As if hearing this inner dialogue, he lifted his gaze. “You can sleep in this room, if you like. That sofa is quite comfortable. I will introduce you to the night staff, and of course, I will be on the premises until dawn. You won’t be disturbed.”
Ari parted her lips to protest, but he stopped her with a sharp look. “Staying alone is not an option.”
“Is that an order?”
He looked at her in silence.
“And you expect that to work?”
Andreas let out a long breath and laid his papers aside. He swiveled the chair toward her. “I hoped you would see the necessity for this precaution. The wolves will eliminate anyone in their way.” He leaned forward, forearms on thighs, his eyes serious. “You would be the logical next target, and your team can’t afford to lose its leader.”
She released a sigh of her own. Why she was arguing with him? She knew her apartment wasn’t safe. The longer she stayed there, the more she invited an attack and the more she endangered the other tenants. But damn, she resented Andreas telling her what to do. Of course, giving in gracefully, especially when she was wrong, could be a good thing. Yeah, right. It wasn’t likely to become a habit with her. Maybe just this once, but no way would she return to the compound, hauled home like some willful adolescent. She could imagine Lilith’s peals of laughter.
* * *
Later that night, as she lay curled on the sofa, patrol completed, her own pillow retrieved from her apartment and fluffed under her head, Ari’s thoughts returned to the unproductive search for the wolves. How did they continue to elude her search? Who was the insider helping them? And most important of all, what were they planning next?
She woke when something brushed her arm. Terrified the wolves had found her, she grabbed for the dagger under her pillow. Strong hands caught her wrists. Before she panicked, a familiar energy registered.
“Arianna.”
She relaxed, willing her pounding pulse to slow. Good thing he had quick reflexes. Andreas released her.
“I apologize,” he said, so close she breathed in the scent of his cologne. “I didn’t intend to frighten you. It is almost dawn. The SUV is at the curb. We have searched outside and nothing seems amiss. It is safe, if you depart soon.” He moved away, switching on the desk lamp.
“OK.” She sat up, trying to shake the remaining fuzz out of her head, and blinked at the sudden light. This was not the ideal way to waken. Adrenaline and a sleep-drugged brain don’t mix well.
“Here.” He handed her a cup of coffee. “This should help.”
Ari half curled under the warm blanket. She must have been sleeping hard. She sipped at the dark liquid. Hmm. His special blend. Yummy. She lifted her drowsy lashes to peek at Andreas. He looked good in black slacks and, surprise, a silver shirt. She never doubted the brand. The shirt hugged his chest and shoulders in all the right places. He looked rather yummy himself.
Whoa, scratch that thought. Vampire, she reminded herself. She sat up straighter and took another sip. “I’m fine now,” she said. Whether the reassurance was meant for him or her, Ari wasn’t sure.
Andreas smiled, his eyes glinted as if he’d read her mind, and he slipped out the door.
Chapter Thirty-One
Despite the abrupt beginning, the rest of the day on Sunday was quiet. Even the warehouse district shut down for the Sabbath, and the surveillance cameras only showed an occasional dog sniffing around, watering the dried weeds near the building. A couple of squirrels scampered across the roof and set off the sensors mid-afternoon. That caused a momentary stir until Mike pinpointed the culprits on camera seven.
Shortly after five o’clock, Carmella strolled into the room with two well-armed male vamps. Normally Ari might have been surprised to see the vamps this early, but Riverdale had switched to standard time, the regular ‘fall back.’ It got dark earlier. What did surprise her was Carmella’s presence instead of Andreas’s.
“You can all go do whatever you do now,” Carmella said. “They,” she indicated the two male vamps, “will take over for the night, and you have to clear this room. I understand you’re staying in the compound, but keep out of their way.”
Carmella had such a charming way about her. For a moment Ari thought Lilith was going to say something, then she shrugged. Good decision. Irritating old vamps was not a wise idea. Carmella didn’t hang around for