The Way You Bite(71)

Dominic glanced around as if insecure. He pressed the red button on the wall, the one to summon all of the Squad vamps in the vicinity. No one appeared. She released a pent-up breath. The wolves must’ve secured the Scarpa estate.

She asked again, this time infusing what she hoped was a bit of persuasion into her request. “Who killed my mother?”

“Blaylock.” He glanced out the door. Fear passed through his eyes momentarily before he threw his shoulders back and squinted at her, confident and threatening.

She shook her head. “He loved my mother. He mated her. No mated wolf would ever kill his mate.”

I know, thought Dominic. The thought vibrated in her mind.

She wanted to scream, You know?

Trace moaned as he sat up, massaging his head.

“Did you kill my mother?” she asked.

No. Dominic shook his head.

She asked, “Who else was there the night she died? Who was at my mother’s apartment?”

He said he’d kill Trace if I told anyone. He told me to blame the werewolf. An image of a familiar vamp standing with a knife above her dead mother flashed through his mind. “I killed the wolf who killed your mother.”

Her anger came in waves, cresting and receding. This bastard hurt her mother for years. Then he hurt her as a surrogate for his disappointment and inadequacies. The wolf in her pressed hard for control. She measured the distance to Dominic’s throat.

“Vee, calm down,” Lexan said in her mind.

“Get out of my head. I’m not going to calm down.”

“I’ll be there in a minute. Don’t shift.”

She snarled, not a sound a civilized vampire would ever make. “I can take care of myself.”

Dominic pulled a serrated knife from his belt and held it up in defense.

Trace groaned and rolled to a sit, massaging his head. He met her gaze and stilled.

“It was never your responsibility to do this, Trace. It was mine.” She let the wolf take over. There was the pain of muscles stretching and the odd feel of quick-growing fur. The shift to her animal form took no more than a few seconds this time. She experienced simultaneous exaltation at the freedom allowed her in this form and primal fury. With a leap, she hit Dominic mid-chest with her front paws. His knife sliced at her, scoring her left shoulder. She barely felt the blade’s damage as she dodged another swipe of the blade, this time headed for her neck. With single-minded focus, she sprung forward to latch onto Dominic’s throat. Her aim was true. She felt the life leave Dominic.

Moments later, she shifted back. Gloriously naked, she yelled at the now-deceased Dominic, “That is what it looks like when a wolf kills a vampire, you motherfucker.”

Her gaze zoomed around to meet the wide-eyed terror of Hsu-Li. The anger was back, pushing her to shift again.

Trace pulled off his T-shirt and thrust it at her. He held her arm when she took a step toward Hsu-Li. “Vee. Stop.”

The door burst open with the arrival of Lexan and Blay. Both were drenched from their hair to their soaked jackets.

“What happened?” Lexan demanded. “You’re bleeding.”

She pulled the T-shirt on, which covered her down to her knees. “I’ll heal.”

Lexan glanced at the dead Dominic. A hint of a smile ghosted on his lips. He stepped close to her and touched her face gently, tracing the line of her cheek. The touch was feather light, but it felt as if lightning had ripped through her body. His hands settled on the sides of her face, framing it as he gazed at her with tenderness. Desire and hunger burned in his gaze, but above that shone approval. “You sure you’re all right?”

She nodded. “Death seems almost too good for him, but it just happened.” Her heart ached for how much she wanted everything with Lexan.

“Did you find out anything about your mother before you killed him?” Blay asked, staring solemnly at the dead Dominic.

“You knew I’d…ask Dominic? Tell me you didn’t plant it as an order in my brain. That you didn’t want me to go with Trace.”

“You’re too strong for that. I didn’t want you anywhere near Dominic because he’d do something insane like this.” He waved at the room in disgust.

“Why did you leave?” Lexan asked telepathically, his face dark as he glanced between she and Trace.

“Later,” she communicated to him. He deserved a return of his blow-off from earlier. She wasn’t sure how much Trace wanted Hsu-Li to know, if he was going to leave the vamp alive.

Lexan’s eyes narrowed. Him being pissed off she could handle, just not right now.

“About Arie?” Blay asked again as if he knew of their mental chitchat.

“Ambrose, most likely.” She returned her gaze to Lexan.

“What?” echoed from several people at the same time. “Ambrose?”

She spoke to Lexan. “Dominic knew he probably killed my mother and, yet, he betrothed me to the bastard.” She’d kill him again if she could. “He threatened Trace’s life to keep his secret.”

“We must go,” Blay announced.

“What’d he say about Carol?” asked Trace.

“She’s in one of the interrogation rooms. Ask him which one.” She nodded to Hsu-Li. “I think she’s okay, but you were right. He used her as bait and planned to kill her.”