Page 40 of Those That Are Lost (Hidden Vampires #2)

TY

“ O kay, enough! What the fuck is going on with you two?” Henry spins from his desk, hands spread wide at Red and me.

We share perplexed looks. She’s sitting across my lap, we’re both nestled up on one end of the sofa facing him. I’m scrolling on our phone in one hand with the other wrapped around Red’s back and gently stroking her ribs as she jots notes on a pad I stole from Henry yesterday.

“What do you mean?” I ask, quirking a brow.

“I don’t get it,” Henry replies, exacerbated.

“I wasn’t going to get involved but I just don’t get it.

You’re never more than a breath apart from one another, your scents are practically combined so I know you’re fucking almost constantly, and yet you’ve not talked to one another in two days. What’s going on? Who pissed who off?”

Red’s hand comes to her mouth as she stifles a laugh. Her cheeks pinken in a delicious blush, no doubt from the scent comment.

‘Should we tell him?’ she asks silently.

‘I’m surprised he lasted this long,’ I respond to her, before agreeing. “We’re telepathic.” I deadpan at my best friend, like he should’ve found it obvious.

Henry’s eyes grow huge and his hands drop in surprise.

“You’re telepathic?” he questions, unbelieving. “Since when?”

“Since we put the mate bond in place. You seriously took this long to notice?”

“I thought you were arguing.” He rubs his clean shaven jaw. “Can you really talk to each other through your minds?”

“Yes, as clear as we’re talking out loud right now,” Red supplies.

“That’s rare, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it's not the most common mate power. But, as I’m of a long lineage and Red seems pretty powerful, it’s not that surprising. We’ve not tested it at any distance but I think we’d be able to communicate no matter where we are.”

Henry starts to ask more questions but the door to the apartment opens and Antares strides in.

The arrogant prick had disappeared for a couple of days after our first night here.

We’d woken up to find he’d dropped off some blood packets and left.

I’d felt antsy about it for a few hours until Henry managed to reassure me that this is what he does and that he wouldn’t be selling us out to the pack here in the city.

Or worse, to any of Adicious’s pack that were here searching.

The powerful male saunters in and collapses down on the opposite side of the sofa to us, Red quickly scooting her feet back to avoid him touching her. I want to kick him off for making her move. There’s a second sofa sitting empty, he didn’t need to pick this one.

“Back so soon?” Henry cocks his head at Antares who bends a leg, tucking one foot under himself, and gets comfy on the cushions .

“Why, didn’t you miss me?” He aims that at me. “And I’m guessing you were wearing a glamour before?” he aims at my mate.

I narrow my eyes at him, a low growl vibrating in my chest. No, I don’t trust the little shithead one bit.

‘Gods, I didn’t think.’ Red panics through the bond. I cuddle her a little closer in reassurance.

‘It’s fine. He knew who we were. I’m sure Adicious has wasted no time in spreading the fact you’re a Glamourer.’

‘So, my disguises are useless?’

‘No. Not at all. And I doubt he knows you can change yourself entirely. Before you left Froan you could only alter parts of yourself. You’ll still be able to confuse them with your power, and you won’t be leaving this apartment without changing your appearance.

But the pack will all know your scent now since they captured us.

That and our scents are combined. If they don’t scent you, they’ll scent me on you. ’

‘Huh?’

‘Our scents. They’re combined now.’

‘Yes, I know.’

‘Well, Adicious’s pack are all too familiar with mine.

So, whilst your glamours will confuse them to some extent, your scent will give you away.

Though, I am hoping that even if they scent you, because they won’t know what you look like, it’ll give you a few seconds to run.

All this is the worst case scenario, however.

I don’t plan on coming anywhere near any of the pack because we are not leaving this apartment unless absolutely necessary. ’

‘So my power is a last resort.’ I feel Red’s anxiety remain high, but Henry speaking ends our conversation.

“What happened this time?” He directs at Antares.

I look at the Fae male again, finally noticing his swollen brow and busted knuckles. Clearly, he’s been in a fight.

Antares purses his lips and sighs before grumbling, “I ran into Fillias in a bar. ”

I don’t know all of the vampires in the West Scotia pack by name but that one I instantly recognise.

Fillias is their leader. The pack here is another one which is being run by a single male.

It's bigger than the one in Froan City, not quite as vicious as far as I know, but they still wouldn’t take kindly to finding a rogue in their hunting grounds.

I know Henry only gets away with it because he lives on the outskirts and is a lot more careful of where he goes for fresh blood when he wants a live drink.

