3. Kali

Ifinished braiding my hair and tied off the end as I looked in the mirror. I was wearing my favorite leggings and my boots. The white tank top was gifted from Gia and fit me like a glove. Nerves knotted my stomach, and I felt naked without any weapons. We were leaving to go to Project Hope, and my emotions were all over the place.

The main reason for going was to try and keep Tim and Jill alive. Even if they thought I'd turned against them and the Clovers, I hadn't. The Clovers were larger than me. They wanted to help save humans, to push PARA back. I wasn't ready to turn my back on them yet.

Someone cleared their throat, and I nearly jumped. I whirled around, expecting to see Zan, since this was his bathroom. Instead, it was Viggo leaning against the doorframe. His arms were crossed, his gaze holding none of his usual playfulness. A chill raced down my spine, but I fixed my expression, refusing to show him my unease. Zan wanted me here, and I doubted his brother would do anything to me.

His stare didn't leave me as he spoke. "I thought we'd have a chat before we leave."

"What do you want?"

"I like you, Kali," he said in a low voice. "You're smart. Cunning. Deadly. Perfect for this kind of life. And for some reason, you bring a light into my little brother's eyes that I haven't seen in a long fucking time."

I didn't leave from my spot near the small bathroom counter, waiting for him to finish. Threat was in the air, and the back of my neck prickled when he took a step toward me.

"For some godforsaken reason, Zan wants you," he murmured, his voice turning dangerous. "I like you—but I don't trust you. I don't know if I ever will. You hate our kind. Your loyalty is to the humans. To the Clovers, even now. Zan knows it too, but he's blinded because he can't get you out of his head. Pax is too kind. Me? I'm the oldest. And I protect my family. From any threat."

"I'm not planning anything," I said stiffly.

Viggo searched my face. "Good. I can't hurt you—not without Zan's permission—something I doubt he'd give me. But Warner? He's fair game. If you do anything to endanger us when we're in Project Hope, it's him I'll hunt. Got it?"

His eyes dipped to my chest when my heart skipped. Anger scorched my veins, but I reined it in, giving him a curt nod. "I'm not going to do anything."

The bathroom was suddenly suffocating. I opened my mouth again to demand that he get out, but then I heard the bedroom door slam open. A second later, Zan appeared in the bathroom doorway, a frown on his lips when he saw Viggo.

"What's going on?" Zan asked quietly.

Viggo pushed past him, going back into the bedroom. "Nothing. Just making sure Kali knows how important this trip to her old city is."

I slowly trailed after them as Viggo turned around to face Zan and me.

"Did you threaten her?" Annoyance saturated Zan's voice. "I told you to leave her alone."

"Nah." Viggo chuckled. "I threatened Warner."

Zan's back straightened, and he turned his head to look at me. I bit my tongue, unsure of what I expected him to say.

"Kali isn't going to betray us." Confidence radiated through Zan's voice. "You won't need to go after Warner."

Ice slid through my veins, and my hands clenched into fists. "But you'd let your brother go after him if I did?"

"Let him?" Zan shook his head. "That's not how it works. My brothers and I share the power. Not one of us is above the other."

"Except when it comes to me," I sneered. "That's all you, Zan."

"True," he admitted. "But that makes you my responsibility."

"And I'm out," Viggo muttered. "We leave in fifteen."

He strolled out of the room, leaving Zan and me alone. With a sigh, he went to his dresser, and I knew what he was grabbing before he turned around.

"What's in the necklace?" I asked quietly.

He held the necklace up, and I eyed the round charm warily. Zan was possessive enough, and the second that thing was around my neck again, it would only get worse. I didn't want to be known as his.

"Did you put the lotion on?" He glanced inside the bathroom where the tubs of lotion were.

"Yes," I answered. "How'd you get it? That stuff is heavily guarded."

He scoffed. "Maybe from civilians. Not from us. I had a few vampires raid one of PARA's buildings the night I found out you were human. It's better that others in this city don't know you're not a vampire."

"What's in it?" I asked again when he crossed the room, stopping right in front of me.

"My blood," he said simply.

My lips parted as I stared at the necklace. "Your black blood?"

A muscle in his jaw flexed. "Yes."

"You're a Shadow?"

"I'm not telling you anything right now."

I narrowed my eyes. "You told me that you'd answer my questions if I put that on."

"That was before we changed the deal." His gaze gleamed with mischief. "I'm letting you go to Project Hope in exchange for wearing this. Answers now require something else."

"What do you want?" I bit out.

"We'll talk about it when we get back."

"Can other vampires smell your blood?"

He paused, looking at the necklace. "Yes. They learn my scent, along with my brothers', at the center. It's the easiest way. It doesn't matter if they know what we look like when they know the smell of our blood. They're taught to respect us. Fear us. It starts from the first day they arrive."

"Obviously the lotion I use doesn't affect it."

"No. It's different from human blood."

I bit my lip. "And how can you track it?"

"The smell of my own blood?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow. "I can track it for miles. You wouldn't have time to run far enough for me to lose scent of it."

"Great," I mumbled.

He took my arm and slowly turned me around before brushing my braid to the side. I stared at the boarded-up window, a shiver running through me when his fingers grazed my collarbone when he laid the necklace on me. My heart jolted as his lips brushed my ear.

"Even if you weren't wearing this, I'd still be able to find you," he murmured.

"How?" I choked out, resisting the urge to squirm when his lips touched me again.

"Your scent. It's ingrained in my fucking head. I could track it anywhere." He ran his nose up my throat, letting out a low moan. "I've never smelled anything so good. So potent."

"Lucky me," I muttered. "Having blood that vampires crave."

"Crave…right." He sounded conflicted, and I looked over my shoulder at him to see his eyes more guarded than usual.

He clasped the lock on the necklace, and the second his fingers left me, I spun around to face him. My pulse was thudding, and I grabbed the charm, staring down at it.

"You really had to lock it on me again?" I grumbled. "I would have kept it on."

"It only closes with the lock."

"You got what you wanted," I gritted out as I stepped back to create space between us. "Can we go now?"

"Don't do anything stupid while we're out, Kali," he warned, his eyes locked on mine. "I just told you there's no way to outrun me. Don't try."

My laugh held no humor. "Where would I go, Zan? I have no one to help me."

"You have me."

"Not by my choice."

"Maybe one day you'll change your mind about that."

"You don't trust me," I stated the obvious. "Why do you care what happens to me?"

"True," he said with a chuckle before his gaze turned serious. "But that doesn't change the fact that I would destroy anyone who tries to hurt you."

My heart pounded at the dark promise in his voice. "I still don't understand why."

Pax appeared in the doorway of the bedroom before Zan could answer. "It's time."

Zan nodded and swept an arm for me to go first. "Let's go."