15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Bri

S unlight dances against my skin as I wake to the sound of a male voice calling my name from the other side of the hotel door. A light knocking follows, pulling me completely from my nightmare-filled sleep. My eyes catch the clock on the nightstand. It's nearly one in the afternoon.

I can't remember the last time I'd slept this late.

Stretching, I roll myself out of bed, feeling thankful I'd put on the replacement clothes they brought me last night after my shower instead of stripping down naked and falling asleep. Reluctantly, I trudge to the door.

Coffee.

I need coffee.

Rising a bit on my toes, I look out the peephole to find my guard and a smaller man standing in the hall. The new arrival is just taller than me, with wire-rimmed glasses and a white lab coat. In his hand is an oversized aluminum suitcase that gives me pause.

Who is this guy?

"Miss DelaCourt, please open the door. We can hear you standing there."

Shit!

I forgot about that.

Sighing, I step back and pull the door open, not even attempting to hide the irritation on my face. Both men stare at me, faces neutral before the guard from yesterday speaks.

"This is Dr. Auguste Foret. He's here to take a sample of your blood," he says firmly, waving the man forward.

I retreat a step at his words, crossing my arms defensively.

"I don't think so," I reply, my voice stronger than I thought it would be, my eyes flying between them.

"Then I guess it's unfortunate that you don't have a choice. LLC orders. You can cooperate, or we can force you to cooperate. Which will it be, girl?" he sneers, appearing to enjoy the idea of forcing me into submission.

My jaw clenches, and I lock eyes with him, refusing to let this man make me feel helpless or small. He holds my gaze, the challenge apparent as we stand off.

I may not be able to take you, but Cain can, and will.

My eyebrow lifts as the silence fills the space between us.

"Enough, Tate. You can go," the doctor says, dismissing him as he walks farther into the room and over to the table.

Tate growls at me, slowly shaking his head before returning to the hallway.

"You can sit over here. This will only take a minute," the doctor says as he unloads various items onto the table and pulls on a pair of medical gloves.

"Can you tell me what exactly I'm giving my blood for?" I ask, complying with his request to sit in hopes he will give me answers.

"I've been tasked with tracing your lineage. This blood will tell us where and who you came from," he says, rubbing alcohol on my arm before inserting the needle without so much as a warning.

I inhale through my teeth and look away. Both the idea that I'm going to find out who my biological father is and the pinch of the needle into my skin makes me dizzy, my stomach doing a little flip.

Breathe.

"And we're done," he says, removing the tube of blood, followed by the needle, and then positions a piece of gauze over the wound. Once it's in place, he bends my arm up at the elbow to hold it, and I instinctively place my fingers on top of it, keeping pressure as he labels the tube and sets it next to his bag.

"How long before we will know the results?" I ask, my eyes focused on the small red tube on the table.

"The committee will have my findings within the hour," he responds, packing everything back up.

"Thank you," I say to his back as he walks out of the room without another word.

***

About an hour later, there is a knock at the door. Immediately, I think it must be the blood test results, and I rush to open the door without even checking the hall.

To my surprise, it's not the doctor or anyone from the Vegas pack, but an exceptionally handsome man in a full black suit who I've never seen before. His hair is almost black and tied back in a man bun. His high cheekbones accent his almond-shaped eyes and perfectly straight nose.

Fuck.

"Can I help you?" I ask, looking over his shoulder, only to find he's alone in the hallway.

Where's Tate?

"I certainly hope so. I'm here for your adjudication, Ms. DelaCourt. May I come in?" he says, his British accent sliding off his tongue, making him even more attractive than before, which is saying something.

He stands there patiently, attempting to look nonthreatening, which only tells me I should be afraid.

Adjudication?

"Don't worry, I'm not here to hurt you. Just to verify your version of events," he says.

"Do you have some sort of identification? A badge or something?" I ask, knowing I have been too careless with my personal safety lately. Letting this man into my room seems like a mistake, especially considering the man who's been guarding my door all day is miraculously gone.

The man in the suit smiles. It's small and appears to be almost amused at the question.

"I'm not sure secret agencies hand out identification; seeing as those things can be lost or taken, you're just going to have to take me at my word," he says, moving his hands out in an almost shrug.

Like hell I am.

"Or you could consider the fact that I could have killed you ten times over by now if that was my intention and allow me into your room before the mutt I told to take a walk returns."

My eyes bulge as his statement bounces around in my head despite his mouth never moving, and his eyes are now glowing a beautiful shade of purple.

What the fuck?

Was he using a mind-link?

"Not exactly. But similar."

You can read my mind?!

I shout the question in my mind, and he chuckles before me.

"Sort of. I'd be happy to explain if you would allow me inside so we can get to it," he says, this time out loud, and I bite my lip as I consider before waving him in.

He isn't wrong. He could have easily killed me.

I'm starting to think this whole being human thing isn't all it's cracked up to be.

I point to the chairs next to the table where I had my blood drawn an hour ago.

"I'd offer you something to drink, but I don't have anything here," I say, falling into the seat opposite the one I pointed at.

The man smirks before moving gracefully to the seat only slowing to unbutton his jacket before sitting and crossing his ankle over his knee. Delight dances on his face as he silently observes me for a moment before speaking.

"I have to say it's been a long time since one of your kind had no idea about our species," he says, amusement apparent in his still purple irises.

"My kind? Do you mean an Unawakened?" I ask, not understanding.

He laughs again, and I feel a bit self-conscious at how he seems to be making fun of me.

