Survivor - By Kaye Draper Page 0,39

That’s how fast he moved. “You will address me with the respect due your coven leader,” he said coldly.

I dabbed at my split lip and glared up at him. “You’re not my coven leader,” I said slowly. “I don’t even know who you are.” I did my best to sound calm. I wasn’t going to swear and shout again. Lesson learned.

He knelt in front of me, putting us at eye level. His thick brown hair had fallen forward and he brushed it out of his feral eyes. “I am Cashern,” he said softly. “And I am your new owner.” He reached out a finger and wiped the blood dripping from my mouth. He licked his finger, then straightened and stood. His teeth were out. Not a good sign.

“My people have seen you in the presence of vampires- and not just any vampires. You seem to be of some value to that little bitch Leah.”

I looked up at him, not getting it, “So what?”

He laughed. “So now we see just how valuable you are to your precious coven leader. Will she trade her territory to get you back?”

It took me a full minute to process what he had just said. Understanding crashed over me and I felt like a fool. Her presence, her effect on Peter, and the entire coven- Leah was the master vampire. I frowned at my warden. I may be a little slow, but even I saw the dilemma here. If I told him I had only met Leah once, and that I meant nothing to her, then he could just decide to get rid of me. I didn’t want to think about how. But if I lied and told him I was of some value to her, then he would try to ransom me off. It would buy me some time, but I was pretty sure it would also get me killed when he found out I was lying. This man did not strike me as the calm, reasonable type.

I sighed. “I don’t know what to tell you,” I said hesitantly. “I don’t know what my value is to any of the coven.”

He narrowed his eyes at me in thought. “We’ll see.” He headed for the door, pausing to toss a glance back over his shoulder. “If I were you, I would hope to God she wants you back. It’s been some time since I’ve drained a human....” Pausing, he crossed the room again. I flinched when he grabbed my arm, roughly snatching the charm bracelet from my wrist. I shut my eyes and said nothing as the door closed behind him. He was only trying to scare me. I hope.

Soft, unprepossessing, earthy Leah was a master vampire. What would she do? If she didn’t care to rescue me, would Peter come for me? Would she let him? I looked around the little room. It was designed for holding normal, human-type people. There was the ratty orange couch where I sat, a very small room with a toilet and a sink, and a case of water bottles. I’d seen dead bolts on the outside of the door when they carried me in here. Even if I could walk over there and pound on it, I would never be able to break those locks.

I curled up on the couch, put my head in my hands, and cried. Sure, I’d like to say I was all tough about it, but that would be a lie. I rarely ever left my house and now I was who knows how far away from home, at the mercy of some territory hungry psycho, and surrounded by people that weren’t human. I doubt anyone even realized I was missing yet. Peter would probably be the first one to realize. Mom and Chelsea wouldn’t notice for a day or two. And even then, they’d just assume I was avoiding them. This Cashern guy was probably contacting Leah right now. What would she say? My mind wandered in circles. There was just nothing I could do but wait.

Finally, Number One returned. He had a camera hanging around his neck. Big ol’ freaking tourist. I sat up and wiped my hand across my eyes, trying to erase the tear tracks. He stood looking down at me for a minute or two, no expression on his face. “Leah says she doesn’t know you,” he said evenly. “Cashern believes she is lying. He wishes for us to send her a little postcard to jog her memory.”

I frowned at