Page 38 of Blood

I open my mouth to speak, but no sound comes out.

Then suddenly, Mack is stepping in front of me, placing himself between Thornfield and me. “Professor Thornfield,” Mack acknowledges, his tone wary.

Thornfield purposefully turns his gaze on Mack. His eyes dance with amusement, as if he’s privy to a joke the rest of us aren’t. “Rhone Mackenzie.” He casts a quick glance at Snow. “And the bear.” He chuckles deep in his throat. “I commend your creativity. I have to say, I wondered how you would manage to get a bear onto a plane.”

“We’ve had a long journey,” Mack says, clearly not willing to entertain pleasantries. “Is there somewhere private we can talk?”

Thornfield smirks. “Is this not private enough? We are alone. The mundanes of this city care little for my displays. Not matter how hard I try to enlighten them.”

“No,” Kole steps forward. He’s taller than Thornfield, and broader, and his entire body hums with annoyance. “It is not private enough.”

Thornfield doesn’t flinch, just looks Kole up and down and nods. “Ink Heart,” he says. “So, you have returned. Zephyra will be thrilled.”

At that, Kole’s entire body jolts with shock. He lunges forward and reaches for Thornfield’s throat, but the vampire simply stands stock still and catches Kole’s wrist in mid-air.

Closing his fingers around Kole’s, Thornfield forces his arm lower.

“Do not say her name in my presence,” Kole spits, eyes darkening.

My heartbeat quickens. Who is Zephyra? I send the question from my mind to Kole’s but he does not answer me.

Thornfield releases Kole’s hand. “Very well,” he says smoothly, brushing down his suit as though it might have become creased from the brief encounter. “My apologies.”

The tension in the room is thick enough to slice with a knife.

Snow growls softly. Thornfield’s eyes flit toward him, then back to Mack. “We can talk in my office. This way.”

18

KOLE

Thornfield’s office is just as ostentatious as the guy himself. Heavy velvet curtains block out any hint of daylight, while candelabras cast flickering shadows across the walls. As we take our seats, he offers us drinks from a decanter on his desk.

“Some port, perhaps?”

While Tanner politely declines and Mack accepts, I say nothing. I fold my arms and, from the corner of the room, assess the vampire we’re supposed to be trusting to help us.

I wait for a vision to hit me. For a sign. For something. But nothing comes.

It’s not that I don’t trust Rev; of course, I do. But I wish I’d felt it myself. I wish I could be sure this trip would be worth the risk. Being back in this city, this building, is like picking at a scab that’s barely healed.

As I watch Thornfield pour the port, I catch sight of his right hand. He’s wearing a ring that catches the light. A large ruby set in ornate silver. I know instantly what it is, although word hadn’t spread to the vamps in Cambridge the last time I was here.Thornfield hands a glass to Mack then looks at me. He follows my gaze and smiles thinly, brushing a pale finger across the top of the ring. “Ah yes, one of my most prized possessions. Crafted centuries ago by a rather skilled witch.”

I glance at Nova. “It allows him to walk in the daylight.”

Her eyes widen. I feel her pulse quicken, which means Thornfield does too. The bastard even moistens his canines right in front of me.

I clench my fists. Beside me, Tanner gives a brief shake of his head. He’s known how on edge I’ve been ever since we landed, and no doubt he can feel the anxious thrumming in my veins turning to anger. Not ideal, but in a city that nearly broke me – now in the company of a vamp who clearly wants to drink our girl’s blood – what does he expect?

Instead of sitting, Thornfield remains standing and clinks glasses with Mack.

Mack doesn’t smile just takes a sip and says, “You’re partial to port?”

“I’m partial to many things.” Thornfield’s eyes drift back to Nova and the look he gives her makes my skin crawl. This time, Mack reacts too, his knuckles whitening as his grip tightens on the glass.

Nova, however, returns Thornfield’s stare with a smile.

Even Snow seems unsettled. And I’m pretty sure that right now each of us wants to tear this vamp’s throat out. Nova may be the Phoenix, but Thornfield is a dangerous fucker.