Blood Cure (Blood Type 3)

“Christ.”

“I’m going to try to get in contact with him.”

“I’ll see if there’s anything else in his stuff.” Drew paused for a moment as if he was going to hang up but decided against it. “How’s Brian?”

Reyna winced. “He’s…alive.”

“That good, huh?” Drew asked. Reyna just sighed. What else could she say? “Okay, well, I’ll hold down the fort here. Let me know if you hear anything.”

* * *

—

Reyna cursed under her breath and tossed the phone across the table. “There’s no point. Whatever the fuck Everett has done, he’s done on his terms.”

“Do you think he’ll double-cross us?” Meghan asked. “He knows where the rest of Elle is. Does he know where we are?”

“I don’t think so. He only knows about the cult HQ.” Reyna grimaced. “I don’t think he’ll double-cross us…but then again, he’s a spy.”

“Fuck,” Tye muttered.

Reyna stared around the room at the looks of confusion and uncertainty on their faces. “We should research another place to move people. I don’t want to take a chance that anyone could be in jeopardy.”

Jodie grinned. “I’ll do research with Katarina.”

Katarina, who was the only member of Beckham’s circle present, grinned back. “Come on, babe.”

Reyna’s eyes widened at their playful banter. Perhaps she’d missed a thing or two while she’d been busy worrying about Becks.

“Oh,” Reyna whispered, her breath catching in her throat. She could feel him. She could finally feel him. “Becks.”

Everyone else glanced around as if expecting to see him standing in the entrance. But of course he wasn’t there. He was still a half mile away, moving at supersonic vampire speed back to the mansion. She shivered. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed being able to feel his presence near until it was gone. She hadn’t even been actively trying to sense him and still it was like a radar that she couldn’t turn off.

“Uh…Reyna?” Gabe muttered.

She shook her head and stood. “I have to take care of this. Let me know how the research goes.”

“Ugh, why are we always on research duty?”

“She did her part,” Meghan reminded him. “You sent her into that place to get the antidote info.”

“Yeah. Yeah. Still should have gone myself.”

“And what could you give him that would have interested him?”

Reyna could only distantly hear them arguing, their definition of foreplay. Her mind was on Beckham and how close he was. She disappeared out the door, through the kitchen, and outside. By the time she walked down the few stairs, he was there.

She swallowed and took him in. Last she’d seen him, he’d been in his tuxedo and pissed beyond measure. Now he was in a solid black suit with a characteristic blood-red tie. He didn’t look like he’d just run here from more than six miles away. He looked refreshed but wary.

“Hey,” she said. “You’re back.”

“Not for long.”

“Oh?”

“I came to tell you I was going into the city.”

Reyna’s eyebrow rose. “And where were you before?”

He stared at her as if to say That’s my own fucking business.

“Fine. Don’t fucking tell me. I don’t even know why you’re here right now, then. Why tell me you’re going into the city but not tell me where the hell you’ve been the last week?”

“I’m going to see Penny.”

Reyna ground her teeth together and clenched her fists. “Are. You. Out. Of. Your. Mind?”

A muscle tensed in his jaw.

“Just talk to me. Tell me what you’re thinking. Why the hell are you going see her? She double-crossed us. She almost got you killed. She tried to murder me.”

“She might have answers.”

“To what?” Reyna demanded.

“About Harrington.”

“And you’re, what, going to seduce them out of her?”

Beckham didn’t even dignify that with a response.

“Becks,” she said, exasperated.

“I came to tell you. I knew you wouldn’t want to hear after I’d already gone. Now I’m going.”

“Wait.” Reyna reached out and snagged his arm. He jerked as if she’d burned him. She pulled her hand back in surprise. He’d never reacted that way to her touch before. Never pulled away from her like that.

Reyna straightened her spine. No way was she going to let one encounter with Graves fuck with their relationship. She wouldn’t let him go that easily. And if he thought that she would, he was wrong. She didn’t know why he even showed up like this if he was going to freak at one touch.

“I’m going with you.”

“No.”

“Oh, this isn’t a negotiation,” she spat.

“You’re right. It’s not.” Beckham turned and stalked across the field to the garage. He could have easily outpaced her, but he walked at an almost human speed.

Reyna trailed after him, jogging to keep up. “You’re going to freak out and disappear for a week because some guy touched me and think I’ll somehow be okay with you going to see your psycho ex? Hell, no. This is not happening.”

Beckham tugged the door to the garage open, ignoring her.