I let out a breath of relief. “Thanks.” Again, my gaze circles the room. “And you guys?”
Oliver makes a face like duh. “I was worried about you. I left work as soon as I heard what happened.”
I give him a smile to let him know I’m grateful.
“I’m just checking in on my favorite human,” Nick says. His favorite human? I’m probably his only human. Not that I’m his. You know what I mean. As if he can tell what I’m thinking, he flashes me a grin that could light up a room and shows me his badge. “I’m also here on official business. When stuff happens between the different factions, they send in the FUA. I’ll need to get a statement from you.” He points a thumb at Parker and the two strangers. “Since the vamp was a member of Henry’s clan, his enforcers were also called in as a courtesy to him.”
My blood turns cold in my veins, and my stomach churns. I may trust Parker some, but I don’t like that those other guys are vampires. And enforcers from Henry’s clan, no less. I wish they would leave. Hell, after tonight, I wish even Parker would leave. I could go forever never seeing another vampire again, and it would be too soon.
As if he can read my thoughts, Parker’s face crumples. He steps toward me, longing in his expression. My heart speeds up as he comes closer, only it’s not stemmed from my fear of vampires. There’s a physical connection between us that ignites like wildfire when we get close.
“It’s good to finally see you again, Nora,” he murmurs. “I’m sorry it’s under these circumstances.”
He takes my hand in his and softly rubs his thumb over the back of it. I shiver at the contact, and heat flares in his eyes. I get caught in his gaze and can’t look away. My mouth dries up, and I swallow thickly.
I focus on his thoughts in an attempt to get my body under control. Parker’s relieved that I still react this way to him. I’ve been avoiding him since the Henry thing a month ago. He thinks it’s because I fear his kind. I do fear vampires, but that’s not why I’ve been ignoring his calls. I’m afraid of my attraction to him. The feelings he stirs in me are intense and dangerous, and I’m not ready to feel those things.
“Nora, this wasn’t Henry’s fault,” he says, loyal to his master to a fault. “He didn’t know about Josephine’s instability. In fact, if she weren’t already dead, he’d have killed her himself for this. He’s devastated that you were hurt because of him. Our whole clan is upset.”
He’s not going to convince me that his clan is full of wonderful people tonight. I pull my hand from his, because he’s making it hard for me to think straight. “Just forget it, Parker. Damage done.”
Parker steps back, disappointment bleeding from his eyes. I look away, hating that I’m hurting him. If I knew how to give him what he wants, I would.
I try to sit up again, and this time I almost succeed. Oliver moves forward and puts a few pillows behind my back to help me stay sitting up. After I’m situated, I look to Nick. “Is Terrance going to get into trouble for killing her?”
“Nah. She had it coming.”
I smirk. Justice in the underworld takes some getting used to.
“Do you know why Josephine attacked you?” one of the nameless enforcers asks.
I flinch at the sound of his voice and give Nick a pleading glance. I may not fear Parker, but I want the other vampires out of this room and far away from me. Both Nick and the vampire who spoke frown.
“I understand your history with vampires isn’t pleasant,” Enforcer Dude says, “but you need to overcome your fear of us. We can sense it, and it sets off all of our instincts. Perhaps that’s why Josephine lost control and attacked you tonight.”
I scoff. “Seriously? You think she lost control? No way. She came here for no other reason than to kill me tonight. She even said so. She monologued as she tortured me. She kept ranting about how she used to be Henry’s favorite and how he didn’t pay her any attention anymore because of me. She thought he’d love her again if I were dead, or something like that. Real nice lady. A lot in common with Henry, actually. They both broke my face.”
Enforcer Dude sighs but doesn’t argue. He doesn’t really look surprised, either. I bet poor, jilted Josephine complained a lot before she went off the deep end of the crazy pool tonight.
“Still,” the other enforcer says, his voice haughty as if I’ve insulted him, “I’m sorry about Josephine, but you can’t be so afraid of us. We are predators. You are tempting to us for many reasons.”
Parker places a hand on the guy’s shoulder when I glare at him. “We aren’t all monsters, Nora,” Parker murmurs.
“So you keep telling me. And yet…your kind keep hurting me. Over and over again.” I sigh. “Look, I don’t have the energy for this conversation. The bitch was jealous of Henry’s obsession with me and wanted me out of the picture, so she tried to drain me. End of story. Can we be done now?”
“I’ve got what I need,” Nick says. He glances at Parker and his cronies. “You?”
Parker sighs. “I think we’re good.” He nods to his two enforcers, gesturing for them to head out. They both look back at me, but the less rude one stops when he reaches the door. “Henry really cares about you, you know. You should give him a second chance to prove himself.”
I want to laugh—no way in hell is that happening—but I don’t want to piss off another vampire by rejecting his sire, so I shrug noncommittally and look away. Parker waits until I meet his gaze again before he follows his enforcers out. “Please call me when you’re feeling better,” he murmurs, then leaves.
Once he’s gone, I shiver. “Henry’s not going to stop obsessing over me. If his vampires are going to start going crazy because of it, I might have to quit the club.”
Terrance stops pacing the hall and storms back into the room to glare at me. “No.”
“He’s right,” Wulf says, crossing his arms and frowning at me. “You don’t run. You never run. They will chase. You stay, and you pretend like they don’t terrify you.”
“That’s not enough,” Nick says. His eyes fall on mine. “Those guys were right. You need to get over your fear of vampires. Maybe your fear is justified, but it’s also tempting to all predators—which most underworlders are. If you’re going to be a part of this world now, Nora, you can’t fear it anymore. Find a way. Hate them, fine. But get over your fear.”
Great. How am I supposed to do that? I’m making headway with most underworld species, but it seems like every vampire I meet tries to kill me. They’re the monsters that murdered my mother in front of me when I was six. It’s hard to let go of a lifetime of nightmares and fear.
“I’ll host a party!” Cecile blurts, seemingly out of nowhere. “A party for Nora.” The smile she gives me is both sincere and full of wicked delight. I’m pretty sure I have another meddler on my hands. As if my werewolf boss isn’t enough.
“I’ll invite lots of decent vampire friends of mine for you to get to know. There are some wonderful ones out there, Nora. If you meet a few who aren’t assholes, like Henry, you’ll learn to love them as much as you like the rest of us.”
“A party? Full of vampires?” I groan and close my eyes as I sink back into the pillows behind my head. “I must be really out of it right now, because I can’t believe I’m about to say yes to that.”
Cecile claps her hands. “Yay! Don’t you worry about a thing, darling. I’ll keep it small, with an exclusive guest list.”
“I better be invited,” Nick says. He’s smiling now, as if he approves of this plan.
“Gorgeous, darling, it wouldn’t be a party without you,” Cecile purrs, making the man shiver when she runs a finger up his arm. I get the feeling she only affects him because he lets her, but she’s definitely stirring feelings in him now. He closes his eyes and lets out a long, satisfied breath. “All right, enough of this.” He looks at me. “Go home and get some sleep. Lots of sleep and protein. Enzo worked a miracle, but you’re still really low on blood. Rest for a week. I’m not kidding. A full week. At least.”