Taste of Torment (19 page)

Collins started but recovered quickly, forcing a shaky smile as he stepped back. “Yes, well, it’s good to see that you’re well. I must admit that I didn’t believe there was a way to fight The Call. The counteragent must indeed be a substantial one.” It was a hint for more information. No one had told Collins about Paige West – she had requested her involvement be kept secret from outsiders, not wanting her Sire to hear of her location. ‘Not knowing’ was clearing killing Collins.

Evan didn’t take the bait. Instead, he switched his attention back to Alora. His face softened. “Can we talk?”

Her smile was wobbly. “Sure.” When he held out a hand and she took it, he flashed her a smile and led her out of the room. Hopefully that smile meant good things, because if anyone deserved happiness, it was Evan.

Satisfied, Sam smiled at me. “I have to admit I wasn’t sure if he’d come to see her. Whatever you said to him clearly worked.” She kissed my cheek. “You did good.”

I slipped my arm around her shoulders. “They’ll sort it out.” Or, at least, I hoped they would. I looked at Antonio. “How did the humans take it when they realised all their captives were gone?”

Antonio’s mouth twitched into a smile. “According to Quentin, the whole thing was quite humorous. When they caught the vampires, the humans had thought themselves very clever. To have the captives taken from under their very noses like that…it was a wake-up call; it told them that they truly had no idea what they were dealing with and it was best to leave well alone.”

“It’s doubtful that they will give up on trying to catch and contain some of our kind,” said Sebastian. “But they will have received our message loud and clear.”

Antonio nodded, still smiling. “They were certainly very fast as they packed up and left, or so I’m told.”

It would have been fun to watch. “And all the tainted vampires?”

“Quentin assures me that every last one has been destroyed. There were no other casualties, so all the untainted vampires returned home safely. It was only Sam who was hurt.”

For a second, as I recalled the moment she’d been bitten, the cocktail of dark emotions came back to me. I contracted my arm around her, incredibly thankful that she was okay.

Collins twisted his lips as he looked at her. “At least your recklessness only got yourself hurt this time, Commander Par
k
” He gurgled as my hand fisted in the collar of his shirt and I slammed him against the wall.

“Hurt? She could have fucking died! And that was because she put everyone else’s safety before her own. That’s the kind of person she is. Me? Not so much. I’m selfish enough to care more about her safety than anyone else’s. Do you know what that means for you? It means that if you keep pushing like this, I’ll push back. Know what else?” I placed my face close to his; he froze and his eyes widened. “You won’t even see it coming.”

“You cannot threaten me,” he said shakily.

“Oh I can. And I just did. You’re making the mistake of thinking that working for the Prelature gives you some kind of immunity; that you can do and say what the fuck you like.
No one
will keep you safe from me if you keep spouting bullshit like that about Sam.”

He audibly gulped. “Release me.” It was more of a plea than a demand.

“But this is fun.”

Sam sighed tiredly. “Let him go, Jared. I’m sure he’d like to jot the incident down in his little notepad. Just remember to preface it with your aggravating, insensitive, callous, very disrespectful – not to mention totally unprofessional – comment, Mr Collins.”

Sneering, I reluctantly released the mouthy prick and moved away.

Fixing his tie and shirt, a trembling Collins cleared his throat. “I’ll let this one slide.” Because he knew Sam was right. He’d crossed a line, and my reaction was completely justified.

“Good of you,” muttered Sam.

He practically scrambled to the door. As he reached it, I spoke again. “You should know one other thing. Max isn’t very happy to hear what you said about him. But I’m sure you’ll find out for yourself just how unhappy he is soon enough.” Collins licked his lips nervously and scurried out.

Sam shook her head incredulously. “It’s almost like he
wants
to get hurt.”

“I can’t guarantee he’ll leave here in one piece,” I told Antonio. “If I don’t kill him, it’s possible that someone else will since it’s not just me he’s managed to piss off.”