"Look, I don't really appreciate you laughing at me. I've been told it's rare for someone like me to exist, that I should have been found a long time ago, and then I would know all of the rules of this world, but I wasn't, and I don't. If you need me to fill out some paperwork or something, I'm happy to, but if you plan to make me feel stupid for things I couldn't possibly know, you can leave," I say, crossing my arms defiantly.

"My apologies, Ms. DelaCourt. I never intended to make you feel this way; it's just… refreshing to see someone untarnished by the stories of our past. Let me start over. My name is Alexander, and I work with the LLC, utilizing my gifts for adjudication. I'm a vampire and can see things that have happened in people's minds." My jaw drops at the words, and I struggle to keep my heart rate even.

A fucking vampire.

Questions start flying through my mind at the thought, and he lifts his hand, signaling me to stop.

"I'm sure you have many questions, and I'm sure they will all be answered someday, but for today, I need to know about your role in the altercation between the Vegas and Reno packs. The special counsel is requesting I just pull the information from you, but it's not really my style, and I don't much like being given orders on how to do my job," he says almost conspiratorially.

"What do you need to know?" I ask, trying to keep my brain from thinking of the event, knowing he can hear those thoughts.

"How did you end up in the Second's office?" he asks, leaning back and casually throwing one of his arms over the back of the chair.

"I was kidnapped by one of the Vegas pack members and brought to the Reno pack to be used for blackmail," I say, locking down all other thoughts.

Purple fluffy clouds…

Purple fluffy clouds…

"So Vegas traded you to Reno and then stole you back?" he asks, confusion crossing his face.

"Kind of. Hudson, the guy who took me, was just trying to get his parents back. He thought if he could trade me to Reno, Dante could negotiate for my return."

"And did he?"

"Yeah, he made a deal for both Hudson's parents and me," I respond, my heart aching at the thought of the next question.

"So what went wrong? Because from where I'm sitting, Reno lost their Second, and Vegas lost one of their own. How did a human like you make it out unscathed?"

"I'd hardly say a brain contusion that required immediate surgery is ‘unscathed,' but Deacon Marlo tried to bite me, which caused my… well... Mate? I guess. Anyway, Cain flipped out and charged him, causing everyone to fight. In the chaos, Big Tony tried to kill me. Hudson intervened, saving my life at the cost of his own, and the Vegas pack took out Big Tony, trying to save us both. Look, I never wanted to be a part of any of this. I don't belong to any pack. At least not yet," I say, losing a bit of bravado at the end.

"You must be rather important if both sides were willing to kill for you," he says, considering my words.

"I'm not important. I never have been, and if not for Ghost's prophecies about me being the stupid key, everyone probably would have realized that a long time ago," I say, irritation replacing the guilt.

Alexander tenses, his attention snapping into place at the mention of Ghost's name.

Damnit, I bet I wasn't supposed to say that.

"How do you know Ghost?" he asks, intensity filling his voice.

"I don't really," I say backtracking. "Hudson and I ran into him on the way to Reno," I finish, shrugging in an attempt at nonchalance.

He nods, and I hope that means he's moving on.

"So you were not contacting the Reno pack for protection?" he asks.

"Of course not," I say.

"And you are, in fact, not a member of the Vegas pack?" he questions further.

"Not yet," I say before continuing. "But I will be once I am allowed to be with Cain. Once I'm Awakened, I will choose Vegas," I state, confidence filling my tone.

"It must be nice to believe you have a choice in such matters. Most like you do not," he says before standing up, causing me to flinch back instinctively.

"Apologies, I just need to verify your testimony. It won't hurt. I simply place my hands at your temples. I just need to see your time in Reno," he says, stepping toward me.

When his hands touch my temples, I'm transported back to the field on the day of the exchange. Goosebumps erupt over my arms as I feel the chill of the air from that day dance along my skin. My heart rate accelerates as we get closer to Deacon's arrival, and fear fills me in a way that reminds me of my nightmares.

"Calm down, Brielle. It's only a memory. It will play out exactly as it happened," he says in my mind just as I hear Hudson's words whispered into my ear from that day, telling me to calm down. I beg my head to turn to look at him one more time and see the face of the man who saved me, but of course, I don't. I stand there precisely as I had that day, waiting as my world is turned upside down.

The feel of Deacon's breath on my neck and the last moment of seeing Big Tony raise his gun has tears sliding down my cheeks. I don't even realize that Alexander has let go of my temples and moved away from me standing silently as I collect myself.

When I open my eyes to look at him, I see sympathy in his purple gaze, and for a moment, I wonder if vampires have the capacity for such emotions.

"I'm sorry you had to relive that. Thank you for verifying your testimony. I will ensure the report is given to the council," he states before buttoning his jacket and turning to leave.

I stay seated in the chair, exhaustion overtaking me as I feel the weight of Hudson's loss all over again.

When Alexander reaches the door, he stops, his head dropping before he exhales and turns around again.

"If I could ask you one thing, you mentioned finding Ghost. I've spent decades hoping to meet him. Could you tell me where you ran into him?" His words are full of sadness, and his expression looks almost hopeful as he waits for my response.

"I'm sorry, Alexander. I was kidnapped. I wasn't really privy to where we were." I say, clearing my mind again.

Purple fluffy clouds…

Purple fluffy clouds…

His head tilts just a fraction before nodding and turning to open the door.

"Loyalty is a rare quality in today's world. I'm glad it hasn't completely died out.Until next time, Brielle," he sends to my mind and closes the door behind him.

Well, shit.