Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

WILDER

"Head out in five."

The group around the table nodded at Matt's instruction—since I'd swallowed him down, I struggled to think of him as Agent Lucas anymore—and stood, getting on with whatever they intended in the five minutes before they jumped back into the two vehicles they'd arrived in.

Amusement jabbed at my chest at the surreal moment. There was fuck all funny about the situation, but the very fact that I was working with past and present government agents gave me cause to pause. Add in that this wasn't officially sanctioned, and hell yes, I was entertained.

It was only Matt's stiff shoulders and take-no-nonsense expression that stopped me smirking. His life had been nonstop for almost a week, though I suspected that wasn't anything super different. Instead, it was the warrant, him watching his carefully constructed and controlled world not only showing signs of cracking but full-on crumbling around him.

Then there was the animosity from his daughter.

Finding it difficult to not openly stare at Valeria, I forced my attention to Matt. While it wasn't exactly difficult to look at him, to do so without the ghost of his touch, his taste teasing me was another story.

He'd already explained the situation in finer detail to the crew of four, then the rest of the teams joined in after fifteen minutes of the briefing. New intel indicated Murdock had involved a smaller sector of the Defence Ministry than previously expected. The relief had been palpable around the table. For me, not so much, as I couldn't give a flying fuck.

This wasn't my government, and since my expectation of the Aussie government was no better than the shitshow I'd experienced back home in the UK, I had zero investment in if they weren't as corrupt as we suspected or not.

I cast a glance at Matt. He cared. Poor arsehole.

I remembered when I had such an allegiance, but all that had gotten me was an identity wipe and the years I'd dedicated to protecting my country smashed to smithereens.

Officially, I'd never worked for the UK's cyber unit. While I'd quit, walking away after refusing to follow a direct order, it had stung for a while there. Deleting my very existence was a shithead move by the unit's head honcho.

I may have celebrated extra hard when, two years later, I watched on livestream the moment he was arrested for a whole bunch of corruption charges, which I may or may not have had a hand in digging up and dumping on the police's doorstep.

So reluctantly, I understood Matt's frustration, his determination to chop off the heads of the multiple vipers that had too much power in this country. For his sake, I hoped his government didn't turn its back on him.

I wasn't sure how he'd handle that.

"You ready?"

My gaze snapped to Matt's, his question catching me off guard. I'd been staring at him, focussing on the way he tried not to watch Valeria.

"Yeah. Just checking the comms now," I answered swiftly, turning my attention to the screen. I readjusted my headset and worked through the system checks that would give me access to all four comms, plus Matt's, and the additional three in the different locations around the country as well.

The screen before me displayed information on each team in the different states, giving me visual alerts that matched the comms. That way there'd be no confusion about who I was speaking to or what was happening.

With the joint operation and the timing being paramount, fuck-ups would be easy. No way would I let that happen if I could help it.

Was I too invested? Discomfort shifted in my chest at my possible answer. It was best I avoided thinking about it.

Instead, I opened the comms to Hart. Thank fuck he was on the other end. Someone I could rely on. Admittedly, how we'd left things had been a little strained, but one, fuck him for thinking I was in league with the master plan or some shit. And hello, the guy had lost his sense of humour since being all loved-up.

I knew my involvement. Took responsibility for it. It was the only reason I was here.

I refused to inhale deeply to absorb Lucas's addictive scent.

He could not be the reason I was still here and so invested.

"Hart," I said through a private line.

"Wilder."

He didn't sound as pissed, so that was something. I didn't have many people I could call friends left in the world. Honestly, I wasn't sure Hart was even on that short list, but he was close to making it, despite the tiger taking a swing at me.

"How's Smythe doing?"

There was an uncomfortable pause. It seeped into my bones. It felt weird, being all polite and caring and shit.

"He's good," Hart finally answered. Wariness clung to his tone. I'd put that there, was absolutely responsible for it.

I sighed. "That's good, man. I'm pleased for you."

A huff of laughter travelled to my earpiece. "You are, huh?"

"The fact that he's stopping you from being so much of a moody prick means Smythe's probably good for you." My lips twitched, and I became aware of Matt sitting at my side, his face angled my way. I cleared my throat.

"I'd say it takes one to know one, but you know, you're a moodier cunt than me, so…," he dragged out with a short-lived laugh.

Another smile twitched my lips, my shoulders easing. Being back on familiar ground with Hart was a relief.

