Oliver's Hunger
Page 69
Besides, Oliver and she hadn’t even had sex this time. He’d simply held her in his sleep. Just thinking about it made her feel all warm and safe. Safe in the arms of a vampire. Only three days ago she would have laughed hysterically at this notion.
A sound in the corridor outside her room made her snap her heard toward it and relinquish her thoughts. A knock at the door came a second later.
“Ursula? Are you dressed?” Quinn asked.
“Yes.”
The door swung open and Quinn entered. Behind him, Zane stepped into the room. The sight of the bald vampire twisted her stomach into knots. What did Zane want here?
“Zane has come to bring you to a safe place.”
Ursula almost choked on her saliva. Instinctively, she backed away, hitting her legs against the bed frame. “W-what?” she stuttered. She was safe here, with Oliver.
Quinn looked as if he was sorry for her, when he continued, “We have to move you someplace else. You can’t stay here.”
She shook her head. “Why? I don’t understand. Is it because you found Oliver in my bed? I’m sorry, but it’s not what you think. We didn’t—”
“It doesn’t matter what I think. And it’s not about that.” He tossed a look at Zane.
“What is it? Please!”
Zane took a step toward her. “You should have told us about your special blood from the beginning. It would have saved us a lot of time.”
Her heart stopped beating as shock coursed through her. It hit her all at once: not only did Zane know that Oliver hadn’t brought her to the airport and put her on a plane to Washington, he also knew about her blood. He knew her secret!
Disappointment and fear collided inside her, welling up, driving tears into her eyes. She tried to hold them back.
“No!” she choked out.
How could Oliver have done this to her? How could he have broken his promise to keep her secret safe? To keep her safe? She had trusted him. She had believed that he was different, that he was good and true. That he cared about her. How stupid of her to think that.
No vampire could be trusted, no matter how sweet he appeared, how caring he seemed.
Oliver had betrayed her.
“I hate Oliver! And I hate you all!” she cried out.
Zane shrugged. “Yeah, well, I don’t give a damn. You lied to us! Is that a way to treat people who are helping you? You were wasting our time! If you had told us right away what we were dealing with, we wouldn’t have lost time.”
Lost time? She knew what that meant. “So you want my blood for yourselves, is that it?”
Zane gave her a disgusted look. “Dream on, kiddo! I don’t want your blood: I’m blood-bonded. I only drink my mate’s blood. I wouldn’t touch yours if my life depended on it. Don’t you get it?”
She stared at him, not understanding. A blood-bonded vampire only drank his mate’s blood? He didn’t attack others for it? “Then you’ll just hire me out like the other vampires did. Same difference!”
Zane exchanged a look with Quinn. “I hadn’t thought her dim-witted, but hey, even I can be wrong sometimes.”
“I’m not dim-witted!” she screamed, fisting her hands at her hips.
“Then get this into your thick skull: nobody at Scanguards wants to drink blood that acts like a drug! We don’t want any addicts in our midst. We have a job to do and we can’t do it if we’re all drugged out and high on something. We need to have clear heads.”
She listened to his words, but had a hard time believing him. Why would Scanguards pass up something as valuable as her blood when they could make lots of money with it? No, they were probably just pacifying her now until they had figured out what to do with her. She couldn’t trust them. She’d made that mistake once, trusting Oliver, and he had betrayed her.
Her heart clenched at the thought of him. Why had he done it?
She dropped her head. “What are you going to do with me?”
“You’ll be brought to a safe house.”
“For how long?”
“For however long it takes to find the other girls and destroy the other vampires,” Zane replied.
A sob tore from her chest. And once they had the other girls, they could start the operation themselves. Was that what they were planning? Or were they truly going to rescue her and the other women? If only she could trust them, but that particular sentiment eluded her. She’d given all her trust to Oliver, and he’d misused it by telling his colleagues about her secret.
Zane took a step closer. “And you might come in handy to flush out your captors.”
A sound in the corridor outside her room made her snap her heard toward it and relinquish her thoughts. A knock at the door came a second later.
“Ursula? Are you dressed?” Quinn asked.
“Yes.”
The door swung open and Quinn entered. Behind him, Zane stepped into the room. The sight of the bald vampire twisted her stomach into knots. What did Zane want here?
“Zane has come to bring you to a safe place.”
Ursula almost choked on her saliva. Instinctively, she backed away, hitting her legs against the bed frame. “W-what?” she stuttered. She was safe here, with Oliver.
Quinn looked as if he was sorry for her, when he continued, “We have to move you someplace else. You can’t stay here.”
She shook her head. “Why? I don’t understand. Is it because you found Oliver in my bed? I’m sorry, but it’s not what you think. We didn’t—”
“It doesn’t matter what I think. And it’s not about that.” He tossed a look at Zane.
“What is it? Please!”
Zane took a step toward her. “You should have told us about your special blood from the beginning. It would have saved us a lot of time.”
Her heart stopped beating as shock coursed through her. It hit her all at once: not only did Zane know that Oliver hadn’t brought her to the airport and put her on a plane to Washington, he also knew about her blood. He knew her secret!
Disappointment and fear collided inside her, welling up, driving tears into her eyes. She tried to hold them back.
“No!” she choked out.
How could Oliver have done this to her? How could he have broken his promise to keep her secret safe? To keep her safe? She had trusted him. She had believed that he was different, that he was good and true. That he cared about her. How stupid of her to think that.
No vampire could be trusted, no matter how sweet he appeared, how caring he seemed.
Oliver had betrayed her.
“I hate Oliver! And I hate you all!” she cried out.
Zane shrugged. “Yeah, well, I don’t give a damn. You lied to us! Is that a way to treat people who are helping you? You were wasting our time! If you had told us right away what we were dealing with, we wouldn’t have lost time.”
Lost time? She knew what that meant. “So you want my blood for yourselves, is that it?”
Zane gave her a disgusted look. “Dream on, kiddo! I don’t want your blood: I’m blood-bonded. I only drink my mate’s blood. I wouldn’t touch yours if my life depended on it. Don’t you get it?”
She stared at him, not understanding. A blood-bonded vampire only drank his mate’s blood? He didn’t attack others for it? “Then you’ll just hire me out like the other vampires did. Same difference!”
Zane exchanged a look with Quinn. “I hadn’t thought her dim-witted, but hey, even I can be wrong sometimes.”
“I’m not dim-witted!” she screamed, fisting her hands at her hips.
“Then get this into your thick skull: nobody at Scanguards wants to drink blood that acts like a drug! We don’t want any addicts in our midst. We have a job to do and we can’t do it if we’re all drugged out and high on something. We need to have clear heads.”
She listened to his words, but had a hard time believing him. Why would Scanguards pass up something as valuable as her blood when they could make lots of money with it? No, they were probably just pacifying her now until they had figured out what to do with her. She couldn’t trust them. She’d made that mistake once, trusting Oliver, and he had betrayed her.
Her heart clenched at the thought of him. Why had he done it?
She dropped her head. “What are you going to do with me?”
“You’ll be brought to a safe house.”
“For how long?”
“For however long it takes to find the other girls and destroy the other vampires,” Zane replied.
A sob tore from her chest. And once they had the other girls, they could start the operation themselves. Was that what they were planning? Or were they truly going to rescue her and the other women? If only she could trust them, but that particular sentiment eluded her. She’d given all her trust to Oliver, and he’d misused it by telling his colleagues about her secret.
Zane took a step closer. “And you might come in handy to flush out your captors.”
