Page 60 of Those That Are Lost (Hidden Vampires #2)

AURORA

I wake to a knocking on the bedroom door. The afternoon has slipped into evening by the dimming of the daylight streaming in through the window.

The shadow has disappeared and I feel the emptiness of the room without it. The knocking comes again as I sit up. Antares also hasn’t returned, which is strange. I thought he would’ve come back by now.

I shuffle across the bed to stand. Smoothing down my dress, I don’t think before I pull the door open. To my shock, it’s Adicious’s stocky frame filling the hall beyond.

“Hi,” I say, confusion lacing my voice. I’ve already spent so much time around him today that this visit can’t be for anything good. Adrenaline floods my system as he steps forward and pushes the door further open.

“Hope I’m not disturbing anything.” He looks over my shoulder like he expects to find something in my room… or someone.

“No, I was just napping.” I step back out of his space as he presses forward. “What can I help you with?”

Where the hell is Antares ?

“I needed to talk to you, in private.”

“Well, we’re alone, ask away,” I say, glancing around the room myself to check as Adicious hasn’t stopped searching, his gaze moving around like he expects someone to jump out from under the bed.

“I have to commend your acting skills, but it’s time you started telling the truth.” His voice stays level and his gaze comes to meet my eyes. “About how you’ve been lying to me.”

S hit.

“I don’t know what you mean,” I garble as I take another step back. The male in front of me seems to grow as he reveals the anger behind his mask.

He follows me and slams the door. “Don’t give me that. I know you’ve been fooling the lot of them, but I see through it.”

Shit, shit, shit.

I pull on my magic to ensure my glamour is firmly in place.

It's locked tight over my body so I don’t know what Adicious is talking about.

My mind scrambles for which part of our plan has been foiled.

Which part has he worked out? I daren’t admit to any particulars as I’m covering up a lot of different secrets right now.

“I honestly don’t know what you’re talking about?”

“Drop the act. I know you know he’s alive.”

I stumble back another step as my blood freezes over. Shit. Fucking, shit. Out of everything, I can’t admit to knowing that Ty’s alive.

“Who?” I squeak.

“That cunt who helped you escape; Ty,” Adicious spits.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” My voice nearly growls in response, anger now warming my veins.

“Stop lying. I know you met him on the continent. ”

He can’t. There’s no way.

I shake my head in response, backing up once more, only to find the closed wardrobe at my back. I fire one word down the bond before returning my full concentration to the blonde monster in front of me.

“I have footage from the hotel. You and him are stepping into an elevator together.”

I blanch. Had I not put up my glamour when we went between Bree’s room and Mitch’s? Oh, holy gods. Please. Please, let this be wrong.

“I didn’t, I swear. I haven’t heard from him since leaving here.”

“I don’t believe you. I have the fucking footage. The question is why you returned without him.”

“Because I want to lead this pack.” That’s the truth and my voice comes out strong.

“Is that your plan? Get the pack and then try to cut me out so you can bring him back?”

He’s put together our plan with ease. It’s completely foiled.

Where the fuck is Antares? I feel for that bond and can tell he’s physically fine but I can’t feel anything else. He doesn’t feel close. That worries me more.

And Ty hasn’t answered either.

“No, not at all. I came back to join you.” My self-preservation keeps my voice strong now.

“Stop fucking lying!” Adicious yells, launching for me, his hand coming to my throat and slamming me back into the wardrobe behind me. “I’ve seen it with my own eyes. One of Fillias’s pack caught you. I’ve seen the video.”

My arms automatically come to his forearm, twisting the skin in an attempt to get him to loosen his grip. My breathing is severely restricted. I don’t have time to process the reveal on how Adicious got the footage, but fuck the gods, are Adicious and Fillias friends?

I drop my arms after a couple of seconds, even though the wooden doors behind me aren’t solid I plant my hands on either side of my body.

Folding my legs up in one swift movement, I draw my knees to my chest before punching both feet out, delivering a forceful kick to Adicious’s gut.

I hit with enough power that he flies back, and I drop before I can get my feet under me.

Landing hard on my ass and with the wardrobe threatening to topple on me, I’m scrabbling. Adicious’s body is still between me and the door, so I head for the window.

They’re sealed shut, as we discovered as soon as I was allocated this room but I no longer care about causing destruction or making noise. I slam my palms to the pane as I twist the handle. It doesn’t budge.

Behind me I hear Adicious recover. I turn around just in time to see him round the bed and make a grab for me. I duck as he tries to go for my braid, thankfully swinging it out of his grasp.

I attempt to move past him to get to the door but he tackles me and I fall to the bed. With effort, I continue the momentum of the fall, aiming to land on my feet on the other side.

Adicious grunts as my knee connects with his side, but his hand lands on my ankle and grips tight. He pulls me back as I switch plans and go to throw a punch to his face instead.

We tussle for several heartbeats, his hands blocking my every move and keeping me at a disadvantage, on my back with him looming over me.

“Stop fucking fighting it,” Adicious roars, his fangs on display. “You wanted to be mine, so you will be.”

I almost get free when he slams a palm to my sternum, winding me badly and crushing me into the bed. My vision whites out momentarily. It takes me a few seconds to regain my senses, but when I do, my heart stops as I feel cold metal against my throat.

I freeze as I register that the bastard has pulled a knife on me and has me completely at his mercy.