"You've got this, yeah?"

I bit back my sigh at his serious question, hating the switch in tone. Not that I didn't understand why he felt the need. "You know I do."

"All right, then. In that case, let's get this shitshow on the road. Keep your line open."

No shit, Sherlock. I rolled my eyes. Rather than calling him out, I responded, "Over and out."

The sound of the codes being entered to open the secure door drifted through the room. I looked that way and to see our four team members about to head out. I offered them a nod as they left, aware of Matt at my side staring in the same direction.

Valeria looked once at her dad before her gaze landed on me. I arched my brow in challenge or in question—I wasn't sure yet. I hadn't spoken to her beyond answering a couple of her questions during the briefing. Her being pissed at her dad, though, didn't sit right. While he said he deserved it—and likely he did—Matt was a good guy and clearly loved his daughter. That he was hurting twisted my gut more than it should.

Without a word, she spun on her heel and closed the door behind her.

Families could be screwed-up units. Experience and heartache had taught me that over the years.

Not glancing Matt's way, I spoke quietly, unable to stop myself. "She'll be okay."

I felt his eyes on me, but I refused to look. Matt was a distraction I couldn't afford, especially when his daughter's life was involved. I was under no illusion about how fucking wrong this mission could go.

Determination pulsed through me. We needed to get this bullshit over.

"Ready?" I asked Matt, studying the live satellite feed I'd hacked into. There was no movement at the location where our unit was heading.

"Ready." I clocked his short nod and tracked our unit's journey.

"Three minutes out," I said into comms.

The trackers in their earpieces moved on the screen, edging closer to their park point. Right on schedule, the dots stopped before moving more slowly, the group of four now on foot. "They're on target. Two minutes from the wait point," I said to Lucas. My job was to keep a close eye on the unit while focussing on the satellite images of the area.

Matt liaised with the other units and listened out for chatter.

Tension pulsed against me, Matt's colliding with my own .

I confirmed, "One minute," keeping a steady eye on the images and listening to the soft breaths coming from Dharrun and Tarka. Unsurprisingly, the two vampires remained silent—not a whisper of breaths coming from them.

"On location."

Matt repeated the information to the three unit leaders, and we waited, watching the clock as I double-checked the satellite imagery, still pissed we couldn't get eyes inside the building. I hated being impressed that we couldn't get visual access. Whoever had set up the facility but had not included cameras was smart.

Hell, we couldn't even access a single camera on the employees' mobile phones. After finding an old order for a dead-zone safe to be delivered to the premises, it made sense that all phones and electrical devices brought into the facility were stowed away.

It was also the reason why we didn't give our team cameras. We suspected there'd be some sort of tracking system that alerted their security to video signals.

"One minute." Adrenaline swept up my spine. It had been a long time since I'd worked on any mission and supported agents on the ground. An uptick of my pulse reminded me what a rush it could be.

"In position and on countdown," Matt said through the comms.

"Copy that," Alinta answered, taking point.

I held my breath, watching the clock, aware all four units would be set to go in thirty seconds. This needed to work.

"Approaching the door," Alinta whispered into the comms.

"Copy that," I replied, watching their progress on the satellite feed from my position in the command centre. The exterior of the warehouse was clear, but the real danger lay within. A server room sounded like it wouldn't be an issue, but it was heavily guarded.

Alinta knelt at the door, swiftly working on the lock. Her nimble fingers danced over the keypad, bypassing the security system with practiced ease. The door clicked open, and the team slipped inside.

All visuals were lost, the satellite imagery no longer of use.

"Stay sharp," Alinta murmured, her voice barely audible.

They advanced quietly, their synchronised movements reflected by the trackers pulsing on my screen. The sound of footsteps echoed in the distance, drifting through their comms, and the team froze. I stilled, tense, waiting for a sign.

"Take them out," Alinta commanded.

The team sprang into action. Shots were fired. Two heavy drops followed. Valeria moved with speed, her position jumping. A grunt, a thud. The fight was over in seconds.

"Clear," Dharrun reported, his voice calm.

Two more "Clears" followed before Alinta spoke. "Movement ahead."

I watched on, listening carefully, relieved to hear a soft thud and Tarka's deep "Clear."

"Good work," Matt said through the comms. "Move to the server room."

