Night Whispers: ShadowLands, Book 1 (29 page)

Besides, he hated to leave the girl alone with the man, until he got to know him better. Call him crazy, but getting attacked by someone really put a damper on his trusting abilities.

“I’ll stay,” he said, all brave and unconcerned.

Jules glanced between them again, obviously sensing the mutual dislike in the air. “Um, okay. But I swear to God, one of you tries to incite the other, it’s not a rabbit I’ll be skinning.”

The credible threat hanging, she stalked past Erik.

The staring contest was getting old, James decided, just as Erik spoke into the charged silence. “I’m not armed, but perhaps you would feel more comfortable holding that gun instead of caressing it.”

James deliberately took his hand away from the butt of the weapon. “I think I handled you quite well without a gun outside.”

“You weren’t completely puny,” the other man conceded. He moved into the room. They were both careful to keep their fronts facing each other.

“I enjoyed the hospitality of a number of men like you.” Erik sneered. “Employed by a group out to save the world. Or rather, to save the world you want to save.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” James replied, as calmly as he could. “Jules told me a little about the men holding you. We are nothing like that.”

“So you say.”

“It’s the truth.”

Erik only shook his head and walked around the opposite side of the bed. He didn’t sit down next to Carrie or fuss over her, but James noticed his hand imperceptibly brush against the girl’s.

Their eyes met. “I don’t like you standing so close to Carrie.” Erik showed his teeth, a flash of fang. “Step away from the bed.”

James frowned. “I don’t hurt young women. Forget the fact that she’s sick.”

“Whatever. Step. Away.”

James wouldn’t argue with a loaded gun, and the anger coiling the other man was exactly that—a primed weapon. He took a solid step back, watching some of the protective defensiveness dissipate from Erik’s stance. Suspicion was a two-way street.

It was also a waste of energy and resources. He needed information, and here was a ready source to tap. “I really am no danger to you or anyone here. Jules trusts me.”

“She trusted the man who left me to die in a cage. Forgive me if I question her judgment. Besides, I am not sure she trusts you completely. I do not believe she has told you everything.”

Oof
, that smarted. “Do you know what she’s hiding from me?”

Erik’s finger smoothed over Carrie’s elbow. “Yes. I’ve been with her over the past couple of days.”

Another jealous pinch. Plus anger at the unsaid remainder of that sentence:
unlike you.
He tried to tell himself not to get defensive, but that was about as effective as telling a porcupine not to bristle. “I came after her as soon as I figured out something was amiss.”

“Ah, but you missed a lot of things. For example, you were not here yesterday when I found her hiding from predators under the body of the Shadow she killed, were you?”

His chest hurt. “What?”

“I ran ahead to find shelter. She was alone when one attacked. She took care of matters, as always, but not without some trouble.”

If he let it, the guilt of what she’d gone through would overpower him.
Never again. She’ll never go through something like that alone, ever again.

“
I guess that is the problem with backup that is so far away, yes? By the time it arrives, the damage is already done.” Erik shrugged.

No one knew better than him how difficult it was to overcome trauma. “Are you talking about you or her?”

“Both, I suppose. We are remarkably similar, Jules and I. Always have been. That is why our friendship was so instantaneous.” Erik cast him a mocking glance. “Since we first met. Which was, I believe, before you two did. Would have to be, since I understand you really only met this morning.”

James crossed over to a chair and sat down, facing the other man across the bed. “I’m not quite sure why you’re trying to make me jealous. It won’t work. I know there’s nothing between you.”
I’m jealous enough, even knowing that. You don’t have to try to do anything.

Erik mirrored his pose, taking a seat in a chair closer to Carrie. “You are correct. I have no ties to anyone.”

James wanted to take the guy at face value, but he’d always been regrettably good at reading people. They sat in silence for a while, and from the way Erik watched the girl, he knew some sort of deep emotion bubbled below the surface.

If there was anything James understood, it was caring for and worrying about a woman. He took a deep breath. “I could look at your collar. I’m no expert, but I know a fair bit about tech. I probably can’t get it off without any tools, but I can see if it was modified for GPS.”

The hybrid’s eyes grew even colder. “No. Thank you. I do not want anyone near my neck.”

Empathy dissipating, his temper flared. “You would endanger these women instead?”

“I am not endangering them.”

“If you’re carrying something that will lead your captors to their doorstep, you’re endangering them.”

The other man looked away, but not before James caught a glimpse of guilt on the otherwise impassive face. James wasn’t telling Erik anything new.

“I could not leave Jules when she was sick to look after Carrie.”

“She’s not sick any longer. And I’m here.”

“So you’re telling me to leave?”

“Either that or swallow your pride and let me look at your fucking collar.” He would have yelled it, but he didn’t want to disturb Carrie.

The hybrid’s chest jerked. James half-expected the other man to launch across the bed and attack him for his impertinence, and he braced himself.

Instead, Erik slowly inclined his head. “Fine. But try not to touch my skin. I cannot tolerate another man touching me. I may…react.”

That was not comforting.

Still, James approached the hybrid. As he came closer, Erik’s hands clenched on the armrests of the chair. He lowered his head farther, so James could see the lock on the back of the collar.

James made sure his hands were very delicate as he touched the lock. Since that would have been the easiest place to make a modification, he concentrated his attention there.

There were no marks or other evidence of tampering. He examined it as closely as he could, wishing he could figure out a way to take the thing off. The collar was loose enough around Erik’s massive neck that he could probably examine the inside of it by touch, if nothing else. “I’m going to see if I can slide my finger under it, so don’t freak out.”

