Jeanne Stein - Chosen

He signals to the doorman. “Would you be kind enough to call Ms. Strong a cab?”

I wave the doorman off. “That won’t be necessary. Lance brought me, he’ll take me home.”

Again, a shake of the head. “I’m afraid not. Broderick and I have a lot of catching up to do. If you insist on leaving, it will be alone.”

I look up at Lance. He has shut me out of his head.

My stomach contracts at the thought that he would want to stay. When he meets my gaze his expression is resigned and unafraid. What is wrong with him? He can’t see this man is evil?

Lance takes my shoulders in his hands. “I won’t be long.”

No. Lance, he can’t force you to stay. If it’s a spell—

He kisses me, softly, on the lips. Spell? Why would you think that? Julian is not forcing me. I want to stay.

He drops his hands.

Underwood is watching me. Once again, he signals the doorman, who picks up a telephone at the valet desk.

Lance leaves me with a small wave. Underwood and I stare at each other.

“Don’t fight it, Anna. Broderick and I are old friends. I’ll send him back to you when we’ve caught up.” He drags a finger down the length of my right arm. “He’s safe with me.”

My skin burns where his finger touched my skin. I jerk back, instantly angry with myself for the reaction. It’s just what Underwood expected, his eyes narrowing with satisfaction.

“You fuck.”

But Underwood has already turned away from me. I stare at his back.

I don’t know what to do. I know I can’t stay. When I looked into Underwood’s eyes, I was looking into an abyss—empty, threatening, full of horror. I’m afraid if I stay, I’ll be drawn into that pit. Even the depth of my disgust isn’t enough to protect myself from this kind of evil. How could I imagine I’d be able to protect Lance?

I’ll have to trust Lance’s instincts. Underwood is his sire. It’s too late now to ask the questions I should have asked him earlier. The questions I’ll ask him the minute he gets home.

Underwood is more than an old-soul vampire. He possesses more than vampiric powers. He uses sorcery.

What sort of creature does that? What sort of demon?

I’m alone in the house.

Restless.

Afraid.

Not for myself. For Lance.

I never should have left him. I let that bastard Underwood get to me. Now he’s out there somewhere with Lance, and I’m here making myself crazy with worry. The worst thing? I don’t know why. It’s not as if Lance isn’t capable of taking care of himself.

A clock somewhere chimes the hours. Midnight. Lance has been gone three hours.

I’m not waiting any longer.

I run upstairs, change out of the gown and into jeans and a T-shirt. I grab my keys and head for the garage.

Shit. I realize I don’t know where the restaurant is located. I didn’t pay attention on the ride over. I plug the name into the Jag’s GPS system and the directions flash on the screen.

I’m there in twenty minutes. The parking lot is still full. Music floats on the air from a lounge somewhere to the right.

The doorman stops me at the door. “I’m sorry, miss. No jeans after nine.”

I stare at him. I didn’t think places that had dress codes still existed. I fish a twenty out of my wallet. “I won’t stay long. I just need to see if my friend is inside.”

He waves away the money. “Sorry. Maybe if you tell me your friend’s name?”

“Lance Turner. No, wait. He’s probably known here as—”

“Rick.” The guy grins. “The model, right? Sure. He was here. With Julian Underwood’s party. They left about ninety minutes ago.”

Ninety minutes? “Do you know where they went?”

He shakes his head. “No. Sorry.”

A couple approaches and he moves away to open the door. When he comes back, I add another twenty to the first. “You wouldn’t happen to know where Mr. Underwood lives, do you?”

He frowns. “If I started giving out customer’s personal information, I wouldn’t have a job very long, would I?”

Shit. He continues to glare at me as if I’ve insulted his integrity. He’s a valet at a goddamned restaurant, for Christ’s sake. It makes me want to show him what a real insult would be—knocking his ass to the ground in front of all his “customers” and slapping him until he squeals like a girl.

But what good would that do? None, except get me arrested.

I turn my back on the self-righteous jerk, run to the car. Time to move on.

Maybe Adele is back and knows where I can find Underwood. She knows so much about Lance’s life, she’s bound to know where “the boys” like to party.

I let myself back into the house through the garage. The MG is still gone. I’m beginning to feel more anger than concern—at Lance, at myself. Why would he stay with Underwood instead of coming home with me? Why did I let him?

I start up the stairs, calling to Adele.

There’s no answer.

Then I hear it.

A moan.

It stops me.

I grow still.

Listen.

It comes again. So soft, so low, it takes all my concentration to get a bearing on the sound. A human ear would never pick it up. In the silence that follows, I wonder if I imagined it. Could it be the wind?

No.

When it comes a third time, I feel pain behind it.

A spasm of alarm triggers the animal instinct. I feel the pain because I’m meant to feel it. I know it as surely as I know whose pain I’m feeling.

Lance.

Somewhere in this house. Not upstairs.

I ignore the frenetic beating of my heart.

Concentrate.

Lance, where are you?

No answer. Another ghostly moan.

From somewhere beneath me.

A basement?

Lance didn’t show me a basement today.

Why isn’t Adele here? She could tell me—

No time.

I start for the most logical place to find basement access. That cavern of a kitchen. There are no obvious doors that look like they would lead to a set of stairs. What next? There are a dozen sets of cabinets lining the back and one side of the kitchen. I open a half dozen before I hit on the right set. This one conceals not shelves and drawers but stairs.

I run down and into the darkness. It smells musty and dry. Old wine and long-forgotten root vegetables. Dust. Something else.

Blood.

Vampire eyes have no trouble seeing in the dark. They welcome it. Senses become more acute. Instincts sharpen.

I listen and watch. No more sound. No movement. I probe the darkness with my mind. I feel it. Lance is here.

He’s here.

Lance.

No response except an unusual one. An instantaneous shutting down of his mind. He’s hiding from me.

From me?

But not fast enough.

In two steps, I’m across the floor. I see him, huddled in the corner. He’s naked, curled in a fetal position.

My human voice. “Lance. Why didn’t you answer me? What’s the matter?”

He burrows deeper into the corner. “You have to leave me alone, Anna.”

I step closer. “You’re hurt. I can see it. What happened?”

Go away. Please. You’ll only make it worse.

Make what worse?

I’m at his side now. Close enough to see his face. Close enough to feel his despair. Close enough to see the bloody tracks ripped across his back.

My hand flies to my mouth, stifling the gasp. I don’t ask who did this to him. I don’t have to ask. I know.

I know.

I bend down, take his hand, hold it against my heart. “Let me help you upstairs.”

He pulls away. I don’t let him. After a moment, he gives in. Rises on shaky legs. I don’t know when Adele will be back. I look around to find something to cover his nakedness. There’s an old blanket on the floor. I wrap it around his waist. He allows me to lead him upstairs.