They continued their advance, encountering minimal resistance. Each skirmish was dealt with swiftly and efficiently, the team's experience evident in every move. Durrant's request for their assistance became clearer and clearer.

"The server's ahead," Alinta reported.

"There should be a heavily fortified door." Matt's fingers flew over the keyboard, the blueprints appearing on the screen.

"Tarka, you're up," Alinta instructed.

While Tarka set up the small explosives, I studied the satellite imagery, looking for anomalies and changes. The detonation would be small and contained. It shouldn't draw any interest from outside forces.

"Fire in the hole," Tarka said. I watched their trackers move away from the server area.

A small bang, loud enough to alert everyone in the facility, echoed through the comms.

"Move, move, move," Alinta shouted.

Two pops of tranq guns, thuds, and the alarm that had pierced the air cut out.

"Downloading now," Valeria said. "Cover me."

Valeria was responsible for downloading the information on the servers before Dharrun stepped in to upload shutdown protocols. The minutes dragged on, tension thick in the air, not made any better by the strain tightening Matt's frame.

"Come on, come on," I muttered to myself, watching the progress bar on my screen.

Then, through the satellite feed, I saw the incoming vehicles. My heart skipped a beat.

"Incoming vehicles," I said into the comms. "Three SUVs, heavily armed. ETA four minutes."

"Damn it," Valeria hissed. "We need more time."

"They won't reach you."

Eyes wide, my head swivelled as Matt shot out of his chair.

Gaze on me and jaw tight, he nodded as he took hold of his comms pack and latched it onto his belt. "I'm intercepting."

Fear sliced through me.

"Finish the upload and get out," he said into the comms, but his eyes remained on me, unwavering.

"Roger that," Valeria replied.

And Matt was moving with no time to spare.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

I watched the incoming vehicles, checking their progress. Lucas needed to hurry, and I fucking hated it. As he angled towards the door just as it beeped open, his gaze snagged mine.

Stay safe , I silently pleaded, thinking not for the first time that life would have been so much easier if I hadn't jumped on that damn plane. "Don't fucking die," I growled.

A slight uptick of a barely there smile and the arsehole was gone.

I took a breath, saying, "Three minutes out," and double-checked I was hooked into the comms of the other three units now that Matt was racing towards the three vehicles.

He'd be fine. Of course he would. He had to be. Hell, the vampire had been doing this job long before I was born. I put those words on repeat in my head, my new mantra. I needed to focus.

Inside the warehouse, the team finished the upload. The red upload turned to green on my screen.

"We're done," Alinta said. "Moving out."

The team moved quickly, retracing their steps through the warehouse. But as they neared the exit, a pop of gunfire sounded.

Fuck, I hated this. Being blind to their movements. Not seeing what was coming their way shot a bolt of frustration through my veins.

"Contact!" Valeria shouted, opening fire.

The fight sounded intense. Bullets flew, the sound deafening through the comms. Valeria and Alinta provided covering fire while Dharrun and Tarka engaged the guards in close combat, judging by the grunts and shouts between them.

"I see the SUVs." Matt's voice held steel I'd not heard before.

"Movement in the front seat of the left," I said quickly, zooming in as much as possible on the unfolding scene. The sound of gunfire echoed through the comms as Matt engaged the SUVs. One vehicle spun out, the back tyre bursting, the side smashing into a concrete building. Rather than continuing to the warehouse, the middle SUV stopped, opening fire.

Slamming on the brake, Matt turned, ramming the black Jeep. The crunch and grind of metal filled my ears, as did Matt's grunt.

"Fuckers."

"Driver's side," I instructed quickly, not having time to laugh at how pissed off Matt was.

Just as the driver edged out, gun aimed, he fell to the ground.

Holy shit.

Matt was a dead shot, which shouldn't have been a surprise.

I held my breath, gaze drifting between the placement of our unit and the satellite footage on Matt. My brows shot high as Matt took down a man mid-transformation. He fought with a ferocity I had rarely seen, taking out a second person with what I was sure was one punch and then a snap of his neck.

He moved with lethal grace, his speed and strength unmatched.

"Guards down," Alinta said. "Move out."

Outside, Matt continued to battle the incoming SUVs. He took out the second vehicle, preventing it from continuing its journey with a burst of gunfire, but the third one managed to get past him. The reinforcements were closing in on the warehouse.

"Lucas, the third SUV!" I urged, watching the satellite feed anxiously.

