Page 88 of Grayson’s Challenge

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“I ran you a hot bath, Mom,” Monique said and looked at Faye.

Despite the fact that she was a vampire, she looked fragile. The worry for her blood-bonded mate was getting to her.

“I can’t. I have to wait for news from them,” Faye protested.

“I promise you I’ll come running the moment we get word from the rescue team.” She shooed her mother toward the ensuite bathroom. “I laid out some fresh clothes for you. Just do it for me. There’s nothing you can do right now but wait. And you might as well do that in the bathtub.”

Faye looked at her, pinching her eyebrows. “You promise you’ll let me know immediately when you get any news, no matter if it’s good or bad?”

“I will. And it’ll be good news. Grayson and his team are trained for this.”

Finally, Faye nodded and turned to the bathroom. Monique let out a sigh of relief and left the large guest room Isabelle had prepared for her mother. It was quiet on the second floor of the old Victorian mansion, and for a moment, Monique just stood there in silence, alone with her thoughts. She was worried too, even though she believed in Grayson’s abilities, and in that of his colleagues. But no matter how well they’d planned the operation, anything could go wrong at any time.

When she walked down the stairs, she encountered Isabelle walking upstairs.

“Hey,” Monique said.

“How’s Faye?”

“She’s finally taking a bath. I hope it helps her relax a bit. She’s so tense.”

“Yeah, my mom too. But it’ll be all right. I know it.” Isabelle smiled softly. “Though my gut feeling isn’t as sharp as I thought.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’d never thought Orlando would betray us. He’s gruff, and a pain in the butt. But I thought he was a hundred percent loyal to us, to Dad.” Isabelle shook her head and sighed.

“We don’t know for sure that he’s been feeding Abel information,” Monique said.

“But it sure looks like it.” She shrugged. “I’m just gonna take a quick shower too, and get changed. You okay? You can use one of the guest rooms if you need to.”

Monique shook her head. “I showered at Grayson’s. I’m good. But I’ll help myself to some blood.”

“There should be plenty in the fridge,” Isabelle said.

“Thanks.” Monique continued descending the stairs while Isabelle went upstairs.

A few seconds later she heard a door opening then closing. Monique walked into the kitchen, and found William there. He was closing the refrigerator door, before looking at her.

“Monique,” he said with a nod. “Do you need anything?”

She motioned to the fridge and approached. “Just need a bottle of blood. I’m exhausted.”

He remained standing in front of the refrigerator. “One of the guards just took the last bottle. There’s more down in the garage. Turn left at the end of the stairs.”

It didn’t look like William had any intention of going down into the garage himself. She wasn’t surprised. He wasn’t a servant, and he’d never gone out of his way to do her any favors. Maybe the fact that she’d always acted like a spoiled princess had something to do with that.

“I’ll bring a few bottles up,” she offered. “You’ll probably want some too.”

“Great,” he said.

Monique left the kitchen and headed for the door that led down to the garage. As she approached, she looked out through the window next to the entrance door and saw the silhouette of one of the two vampire guards stationed outside the house. When she’d been in the guestroom to draw a bath for her mother, she’d heard footfalls above her on the third floor. Two more guards were stationed there to look out over the backyard and the street in the front should Abel’s men attempt an attack on the house.

She opened the door and flipped the light switch, but nothing happened. Perhaps the lightbulb had burned out, and nobody had had a chance to replace it. It didn’t matter. Her vampire vision helped her navigate the stairs safely. In the large garage, several cars were parked. Monique turned to her left and opened the door there. She flipped the switch next to it, but the light wasn’t working there either. Frowning, she sighed, when she heard footsteps on the stairs.

“The lights aren’t working,” she called out.