“You’re holding yourself in high esteem, Alpha.” Raze slid behind the wheel. “But after what she did for you yesterday, I guess you have a right to.”
“Mind your own business,” he warned without heat. “She’s safe with me.”
The vampire pul ed out of the lot, leaving a smal sand cloud in their wake. “There’s an off chance I might come to like you.”
“I won’t hold my breath.”
“Yeah…I wouldn’t recommend it.”
“We need to get that cooler to Grace.” Vash jerked her chin at the red and white ice chest on Syre’s desk.
He lifted the lid and frowned at the contents. “What’s al this?”
“The stuff we used to transfuse Lindsay’s blood into Elijah.”
Syre’s gaze met hers. “You’re suspicious. Because Adrian sent her instead of a bag of blood?”
“I saw his eyes when I had a knife to her throat. He’d bleed for her and wouldn’t think twice. So why didn’t he?” She paced. “I wish I knew what she’d said to him while I was knocked out in the back of the car.”
“You think she talked him into letting her come. Why?”
“I know she did. And she did it for him, of course. Hasn’t everything she’s done been for him?”
“But wasn’t this as much about the Alpha?”
“Yeah, she came for Elijah, too.” Her hands fisted and she clasped them behind her back to hide the tel tale movement. “But that wouldn’t have been enough for Adrian to let her go. There’s something else. After al , what she gave us was pretty much Adrian’s blood, filtered. Why was that acceptable and not the pure stuff? I’m hoping Grace can figure it out.”
Closing the cooler, Syre leaned back against his desk and tracked her movements with his gaze. “Grace is busy researching the Wraith Virus.”
“Then we get someone else. We need more lab rats anyway. Every day that passes, the infection spreads. If we don’t get a lid on this, we’re going to give Adrian the excuse he needs to take us al out. We need to test lycan blood as wel . The wraiths were al over Elijah. They completely ignored me and Salem, but ingesting El’s blood kil ed them. I know we want a cure, but we may not have the luxury of one. We may need to take the infected down for damage control, and if lycan blood is poisonous to them, we should know that.”
“I’l look into some suitable ‘lab rat’ candidates. As for lycan blood, it could be the touch of demon in them that’s the culprit.”
“Wel , there’s an endless supply of demons. If we need to test them, too, I’l round some up when I get back.”
“You’re heading out?”
She stopped pacing and told him about Elijah’s queries to Adrian.
“And Adrian just gave up this information voluntarily?” Syre crossed his arms. “To the very lycan who’s weakened his position so drastical y?”
“I’m sure Lindsay argued on Elijah’s behalf. Again.”
“She’s that close to the Alpha? Is there something between them?”
Vash exhaled harshly. “Friendship. Adrian would’ve kil ed him if it was anything else. Actual y, maybe they’re more like family—siblings or close cousins. She gave up her mortal life to be with Adrian; I can’t imagine she had many close ties to be able to do that so easily. And Elijah…he’s somewhat of a lone wolf. He’s a hands-on leader, but he doesn’t share so much as he supports. What few friends he has are valuable to him.”
He’d kil for them. Was planning on kil ing her for one of them. That Lindsay was one of the rare and fortunate people to occupy that inner circle in Elijah’s life irritated Vash to no end. Knowing there was nothing romantic involved didn’t stem her irrational jealousy. And thinking about just how much Micah must have meant to Elijah sent acidic surges of guilt through her. She’d learned long ago not to nurse regrets. It was too dangerous to do so when living an endless life. But hurting Elijah as she had…for a crime he’d turned out to be innocent of…it ate at her.
“So you’re taking him with you to Huntington?” Syre asked.
“Yes. I told you my price in the beginning—I’d round him up for you, but I get what I need from him, too.”
His mouth curved. “I haven’t forgotten.”
“I’l check in and keep you apprised. It shouldn’t take long.” She was eager to get going. Not just to get the task done but to work alongside Elijah.
In the tasks they’d tackled together so far, he’d balanced her. Leveled her out. And she’d done the same for him. They worked wel together.