“What have I told you about antagonising them?” Henry chastises.

Antares waves a hand in a dismissive gesture. “They’re pansies. I only wanted a quickie. There were plenty of people in the bar, enough to go around.”

“You should stick to the ones I’ve told you to.”

“I needed a gay bar, I wasn’t there for blood. Not just blood anyway.” He shoots a wink our way, and his lips form an impish grin.

Red’s surprise comes through the bond. Her eyebrows shoot up too. Antares notices.

“Surprised, little female?” Antares looks at her and gestures at himself. “I thought I wore my gayness pretty obviously.”

“I wouldn’t assume anything about anyone,” she answers. “But they attacked you for being in a gay bar?”

“No, they tried to attack me because I was in the best gay bar in the city—seriously, it’s got the hottest dancers—and apparently it’s too far into their territory for a non-pack member.” He huffs, folding his arms across his chest.

“Tell me you didn’t hit Fillias,” Henry says, tapping his fingers against his thigh.

“No, it was his second. And he hit me first.” The petulance in his voice reminds me of a teenager.

Arrogant Fae prick .

‘Hey! Don’t be prejudiced. You can’t judge him because of what he was born as.’

‘Did I send that through the bond? Oops.’

‘Loud and clear. Remember, it was the Fae stereotyping you that caused the fucking war in the first place.’

‘Sorry. You’re right. He’s still arrogant though.’

Red smiles down at me, shaking her head slightly before gently kissing my nose.

“Cool, you two are telepathic mates.” Antares voice cuts through our moment. Both our gazes whip to him.

“What? How did you guess that so quickly?” Henry’s voice comes out a few octaves higher than usual.

“That little thing they did.” Antares wiggles his fingers in our general direction.

“What thing?” I ask, irritated that he indeed worked it out so fast.

“You went quiet and your body language changed towards each other.”

“We’re mates, maybe we’re just in tune with each other’s feelings.” I fire back.

“Nah, it’s more than that. I am right, aren't I?” He’s already grinning again, knowing he’s correct.

“Yes,” I admit, begrudgingly.

Satisfied, Antares turns back to Henry. “Have you still got any of the blood I bought over? Could really use a drink to help heal the face.”

“Fridge is right over there.” Henry points with his thumb, not offering to get it for Antares. With another huff, he gets up off the sofa and heads to the kitchenette, making a big show of digging out a blood packet himself.

Red goes back to flicking through her notes.

We’d been planning routes back to Froan, weighing up which of the two harbours would be safest to head to when we go back.

In the last couple of days, we’d decided that we needed to make contact with one of the pack members—either Atlas, or maybe Mitch—and see if we could gather some inside intel.

Getting close enough to take Adicious out was still something we hadn’t figured out, but we needed a route back to Froan first.

All of a sudden, the notepad is flying from her hands and across the room. Antares catches it with his outstretched hand, the other squeezing a blood packet into a glass.

“Hey!” Red is out of my lap and trying to snatch the pad back in less than a couple of seconds. Antares whips it out of her reach.

As he turns his back and goes to read it, I let my shadows loose. They swirl around the notes and his hands, hiding the plans from his view.

Red stops her pursuit, seeing what I’ve done. Antares looks at me, and actually looks impressed.

“Well, this is a neat party trick.” He studies his hands as the shadows thicken further, effectively acting like cuffs so he can’t pull them apart.

I stalk over to him and place my hands through the dark bands, taking the notepad back.

“Don’t steal from my mate again,” I growl at him, showing him my fangs. I don’t release the shadows as Antares tries uselessly to pull his hands apart.

I turn to head back to the sofa, keeping Red in front of me. I hear Henry say something that sounds like a warning, but I don’t catch who he’s speaking to.

I go to sit, ready to have Red back in my lap, when my lungs cease functioning. I try to inhale and can’t. I just can’t . Red’s hands immediately fly to my chest, as do my own. Shadows swarm out from every crevice as they search for the source causing my pain.

“Stop, right now!” Henry’s voice cuts sharply through the apartment. “Everyone drop their magic this instant!”

I pull the shadows to me, commanding they swirl at my feet, and Red’s, because like hell am I leaving her unprotected. The crushing vice around my lungs vanishes and I have the ability to fill them once more. I gasp, inhaling deeply.

Turning, I see a smug looking Antares leaning back against the kitchen counter. Henry is standing between us looking like he can’t decide between being pissed off or terrified.