Caleb breathed deeply and let it out slowly. “Don’t worry about it. I’m reliably informed by my woman that this is to be expected and everything is playing out as it should. I hate it when she does her ‘seer’ act and can only tell me little cryptic things. Annie’s not sure exactly how this is all going to play out she just knows it’s meant to happen. Though what the fuck ‘she has to save three souls’ means I have no idea.”
There was the sound of feminine laughter in the background and then Rhianna came on the phone. “Don’t listen to him, Josh. He gets grumpy when he’s not the one knowing everything. We’re expecting our guest’s arrival and will plan for it. Thanks for alerting us that it will be happening so soon. I wasn’t expecting this one to play out for a few months.”
Joshua was relieved at her light tone and the feeling of total confidence radiating from Rhianna. She was paranoid in her need to protect those she loved so if she wasn’t concerned about Thereasa’s imminent arrival then he didn’t feel so bad about it.
“Glad I didn’t fuck up too badly,” he smiled, though his hunger was starting to take a stronger grip. He really did need to feed. He was about to say goodbye when something else occurred to him. “Oh, she probably thinks she’s following Mac’s scent. I don’t believe Demetri disabused anyone of thinking he was Mac who they were expecting.”
“Which will throw off her search for a while once she hits stateside,” Caleb answered having liberated the phone from his mate. “Thanks for all your help on this, Joshua. I don’t think it would have turned out so well without you.”
“Anytime, Caleb. I think I still have three more favours to repay. I’m looking forward to the day when you actually owe me one. I think that will be even better than Demetri owing me.”
Joshua laughed and said goodbye, turning to the woman waiting patiently for his attention. She was rather pretty and it wasn’t just her blood which was tempting him. “Come on, honey. Let’s go somewhere private so we can both enjoy ourselves.”
As he wasn’t about to indulge his sexual lust with Thereasa after all, he might just as well make his feeding a night to remember for the pretty brunette tucked under his arm.
*****
Reasa clutched her prize tightly, already on her way to the airport which thankfully was close to where she’d waylaid Joshua. Luck had been on her side tonight. First she had waited at the airport for hours, sure that if Mac could save Pietro they would eventually end up there. Her persistence had paid off.
She’d been relieved to see the dark-haired vampire looking so much better after his ordeal. The fact that this Mac person had managed to save him from the Amort overdose only added to her interest in him.
Louis valued their friendship enough to halt any further action against the Vârcolac and now Mac was miraculously saving the dead. She’d never truly believed Pietro could’ve been brought back from the brink, despite wishing it so.
Her second stroke of luck had been Joshua. She’d followed him on impulse sensing his weak mental barriers because he needed to feed. At full strength, he’d have been aware if she’d tried to get inside his mind but it had turned out to be easy as he was distracted by the waitress.
The fedora was a gift from God. Mac’s scent was all over it and it hadn’t taken much to boost Joshua’s already heightened lust to allow her to get close enough to steal it. She’d gotten a little carried away because of Joshua’s charms. He was a very sexy male and she was as sexual in nature as any other vampire.
For a moment she’d been tempted to spend a few hours with him, but he was stronger than she’d first thought. He’d managed to slip her compulsion long enough to escape her wiles which was probably a good thing. Once he’d fed he would have been too much on his guard and she didn’t have the strength to manipulate a very strong mind at the moment. She was still too drained from having to break through Pietro’s mental barriers.
Still, regretful as it was that she couldn’t have a little fun with Joshua, she had what she really needed, a way to track Mac once she got stateside. She knew the flight plan of the only private plane waiting to depart and also knew that there was a hold up on take-off. There was no doubt in her mind that this private charter was the one her quarry would be on.
It would only take a little judicious work on her part but she could steal a ticket from a human who was due to fly on an earlier flight arriving at the same airport. Human mind manipulation was so much easier than vampires. It wouldn’t tax her strength too much to divert any suspicions from the flight attendants or boarding personnel.
She would be lying in wait when the private plane touched down and then the hunt would begin in earnest. Mac would lead her to the abominations and once she’d worked out how to get close to them, she would ensure they were removed from the world.
It might take her a while to get inside their guardians’ minds and turn them from seeing her as an enemy into seeing her as a friend, but she had faith she could do it. All she had to do was stay hidden from Louis and the Vârcolac’s elite guard long enough. It was only a matter of time before she would complete her task.
To be continued…