Page 87 of Deadly Cravings

Calliope stared at me with her eyebrow lifted high on her forehead.

“Hello, human,” she said in a suspiciously friendly tone.

My lips parted and I shut them again, my mind whirling.

“W-what do you want?” My stomach was in knots.

“He didn’t finish serving his time.” Calliope clicked her tongue, shaking her head as if dejected, but it was a show. She did it too mockingly. “I came to make a deal with you.” The corners of her lips tilted up. My racing mind screeched to a halt. “I’m not like you, you know?” She sniffed. “Sneaking into someone else’s house uninvited.” She stepped closer, looming over me.

“What do you want?” I said, the words rasping from my throat.

“You owe me. You and dear Ren murdered so many of my children.” Her hand settled on her chest with the exaggerated words.

“You’re ridiculous.”

“Unless you want me to destroy that coven you dearly care about, I would do as I say.” I stiffened. “I want you to get something for me in the Crimson manor.” She paused in a dramatic fashion. “Nothing much. It’s this little black storage vase. Seems inconspicuous and featureless but there are little etchings near the circling lip. You get me that and I’ll forget about all about my people Ren slaughtered without cause and I won’t turn every single vampire in this country against them.”

I struggled swallowing.

“I don’t even know where it is?—”

“Should be either with the ex-priest, or the angry twin.”

I blinked at her.How did she know that?I didn’t have the guts to ask her. Her request turned in my head.

I licked my lips. This wasn’t a good idea. It was going behind their backs and I wouldn’t do that but telling that to her face seemed like I was asking to be murdered.

Instead, I jerkily nodded.

I backed up, leaving my cart behind as I gave her a wide berth.

“And Catalina,” she called. I turned back toward her and she was suddenly in my face. I sucked in a breath. “Do you want their slaughter on your conscience?”

My mouth dried up and I shook my head. Seemed like her good side was properly tucked away.

“Good.” She smiled. “I’ll leave you to it. Make sure to give me a call.” She tossed my cell phone into my cart.When had she gotten a hold of it?

She sashayed away, her hips swaying as her heels clicked on the linoleum. She seemed out of place, like she was plucked from the Victorian era with her wide gown.

Helplessness closed in on me. I slumped back until my shoulders hitsomething. I tipped my head back and squeezed my eyes closed.What pissing contest had I stepped in the middle of?

THIRTY-NINE

catalina

I tappedmy fingertips against the sofa cushion. They were taking forever to get back. Asher and Tobias headed out to fetch more blood—whatever that entailed. According to what Asher had said, they were going through them too quickly. As for Ren, I had no idea where he was, and I didn’t ask questions about him. Jax was absent, as he’d recently been.

I’d been waiting in their living room for almost an hour now, and the curiosity was close to driving me insane. I’d talked myself out of marching upstairs more than a few times, but incessant questions kept rounding my thoughts: Once I told them . . . what if they didn’t tell me what it was Calliope wanted? Or why it was important enough for her to threaten me?

It wasn’t like I’d give Calliope anything anyway. I wasn’t going to betray them; I just wanted answers . . .

I was already on my feet and climbing up to the second floor. I shouldn’t do this, but if I didn’t look myself, I doubted they would share everything.

Licking my lips, I shoved open Jax’s door. If he caught me, he’d be so angry, so I needed to search quickly. Once they all got back, I would tell them everything she’d said when she cornered me.

I stepped into the bedroom and flipped the switch. Jax’s room was down the hall on the second floor. I’d thought Tobias’s bedroom was bland, but he had nothing on Jax. The comforter was an onyx color and he had exactly one pillow on it. Oh, and it was about half the size of Asher’s.

There was a dresser on the farthest side of the room and... that was it. Even so, I quickly swept over the room and even peeked in the bathroom to check if there was anything, but no. Jax was either minimalistic or had some other secret space where he put everything. He didn’t even have a closet or wardrobe like Asher.