Page 11 of Act of Command

Her gut said to believe him so she nodded. “I’m thirsty, and Brad needs to be fed. Look at him. He’s wasting away to nothing.”

“I’ll bring you water and then help you get cleaned up. I’ll make sure no one bothers you when you shower. And I’ll bring Brad food and water that isn’t drugged. Okay?”

She eyed him, suspect of his assistance. “Why are you being so nice to me?”

He glanced at the floor. “I see you found your glasses I left for you. I came across them in one of the labs with some items that came in with the newest finds. Took me a bit to realize they belonged to you. They had another woman’s scent on them too. It confused me at first and then I read the files. Makes more sense now.”

She swallowed hard, her throat still burning. She wasn’t sure how her glasses could have smelled like anyone other than her, but she was happy to have them so she wasn’t about to question it. “Thank you.”

“Got a name, kid?” he asked, taking the tray and standing with it.

At twenty-two, soon to be twenty-three, she wouldn’t have called herself a kid, but she didn’t correct him. “Mae.”

He nodded. “I’m Caesar. The guy who was just in here is Felix. Keep quiet around him, okay? He’s not…stable.”

She didn’t need to be told as much. She’d already guessed. “What is he? He’s not a shifter like you. He smells like death. You smell like a forest.”

Caesar squared his shoulders. “I wondered if you knew about supernaturals. Not all the people they bring through here do.”

She didn’t reply.

Caesar took a step towards the door and then stopped, reflecting for a moment. “What you smell on him is vampire.”

She stiffened. “I’ve met a vampire before. He didn’t stink of death.”

With a half-laugh, Caesar glanced over his shoulder at her. “Then the one you met wasn’t evil. There are a lot of them out there. There is no black and white with them normally. Felix is one that there is no question about. He’s evil. No wiggle room there.”

Closing her eyes, her fight with her tears ended, and she lost it. They streamed down her face. In an instant, Caesar was before her, the giant hulk of a man touching her cheek and then patting her shoulder.

“There, there,” he said, and the absurdity of it all nearly made her laugh. “Felix won’t return tonight. A new find just came in who is all emo and a boy. He prefers men to women. And he loves the dark and tortured types.”

She touched his hand. “Thank you. I don’t suppose you’d be willing to let me go.”

“I wish that I could, Mae,” he said, sorrow in his voice as we spoke.

She averted her gaze. “I just want to go home.”

“I know.” He left her alone with Brad standing close to the window.

“Evil vampires,” she said softly and then snorted. “Of course, why not, right?”

Brad’s lips twitched and then he smiled. He was handsome under all the hair. “I call this an average Friday night anymore.”

“With how long you’ve been held, I believe it,” she returned, grinning as well.

He put his hand to the window once more. “We’ll get through this, Mae.”

She wasn’t so sure he was right. Before long Caesar was back, bringing with him a sandwich and a large glass of water for her and then the same for Brad. She was too thirsty to resist the lure of fresh water. Waiting until Caesar left the room, she watched Brad as he lifted his food and sniffed it. He came to the window and tapped, pointing to her food and water.

“Bring it closer to the vent,” he said. “I need to smell it.”

She did as instructed.

“You can eat it,” he said, and then stood.

Mae did the same and eagerly gulped the water, her hand shaking the entire time. Brad drank his as well, his eyes closing as he savored it. They ate their sandwiches, both standing near the window, though neither could reach the other.

When they'd finished, Brad nodded to her. “Tell me more about you, Mae.”

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