Chapter 42

Chapter 42
I was staring at Quanah and Peta, the two men so alike in appearance but so different in every other way. While Quanah glared at me, Peta was calm, waiting for my answers.
“Why would he lie? And I’m not aroused. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I got out of the truck, irritated at being cornered and interrogated like that. I wasn’t going to stand there letting them intimidate me.
Only then did I notice where we were—a parking lot in front of a bus stop. I didn’t see anyone around; it looked almost abandoned, but from the bags in Peta’s hand, I could tell they’d stopped to buy food.
“Forgot about our connection? I can feel everything that happens to you! We’re linked, damn it. The moment that bastard touched you, I felt it.” He shouted the words, and I realized I’d forgotten about that. “Not to mention the scent of your arousal, which I’m not the only one who can smell.”
Damn it, I’d completely forgotten about that. I couldn’t even defend myself and say I tried to fight or push him away. In fact, I hadn’t resisted at all—I’d let him corner me and kiss me.
But he was exaggerating. There hadn’t been time for that. Still, the man looked ready to kill someone just because I’d been kissed in a dream. I didn’t know whether to feel flattered or worried.
“You can discuss this another time. Let’s focus on what’s happening here,” Peta interjected, stopping any lie I might’ve been concocting. “What did he say to you exactly?”
“I already told you, he said Louis and my father made a pact. He’d hand me over the moment we got there…”
“I trust Louis more than I trust that dark demon!” That couldn’t be true—he’d said the vampire wasn’t trustworthy.
“You’re not being rational, Quanah. You’re letting your feelings cloud the obvious,” Peta said, trying to put some sense into his head.
“What’s obvious, huh?”
“He wouldn’t let me get hurt. He wouldn’t do anything to let something bad happen to me. From the start, even with all the attacks, Nikolai made my safety his priority.”
“Nikolai? Now you’re calling the bastard by his name?” He exploded again, punching the truck’s body, not caring about leaving a huge dent. “He sent those things after you, attacked our son, and now you’re siding with him?”
“There are no sides here, Quanah! I’m passing on the warning he gave. You asked what he wanted, and that’s what it was—to warn us that your friend set up an ambush!”
I wasn’t in the mood for arguing. He could be mad that Nikolai kissed me again, but all I could think about right now was my father. He was on our trail and apparently one step ahead of us.
“I don’t trust him. It could be a trap to get you to go to him for answers!”
“Are you hearing yourself?” I shouted, irritated that he was too stubborn to listen to a word I was saying. “He showed up uncalled to warn us. If he wanted to get on my good side, he would’ve just given me the answers and spared me the trouble…”
Quanah growled when he heard my words, and I took a deep breath, realizing I’d chosen the wrong words when I said “good side.” He was too much of a giant idiot, a man with a bruised ego—I got it.
“We’re going to Louis. It’s decided!”
“Quanah, for God’s sake, just once in your life, stop being so hardheaded!” I pleaded, trying to calm myself and give him a chance to do the same. “Nikolai said my father controls the vampires…”
“Louis left the clans a long time ago. He can’t be controlled.”
“Nikolai warned about that. He said even though Louis hasn’t been part of a clan for centuries, my father has him in the palm of his hand.”
He kept pacing back and forth, as if that would help him decide something, as if there was anything to decide.
“Brother, if Koschei knows our location, the chances of anyone else knowing are high.”
Even with his brother’s words, he remained reluctant. I could see the confusion in his eyes, his thoughts racing. I didn’t understand what more he thought he needed to consider. There was no reason to take such a risk. Whether Nikolai was telling the truth or not, it was stupid to want to go there.
“Peta, take her back home. I’m going on alone.” He turned to his brother and tossed him the keys.
“You can’t. That’s insane!”
“We need to find out who her father is, and if your fiancé is right, figure out why he controls the vampires.” He didn’t even bother to look at me as he spoke. “The only way to win this war is to know the enemy, and we’re at a huge disadvantage here.”
“I’ll go in your place. You go back with her,” Peta said, and I wanted to rip his head off for entertaining this nonsense instead of knocking his brother out and dragging him home.
“Both of you, shut up! No one’s going anywhere. We’re getting in the truck, going back home together, and forgetting this whole thing. If we want to win this war, we need to train and be prepared!”
I went back to the passenger seat, hoping Quanah would drop this stupid idea and get in the truck. But the next thing I saw were his clothes tearing as he grew, transforming quickly.
I didn’t even have time to step out before the massive wolf ran off into the distance.
“He wouldn’t be able to go back calmly as if nothing happened and trust Koschei’s word, especially after everything,” Peta said, approaching and placing a hand on my shoulder as I stared at the path Quanah had just taken through the trees. “Try to understand. Quanah has trust issues.”
I was starting to notice that, and I didn’t like what I was seeing one bit.