Page 68 of Fanged Desire
She hugged herself against the chill of the night air. “Well, that wasn’t humiliating or anything.”
“Could’ve been worse,” I offered as I stepped up to the pay phone and dialed Maxine’s number.
I shrugged off my coat while I waited for the dial tone and handed it to Addison – who shot me a withering glare. “You couldn’t have offered it earlier, huh?”
I held up a finger to shush her, slyly gesturing at the phone pressed to my ear.
Maxine picked up on the second ring, shrill voice screaming through the receiver, “Hunter, where the hell have you been?! The city’s buzzing with rumors about what you did to Esmerelde.”
Oh right. That.
“I don’t have time for a lecture, Maxine.” I stifled the rising panic, keeping my cool despite the harrowing consequences of my reckless actions rushing to deck me in the face. “What’s the damage?”
“Damage?” Maxine scoffed. “The elves are furious. They’re saying someone ripped into her mind with brute force, left her a babbling mess, and they’re convinced it was a vampire – telepathic, strong. You know, someone likeyou.”
I grimaced, pressing the phone tighter against my ear. “So I’m suspect number one.”
“There aren’t many like you in the city, Hunter. If you’re involved, you’d better start talking – now.”
“I’ll explain everything soon,” I promised, my eyes flicking to Addison. She was watching me with a curious tilt to her head, her arms crossed against the chill. “But first, I have something important to take care of.”
Maxine sighed. “You’d better. Because if the elves decide you’re guilty, they’re going to stir up hell. And Jordan’s not going to be able to protect you.”
“I’ll handle it,” I said, and hung up before she could press further.
Addison raised an eyebrow. “That didn’t sound good.”
“It’s not,” I admitted, stepping away from the phone. “The elves are out for blood – mine, specifically.”
Before she could respond, I dialed another number, this time for Caden. He picked up after an excruciatingly long ring.
“Hunter,” he said, his voice calm but tinged with annoyance. “I was starting to think you’d dropped off the face of the earth.”
“Something like that,” I replied. “Have you heard what’s happening with the elves?”
“I’ve heard plenty,” Caden droned. “If you’re responsible for Esmerelde Flawne, you’d better keep your head down. The elves are already calling for action, and the Leyore aren’t exactly in a position to take on a war right now.”
“Noted,” I muttered. “But listen, I need a favor. You’ve been keeping an eye on Cathy’s place, right? I need you to head there now and let me know what you see. I think something big is going down.”
Caden sighed. “Last I checked there were unlabeled trucks entering the property in droves – Oh, and what looked suspiciously likeyour car. I tried to call you but you didn’t pick up. I thought you were already in.”
“No. I was otherwise occupied.” I ignored his accusatory tone, pleading through the phone. “I’ll fill you in when I can – just take a look, find out what she’s up to. I’ll call you later.”
After a tense goodbye, I turned back to Addison. “Everybody is a little angry at me right now.”
“Does anyone in your life ever just say, ‘Great job, Hunter’?”
“Not lately.” I sighed. “But listen – Caden has been keeping an eye on Cathy’s mansion. Apparently, a bunch of anonymous vans have been pouring in. Right around the time I landed up stuck in that cell with you.”
Addison’s face tightened with worry. “Do you think they moved Penelope there?”
“It’s possible,” I mused, scratching at the peeling paint on the side of the booth. “But we need to lay low until Caden can get us more intel. We can’t go to your place or mine. Both are too risky.”
Addison’s brow furrowed. “So where do we go?”
“There’s only one place I can think of.” I hesitated, then sighed. “And you’re not going to like it.”
Chapter 24
