Gaslight (Crossbreed #4)(86)

“Leave it on the bedside table,” Christian said. “Wait in the hall. I’ll be out in a minute. And stop flashing your fangs everywhere you go. You’re scaring the help.”

Chitahs usually showed their teeth as a means of aggression, but sometimes when Claude was being overprotective, they came out. He retracted them and flashed his golden eyes at me. “I’m here if you need anything.”

I touched my wet hair. “Thanks.”

When the door closed, Christian stood up and turned the ring on his finger. “Can I ask you something before I go?”

I stared at the metal puzzle box on my desk. “Depends.”

“Do you remember what I said to you in the graveyard?”

I frowned. “When I found you in the crypt?”

He looked toward the window. “No, the other time.”

Pain lanced through my temple. “I don’t remember another time. Can we do this tomorrow? My head is killing me, and I just want to sleep.”

Christian clasped his hands behind his back and bowed. “Don’t worry yourself about it. You need rest. Eat every bite on that plate, and if you want anything else, I’ll be outside the door.”

I turned to watch him go. “All night?”

He turned the knob and showed me his profile. “I’ll make it right again, Raven. I vow that every wrong will be made right, even if you don’t know what was done to you.”

“I’m well aware of what was done to me.”

His face hardened, and with a quick bow, he left the room without another word.





Chapter 26





Two weeks later.





I anchored my left foot on a hold and gripped a larger one above me. Maybe I should have worn a harness since we didn’t have crash pads on the floor, but in our rock-climbing room, there were no rules. It was one of the few rooms with overhead lights since scaling walls by candlelight was insanity. It wasn’t the most professional layout, but whoever built this room put a lot of work into the high walls, attaching holds of all sizes and shapes throughout. The activity had gotten me through the past couple of weeks, training my focus, patience, and endurance as well as rebuilding lost muscle. Moping around wasn’t my style, and nothing felt more kick-ass than scaling to the top.

After my rescue, I’d shoved aside my emotions and worked on conditioning my body back to its original state. That meant rest, eating in my room, and working out privately. That was the great thing about Keystone—no one hovered.

“You’re going to break your neck up there,” Christian said from below.

I peered over my shoulder when I saw one of the ropes next to me whipping around. “I like the challenge.”

“Viktor wants to speak with you.”

Finally.

Viktor had attempted once before to speak with me, but I’d asked for some recovery time. They hadn’t found Fletcher or any additional homes registered in his name. He’d disappeared off the face of the earth, and so the case died. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that Viktor wanted to assess if I was capable of continuing my work with Keystone. I’d spent the past two weeks getting my mind and body in shape so I could not only convince him I was ready to go back to work, but say it with conviction.

“Shall I tell the boss you’ll be another hour?” he asked.

I changed my hand position and grabbed the nearest rope, which was anchored to the wall above. Using a method Blue had taught me, I put the rope between my legs and carefully brought the tail end around my waist and over the front of my chest like a seat belt, letting the rest drape over my shoulder in the back. Then I grabbed that end with my right hand and the part in front of me with my left and walked down the wall. She’d advised me not to grab the rope freehand and climb straight down since one slip could mean either rope burn or a broken neck. Within seconds, my feet touched the floor.

“Should I change?”

Christian looked down at my tight black shorts but gave no reply.

I wiped my sweaty face on my T-shirt. “Can I ask you something before I talk with him?”

He nodded, hands in his pockets.

“Why did you leave me?”

A spark of confusion crossed his face.

“At the club, I mean. Why did you leave me alone in the parking lot? I’ve been going over that night, trying to figure out where it all went wrong. I trusted that guy because he didn’t look like a Vampire, but you must have heard our conversation from inside. When he charmed me and started up the engine, didn’t you realize what was happening? Why didn’t you come for me?”

Christian lifted his chin. “No answer will be good enough.” He turned on his heel and left the room.

I jogged after him until I caught up. “That’s it? That’s all I get? You were supposed to look out for me that night. I take blame in this too, but you’re my partner. You’ve been around the block enough times to know when a Vampire’s charming a person.”

“I shouldn’t have left you alone.”

“He led me to his car. He spiked my drink with sensory magic. Didn’t my behavior seem off?”

Christian didn’t answer. Typical.

Our brief walk led to a study on the first floor. Viktor was seated in one of two wingback chairs facing the fireplace. Christian remained in the hall and closed the door once I was inside.