Page 23 of Bite of Vengeance
“You sure you want her here?”
Viggo’s question was barely even a whisper, and I leaned forward looking past Zan to glare at him. “Excuse me?”
His head whipped toward me, his eyes widening. “You weren’t supposed to hear that.”
Zan let out a chuckle. “I warned you. Her senses are already heightening.”
“Well, shit.” Viggo rubbed the back of his neck. “Guess I need to be more careful around you.”
“Why wouldn’t you want me here?” I asked as Zan opened the office door.
“Because I still think you’re gonna get us killed,” Viggo muttered.
I rolled my eyes. “I heard that.”
“I wanted you to.” His playful grin was gone, and he stared at me warily. “Everything is about to change.”
Without elaborating, he strode through the doorway. Zan scrubbed a hand down his face before leading me inside. I licked my lips nervously when I spotted Pax leaning againstthe back wall. Gia was standing next to him, and she gave me a comforting smile as she uncrossed her arms. I inspected the office, a chill racing down my spine.
A small cage was pushed against the wall near a large bookcase. It was empty, but I could only imagine why he had it in here. My eyes darted to the books, and I realized Amaros had all the classics going back decades. There were also history books that took over at least two shelves. My gaze dropped to the bottom shelf where there were loose papers stacked and crammed.
“Let’s get this done,” Viggo said gruffly, standing next to his twin. “Dad will be back before sunrise which is just over an hour away.”
“Where is he?” I asked.
“At one of our warehouses,” Zan answered.
“You all know how careful we need to be,” Gia warned, her eyes clouding with apprehension. “Other than Kali, Amaros can sense our true feelings. If he has any doubts about our allegiance to him, none of this will work.”
The tension in the room grew as I glanced at all of them. “What won’t work?”
Pax spoke up first. “We’re going to convince him to let us take you off the property.”
“Can you get us into Project Hope?” Viggo questioned, studying me.
I stiffened on instinct, a frown tipping down my lips. I wasn’t sure if my feelings would change the more I transitioned, but right now, I didn’t want to help vampires get into a human city.
“See?” Viggo waved his arm. “She still doesn’t trust us.”
Gia tsked. “Can you blame her?”
“We aren’t going to hurt anyone, Kali,” Zan murmured, meeting my eyes. “We want to get your twin out.”
“To give her to Amaros,” I snapped, my stomach twisting painfully.
“What if we didn’t bring her back to the property?” Pax asked quietly. “We can hide her.”
“Where?” I didn’t hide the suspicion or doubt in my voice.
“There are options.” Viggo scoffed. “But it all comes with risk. If he finds out…” He trailed off, letting out a humorless chuckle. “You and your twin would be worse off than you are now.”
“He won’t find out,” Zan growled. “We’re getting Kali out.”
“You think he’ll let me leave the property?” I shook my head. “It won’t happen.”
“Warner will stay here,” Gia informed me gently. “He knows you care for him.”
My heart clenched. “I’m not leaving him here?—”