Seeing her under his power makes me want to hurl.
"What am I erasing?" he murmurs, not looking away from her.
White hot anger burns through me. Toward Fox. Toward Garrett, for making me do this. I can scarcely make myself speak, but I manage to snap, "She saw me regenerate."
But then my hand snaps out of its own accord and I cover her eyes.
The moment I do, she starts to struggle-probably frightened. "Hey! What's going on?"
"Nothing. Go wait outside." I release her and put my body between her and Fox.
"What the fuck?" he grits.
I can't find words because I don't know what the hell I'm doing.
I blink and Fox is gone. Fucking vampires! I whirl around just as Angelina screams. Actually, she starts to, but it dies on her lips as Fox takes her under his power again.
"No." My fist swings and connects with the side of Fox's neck, sending him flying against the wall. If he were mortal, it would've snapped his neck. But he's not.
Angelina screams for real this time and it echoes off the walls of the club.
Fox traces so fast I can't see him before he punches me right in the mouth. With vampire strength. I end up on my ass on the floor, Fox standing over me.
I don't make eye contact. Vampire tricks shouldn't work on shifters, but you never know. I'm not taking any chances. I surge up and lunge for his waist, but he's already traced to the door-the one Angelina opened. He slams it shut on her and she shrieks again.
The terror in her voice makes me see red. I pick up one of the round tables that line the wall and swing it at Fox. He traces away.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" His voice comes from behind me. He's leaning up against the wall with his arms folded over his chest like he's been there for long time. Fucking tricksy leech. "If she didn't need to be wiped before, she sure as hell does now." He traces again when I hurl the table. It smacks the wall and makes a hole in the plaster.
"You fucking look at her again, and I'll run a stake right through your heart, vampire," I growl.
"Vampire," Angelina whispers on a gasp and shoves the back door open. "Vampires don't exist." She's running before her feet hit the pavement.
Smart girl.
I whirl around, certain Fox will be gone, tracing after her, but he's in the same spot.
"She saw me. She knows."
"I know," I choke. I don't want to start a vampire-shifter war here. Fox was doing me the favor and I just fucked with him, big time, not to mention the damage to the club. I must look as pole-axed as I feel, because Fox's ancient blue eyes hold compassion.
"You have twenty-four hours to figure your shit out. You know the laws. No loose ends."
I don't stay to argue. Angelina's out there, terrified. I take off after her. "Angelina."
She doesn't stop. I catch up right before she makes it to her car and I catch her around the waist. "Wait, baby."
She slams her heel back into my shin, then stomps down on the top of my foot, cracking the bones. At some point, my little dancer had self-defense training. For some reason, it makes me grin like a maniac to have her attack me.
But I remove my hands from her and hold them up. "Easy, easy. Take it easy, Angelina. I'm sorry."
She goes still, but remains facing the car.
"I know you're scared. I know you're confused. I fucked up. Big time. But I'm not going to hurt you. I promise. And I won't let anyone else hurt you, either."
When she finally turns, tears shimmer in her eyes.
It tears my chest wide open.
Then, without warning, she dives for the door of her car.
I'm the biggest asshole in the world, because I slam my hand down on it to hold it closed. "Don't run. Please don't run from me. The only way I can make this work is if we trust each other."
I don't even know what I'm saying, but I guess on some level, it's true. If Angelina bolts out of here, I will have no choice but to send Fox after her immediately.
And if she doesn't?
That part I don't know. I still should bring her in to Fox. My alpha gave me an order. Fox gave me a deadline. But I'll be damned if I can do it.
Angelina
Vampires don't exist. Vampires don't exist. Vampires don't exist. Oh my God, do vampires exist?
I'm shaking all over.
If she didn't need to be wiped before, she sure as hell does now.
I'm not sure what just happened in there, but I think Jared brought me here to have my memory wiped. Or my brain wiped. And then he changed his mind. Either way, I'm not sticking around to find out.
There's a vampire in there who would probably be perfectly happy to suck me dry, and now I don't trust Jared.
That's the part that hurts. And I don't want to stand here and let him see how badly, either. When he slams his big paw across my car door, I duck under his arm and try to run for it.
Stupid move. He catches me before I've taken two steps. He hooks an arm around my waist and lifts my feet from the ground. I thrash and kick, trying to get my heels high enough to nail him where it will count.
"Angelina. Angelina. Oof."
Yep, I kneed him in the nuts.
He reacts, but isn't as disabled as I'd hoped. I go for his eyes, like they taught us in self-defense. My fingernail scrapes the skin of his cheek, but he catches both my wrists and pulls them behind my back. "Okay, okay." And then it's like he's trying not to laugh, which sends my temper through the roof. "Baby, please stop fighting." I definitely hear laughter in his voice.