Chapter 36: A Plan: Part 3

There are enough Santos to spread out successfully and patrol the mountain every night after dark—the only time vampires can come out. They can rest during the day.

Raising the alarm is enough to get them there fast. The orphanage is proof that they can span miles in half the time of a human in a car, and if they had a warning, they would move to get there in time.

With patrols already out there, the people would have way more expectations of getting through it. It makes no sense to bring them here. Mateo is right; this is about control.

“What good is gathering us all in one place? As Mateo said, they set off that machine, and every one of us, corralled in the valley, will be rendered useless.

“No one will be able to turn or fight back. It’s easier to massacre a race when we’re all laid out like fish in a bowl, and no one will be free of its effects if the only area we patrol is the valley.

“I’m sure they can make bigger or use multiple to hit us all at once.” Jesús is now on his feet, pacing, agitated, and getting worked up by the second.

I’m feeling the restless unease spreading through them all like a virus as they mumble their agreement, and I keep looking to Colton to say something.

“This is pointless. Do you think I don’t think the same and that I didn’t try to reason with him? Nothing I said made a difference. It never does.”

Colton stands up, losing his temper, agitated too and utterly drained.

I can feel it coming off him intensely, and his eyes lock on mine again as he catches me across the room, ignoring Carmen throwing hers his way.

“Come on, Lorey. I need to show you your new room. I’m too tired for this, and we all need to meet down at the mess hall for dawn.

“Go to bed, you reprobates. Stop arguing with me because it’s futile, and it’s not my place to make you obey him. We need sleep.”

I don’t need to be asked twice. I jump up, suddenly a little too excited at being alone with him again, and I know it’s because I’ve mentally taken another path and have a plan in place.

One that hopefully involves those beefy arms around me and the sexy mouth on mine once again.

I follow him as soon as he moves toward the door, and I almost gloat at the way Carmen’s face crumbles.

“One of us could show her.” She snaps bitterly, and he spins his head back, stares down at her with a blank expression, and doesn’t move a step further.

“Yeah, you could, but that’s not what’s happening. ~I’m~ doing it.” He shrugs with one shoulder, his tone icy cold.

It seems to shut her up because she recoils as though she’s been burned, and I can tell he’s in no mood for more defiance or squabbling.

Her eyes mist over with what I expect are fake tears, maybe not this time, and I try hard to figure out what it is he ever saw in her. Carmen’s a horrible person with a selfish, spoiled attitude, and I don’t like her.

At least I now know why he’s this way with her: the indifferent behavior and biting tone.

Colton’s ego’s wounded, his pride dented, and as much as I don’t want to believe he had any feelings for her after we imprinted, I can feel the hurt in him radiating outward.

He may not love her anymore in the way he used to, but he cared enough that he thought he could salvage their pairing until she hurt him.

Her betrayal in that way cut him deep, and he’s lost all respect and trust for her, which doesn’t bode well in a sub-pack.

Colton walks past me on the way to the door, catching my hand in his as he does so, making me jump as I was too busy looking at her, and leads me out amid the happy, joyous coo of Meadow.

“Don’t stay up too late... go to bed. Hers or yours, either is optional and fine by me, chicas.” She laughs in that raunchy cheeky way she has when she’s being brazenly sexual.

It echoes behind us as we leave the room, and I blush crazily, trying not to look his way as I catch his eyes flick to me.

Nervousness envelops me again, and I’m instantly back to being awkward and shy.

Soon as we hit the hallway, he shuts the door and gives me a proper smile, swinging my hand in his like we’re children.

Then he tugs me closer so we rub arms as we walk, working our way out before hitting the central passage.

The closer I am to him, the more aware of how truly drained he is.

It’s seeping from every pore, and despite the smile and the playful behavior, I can feel his stress levels are elevated crazily, and his body is emitting a low depressive mood.

“You look really good,” he says with a half smile, one dimple on show, and I shrug childishly, still not “owning it,” as Meadow would say.

“I’m not sure about the look. It feels kind of weird to be wearing such tight clothes.” I squirm as I try to pull the jeans from my butt gracefully, and he throws me a cheeky look as he watches me attempt it.

