.

“You’re smiling again. Good. Now where were we…”

“I’m not smiling!” I was smiling a little.

“Mhm. You can take your robe off again now. To thank me.”

“Hold your horses. So you’re not watching me through my smart TV or anything?”

“No.” He laughed. “I’d never watch you downstairs. That would be a huge violation of privacy.”

“Downstairs would be a violation of my privacy? So you’re watching me upstairs?”

“I mean...just like…sometimes through your cams or whatever.”

“Grudge!”

“Zoey, I’m just checking on you. To make sure you’re okay.”

“And watching my private sessions, perv?”

“I thought it was like a tit-for-tat situation. I helped you set up all your equipment. And…I got lifetime access.”

“No, I paid you for your time.”

He laughed. “No, I said I didn’t want to be paid. And you gave me a five minute striptease sampler.”

“That wasn’t a sample! And my stripteases are expensive! It doesn’t mean you get a lifetime of them for free!”

“Well, I didn’t know that.”

I shook my head. “You absolutely did.” I folded my arms across my chest .

“I like the way that pushes your boobs up. Lose the robe, hot stuff.”

I immediately unfolded my arms. “So you listen to me downstairs? And watch me in my room?”

“Sometimes. Speaking of which…are we going to talk about your weird little dinner tonight?”

“My perfectly normal dinner party?” In my dreams. In reality, it was awkward AF.

“Uh…” his voice trailed off. “Sure. If you usually invite a vampire to dinner.”

Oh. Shit. Of course he’d heard all that. He’d even made the lights flicker when I was talking about it. “You heard wrong.”

“No. Definitely not. I was listening pretty closely after you talked about thinking Emma’s boyfriend was the one that broke into your house last night and you were going to stop him with garlic powder.

That really piqued my interest. But I didn’t really have to piece anything together, because you said he was a vampire.

Out loud. And no one said you were wrong. ”

I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone Callum’s secret.

But…I hadn’t told Grudge. He’d figured it out himself.

And I was so freaking relieved. “Thank God. I feel like I’m dying with this secret.

I’m one of the only people that knows and I’m so worried about Emma.

And me. I’m definitely worried about me too. ”

“So…you’re serious? You’re friends with a vampire? I feel like this is what we should be talking about. Not that silly listening in and watching you thing.”

“We’ll circle back to that later. Grudge, what am I going to do?

I feel like I’m on edge all the time unless I’m pounding wine.

Callum only drinks animal blood, but…what if he gets hungry for human blood again?

He ha s every reason to control himself around Emma.

He loves her. But he has way fewer reasons to control himself around me.

You heard me earlier. I plotted his murder.

And I tried to kill him last night with garlic powder. I’m on the chopping block.”

“I’m trying to figure out how this is even possible. Like…you’re sure? This if for real for real?”

“I’m positive.”

“And that other guy that was there. You said he was a thief?”

I nodded. And I was almost positive I was going over to Otto’s tomorrow night. I wasn’t sure what that said about me. He stole stuff for a living. Or worse. But his stupid hazel eyes were really distracting. “Grudge, what am I going to do?”

“Well there’s really only one solution.”

I leaned forward. “I’m listening.”

He took a sip of his energy drink. “Take off your robe and I’ll tell you.”

“As if you’re not going to see me without it later.”

He shrugged.

I took it off. We’d come back to this discussion later. I couldn’t believe he’d been watching me. No wonder he only sometimes asked me to do stuff during our sessions. He was jerking off to me on the regular without me even knowing. I would have been really pissed if he didn’t always make me laugh.

“Maybe the bra too,” he said.

“Grudge, just tell me what to do!”

“I just did…take your bra off.”

“I mean about the vampire!”

“Okay, okay.” He paused for dramatic effect. “Run,” he said .

“What?”

“Zoey, you gotta get the hell out of there. You’re hanging out with a thug and a blood sucking monster.”

“That’s not helpful!”

He shook his head. “What did you think I was going to say?”

“Something helpful!”

“You have tons of money. Just move somewhere else. Anywhere else.”

“How do you know how much money I have?”

“Zoey, I just told you I have access to all your shit.”

Yeah, he wasn’t being helpful at all.

“Idea. How about you move in with me.” He smiled.

“No.”

“Why not? We could stream together. I think we’d be a hit. Lots of crossover subscribers. We’ll go viral like that.” He snapped his fingers.

“Grudge.”

“Besides, I know you dream about me. You moan my name in your sleep. I’m offering you the real thing.”

