The Vow: Dangerous Suggestions Book 1 (16 page)

“
Who took him? What do
they want?” I asked, trying to remain clam. I was just as upset as
he was; I was just better at hiding it. I at least thought I
was.

He looked at me, and the fear in his
eyes made my heart clench. “Hunters have him,” he said, barely a
whisper.

“
Hunters? What are
hunters?” I asked, slightly confused. It seemed like I was learning
something new constantly. I had a feeling the longer I stuck
aroundm the more I would find out.

“
They hunt us, and other
supernatural things,” he said as he ran his fingers through his
hair. He was looking around as if he were searching for an
answer.

“
Maybe we can bargain with
them. What do they want? Have you talked to them?” I asked,
watching him. I was fighting the urge to touch him. I wanted to
comfort him, but I didn’t know if it was appropriate.

His gaze met mine, and I knew whatever
he had to say wasn’t good. “They want you, Larel.”

There was silence for a few minutes
while we stared one another down. “Me,” I said, slightly confused.
“What did I ever do to a hunter? I didn’t even know what they
were.”

“
Nothing. You did nothing.
They want you because of what you are,” he said,
angrily.

“
Which is what? I thought
we didn’t know what I am,” I said grumpily. This was all getting
very complicated. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. I couldn’t
let them hurt Mason because they wanted me.

“
You don’t, but someone
does,” he said quietly. He was staring off into space, like he was
deep in thought.

“
Fine; just trade me for
Mason. I mean, they obviously want me alive, or they would have
just killed me, right?” I asked, deciding it was the only
option.

His eyes widened with shock. I knew he
was going to fight me as soon as I saw his expression. “No, that is
insane! What if they kill you? I am not going to hand you over when
we don’t really know what their motive is.”

I sighed in annoyance. I knew he was
going to be difficult. “Dawson, you know I am right. Logically, it
is the right thing to do. They may not hurt me, but they will hurt
Mason if we don’t comply.” I could take care of myself, even if he
didn’t think so. I knew I could keep myself safer than Mason
could.

“
This isn’t about logic
Larel!” he said, sounding slightly angry. He was pacing now,
instead of standing still.

“
Then what is it about?” I
asked, trying to keep my tone neutral. He knew I was right; he was
just trying to avoid the inevitable for as long as
possible.

He looked at me without speaking. He
obviously didn’t know how to reply, or he didn’t want to reply. “I
cannot just hand you over,” he said softly.

“
You have to,” I said
firmly, as I moved to stand in front of him. “Mason is your
brother. We have only known each other for a couple of days. Your
family is more important than me,” I said softly as I looked up
into his worried, blue eyes.

He looked around almost frantically.
“Larel… I…” he started, but he couldn’t find the words. His gaze
locked with mine again.

“
You don’t have a choice,”
I said firmly. “I am going to shower and get dressed; then we will
go. Call them back and make arrangements to make the
exchange.”

He didn’t look like he wanted to
cooperate. In fact, he looked like he was going to protest, but he
kept his lips pressed together. “Fine,” he muttered after a second;
then he turned and hurried back down the stairs.

I hurried back into my room. I wanted
to shower and dress as quickly as possible. The quicker we could
make the exchange the better. I didn’t want anything happening to
Mason because I didn’t get ready fast enough.

* * *

I hurried down the stairs dressed in
jeans and a tee shirt. I wanted to be comfortable in case I had to
run or fight. Dawson was waiting at the bottom of the stairs for
me. He looked more flustered then he had when I’d seen him a little
while ago. He didn’t look like he was any more confident in his
decision then he was before.

“
Are you ready? Did you
call them?” I asked cautiously as I approached him.

He nodded. “We are meeting them just
outside the city. I really don’t think this is a good idea,” he
said quietly. His voice was tight with worry and fear. He was
starting to make me antsy.

I attempted to focus so I could remain
calm. I didn’t want to let his fear and worry make me change my
mind. I wanted to get Mason back. I couldn’t let him get hurt
because the hunters wanted something from me. “We should go. The
longer we wait, the more chance that they will hurt Mason,” I said
softly, trying to encourage him.