"Shit," he grunted, taking cover behind his vehicle. "I need to buy them more time."

He was within view of the warehouse, the SUV barely five seconds out.

Inside, the team finally reached the exit. They burst out into the daylight, running towards their vehicles, but their path was blocked by the remaining SUV, which braked sharply before the exit.

"Down!" Valeria shouted, diving for cover as the incoming guards spilled out of the Jeep and opened fire.

The team returned shots, pops and bangs exploding in a cacophony. Dharrun took out a guard with a well-placed shot, while Alinta provided suppressing fire. Dharrun and Tarka engaged the force in?—

The power went out, plunging me into darkness. I cursed, fumbling for the switch to the backup generator.

Before I could get it running, an explosion rocked the building. My heart stopped as I heard footsteps, heavy and purposeful, approaching.

My fingers flexed, seeking out the knife I kept on my belt. I didn't expect that would do any good with the firepower I suspected was breaching the door.

"Lucas, come in?"

Not even static came down the line.

"Fuck," I shouted. There was only one way to handle this. "Bring it," I growled, shifting into my grizzly bear form. The transformation was quick, painless, and the effects immediate.

My hearing sharpened as power pulsed through my limbs.

Relying on my senses, I charged the intruders as they breached the now-unlocked door, my massive form wreaking havoc. Equipment shattered around me as I maimed and scratched and bit, groping for every piece of flesh I could sink my teeth into.

Gratified that two bodies now lay at my feet, I growled deep and low as the sound outside the room stopped close to the door. More were coming and about to infiltrate.

A sharp pain exploded in my side, and I roared in fury, swiping at my attackers. I spun, anger trailing a hot path through my veins that two mercenaries had managed to get behind me. I struck out but wobbled, missing the female tiger staring impassively at me. I could feel my strength waning, but I fought on with a burst of power, lunging at the wolf in human form at her side, determination fuelling me.

Before I latched on, a heavy blow to my head sent me sprawling. I fell with a grunt, pain hot and thick in both my head and my side. I felt a prick in my neck. Darkness closed in, and the last thing I heard was a voice saying, "Yeah, we've got him. We'll be in the air in twenty."

Fear for Matt, for our mission, for everything we had fought for consumed me as I slipped into unconsciousness.

Voices penetrated my brain, drawing me back to consciousness. They were muffled behind a closed door. Keeping my eyes shut, I listened carefully, trying to get my bearings before attempting to open my eyelids.

A dripping tap. A radio playing. A scratch of a heavy boot on concrete.

The floor beneath me was cold, also concrete. Dampness infiltrated the walls, having set into the plaster. Nothing but darkness behind my closed eyelids. No sliver of light. No windows?

A dull thud. Just one. Duh-dum .

A single heartbeat.

I waited, but no more came.

A vampire for sure. No other creature's heart beat like that. That I could hear it now meant they were excited, scared, or fucking furious.

I took stock.

My limbs ached, more from being flat on the cold floor than from injury. Dried blood was crusted on the side of my face, no doubt matting my hair and my beard. That would be a shit to get out.

My clothes were almost non-existent. Remembering that I'd shifted, wrecking my clothes in the process, I was surprised I now wore sweatpants. They were ill-fitting and tight. I sniffed, finding only my blood and sweat and minimal traces of Matt's earthy smell still on my skin. Matt. The hell had happened? Was he okay? The unit?

Fuck .

No longer able to resist, I opened my eyes. My sight readjusted quickly, and I zeroed in on the metal door before taking in the bare room, the only light spilling from the single flush-with-the-ceiling fixture above. It was dull—deliberately so, I suspected.

Duh-dum .

I froze before sitting upright and spinning to peer behind me.

Valeria.

My eyes sprang wide, my heart jumping up a notch as I took in her still form. Like me, her wrists were bound with the metal cuffs I recognised as being approved by government agencies. There'd be no breaking free from them.

Her shirt was torn, and dried blood was spread along her cheek and down her right arm.

What the hell was she doing here?

Questions raced through my brain. The last time I'd seen the unit, it was under fire. But there was just one vehicle. The team had appeared to have the upper hand.

Matt had been left with two people to take out. Sure, I'd been worried, but not for a second did I think he couldn't handle himself. Nor the team their mission.

