The insults behind her quieted. “Yes.” He spoke. “Sorin hit me quite hard so my thoughts were muddled.”
She breathed a sigh of relief and clung to what little faith she still had in the vampire. “What were you doing in the tunnels?” She inhaled deeply and caught Susan’s scent. The human had gone this way. Had Benic led them astray?
“Yes, Benic.” Ahote grabbed the vampire by the shoulders and pinned him to the wall. “Why don’t you recount your tale for us?”
Kele watched as Ahote slid his claws into Benic’s flesh. The scent of old blood now masked all others in the tunnel. At this point it didn’t matter. Sorin had Susan and was probably already on Apisi land.
Benic’s green eyes glinted with the lantern light as his gaze slid from Ahote to her. “I went to Temple lands to search for evidence of Susan’s story.” He grunted as the shifter shoved him harder against the stone wall.
“You have no business on those lands, vampire.”
“I have every business. By vampire law, I own all this. It would be good of you to remember who your master is.”
Ahote’s muzzle opened wide enough for Kele to count his back molars as he dove to ingest Benic whole.
“Stop it!” she shouted loud enough for the echo to hurt her sensitive hearing.
Jerking to a halt, the shifter shot her a glare, his ears pinned flat to the top of his head.
She assessed Benic carefully. He was provoking Ahote on purpose. A distraction? From what? “Did you find your evidence?” The scent of his anxiety grew. Odd how the smell of fear hadn’t surfaced while a shifter threatened to eat him. Either Benic wasn’t afraid to die or he thought himself a better warrior than Ahote. She didn’t care to find out the answer.
“Doesn’t matter now. The human is gone.” From her experience in dealing with Benic, that translated to a yes.
“Hold him still.” She waited while Ahote twisted Benic around and pinned him to the wall so he couldn’t move. Searching his gear and pockets, she found nothing, but within his pouch… “We were supposed to search for this together this morning.” She held up a white rectangle with Susan’s image somehow affixed to it. Scratching the surface, she couldn’t find an edge to the picture. “Amazing. Then you believe her story about other worlds is true?”
“What?” Ahote twisted to face her and must have loosened his grip on Benic, since the vampire tore from his hold. He didn’t run though.
Benic straighten his chainmail shirt. “Yes, I believe her.” Once again he smelled like truth.
She rubbed the odd, solid material with her thumb. “So you decided to search for this without me last night. You made it through the tunnels easily enough on your way out but lost your way on the return?”
“Why am I the one being questioned?”
Raising an eyebrow, she tried not to laugh. “Because you were the last one to see them, silly.”
He made a disquieting noise. “I’ve taught you too well, Kele.”
“Yes, you have, and you still haven’t answered most of my questions, ferret.”
“Very well. Sorin ambushed me within the tunnels and forced me to lead them out. I did my best to persuade Susan to return to my castle instead. When I had her convinced, Sorin attacked me.” He pointed to the bruise on his face. “He knocked me unconscious and I assume took Susan with him.”
“We should have protected her better.” Kele noticed Ahote flinched but she hadn’t directed the comment at him on purpose. Males… She rolled her eyes. Susan had worn Ahote’s mark. Sorin stealing her away would reflect poorly on the dark shifter.
Pocketing the strange item that bore Susan’s likeness, Kele left the males where they stood.
“Where are you going?” Benic grabbed the lantern and hurried to follow.
“Back to the den. Like you said, Sorin and Susan are long gone. There’s not much I can do for her.” The Apisi were known for their feral treatment of lesser pack members, but Sorin didn’t seem to act like his father who she’d only met once as a child and had had nightmares about for weeks.
Sorin didn’t stir those kinds of fears. Then again, she’d grown up and learned to deal with her terrors.
Ahote joined them, his ears twitching in annoyance. “All this bother and no results. Your father won’t be happy about losing Sorin.”
“I know.” She sighed. That meant the pack would walk on eggshells for the next few days. Better to stay within her rooms or better yet… “We can camp on Temple lands until my father’s temper cools. Susan expressed her wish to return home many times. Maybe she’ll come back in search of the blue light?”
Ahote caught her gaze, an understanding passed between them and he nodded. “I’ll gather supplies.” He’d be the center of her father’s displeasure if he stayed.
She restrained a smile. He was the closest thing she had to a sibling. They’d grown up together as pups and understood each other’s thoughts at times. If he wasn’t such a dog turd, she would have considered mating him.
Sunlight marked the exit out of the tunnels, and she hurried to leave her entourage behind.
However, Benic caught her in the den’s garden by the entrance. “We could organize a rescue.”
She spun around. Her long braid swung with the sharp momentum and landed over her shoulder. She gripped it like a security rope and tugged. “A rescue?”
“We can’t leave her there.”
“We can’t cross into Apisi territory either. My father won’t start a war over a female he considers a stray.” She didn’t need her nose to smell the scheming.
“She’s a different…” He glanced at some guards who were dressing by the entrance then pulled her farther into the garden. “From another world.”
“So what?” She released her braid.
“Aren’t you the least bit curious about what she knows?”
“A little. Not enough to break our laws. Or allow you to take her away.” She glimpsed Ahote over Benic’s shoulder as he dressed.
Her guard watched them, his face stern.
“Why would you think that?”
“Vampires always seek to control the unknown. I can see Susan’s whole existence inspiring new ideas in your mind.” The human had nobody to protect her. No pack, no family, no species. If Benic stole her away, no one would stop him.
“I’m not going to take her prisoner, Kele. She didn’t appear to want to leave with Sorin. She wanted to come with me.” Benic drew closer and rested his hand on her shoulder. “Who knows what he’s doing to her?”
“Sorin wouldn’t mistreat a person.” Doubt clawed her gut. She couldn’t ignore the terrible stories circulating about the Apisi.
“You don’t know him. The last Apisi alpha abused his people. Why do you think that has changed?” With a light touch, he trailed his hand along her arm.
Goose bumps blossomed on her skin, and her back went rigid at the suddenly pleasant sensation. “Sorin’s not his father’s son.”
“Is that so?” Something possessive flashed in his green eyes. “Why do you think this?”
“Not that it should be any of your concern but when I found Susan, I spoke with Sorin then. He could have attacked as Ahote did or attempted to make deals like you but he held to our laws. He acted as an alpha should.”
Benic clenched his jaw as he stared down at her. The ferret she’d played with growing up had changed to something darker, hungrier. “Monsters beget monsters. Sorin may act more rational than his sire but eventually, his feral side will prevail.”
“I don’t believe—but…” Was it possible? She didn’t sense evil in Sorin. Had she read her instincts so poorly? The Apisi pack had a bad reputation for a reason. What was happening to Susan as they spoke? Maybe Benic was correct and they should rescue her.