Antonio glanced at the door, sighing. It had to be disheartening to know that one of his vampires – his first-born, for that matter – was such a damn asshole. And no doubt it was hard for him to see Collins behave this way toward people Antonio cared for – particularly knowing it could very well get Collins badly hurt. A part of Antonio had to feel torn about the whole thing. “If something bad should happen to him while he is here, it will be safe to say that he dug his own grave.”

Fully aware that talking anymore about the asshole would only worsen my mood, I quickly changed the subject. “Where are Paige and Imani?” It would be nice to hear that they had changed their mind and decided to leave – however selfish of me that might be – but I wasn’t optimistic about it.

“They are in the Guest House, resting. It is sad that Paige’s presence here could lead to something awful, but there is no denying that she did us the greatest service. It would be dishonourable to treat her badly.”

I knew that comment was for my benefit. “I don’t intend to treat her with anything but respect. I’m not pleased she’s staying, but she saved Sam and the guys. I’ll always be thankful to her for that.” Of course I hated the fact that Paige being at The Hollow could bring danger to Sam, but she would have died without Paige’s help anyway.

Sam frowned. “Was it just me who noticed that she seems kind of paranoid that we want Imani?”

I began toying with Sam’s hair, twining a long, silky strand around my finger. “No, I noticed that too. It’s odd how overprotective Paige is of her. I’m beginning to wonder if the girl needs protecting from something or someone.”

“When I first found Paige,” began Sebastian, “she panicked and immediately ordered Imani to run. I’d say Imani is in fact in some sort of danger. But if there is some kind of secret, Paige is hardly likely to tell us what it is when she’s as wary of us as she is right now.”

“True,” said Antonio. “I am sure Paige will explain eventually, as I’m assuming she will hope that we will be added protection for Imani if that is indeed what the girl needs.”

“On another note, do you think there are still some tainted vampires out there?” I asked Antonio.

“I held a teleconference with the High Masters a few hours ago,” he replied. “They confirmed that they have tracked down all the tainted vampires from their nest and also those in their vicinity, and that they have destroyed them all. As such, I am hoping there are no more.”

I ran my gaze along Antonio, Luther, and Sebastian. “Do you think The Call will go dormant again now that all the tainted are dead? I mean, how much damage to the population does it usually do before it stops?”

Luther delicately shrugged one shoulder. “It differs each time.”

“And that could either be because all the tainted were destroyed or because The Call was
ready
to go dormant again,” added Sebastian. “It’s reasonable to assume that it is the first. That would be my guess.”

“We have another very big issue.” Luther suddenly looked troubled. “Collins and Eloise will no doubt spread the news of how Sam, Evan, Max, and Stuart have been healed. In addition, Quentin is quite aware that Evan was tainted, so he will get quite a shock when he realises Evan is alive and well. Others will want to know how they were saved. We need to have some sort of story ready.”

“Do not worry,” said Antonio. “I will think of something.” And I had no doubt that he would come up with something good, just as he had when explaining the changes that Sam had undergone. “Now that the tainted have been dealt with, I will soon be making the announcement about the upcoming Coronation. I will schedule the Coronation for in three weeks’ time. By then, if there are any more tainted vampires, it will be apparent.”

“Are you making the announcement by teleconference?” Sam’s nervousness wasn’t obvious in her voice, but I could
feel
it. Who wouldn’t be nervous about ruling all of their own kind?

“Yes. I would like you both to be there.”

I nodded my agreement. “When are you planning to do it?”

“Friday evening.”

So that gave Sam and me five evenings before everything changed for us forever.

“For now, set aside your worries, and enjoy your evening. I hear the squad are throwing a party.” Antonio smiled. “We have all been invited, so we may make an appearance.”

“Then maybe we’ll see you there.” I took Sam’s hand in mine. “Just be aware that when the squad throws a party, they
really
party.”