“Want some help?” It’s a grin, a smooth move kind of flippant comment made by the males who walk around like cockerels in a henhouse, and not an actual serious question.

It’s obvious he expects my usual rebuff, but instead, I throw a smile back his way, swallow down the nerves and butterflies he’s hitting me with, and nod in the way Meadow showed me.

She gave me a crash course in simple flirting while doing my hair earlier, and I throw on the sexy smile and flutter my lashes, butting in against him coyly.

“If you like.” I bite on my lower lip, not sure if I’m doing it right, but his reaction, I guess, says I am.

Colton trips over an imaginary piece of carpet and coughs to cover his clumsy response, immediately less confident, perplexed, and failing at Mr. Smooth, all in one fell swoop.

He’s cocky but not willing to follow through.

“Not the response I was expecting.” He frowns, swallows a little audibly, and fixes his eyes ahead of us while he regains his previous composure.

It’s not like I couldn’t tell, and I throw a one-shouldered coquettish shrug, absolutely dying inside with how weird and fake this feels.

I’ve never flirted or played games with boys. I had no interest in doing it before Colton.

Colton turns away, putting a little distance between us. It’s the opposite of what I was going for as he points us up a flight of stairs.

“This way. Try to memorize the route so you can find it again.” His tone is distant, his mood not exactly what I expected, and I sigh at the deflated mood that hits me heavily.

We’re away from the main hall, the grand sweeping staircase, and some back hallway with narrow steps to the next floor.

Every wall is painted beige, there are dark wood floors throughout, and potted plants are dotted around prettily.

They have even started replacing windows up here, and a newly glazed one is letting light shine through.

Colton leads the way, his hand no longer in mine as he slides in front of me to climb the stairs, and I suddenly feel awkward and shy that my attempt at flirting so poorly backfired.

I don’t get it. He should be completely hot for me, yet at my first attempt at encouragement, he acts like a coy virgin who doesn’t do well with girls.

I know for a fact he’s not a virgin nor inexperienced with girls.

I have ~all~ his memories.

He seems all too focused on where we’re going and no longer on me. His mood is still weird, and now he’s making me feel the same way—sort of sad, depressed, and a bit testy and unsociable.

“Here, this door on the right. This used to be Taryn’s room, but she mated up and now lives with Franko, her mate, on the third floor. The room’s all yours.”

Colton steps in front of a large dark wood door tucked into a tiny alcove in an airy part of the hall that widens out. He motions for my hand when he slides it into the machine using a keycard.

“Hand here, and it’ll save your print for future use. No card or key necessary.” He throws me a warm quick-lipped smile, takes my wrist, lifts my hand, and holds it on the smooth black panel.

Then he presses in digits and yanks the card out before it flashes red and beeps.

He lets my hand go quickly, as though he doesn’t want to be here holding it anymore, and I can sense his urgency in wanting to leave. It brings me down with a thud and an excruciating ache in the chest.

“Not hidden away in the west wing anymore?” I ask quietly, sounding as melancholy as his mood.

I’m looking to engage him in conversation because I feel his intention to sneak away and leave me in my new room, and it sucks.

He’s disconnecting from me, shutting me out, and it’s shredding my soul to pieces as it becomes clear that’s what he’s doing.

“He wasn’t happy that I decided you should be among the rest of us and part of this pack, seeing as he’s trying to unite the mountain.

“I convinced him your showdown was under better control and wouldn’t happen again.” Colton avoids my eye, obviously not telling me everything that was said.

“And he gave in? Just like that?” I hate that I can sense he’s being evasive and keeping things from me.

“Not exactly. Sometimes I’m good at arguing my corner. Sometimes…” Colton looks away, defeated, as though tonight has taken a toll on him.

Whatever was said to his father, I can sense his strained emotion and weary mood coming at me like a fog the longer we stand here.

“Just tell me. I’m a big girl, and I can take it.” I sigh, desperate with a raw, pleading tone, letting my frustration out, and I catch the flicker of hesitation before he sighs.