“Very well,” he grumbled.
She emerged from the driver’s side and walked to the sidewalk, where Noelle and the others already waited. McKell exited, unfolding his big, strong body, and towering over everyone. Even Jeremy Deschanel, who was pale and tense. From worry about his brother? Had he even been allowed to see him?
Ava approached Jeremy and patted his shoulder in what she hoped was a comforting gesture. “He was given vampire blood,” she said, and Jeremy’s eyes widened. No, he hadn’t been allowed to visit, and he hadn’t been given an update. “There’s a chance he’ll heal.”
“So he’s alive?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you.” His eyes squeezed shut. “Thank you so much. He’s an ass**le, but I love him.”
Hard hands settled on her shoulders, tugging her away from Jeremy and into—McKell. His breath was leaving him in an angry rush and lifting strands of her hair. That pleased her. She’d just reacted to Bride; helped that he’d reacted to Jeremy.
“Everyone will remain outside,” McKell said in his calm, you’ll-do-it-or-die voice. “I don’t need your scents mingling with the ones already there.”
“Wait.” Ava circled her fingers around his wrist, holding him to her. “Noelle and I are in charge of tonight’s activities, so we’ll tell them what to do.” Her narrowed gaze swept over the trainees, and some of them glared at her resentfully. She’d made it, after all, and they hadn’t. “I’ve decided. You’ll all stay out here.”’
“I’ll keep them in line,” Noelle said with relish. “Oh, and here.” She handed Ava a digital info-pad as she faced him. “You’ll need this.”
“Give her any trouble,” McKell said, “and I will personally remove your fingers.” He pulled his necklace from under his shirt, the bones clinking together as they fell back to his chest.
“Now, then. I’m going with you,” Ava told him, grip tightening on the pad as she faced him.
He arched a dark brow, looking sardonic and amused at the same time. “One day you’ll have to learn to obey me.”
“Sorry, but that day isn’t today.” She urged him forward. Behind her, someone muttered, “He really is an ass, isn’t he?”
Ava stilled. Oxygen suddenly burned her throat, her muscles clenching in fury, red dots dancing through her line of vision. She whipped around, a knife in her hand, though she didn’t recall withdrawing it.
“Who said that?” she demanded through gritted teeth.
Noelle pointed to the male trainee standing beside Jeremy. “Little boy, you’re in trouble now,” her friend sang.
Following those red dots, which formed a path straight to her target, Ava stalked forward. Until McKell’s hard hands once again settled on her shoulders, stopping her.
She fought for release. “I will murder you.”
“No need, sweetheart,” McKell said, and he sounded happier than she’d ever heard him. “I’m not offended by the comment.”
Why was he happy? Not that his happiness would have prevented her from attacking. No, it was the “sweetheart” that calmed her. She’d never liked endearments before. They encouraged affection she rarely entertained. Yet … when he did it … rainbows and gumdrop trees always seemed to sprout in her mind.
“He needs to suffer,” she huffed.
“Later.” McKell spun her around and anchored his arm on her waist, forcing her into the building. Along the way, he maneuvered her to the left, into grass, and ushered her around—nothing. She was confused, but didn’t question him.
Dallas lived on the fourteenth floor, and Noelle’s digital pad gave them the pass-code to enter his apartment. Which was dirty as hell. Had gossip not warned her about the mess, she would have thought someone had broken in and trashed the place.
McKell grimaced. “The bitch has been all over this apartment. It reeks of her disease.”
“Did you smell her outside?”
“No. Nor did I smell her in the hallway. Which means she’s teleporting rather than using invisibility.”
Fabulous. “Can you follow someone who teleports?”
“No.”
Extra fabulous. “This was a waste of time, then.”
“Not necessarily.” He hustled her outside. Without a word, he helped her back into the car.
Noelle sputtered for answers as she shepherded the trainees back into their van. Answers McKell didn’t give. Not even when Ava demanded them. The car once again sped along the roads, and this time, Noelle followed them. They didn’t stop until they reached the bar where the queen had first appeared to Dallas.
Again McKell emerged, and again he tugged Ava along silently. Noelle and the trainees trekked a safe distance behind, acting as bodyguards rather than detectives. A few more blocks, another snaked corner, several instances of him frowning, pushing her away from what seemed to be a perfectly fine patch of air, and he stopped, looked around.
“This is where she approached Johnny.”
He kicked back into motion, sniffing all the while. Another block, three corners, four more pushes out of the way, constant mumbling about “stupid doorways,” and they reached another apartment building. Johnny’s. Ava knew because she’d been there. Which had her ducking her head and praying McKell’s sniffing ability wasn’t that keen.
Without any prompting, he led her to Johnny’s apartment and shouldered past the door. Clean, sparse, with not many personal effects. As if he wanted to be able to pick up and move at any time.
McKell walked through every inch, then returned to the bedroom. Ava wanted to do more than duck, but all he said was, “The queen teleported out of here, too, but her guards didn’t.”
She frowned. Johnny hadn’t mentioned guards, but then, maybe Johnny hadn’t seen them. “So these guards weren’t at Dallas’s place?”
“There were guards there, yes, but he injured them and they were carted to AIR, so their scents were useless. The ones that were here walked out. They were most likely invisible, since no one saw them, but they still had to walk out.” He grinned slowly. “Which means we can follow them. Straight to their queen.”
Twenty-six
Dallas sprawled in his hospital bed, healed enough to go home, yet not quite ready to leave. He’d had nothing to do but watch time tick away, then listen to the monitors beeping in tune to his heart; and when those started to bore him—like, within minutes—he’d only been able to think about his beautiful Schön queen.