Chapter Thirteen

(Sam)

Jared couldn’t have been more right. Although the party was supposed to be taking place in Chico’s apartment, the entire apartment block – which housed all ten squads of the legion – was celebrating and partying hard. Music was blasting, food and NSTs were being passed around, and intoxicated humans were lounging in almost every room.

Jared and I made our way up to Chico’s apartment, which proved to be packed with people. Exchanging nods and smiles with everyone, we shouldered our way through the crowd until we found the squad. All ten of them were gathered in the kitchen, laughing at a story that Fletcher was telling them. As Jared and I walked in, the squad turned as one and endowed us with huge grins and back-pats. Of course Max kissed me smack on the mouth just to piss Jared off. Predictably, Jared shoved Max across the room. Everyone, including Max, thought that it was hilarious.

“I’m so glad you came!” squealed Ava as she wrapped her arms around me. I realised then that Cristiano, Norm, Jude, Paige, and Imani were also there. It was certainly a surprise to see the latter two. “And I’m so glad you’re healed! When I heard you’d been bitten and then saw you in that cell, I was in tears.”

Yeah, I remembered seeing Ava so distressed. Touched, I smiled. “I’m fine now, thanks to Paige.” I shot the female a grateful smile. Her answering one was awkward and shaky.

“She and Imani didn’t want to come to the party,” Ava whispered, “but Butch and Stuart dragged them here. As far as the boys are all concerned, those girls are the best things since sliced bread.”

Yes, it did look as though the squad was determined to make the new additions part of our group. Paige and Imani would find it incredibly hard to resist them since Butch and Stuart weren’t the type to take ‘no’ for an answer.

“My darlin’ girl,” drawled Fletcher, pulling me away from Ava and into a huge hug. “I swear I had palpations when I found out you were tainted.” He pulled back and pointed hard at me. “Don’t you ever do that to me again! My heart couldn’t take it a second time.”

Rolling his eyes at his boyfriend’s dramatics, Norm pushed him aside and kissed my cheek. “I could make fun of him, but in all honesty, we were both bawling like babies when we heard what had happened to you.”

“You should know better than to think I’d ever let her die,” interrupted Jared, snorting. Both Fletcher and Norm melted at the sight of him. Oh for the love of all that was holy!

When Jared smiled at someone over my shoulder, I turned to see Evan and Alora coming over. He flashed me a wide smile. “Thanks for being an interfering bitch and keeping Alora so busy that she couldn’t leave until I’d talked to her.”

“I was hoping that Jared would talk some sense into you. Does this mean that you’re keeping her here?”

Evan tugged Alora close. “How could I not?” She blushed, leaning into him.

Hearing a throat clear, I swerved to see Cristiano. This time, there was no smug smirk. I was surprised at how…awkward he seemed. Cristiano was nothing if not terribly sure of himself.

“It’s good to see you…healed.”

“Thanks,” I said simply, waiting for his seemingly ever-present smug smirk to surface. It didn’t come. I wasn’t sure whether to be suspicious or simply glad.

“It was a shock hearing that you’d been bitten, seeing you hurt. I suppose I’ve always thought of you as invincible after the amount of duels I witnessed you have for Victor.” Gruffly, he added, “Just be more careful in future.”

That had my brows flying up. I was expecting Jared to call him a dickhead and tell him to fuck off for giving me a warning like that. But although Jared slid an arm around me in a very possessive gesture, he didn’t curse at Cristiano or order him to bugger off. In fact, Jared nodded at him in greeting. Cristiano even returned the nod. They were practicing civility? What had I missed?
Have you two reached a truce or something?
I asked Jared.

He kissed my temple.
Nope. I’ve just decided to let him live. For now.

Jude came forward, her expression oddly calculating. “I, um, just wanted to ask…would it be so bad if I slit Eloise’s throat?” She was totally serious. Jude did love her knife and would latch onto any excuse to use it.

