Page 20 of Lured

He let out a strange noise and studied me again. “How long ago was that?”

“They died seven years ago, when I was fourteen. I was in the academy from sixteen.”

“And your first mission?”

I frowned as I followed his line of thought. “Two months later.”

After growling again, he got to his feet. I shifted back, wondering if he was going to finally kill me now. He knew what I was and I knew about him. It was clear he had been pretending to be a turned, even if I had no idea why. He was investigating Ludis as well, that much was obvious.

I wanted to ask him why he had saved my life. Even went to huge lengths to claim me as his enthralled instead of letting Ludis eat me. Yet he had implied that he knew what I was from the beginning. No question came out of my mouth, however.

He was deep in thought and pacing back and forth like some caged animal. I didn't dare disturb him. While I knew I had a chance in a fight against a turned that wasn't too strong or old, I knew this vampire wouldn't be bested. The last thing I wanted to do was make him angry.

Eventually he sat down again, but by then I was almost crying. Although I didn't know what the academy had planned, someone wanted me dead as well, or they had been told to muck up my plans at least. Someone who didn't know me and needed a photo to go by.

It was all confusing, but it made it clear, I was done as a hunter and I didn't have anywhere to turn.

“What's your name?” he asked, taking me by surprise again.

“Anais.” I saw no reason to lie about that either.

“I'm Leandro. Though my friends call me Leo. Ludis knows me as Drew.”

“Because he doesn't know that you're a true-blood?” I asked, wondering if he would be as open with me as I had been.

“Something like that. We have people who regulate what the turned do as well.” He finally sat down again.

“Well, thank you for saving my life today, Leandro.” I tried to give him a smile, hoping I could go and cry in my own room now and put an end to this chaos. I needed to figure out what came next.

“Please, call me Leo. I'm pleased to meet you, Anais. Even if you're a hunter.” He gave me a rueful smile and I found myself blushing. How was this vampire so charming? And was this exactly the sort of thing the academy was afraid of? What would my have parents said if they'd thought I would one day be flirting with a true-blood?

Despite wanting to be alone to figure out what happened next, I couldn't bring myself to move. I didn't want to face what came next. After living my whole life with vampire hunters or being one, I was going to be out on my own.

“You don't seem pleased to meet me,” he added, almost as if he was trying to make a joke.

“Leo,” I said, liking the sound of using his nickname and aware he had said that his friends called him Leo. Was he inviting me to be a friend? it was sweet if so, but it barely mattered. “It's not exactly the best of circumstances.”

I reached into my pocket and held out the chips I had won while sitting beside him. “This is all the money I have left, pretty much. I have nowhere to go and no job if I'm not a hunter. If I don't kill this vampire, I don't actually have a future. I will be homeless and friendless.”

Leo sat down beside me and put his arm around my back, once again pulling me close. “I think I screwed up your mission. I promise I won't let you end up homeless.”

“You can't promise me that. We're meant to be mortal enemies or something,” I replied. He chuckled and the sound had my heart racing again. I might have wanted to do more than sit beside him in that moment, but I held back. It didn't solve my long term problem and I certainly wasn't about to start trusting a vampire. No matter how hot he was.

This mission was a failure and I had to figure out how to salvage it still. If Leo would just let me think, and not keep trying to seduce me, I might be able to focus on a solution. After all, it wasn't as if he was offering to keep me as an enthralled or anything anymore.

Chapter 9

Leandro

Having my arm around Anais made me aroused again, but I was used to ignoring my bodily needs when I had to and I could see how distressed she was. Her body responded to mine every time I grew close to her and I knew that when the time was right I could tempt her enough.

Now wasn't that time.

My desire to stay beside her and help her were genuine and not only attached to my lust. I might want to screw her hard, but I also really wanted to see her do well and fix this problem.

If I had any idea what Ludis was up to, having a hunter take him out would prove useful. If anyone in the vampire world wanted to accuse me, I could have pointed to her and washed my hands of it. No one would be able to pin his death on me.

But I couldn't allow that to happen yet.

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