Part 10 (2/2)

”Did Keaton know you were going to the bus station last night?”

She paused, thinking. ”I told him I was going home to Louisiana. I might have mentioned I was taking the bus--”

Gideon snarled and got out of the tub. Water sluiced off his naked limbs and torso. ”I need to see Keaton for myself. It's the only way I can be certain.” He thought about the hour of the day--probably just past noon--and cursed roundly.

Savannah climbed out too, and stood beside him. She put her hand on his shoulder. ”Gideon, what do you need to be certain of?”

”Keaton's injuries the night of the attack,” he said. ”I need to know if he was bitten.”

”I don't know. I didn't see that much when I touched Rachel's bracelet.” She stared at him in confusion. ”Why? What will it tell you if Keaton was bitten?”

”If I see him, I'll know right away if he's still human or if he's been bitten and bled by his attacker. I need to know if he's been made a Minion to the vampire who took that sword from the university.”

”A Minion.” Savannah went quiet now. ”If Keaton was bitten, that will tell you what you need to know?”

”Yes.” He raked a hand over his scalp. ”The problem with that is, I'm trapped indoors until sundown.”

”Gideon,” she said. ”What if I see Keaton now?”

”What do you mean?” He bristled at the thought of her getting anywhere near the man. ”You're not going anywhere without me. I won't risk that.”

She shook her head. ”I mean, maybe I can tell you if Keaton was bitten during the attack.” At his answering scowl, she said, ”I still have Rachel's bracelet.”

”Where?”

”Here, with me. It's in my purse in the other room.”

”I need you to go get it, Savannah. Now.”

Chapter 13.

Savannah woke up from an unusually heavy doze, in bed alone.

How long had she been asleep? Her head felt thick, like she was coming out of a light anesthesia.

Where was Gideon?

She called out to him, but the empty house was silent. Pus.h.i.+ng herself up from the mattress, she made a bleary-eyed scan of the dark bedroom. ”Gideon?”

No response.

”Gideon, where are you?”

She sat up and tossed the sheet away from her. Turned on the bedside lamp. On the pillow next to her lay a piece of paper. A note scribbled on the back of the unused bus ticket that had been in her purse. The handwriting was crisp, precise, forward-tilting and bold--just like him.

Sorry had to do it like this. You're safe here. Back soon.

Savannah looked around the bedroom. Gideon's clothes were gone. His boots and weapons. Every last trace of him, gone.

She knew where he went.

Through the fog of whatever he'd done to her, she recalled his explosive reaction when she'd used Rachel's bracelet for another glimpse of the vampire attack that night in Professor Keaton's office.

Keaton had been bitten, just as Gideon suspected.

No longer the man he was, but a slave to the command of his vampire Master.

An individual Gideon seemed h.e.l.lbent to find.

He had nearly climbed the walls with restless energy as the afternoon dragged on outside the house. He couldn't wait to get out of there. He'd paced anxiously, waiting for the chance to head out and confront Keaton, then hunt for the Minion's Master.

Savannah had wanted to go with him, but his refusal had been harsh and unswerving. He'd been adamant that she stay right where she was, leave him to deal with the situation as he saw fit--alone. Or with his brethren of the Order, if necessary.

It wasn't until she had insisted she wouldn't stay behind, digging her heels in with determination equal to his own that he finally gentled.

He'd kissed her tenderly. Brought her into the shelter of his arms, and carefully touched his palm to her forehead. Then...

Then, nothing.

That's all she could remember of the past couple of hours at least.

Sorry had to do it like this, he'd written in his note.

d.a.m.n him!

Savannah vaulted off the bed. She threw on her clothes, ran to the front door. She yanked on the latch. It wouldn't budge.

He'd locked her inside?

p.i.s.sed now, she went to the windows and tried to open them. Sealed permanently shut, each of them shuttered from outside. The whole house was locked down, she realized, making a frantic perimeter check of the entire place.

She finally came to a rest in the small, empty kitchen, breathless with outrage.

There was no way to get out.

She was imprisoned here, and Gideon was somewhere out there, looking to face off with a powerful enemy on his own.

She knew she couldn't help him--not in the kind of battles he was used to fighting. But to leave her behind like this to wait and worry? To strong-arm her into complying with his will by flexing his Breed power over her? If she wasn't so worried about him, she'd want to kill him herself the next time she saw him.

She choked back a panicky breath. G.o.d, please, let me see him again.

She sagged down to the rough plank floor on her knees...and noticed something in the far corner of the kitchen that she hadn't seen in her search for a means out of the house.

There was a door in the floor.

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