“I absolutely do not.”

He smiled.

And for the first time ever, I couldn’t tell if he was joking or not. Did I moan his name in my sleep? “Liar.”

“If you say so. But my offer stands. You really gotta get out of town.”

I didn’t want to leave Crooked Point. I loved it here. “I’m going to go talk to someone more helpful.”

“I’m wounded,” he said.

“Don’t watch me.”

“Ah, Zoey, you’re breaking up. I can’t hear you.” He made a static noise with his mouth. “What did you say?” He made another static noise. And then he clicked out of our session.

I shook my head and went back to my main page. I blew a kiss to my subscribers and clicked into a private session with King.

Today he was in his library. Floor to ceiling bookshelves and a roaring fireplace as his backdrop. But I was a little more focused on the fact that he was wearing just his Anubis mask and a satin robe. I liked him like this. When he was more relaxed.

I was already picturing the things he could do to me with the sash of his robe. But I wasn’t going to get a chance to find out. Because I was about to ruin this session.

“Please tell me you found out more information about vampires. It’s really important, King.”

He took a sip of his scotch and then set it down. He leaned forward slightly and stared at me through the screen.

“Please,” I said again. I shifted so I was sitting on my knees. “I’ll give you whatever you want.” I ran my fingers up my thigh, remembering Otto’s fingers there earlier. I swallowed hard.

“There’s only one thing I want.”

I kept running my fingers up my thigh.

“The truth.”

Wait, what?

“It wasn’t a movie. You ran into a vampire. Didn’t you?”

Grudge already knew. What did it matter if King did too? I had no idea where he was from, but I was pretty sure it was another country. What could him knowing the truth hurt? Elias was missing. Grudge just wanted me to leave. I needed King’s help. I nodded.

“Zoey, I want you to listen to me very carefully. Do not engage with him.”

“He’s dating my best friend.”

“There is no creature on this earth worse than a vampire. He’ll kill you. And he’ll kill your friend.”

I shook my head. “He only drinks animal blood. He…”

“That’s not possible. He’ll lose control. I’m going to send you two of my bodyguards while you gather your things and move.”

I couldn’t leave. I wasn’t running. “I’m not moving.”

“This isn’t up for discussion. What’s your address? They’ll be there within 24 hours.”

I had never given a client my address before. Ever. Although, Grudge probably knew it somehow. I trusted King. But I didn’t want two of his henchmen following me around town in order to make me feel safe.

I thought about the way Otto’s hand felt in mine. Maybe I already had my answer. And in a lot of ways, Otto was practically a perfect combination of Grudge and King. Funny and charming, and domineering and rich.

“I really don’t think that’s necessary,” I said. “I’m not…I’m not scared of him.” I was a little. But Callum seemed so calm. So in control. Although I didn’t love the bruises on Emma’s neck. I knew he was drinking her blood, even if she wouldn’t talk to me about it.

“This isn’t a game, Zoey. You’re in danger as long as you’re there. And not just from the guy your friend is dating. Darkness has a way of following darkness. ”

The way he said it made me shiver. “What does that mean? Like…a vampire hunter will come?” Elias had mentioned them the other night.

I’d thought that maybe Otto and his friends were vampire hunters because they hated Callum so much.

But it seemed like they wanted nothing to do with Callum.

They wanted to avoid him, not hunt him for a living.

Which meant…something else was coming. I really didn’t want anything to happen to Callum. Emma would be heartbroken forever.

“No,” King said. “Other supernatural creatures. Have you seen anything peculiar recently?”

“I don’t think so. Emma’s boyfriend is new to town. Maybe those creatures haven’t come yet. Maybe they won’t ever come.” Seriously, more monsters were coming? What the fuck?!

“Zoey, it’s not a question of if . It’s a question of when . I’m going to send you those bodyguards.”

“I don’t need them. I…I have someone here who can help me.

” I hope. I just needed to be honest with Otto.

He didn’t seem scared of Callum. Which seemed a little foolish.

But if he wasn’t scared, he could protect me.

If he didn’t want to date me, maybe we could make an arrangement.

I could pay him to sleep in my bed with me at night or something.

Just to be safe. I didn’t hate the sound of that.

“I’d really feel more comfortable if I had my guys on the ground.”

“It’s okay. I’ve got this. Now let me take care of you.” I ran my fingers back up my thigh. And I wasn’t sure if it was because Otto had just touched me right there, or because I knew Grudge was probably watching…but I needed this. Desperately.

“Be a good girl and lie back,” King said.