Shift Happens (A Carus Novel Book 1) by J. C. McKenzie Page B

Wick’s compliance, Allan turned back to me. “You’re not and you did,” he said.
    “Excuse me?” I asked.
    “You’re not sorry and you knew I had Japanese ancestry,” Allan stated.
    I crossed my arms. “Vampires can’t scent lies.”
    “True. But we’ve had years and years to read humans.”
    “And masters gain powers as they age,” Wick added, his voice warning.
    “I like to think we’re like fine wine. We get better with age.” Allan examined his nails.
    Oh shit . Please don’t be a mind reader .
    Allan flashed his fangs again.
    “Ah fuck,” I breathed, visualizing a forest with birds chirping away.
    Allan laughed. “At least you’re not an idiot. What a delight. Keep thinking of your sanctuary, Shifter. While you checked out my muscles and thought about my handsome face…” He lifted his eyebrows, daring me to contradict him. My cheeks flamed. Someone growled. “I got what I needed,” Allan finished.
    “And what was that?” I asked.
    Allan ignored me and turned to Wick. “She deliberately antagonized me in hope I would harm her. It would delay her meeting with Lucien and give her more time to escape.”
    He’d read well past my surface bitchiness. Allan glanced in my direction and smiled. His fangs descended a little more—the Vampire equivalent of a hard on. Gross . He kept his gaze locked on mine while they grew longer.
    Wick’s chest rumbled, sending vibrations across the room. Or was that me?
    “And if I accidentally killed her, at least it would be fast and not the slow, tortured, drawn out death like the one Lucien has planned.”
    I shuddered. Allan went deeper than I knew possible. What else had he seen?
    “Don’t suppose you’d like to clue me in on why I’m here? When did Lucien concern himself with hits on mere norms?”
    He shook his head.
    Jerk.
    Allan’s fanged smile broadened before he nodded at me and turned to Wick.
    “What piques my interest, wolf, is why you shield so tightly.” He leaned in. “What is it you don’t want me to see?”
    Wick directed an unfriendly smile at Allan. “You’ve groped enough nerve endings here. I think it’s time you got your perve on somewhere else.”
    “The night is still young,” Allan agreed. “One week,” he said, glancing at me before gliding toward the exit. “Then we’ll see how deep I can go.”
    The door clicked shut and released whatever hold Allan had on us.
    “Ugh,” I said, brushing off my shoulders. “Vampires.”
    “For once, we agree,” John said. “I feel dirty being near them.”
    Ryan grabbed his sweater from the couch and put it on. The room wasn’t cold.
    “Handsome?” Wick asked, still standing in front of me. He hadn’t moved.
    “Seriously?” I asked. I put my hands on my hips and waited for Wick to move out of my way. He didn’t. “Out of everything he said that’s what you comment on?”
    Wick shrugged. “The rest is expected.”
    “Yeah.” Ryan nodded. “Pain, death, torture, suffering…yada, yada, yada. Vamp threats are all the same.”
    If that was true, why did Wick and Ryan look worried?

Chapter Nine
    The hairpin snapped. I grimaced and looked down at the traitorous half that fell from the lock. I bit my tongue to stop the curse threatening to burst from my mouth. Those dogs could hear anything. I’d been in Wick’s house for a week now, healing faster than I’d like and waiting for an opportunity to escape. My days filled with watching paternity tests on daytime television, kicking some ass playing cards and sparring with Wick. My nights filled with restless sleep while I tried to ignore the beefy paperweight sleeping next to me.
    No opportunity to escape presented itself, the guard duty impeccable. Never left alone, not one window cracked open, not one door unlocked. My little date with Lucien became more of an impending reality. Allan’s visit made everything more real. I didn’t get to stay and play at Wick Wonderland forever. My introduction to the Master Vampire