"Valeria," I whispered before stilling. The voice outside cut off. Fuck it . I raised my voice. "Valeria." Assuming they were supes outside, they already knew I was awake.

I shifted my leg, a clank of metal drawing my attention.

The bastard pieces of shit.

A chain was fastened around my right ankle, which locked to a metal loop into the concrete. I barely kept my growl at bay. I needed to wake Valeria up and figure out what went wrong.

I inhaled again, deeper. The tinge of smoke stung my nose. I squinted, gaze roaming over Valeria once more. The fabric of her shirt was singed, a black smudge on her left arm and her forehead.

None of that was caused by gunfire.

Something had burned quite severely for it to have penetrated her tactical clothes like this.

I tried again. "Valeria, you need to wake up." I ignored the scuff of a boot. It was a few metres away and wasn't accompanied by footsteps. For whatever reason, whoever was outside wasn't storming in just yet despite knowing I was awake.

"Valeria, wake the fuck up." I reached out, stretching, and finally found purchase on her booted foot. I took hold and shook none too gently. "Valeria."

A groan and her fingers twitched.

Thank fuck.

"That's it. Rise and shine, Vally. Time to get your head back in the game."

A grunt this time and her shoulders moved, her hand rising at the same time to strike an invisible assailant.

"Valeria." My tone brooked no nonsense, and her wild eyes finally landed on me.

A beat and another, and then her panic eased, recognition entering her gaze. "Wilder?"

"Yup. Hey, roomie." My mouth stretched wide, cracking the blood on the side of my face. "Nap time's over."

She blinked once before shaking her head and wincing.

"What's wrong?"

I'd been hit and maybe stabbed, and I thought drugged, but I was fully healed. It meant we'd been here for at least four hours. As a vampire, she healed a lot faster than I did.

"I think I was drugged." She pushed the heel of her hand against her temple. "My head's fuzzy."

My brows shot high. Either they had some pretty powerful drug that could knock a vamp on their arse for hours or they'd been giving her a top-up.

"Other than that, any injuries?"

"No. I took a bullet, but it was in and out." She rotated her right arm. "All healed." She looked me up and down. "What happened to you?"

I clenched my jaw but didn't answer, pissed off at the very thought of being put on my arse.

"The base was a wreck."

Surprise jolted me upright. "You all made it back to the base?" Did that mean Matt had too? Was he okay?

Her expression shuttered, her emotion unreadable, putting me on high alert.

"I arrived at the base first. We were split from the attack coming from the SUV. Alinta instructed me to take the vehicle closest to me."

The burning need to ask about her dad raised the hair on the back of my neck, but I kept quiet as I saw her processing everything that happened. A crease appeared between her brows, the gesture so like Matt's that unfamiliar emotion lodged in my throat.

"I went straight to the base and saw the unit on fire. I came in after you, unsure what had happened." Questions filled her gaze.

"The compound was compromised. I took two down that I'm sure of. I didn't know the northern entrance had been infiltrated until it was too late," I admitted, not holding back my growl of frustration. "That was immediately after you all exited the facility and went under fire."

That I didn't see a team coming for me grated. How the fuck had I not seen them?

"I saw the room was trashed. You weren't there, but I heard an engine out the back. They completely took me by surprise." Her frustration was palpable. Relatable.

The need to know pushed me to finally ask, "The rest of the team?" Your dad?

"All were okay when I left."

I narrowed my gaze, needing more.

She huffed out a breath, and I could just imagine what she would have been like as a teenager pissed off with her dad. Which was all levels of ridiculous. Sure, she may only have looked to be in her mid-twenties, but I knew she was at least a few years older than me.

"My father had his fangs to someone's throat as I drove past. He was holding his own."

That was good. My shoulders relaxed.

"So, you and Daddy dearest, huh?"

And they tensed right back up.

"I think the more pressing matter is where the fuck we are and why we're even here."

A one-shoulder shrug was her reply as she stared at me with open curiosity.

"You don't seem super concerned about the situation we're in." I narrowed my gaze at her.

With her shoulders relaxed and her expression appearing like she didn't give a shit, Valeria could just as well have been hanging around to buy a cinema ticket rather than sitting on a cold floor with a foggy head, locked up.

"Not the first time I've been in this kind of situation." Her lips quirked, and fuck it all to hell, a huff of amusement escaped me. She shuffled until her back pressed against the wall. "Plus it gives us the chance to catch up. I don't want all the deets, 'cause gross, but you and the old man, what's up with that?"

