Page 15 of The Shade of Things
“I like his style better,” Clea said, jerking her chin at Eli. But she released the vampire.
I took the win.
“We both know you’re going to walk out of here unharmed,” I told Celeste. “Whether Ian goes with you depends on you.”
Celeste shoved me off the bed and sat down. “Answer their questions and we can go.”
I stood up rubbing my ass. Damn, I hated her.
Ian was slumped over, his elbows braced on his thighs. “No one would hear me out when I tried to talk about… I’ve spent years trying to forget.” He rubbed his hand across his right pec.
“Teresa Wong has been missing over forty-eight hours,” Eli said. “You were gone a week. Is that our timeframe to safely find her?”
Lost in some memory, Ian didn’t answer, still rubbing his pec.
“Did Damien hurt you?” I touched my own pec. “Do you need a healer?”
Ian blinked back to awareness and shook his head.
Frowning, Clea walked over to him and carefully lifted his shirt, revealing an ugly gash across his torso.
Ian grabbed the fabric and yanked it down, his gaze on the floor.
Eli pursed his lips. “Raised scar tissue. Older wound.”
“Tracker,” Clea said in her monotone. “Some vamps implant them in donors, but this one was removed.” Her frown deepened. “By some ham-fisted butcher.”
“Not Damien’s style.” Celeste wagged her head from side to side. “Not mine either. The butcher part fits Damien, but he wouldn’t bother with a tracker. Too convinced of his own prowess.”
“So, this predates the vamps,” Eli said to me.
I shrugged. “Yeah, well, still plenty of reasons to celebrate Damien’s death.”
Celeste snorted, jabbing a finger at me. “If you think I’m going to thank you for killing him, guess again.”
I pressed a hand against my heart. “You’re welcome.”
“Your abductors did this, didn’t they?” Eli said.
Ian screwed up his face. “Don’t make me remember.”
Celeste patted his back, shooting us a terrifying glower, but Eli held his ground. The cojones on my baby daddy were impressive.
“Why did they need to track you? Were they worried you’d escape?” Eli said. “Where were you?” The more frustrated he got, the sharper his voice became.
Ian shrank away from him, practically curled into Celeste.
“No one is going to hurt you,” Clea said. She shot Eli a warning glance and he backed up.
I crouched down in front of Ian. “Where were you taken when you vanished?”
“A city,” he said in a faraway voice.
Eli perked up at that, pulling out his phone and opening a browser. “That helps. Were there any recognizable landmarks? Did you hear people speaking a particular language? What about any memorable signs?” He turned too quickly into Ian’s personal space and the other man flinched.
“Slow your roll,” Celeste said. “And give him some space.”
Eli backed off.
