Anarchy (Hive Trilogy, #2)(55)

“What is it? What happened?” Adrenalin flooded me, my heart beating out a rapid rhythm. If Ryder was hurt, I was going postal on everyone.

Lucas crossed the room, quickly grabbing me under the armpits and yanking me out of bed.

“Hey!” Kyle said, moving across the room in a smooth stride, gun raised toward the former Quorum member.

Lucas stopped him. “I would never hurt her.”

In a flash, he hauled me into the bathroom and turned the shower on full blast. I barely had time to suck in a breath before we were both under the freezing cold spray, fully-clothed.

I’m going to be honest here. When I first met Lucas, I might have had one or two fantasies that involved him … but being fully clothed in an Antarctic shower with him … was not one of them.

I met his feral gaze. “What the crap, dude?”

Kyle had followed us into the room still holding his gun, but his trigger finger was relaxed. He was giving Lucas a chance to prove his intentions before he shot him. Before Lucas could answer me, music blasted out of the radio in my room and Sam joined us in the bathroom. Again, not time for those early day’s fantasies. Plus, I was a one ash woman now. Ryder was everything I wanted, and as soon as I figured out what crazy pill Lucas was on, I was going to the pit to get my man.

Lucas’ voice was a low growl. “I finally figured out what the hell is up with your blood. All of the tests … dammit! The puzzle has finally been pieced together. I can’t believe you would hide that from me.”

My heart skyrocketed, and then fell when I saw the look of hurt on his face. Now it made sense, the shower, the music—my apartment was bugged. Lucas clearly had decided he wouldn’t rat me out with this information, or he wouldn’t be working so hard to cover the conversation now.

Water pounded on my back as I leaned in closer. “Do you blame me, Lucas? You’re a powerful vampire and I’m the f*cking cure. I’m the one who could take away all of your power and make you weak again.”

Lucas shook his head. “You could make me human again, make me feel again.” His voice could barely be heard over the music and water.

Kyle’s gun was at his side now. “Who else knows?”

Lucas waved his hand at the enforcer. “No one. Pure luck of course. If you had told me the truth, I would have stopped all testing. As it was, the vampire scientist who had been dealing with Charlie’s blood went a little crazy when she found out. She was supposed to call me the second she got results but didn’t. Luckily, I had a feeling I should check on her and caught her right before she was about to alert all the Quorum members. Let’s just say she won’t be around to break my trust again.”

My stomach rolled at the casual way he spoke of “disappearing” someone, but part of me was grateful.

Lucas reached out and touched my face in a tender way. Kyle cleared his throat.

“You need to leave the Hive. Now,” Lucas said to me, and judging by the look on his face he was sporting a major Nutella-flavored unicorn crush.

I shook my head. “Not without Ryder.” I felt sick at the thought of him in that dingy room, without light, or food, enduring God knows what. Damn! We had to get him out.

“Yes, Ryder. Her boyfriend,” Kyle snapped out.

Lucas smiled. “Yes, I’m aware she’s taken. Still, Charlie needs to leave now and he can follow later.”

Sam shook his head. “No, we have a code. We do not leave a man behind. Ever.”

Lucas turned his angry, swirly eyes on the two enforcers. “Do you have any idea how powerful Charlie is? In a world torn apart by a virus that kills a high percentage of those infected and changes the other percentage to bloodsucking monsters, she’s the way out. They will either kill her, experiment on her, or torture her by repeatedly draining her blood.”

Sam stood to his full height now, looking absolutely deadly. “Yes, we know all of this. Give me one reason why I should let you live now that you have knowledge of her abilities.”

Holy shit. I knew Sam had my back, but wow. Threatening to kill a vampire—one strong enough to be a Quorum member—took huge, platinum covered balls.

Lucas only grinned, looking completely unworried. He turned back to me. “You’re in good hands. I’ll help you get Ryder out of the pit and then you must run. I only ask one thing in return.”

Please don’t say kiss me or some weird shit like that.

“Anything,” I replied, because if it was for Ryder, I truly would do anything.

Lucas’ entire face changed then, desperation in his eyes. “Cure me,” he said.

My mouth dropped open.

“No,” Kyle said.

“I’ll do it,” I said. Sam let out a very animal like growl. “But not today. We’re going to need someone on the inside, especially with Tess here. Are you okay with staying vamp for a little while longer? Until this war plays itself out?”

He sucked in a few deep breaths, and finally nodded. “Yes, you’re going to need my help. I’ll figure out a way to communicate with you once you’re gone. We can do much together.”

He was right, but now wasn’t the time to make those plans. We had to deal with the immediate threats. Moving as close as he could get, Sam and Kyle leaning their bulk into the shower with us, the vampire began laying out the plan for getting Ryder out of the pit and us out of the Hive’s prison gates.