Before I could answer, Chico came up behind her and began pulling her away. “Jude, remember that talk we had about…” His voice faded as he moved away and the music overrode his words. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know what that ‘talk’ had been about.

Antonio, Luther, and Sebastian turned up later on…and just in time to see Stuart, Max, Evan, and I being perched on the other squad member’s shoulders and paraded around while people cheered. I wasn’t impressed, nor was I happy that Jared didn’t rescue me. Instead, he actually laughed. Plonker. I shot him a look that swore revenge but he just laughed harder.

When Denny and Damien finally finished their circuit around the apartment and returned me to Jared, he gripped my hips and slid me down his body until my feet met the floor. He easily dodged my bitch slap and pinned my hands behind my back. “Come on, baby, how could I not celebrate that you’re healthy and safe?”

Well, when he put it like that…“You’re still a plonker.”

Laughing again, he mashed his mouth with mine and sucked on my bottom lip before giving it a sharp nip. “I’ll make it up to you later.”

And he did.

Ignoring the ‘oh for God’s sake’ sigh that came from my left, I concentrated hard on the very important matter in front of me. Jared knew that I needed to focus, so he could sigh all he wanted. I blocked him out, blocked out everything around me, as I put every ounce of my concentration into dealing with the enemy in front of me. Almos
t


“As much as I’m glad that you love my gift, we have to go. The squad will be waiting.”

“Fine,” I grumbled, saving my progress and switching off the game console. Jared just shook his head at me, smiling. I shrugged a shoulder defensively. “Okay, so I get a little too engrossed in the game.”

He snorted. “That’s the understatement of the year, but whatever. Think Max and Stuart are definitely ready to return to training?”

“They’ve had enough time off.” We had given the entire squad three evenings off training, allowing Max and Stuart to fully recover from the exhaustion that had been riding them and giving the boys some time together. According to Antonio, ‘reconnecting’ would be good for them and for morale. It had also given me a nice break from my annoying shadow. Unbelievably, Collins had turned up at the squad’s party, expecting entry. Butch had opened Chico’s apartment door, looked at Collins blankly, and then allowed it to swing shut in his face. Ava had been delighted by it and had hugged Butch in gratitude. Salem hadn’t liked that.

I’d talked a little with Paige and Imani over the past few evenings, slowly getting to know them. Although Paige was pretty guarded, she was no longer suspicious of me. She wasn’t yet comfortable with everyone else, though. Imani was quiet among a crowd, but she was very chatty at other times – especially around Butch. She was pretty much the only person I knew who thought he was normal. I found both females to be very nice and fun, albeit cagey, people. I still had no clue as to why they still expected to be betrayed by everyone sooner or later, or what it was they were so afraid of. Paige had looked on the verge of telling me a few times, but she had quickly snapped her mouth closed. Winning her trust would obviously take time.

Abandoning my contemplations about Paige and Imani, I took the hand that Jared held out to me. A second later, we were stood in the arena. The entire squad was waiting there, laughing and joking – clearly excited to be training as a whole squad once more. The sight tightened my chest, making me smile. Training hadn’t been the same without them all there together. Unfortunately, Collins and Eloise were also present, sitting in the spectators’ area.

As usual, Eloise was practically half-naked. “You look good this evening, Jared,” she called out, close to purring. She licked her lips as she ran her gaze over him. Her eyes then moved to me and she grimaced. “Rough night?” The insinuation that I looked like shit was clear.

“I’d quite like to kill her,” I told Jared with all seriousness.

His mouth twitched in amusement. “But you know better than to let her get to you. We both know that she’s been baiting you since the second she arrived.”

I did know that. Admittedly, it hadn’t occurred to me in the beginning. But the more she persisted in pushing my buttons, the more I’d come to suspect that she was hoping I would do enough to fuck up the result of the Prelature’s investigation. It could simply be out of spite because I had Jared. But I sincerely doubted it, because she had never pursued him in the past – why bother now if she had originally been satisfied with a one-night stand?

