Page 79 of The Predator
The room fell silent.
I wasn’t about to tiptoe into battle. I would do what I did best—be the soldier and fighter I was trained to be.
29
LAYLA
Sam had dropped me off at Jo’s house on base at her request, and I followed her to her office. Apparently, she wanted to chat. I imagined she wanted to pick my brain and see where I stood when it came to her brother or the pregnancy or both.
I didn’t mind. I needed all the friends I could get. Plus, she was studying hematology and genealogy, so what better person to talk to? I hoped she could help me find a way to learn more about my mom and her ancestors.
Jo rushed in. “Excuse the mess. I’ve got finals coming up.”
I giggled. “I think you need more books,” I teased. “It’s a mini library in here.”
Three large bookcases were packed, an oblong table had several scattered on it, and her desk had a stack of medical textbooks about five books high. Beneath the chaos was a well-decorated room with soft-blue walls, sheer gray curtains covering one window, and a portrait of Webb, Abbey, and her hanging on the wall behind two tan fabric chairs.
“That’s what Webb tells me all the time. But we have a great library on base and a more extensive one at vampire headquarters in Boston.” She plucked a lap blanket off one chair. “You can sit here.”
I would rather have curled up on the window seat, which seemed like a cozy place to drink a glass of wine and read a good book. Although I would rather have sipped bourbon.
Jo laughed. “You’re a hard-core woman if you like bourbon.”
I tore my gaze away from the motes dancing through the rays of sunlight spilling through the sheer curtains and angled my head at her.
“Sorry. I try hard to stay out of people’s heads. But sometimes, it just happens.”
I’d forgotten she could read minds. “No worries,” I lied. I made a mental note to make sure I remembered her abilities. “Jordyn told me about the library in Boston.” Since we were on the topic, it wouldn’t hurt to ask for her help. “I don’t know if Sam told you, but there are vampires on my mother’s side. Do you think I could find anything in any of the libraries about her family? I understand you keep good records on most vampires.” I sank into one of the chairs.
“It’s possible. What’s her last name? Not that I know every vampire. But I’ve been doing research on my own mom and her genealogy.” She wiped her hands on her black leggings, which she wore with a peach top that hung to mid-thigh. Her feet were bare and her toenails painted pink just like her well-manicured nails.
“Drake. But she told us she didn’t have any siblings and that her parents had died when she was young.”
She snagged a lone book off the floor and placed it on the table.
I did a double take. “The Science Behind Vampires,” I mumbled. “What? Someone actually wrote a book about your kind?”
She laughed. “You remind me of me when I first found this book.” She handed it to me. “I came across it in a funeral home, of all places.”
I choked. “That’s spooky.”
She sat in the matching chair next to me then switched on the torch lamp between us. “It was quite freaky. I was human when I found it, but I had been experiencing some physical changes and had no clue what was happening to me. You have much to learn, Layla.”
I opened the book. “No kidding. I have so many questions, it isn’t even funny.” I scanned the table of contents. My eyes widened on chapter nine, “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Vampire Sex but Were Afraid to Ask.” I snorted.
“That’s a good one.” She giggled.
My cheeks flamed like I was standing over a fire. “Can I borrow this? It’s not for the chapter on sex,” I was quick to add. “The topics look interesting.” I flipped open one of the pages she had bookmarked with a sticky note. “Wow! Genetically engineering a vampire. Have your adversaries gotten their hands on this book? I mean, isn’t this the process that manufactures humans into vampires?”
“The chapter doesn’t detail how. And it’s quite difficult to find the right… recipe, if you will. My uncle was a great geneticist, but he wasn’t successful, although he came close before his death. As a result, his last batch of testing resulted in half-breeds like Ben.”
“Fascinating,” I muttered.
“And scary. This is the very reason Sam and I have been hunted and why Roman wants Abbey. It’s also why your baby might be on the most-wanted list of power-hungry assholes who want to build armies and become rich in the process.”
My pulse stuttered as fear needled across my arms. I’d heard Sam when he said something similar, but hearing Jo articulate it with more anger seemed to turn on my panic radar. Then again, ever since Sam told me he loved me, I hadn’t been thinking of much else.
“I feel your anxiety,” Jo said. “This is one of the reasons I wanted time alone with you. I like you, Layla. I think you’ll be good for my brother. But I need you to hear me.”
