Page 18 of Deadly Alliances

“So, you really imprinted on this siren?” she asked, her tone surprisingly timid, and I did finally turn to look at her.

In this moment, she didn’t look like the strong, intimidating military commander she’d quickly excelled to become; she was just Char, my closest female friend—and she looked oddly…wounded.

I stole another glance at the backs of the heads in the front row before responding. “Yes, I did.”

She frowned, a sadness shimmering in her eyes. “I’m sorry. I can only imagine the struggle it’s been for you.” She laid a hand over mine where it rested on the seat, and though I knew she was trying to offer comfort, the gesture felt anything but comfortable.

I only nodded. I felt the urge to confide in her just how much of a struggle it truly was, but there was just too much to explain, especially in such company.

“Did you trigger the curse?” she asked. “Is that why she broke the imprint?”

I winced at those words, the truth of them still cutting against the raw wound in my soul, though I knew that hadn’t been herintention.

“Yes,” I said.

Her frown deepened. “So you…love her?”

I nodded again.

She patted my hand. “We’ll get her back.”

I offered her a half-smile of gratitude for her sentiment. She withdrew her hand, and we descended into silence once more.

I returned my gaze to the world passing beyond the window, trying to settle back into the stoic mode in which I’d been operating all morning. But the silence no longer felt comfortable, or tolerable for that matter. With the matter resolved between Char and me, I didn’t want to keep my walls up around her anymore.

I slowly turned to look at her, surprised to find that she was already looking at me. “So how have you been?”

Her face brightened, and she told me all about everything that had happened since she left for the military. She had climbed the ranks so quickly, and from the sound of it, being her father’s daughter had little to do with it. She hadn’t been given any sort of special treatment, and in fact more was expected of her due to her birthright.

“Let that be a lesson to you, Dracul,” she warned playfully. “Your last name might have carried weight at school, but it won’t do a damn thing for you in the military. You’ll have to earn every single thing you get.”

I smirked. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” And I meant it.

I’d never been fond of the special treatment my name afforded me. Though I always worked overtime to earn the merits I received, I could never be certain I had. I relished the challengeof succeeding in the military with nothing but my own sweat and dedication, just like Char had.

We talked for the rest of the drive, Char recounting tales of her exploits and her father interjecting now and then to flaunt her praises—which only confirmed my suspicions that he had, in fact, been listening to us.

“Just last week, we raided a den in New York where an independent sect of vampires was trafficking humans,” Major General Stern said. “You should have seen the quick shot on Commander Char. She took out every leech in the place with one shot each, all without hitting a single civilian. She was incredible!”

“Dad,” Char groaned as blush colored her cheeks.

I leaned forward in my seat. “I’m sorry, trafficking? Like, for blood?”

Stern’s jovial expression soured, and he shook his head. “Not just blood.”

My stomach turned as I understood his implication. Those vampires had abducted women to vent all their depraved carnal needs, not just thirst. My blood began to boil with protective anger. What kind of sick, sadistic bastard would you have to be to do such a thing? Vampires really were pure evil.

Fear suddenly shot through me, chilling my blood into tepid stillness as a single thought consumed me—what if the demons at Heritage Prep were doing the same to Arya? With her beauty, how could those bloodthirsty bastards resist? Would her family ties to Hadrian protect her from the rapacious villains under his roof?

I fell into a deep and disturbed quiet, barely listening as Char and her father continued to talk. What was I doing here? Wewere wasting valuable time driving and would waste even more going through the bureaucratic bullshit once we reached the outpost. I should be flying to Heritage Prep this very moment. I should be—

I shook my head at the thought. That was exactly the kind of thinking I needed to avoid. Acting on my emotions wouldn’t save Arya; if anything, it would just get us both killed. I couldn’t go after her alone. That was the entire reason I’d worked so hard to enlist since she left. Despite all the pomp and circumstance—and obvious time inefficiency—I needed Char and her team to have any chance of retrieving my mate.

I just hoped we’d get there soon enough to have anything left of her to save.

“Hey, you okay?” Char asked me when she noticed my silence.

“Yep,” I said brusquely.

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