He waited for the hybrid’s nod, and lifted the collar up so he could get one finger under it.

Muscles bunched, shifted, and Erik’s head whipped up. James barely managed to snatch his hand away. The other man’s sharp teeth closed on air.

“What the fuck?”

Erik blinked, the mindless rage fueling him dissipating. “I…I did not mean to do that.”

“I
told
you I was going to touch you.”

“I know. I’m sorry. When you lifted it up, it put pressure on my throat. I was not prepared and I reacted.”

His heart thundered. “Will you be prepared if I do it again?”

“I don’t know.”

“Can you try?”

Confusion crossed Erik’s face. “You would put yourself in danger solely to look at this collar?”

“I would put myself in danger so I could protect Jules,” he said grimly.

“That is… That is quite honorable of you.”

He had no idea if Erik was ridiculing him or praising him. However, the other man put his head down and grabbed hold of the chair again. “I will do my best not to attack you.”

Not comforting at all. James lifted the collar even more carefully this time and swept the inside of it, unable to find any signs of modifications. It was impossible to keep from touching Erik, and by the time he had finished examining the whole collar, the other man was rigid, his hair damp with sweat.

Unwilling sympathy surged through James as he stepped away. “I’m done. I don’t see any signs of modifications. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t any. Just that I can’t see or feel them. They may be sophisticated enough to have hidden it well. I know people who could do that.”

“Why would they care about hiding it from me? I was a prisoner regardless. They wouldn’t care if I knew I was tagged.”

He conceded that point. “Professional pride? I don’t know. My job is to consider every angle.”

Wood creaked. They glanced up to find Jules leaning against the doorway. “You can consider all the angles you want, James, but I’m relieved you got a chance to look at it.”

“We still need to operate on the worst-case-scenario assumption.” James shifted. “Which means we need to get all of you back to Compound as quickly as possible. We have equipment there that can not only scan you for bugs, but also remove that collar completely.”

Erik did not appear impressed. “I am not going anywhere. Furthermore, I do not know if Jules is either.”

He looked at Jules in time to catch the savage glare she directed toward the hybrid. “Shut up.”

Erik shrugged. “Did you skin the meat?”

“Yeah. It’s downstairs. I started a broth.”

Carrie stirred and whimpered. Erik lowered his voice. “I will check it in a minute. Now go away. I do not want Carrie to be bothered.”

“I can—”

“Go. Away.”

Jules arched a brow. “Fine.”

“Your friend as well.”

Stay with Carrie to protect her from the hybrid or go with Jules and finish their conversation? Though Jafari didn’t appear very threatening at the moment, with his eyes closed, leaning back in the chair, James couldn’t forget the way Erik’s teeth had practically snapped off his fingers.

He did manage to keep himself under control, after, at great cost to himself.

Ultimately, it was the manner in which Jules was studiously avoiding his gaze that got him to follow her out of the room. He’d about had it with the cryptic undercurrents and tension floating around this place.

Now or never. Find your balls, man.

When she was about to reach the top of the stairs, he grabbed her around the waist and whirled her about. Without waiting for her to protest, he pulled her into the closest bedroom.

“James! What—?”

Taking advantage of her surprise, he had the door shut and her backed up against it in a matter of seconds.

She pursed her lips and looked up at him, appearing none too pleased. “What are you doing?”

“I’m getting really tired of chasing you, Jules. Neither of us is leaving this room until we talk.”

Chapter Sixteen

Jules wasn’t happy to hear James’s declaration, particularly since she wasn’t quite sure she wanted to talk. Oh, she knew she had to tell him about everything sooner or later, but could she be faulted for wanting it to be later?

She sighed, and he instantly melted against her, leaning in to place his forehead against hers. “Nothing’s that bad.”

“Oh yes it is.”

“Is this about the Shadow that attacked you yesterday?”

“What do you know about that?”

“Erik told me.” His body stiffened. “He said you hid under its body.”

She barely restrained her shudder at the remembrance. “That was gross, but one Shadow wouldn’t keep me down. I can handle four with a blindfold on, remember?”

“I don’t want to remember. If not that, then what?”

“I told you—”

“Don’t lie to me.”

She stopped. No, she couldn’t lie to him. “I don’t know what I am.”

“What do you mean?” He rubbed his nose against hers affectionately. “You’re Jules.”

“I may not be for long.” Unable to stand his kindness, she slipped out of his grip and walked a couple steps away.

“You can’t say something cryptic like that and expect me not to follow up.”

“They shot me up full of something, okay?”

His green eyes darkened to emerald. “The doctors?”

“Yeah.”
The quicker you say it, the faster all of this will be over.
“I don’t know with what. I fell ill as we were leaving, and I was really sick as we traveled. That’s why we ended up here, because I was too weak to fight Erik on it. All I could do was lie there and be helpless.” She spit the words out. Christ, how she hated feeling helpless.

“But you’re okay.” He shook his head, confusion in every line of his body. “I don’t understand. You look fine—” He cut himself off and glanced at her hair.

“It’s not dye, James.”

“But…you aren’t sick like Carrie.”

“Apparently I handled whatever they gave me differently.”

“How did you—?”

Her blade landed in the door a couple of inches away from his face.

He swallowed. “Uh.”

“I don’t know the full extent of how fast I am. But my reflexes and hand-eye coordination have definitely sped up.” They’d sped up a lot.