Moonlight's Ambassador (Aileen Travers Book 3)(73)

Not that it would do me much good. Both Brax and Liam had seemed certain that if she changed and attacked me, I would stand little chance. Her wolf was evidently much stronger than my vampire, and since neither would chance giving me a gun after last time, I would have to face her with nothing but my fists. Cheery prospect that.

"What happened?" I asked.

"I thought I could handle this by myself, and I can't." Her voice was raw and her eyes glassy as she admitted that. "It's just too big for me, and I don't have enough experience with the wolf. I need someone at my back."

"Let me bring in Brax, then. He can help with your wolf much better than I could," I pleaded.

"No, you can't do that," she snapped. "I don't know if he can be trusted. There are things going on here that you don't understand. His pack is part of it, and I'm not sure which of his wolves are compromised."

"Caroline."

"I said no." Her voice took on a deep timber, her eyes shifting and her wolf peering out at me. To my othersight, that wolf bared its fangs, power flicking around it uneasily.

"Okay, let's just stay calm." I held up my hands.

She took a deep breath, closing her eyes and visibly calming. The wolf beside her faded slightly until it was just a shadow clinging to her shoulders. Present, but not moments from ripping out my throat.

"I am trying to stay in control. It’s like there’re two Caroline’s fighting for my body, and one of them is so very angry,” she admitted, her voice desperate as she looked at me. “You bringing him up over and over, when you know I don't want to go back to that place, isn’t helping matters," she said, her voice strained.

"You know I'm just trying to help. What did you mean about his wolves being compromised?" I asked, changing the subject and getting her mind off Brax.

She took a deep breath and shook herself, like a dog shaking off rain. It was a mannerism unlike Caroline, bringing home the point that this was my friend, but it wasn't, too.

"You know that project you had me work on earlier this year. The one that resulted in this?" She gestured to herself.

"Where you traced the Bennet lineage?" I asked. How could I forget? It was responsible for our current predicament.

"That wasn't just the descendants of just any random person, was it?" She stalked along the steel girder of the railroad tracks, her balance perfect as she moved back and forth, unable to stay still.

"No, it wasn't," I admitted.

"Who was it?"

"A vampire. A powerful one."

"And you got me got involved in that." The words were an accusation.

"Yes."

"It didn't occur to you the danger you were placing me in," Caroline's voice deepened, her wolf moving closer to the surface. Before, I'd only caught glimpses, flashes of it. Mostly its head, an impression of its body. Now, it was closer to fully formed, and it was big. Bigger than it should have been.

"I didn't think they'd go after you," I confessed.

"Well, they did," she snapped, her voice breaking. "Do you know what it's like to be trapped in your own body, unable to think or do anything but feel horror at what is happening to you?"

Yes. My words didn't leave my mouth as I stared at her with sorrow. Admitting such a thing wouldn't help and wasn't even important right now.

"I don't know how they learned about you," I said. "The only place we were together was that gala you dragged me to."

She stilled. "What do you mean?"

"The vampires were there. They were all over the place. It's why I put distance between us and then dragged you out. I hoped it would keep you off their radar. Guess I was wrong." I took a step closer. "I still don't know why they targeted you. It's not like I'm worth anything, and they couldn't have known about the research."

"They did," she admitted, her voice cold. "I don't know how, but they kept asking me about it. I should have left it alone after, but I didn't. I wanted to know why my life had been ripped apart, so I kept digging. That's when I found it."

"Found what?"

"His descendants are still alive, and they're right here in Columbus." Her face shone with victory.

"I don't understand how that's pertinent to what’s happening," I said, wishing we'd been able to keep that little tidbit secret. With Liam and a half-dozen other vampires listening, this information was bound to get back to Thomas. How long before he tried to ruin other lives by turning them into little, baby vampires whether they wanted the change or not?

"It's the reason for everything," she said, her voice close to a growl. "I thought I could track down the why, maybe get some closure, but they're too smart. They keep covering the evidence."

"Caroline, I need you to stay calm," I said. She was close to losing it, her eyes taking on a wild gleam, her gestures frenetic.

"They almost caught me in the alley, but I got away," she said.

I stilled. "What alley? Where?"

"The one in German Village," she said.

I took a deep breath, the sensation almost painful. "What did you do when they almost caught you?"

I didn't want the answer, not really, but I couldn't stop myself from asking.