As Antonio had pointed out, I would always have enemies because I had a position of power, so Eloise’s behaviour could even be down to that. Or it could be something else, something darker…Unfortunately, I was beginning to think it was the latter.

As Collins descended the steps and made a beeline for me, I inwardly groaned. Presenting him with a bright but totally false smile, I said, “Yes, Mr Collins?” He began ranting, pointing his finger as he towered over me…but no words came out. My confusion lasted only a few seconds. I sighed at Max, who shrugged. “How long has he been like this?”

“Since he tried to join us for breakfast earlier like we were all chums. He actually tried to play volleyball with us on the beach last night, too. That’s
our
time, Coach, and he’s got no right to bug us then.” Yeah, I could understand how Max felt. I’d been just as pissed when Eloise went to my apartment.

Butch came to Max’s side. “He’s right. That dick’s got some fucking nerve, Coach.”

Max briefly sneered at Collins. “After everything he’s done and what he accused me of, he should be grateful I only took away his ability to speak.”

I hadn’t been there when he confronted Collins the previous night about his claim that Max had contacted the Prelature about me. But apparently the little prick had told Max that he had only alleged it was him to protect the identity of the real complainant. He’d even apologised to Max, but his apology hadn’t been accepted. Collins had made himself an enemy for life in Max. If the entire squad didn’t already despise Collins, they would do so now purely because to go against one of them was to go against all of them.

“You’re right, Max. He deserved this, and he’s lucky he got off so lightly. But now that it’s time for training, I’m going to need you to give him his voice back – sadly.”

The entire squad groaned in both disappointment and frustration. Mumbling under his breath, Max waved his hand at Collins.

“…Parker you have no control over your own…Oh.” Collins paused, clearing his throat with a cough.

When he opened his mouth to speak again, I could tell another rant was coming. I raised my hand. “I don’t have time to listen to your grievances, Mr Collins. I have a squad to train.”

“Yes, well, a particular member of your squa
d
”

“Got mightily pissed off when you approached him during his own time,” I finished. “If you had expected him to react any differently, you only have yourself to blame. The squad has been quite clear since the very beginning that they do not want your company. Had Max targeted you during training hours, I would have reprimanded him. But he didn’t. It’s not his fault that you can’t take a hint now, is it?” Collins said nothing. What
could
he say? I was right, and he was very much aware of that. “Now, is there anything else?”

His usual snooty look reappeared and he straightened to his full height. “Yes, as it happens,” he snapped. “I wish to know if there is a particular reason why you have not yet made use of the tactical field since Eloise and I came here.”

The tactical field was located within the rainforest and was more like a small abandoned village, only the buildings were made of plywood and obviously it wasn’t normal to have drums and piles of tires lying around. We usually trained there once or twice a week, and we sometimes played paintball there as well. It had been a Binding present from Evan, and I bloody loved it. That was the reason why I hadn’t used it since Collins and Eloise had arrived. It was a special place to me that I had no intention of sharing with them. “I use it when I need to, Mr Collins.”

My vague answer clearly irritated him. “It is important that I observe all your training methods,
Commander
Parker. I noticed that the squad have not ceased calling you ‘Coach’, despite that I have repeatedly suggested that you should order them to refer to you with the appropriate title. Allowing them to give you a ‘pet’ name undermines your level of authority.”

Pet name? What-bloody-ever. “I happen to disagree with you. Now if you don’t mind, I have a squad to train, and you’re delaying the session.”

“I would appreciate it if you would move the session to the tactical field.”

And I would have appreciated it if he’d sod off home, but we didn’t always get what we wanted. “Sorry to disappoint you, but that will not be happening.”

He lifted his chin. “Then I will be forced to note your failure to cooperate with my request. I will also note that you persist in wearing vests, revealing more skin than necessary.”