Page 28 of Trapped for Her Blood
Was he making fun of me by calling me powerful? Or maybe the hint of humor I see in his eyes is a trick of the dim lighting and the way the firelight is flickering in their brown depths.
“I’m worried about him.” I strain to glance around Zuben’s body. “Are you sure he’s okay?”
“One hundred percent certain. And I rarely make such a bold claim.” He grins again.
“This isn’t funny, and how can you possibly be certain?”
“Because the vampires who followed us—those not already dead at the bear’s hand—have conceded and left him alone.”
A shiver traces through me remembering how easily Axe tore that vampire’s head off. “How do you know all that?”
“I heard it. And I am listening to what is happening now.”
I frown. He’s having me on.
“I suspect that you do not believe me,” Zuben says softly. “But I assure you, vampires have acute hearing. When I concentrate and tune into a particular location or voice, I can hear from a very great distance.”
“That must be…overwhelming.” And I’m not sure it makes sense, living with a cacophony of sound all the time.
“It is a matter of focus,” he says. “At this second, I am listening only to you, to the beat of your heart, and now to the sound of the water falling into that pool, and now I am focused on the bats, sleeping high above us.”
“Bats?” I look up, but see nothing.
“Now, I will switch focus again.” His head shifts slightly—almost imperceptibly. “The bear remains unharmed. He is pacing near the cave’s entrance and snorting in a most uncouth manner.” He grimaces. “I assure you, he is unharmed.”
I exhale in relief. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Zuben, while he mightwithholdinformation, he finds it difficult to lie, and there is absolutely no deception evident in his eyes right now.
He’s only trying to protect me. Protect Axe too, maybe. My presence at the cave’s entrance might draw the vampires back.
Zuben looks down at me, patiently, as if waiting for me to absorb the new information he’s shared, and I’m once again struck by his beauty—his flawless brown skin, his sculpted features, his thick lashes and the wisdom and kindness in the depths of his chestnut eyes.
I have so many questions for this vampire and yet, standing here, bathing in his rapt attention, my body buzzing with adrenaline, relief and gratitude, I remember how I felt when Zuben fed me his blood, and all I want is for him to bend down and kiss me.
Giving myself a mental shake, I back up a step. “Where’s Ryker?” I ask. “Where did those guards take you two? Is he okay? Was he tortured in that room?” The answer to that last question seems obvious, but I’m desperate for Zuben to tell me I’m wrong.
“Those are all excellent questions,” Zuben says, “and I will be happy to answer them to the best of my knowledge. But you have not yet answered the question I posed.”
“What question?”
“The bear?” Zuben nods toward the entrance. “How did you come to be under his protection?”
Beyond honesty, the other big thing I’ve learned about Zuben is that when he wants something he can be single-minded—stiff and stubborn. And I guess I admire his determination and focus, but I don’t see why he gets to have his question answered first.
I shiver. “Can we sit by the fire?”
“Of course. Forgive me.” In a flash, he removes his suit jacket and slips it over my shoulders. I’m immediately comforted by its warmth, by the scent of Zuben surrounding me, like cinnamon and vanilla and some deeper musk I can’t place.
His arm drapes over my shoulders, and he walks us to the fire where we settle down on the wolf pelts. Sitting next to me, Zuben bends his long legs toward his chest to keep his shoes from the fire, and I sit the same way, wrapping my arms over my shins and letting the warmth penetrate my body, chilled to the bone.
“This cave is where the bear resides?” He looks around the space again.
“Yes. And he’s not just a bear, you know. His name is Axel, Axe for short, and he’s both a bear shifteranda vampire—”
“That is not possible,” Zuben interrupts.
I shrug. “I’m only telling you what he told me.” The details of how he became a vampire are Axe’s story to share, and I hope he doesn’t mind that I’ve told Zuben as much as I have already.
“Do you know what he did?” Zuben asks.