The hell was happening here?

I glanced around the room again, looking for an exit that may have magically appeared. Disappointed that none had, I considered calling out to our captors. Figuring out what was going on—hell, having my nipples clamped and volts shot to them—was absolutely preferable to getting the third degree from Matt's daughter.

Unless….

"What's up with you giving your dad the cold treatment? You haven't seen him in how long and not even a hello?"

As soon as the questions were out there, I regretted them. Sort of.

Not only was their relationship none of my business, but her expression alone told me I was officially on her shit list and all jokes were off. That didn't mean I wasn't curious. Nor did it mean I wasn't prepared to throw my own none-of-my-business questions back at her.

I wished I was a damn cat because I'd need all nine lives for a chance at surviving the glare she shot my way.

"You know," she started, cutting through the silent tension as we eyed each other, "I researched you when I discovered where I was heading and who was working in the unofficial task force."

Oh, here we go.

I barely held back my eyeroll, wondering what shit she was about to fire my way. Whatever she decided on, I could take it.

"It was brave, what you did in Bangkok. Foolish but brave."

My lips parted before I took control of my reaction.

How the fuck did she know about Bangkok?

Not that I'd ask her that. Instead, I challenged, "Foolish for telling my captain to fuck off and saving the hundred and fifty innocents on a burning ship?" I was mildly curious what point she was making.

A nonchalant shrug preceded her saying, "More like foolish for not making sure he was on the burning ship when it finally went down."

Huh.

"Those charges that finally sent him away were a nice touch, though."

I snorted out a laugh, my shoulders relaxing a little. "Every now and then I have a flair for the creative."

When she flashed me a smile, my gut tightened. I had no idea who her mum was or if Valeria took after her at all, but with that smile alone, she was all Matt.

"Blackthorn," I started, pushing my luck, "not Lucas?"

Her smile dimmed but didn't fade completely. "My mum's."

I bobbed my head while racking my brain, wondering if I'd heard of another Blackthorn before—beyond Valeria's dead name.

"Mum was a curator for Sydney Museum," Valeria began without prompting, "and she was an author for a time. She was also an EMT for a decade before I was born."

The way she spoke….

"Things started to go to shit with Dad at Mum's twilight vigil."

Fuck .

I suspected, but there were times I wished I was dead wrong.

Her mum was dead.

I'd parted my lips, prepared to utter words that probably meant jack shit to her, when the clang of keys accompanied by multiple pairs of heavy footsteps stopped me.

Looked like we'd start getting some answers at least, even though the need to discover how things had gone so very wrong between Matt and his daughter buzzed through me.

Fucking priorities, Ethan .

"You want to take the lead, or…?" I let my whispered question trail off. Not only was Valeria an active agent of some sort—sector unknown—but her experience outshone my own. My ego wasn't so big that I didn't know when to hand over the proverbial reins. Sure, I could be a grumpy arsehole, and sometimes I could get in my own way, but in a situation like this, I had no issues following Valeria's lead.

She studied me a beat before nodding just as the door unlocked and bright unnatural light filtered into the concrete room. Did that mean it was night? As soon as the thought hit me, I recalled the conversation about being in the air I overheard during my abduction.

The memory offered a much-needed kick up the arse that this was not the time or the place for the getting-to-know-you fun with Valeria. I relaxed my shoulders despite being on high alert, relieved I was on my knees.

Sure, I was clamped to the ground, but given the opportunity, I'd do some damage.

A large body blocked the light before stepping inside the room. He was tall and built like a brick shithouse. Likely ex-military and definitely a lackey. But something was different. Off.

This man…. I scented the air. Human. He wasn't with Hornell. Wasn't part of the security that had headed to the warehouse where the server was located. For one, all our intel told us Hornell didn't work with humans. Not anymore. Two?—

A woman dressed in standard-issue cargo pants and a nondescript black T-shirt appeared in the empty doorway. Vampire.

Valeria gasped.

I snapped my attention her way, tensing at her wide eyes and her pale face. She knew this?—

"Mum?"

My head turned so quickly, the crack of my neck echoed around the room. Mum?

What the hell was it with these Aussie vamps and their dramatic disclosures? Talk about a mind fuck.

The twists just kept on coming. One minute it was all "oh yeah, she's dea?—

Then bam —psych!