He watched me for a minute, then he
sighed. “You’re right. Let’s get this over with,” he growled, then
stalked past me. He was acting almost like he was angry with me. I
knew he wasn’t. He was upset about the situation, not at me. I
followed him silently to the truck. He held the door for me, and I
climbed in the truck. He walked around to the other side and got in
the truck. He started the truck, and backed out of the driveway.
His jaw was set, and he looked incredibly angry.

I figured it might be better if I
remained quiet. I tried not to stare at him, but it was difficult.
Even when he was angry, he was incredibly attractive. I couldn’t
help but think this might be the last time I saw him. I hoped it
wouldn’t be, but I thought it might be.

He glanced at me as if he felt my eyes
on him. “Are you ok?” he asked, sounding worried.

I forced a smile and nodded. “I am
fine, I promise. Everything will be fine. I will find out what they
want, and they may let me go.” I was trying to be optimistic for
his sake. I didn’t want to make him worry more than he was already
worrying.

His eyes remained straight ahead. I
knew he didn’t believe me; he just wasn’t saying it. He passed the
bar, heading back toward the city. It seemed like it had been so
long since I was in the city, but it had only been a couple days. I
felt like I had been with Mason and Dawson for a lot longer than I
had been. I thought about everything as Dawson drove in silence. I
felt like there was more to be said, but neither of us were willing
to say it. I was starting to wonder if it was all in my head. I
hoped it wasn’t.

The closer we got to town, the more I
had to fight to remain calm. I didn’t want to show Dawson I was
nervous. Dawson drove along the outskirts of town, toward the
warehouse district. I wasn’t a big fan of the area. It was desolate
and dangerous at night.

He parked in front of the large
warehouses. A black SUV turned the corner just as he put the truck
in park. “Are you sure about this?” Dawson asked, as he watched the
SUV approach.

I nodded. “It is the only way; you
know that,” I said softly. I reached for the door handle, but
before I could open the door, he grabbed my hand. I looked at him a
little startled.

“
I don’t like this. I
don’t want to let you go with them,” he said quickly. He was
starting to unnerve me. He was getting more upset, and it was
making me start to get nervous.

“
Are they human? Do you
think I can control them?” I asked curiously, trying to calm my
nerves.

“
No; they are mostly
human, but they have supernatural abilities. Your ability probably
wouldn’t have any effect,” he said quietly. I could hear the
disappointment in his voice. It would have been so much easier if
they were completely human.

I looked at the SUV. Two men got out
of the front seat, and two men got out of the back seat. They
pulled Mason out of the backseat. He was being supported by the two
men who were in the back seat. He was either drugged or hurt. I
feared it was the latter. “We have to get out,” I said quickly. I
pulled my hand free of his before I changed my mind; then I stepped
out of the truck. I walked to the front of the truck, and Dawson
moved up beside me.

The four men stopped a few feet from
us. They were all heavily armed with guns and knives. I knew
werewolves were tough, but I doubted they could stand up against so
many weapons. “Let’s make this trade,” the lead man said, smiling.
The two men behind him moved forward. Dawson stepped up, and took
Mason from them. He supported Mason because Mason seemed out of it,
but he didn’t appear to be harmed. One of the men stepped forward
and grabbed my arm. He yanked me toward the others.

Dawson didn’t look like he was going
to walk away. In fact, he looked like he was going to say
something. I shot him a look, warning him against saying or doing
anything stupid. I didn’t want him getting hurt because of me. I
had no idea who these guys were, but I had a feeling they would
hurt Dawson and Mason if they got the chance.

“
Come on; I don’t have all
night,” the man holding me muttered, as he pulled me closer to the
SUV.

I fought the urge to pull away. I
didn’t like being pushed around, but I didn’t have much of a
choice. Fear gripped me as we got closer to the SUV. I didn’t
remember ever feeling so afraid. I really didn’t like the feeling.
I didn’t know what these guys wanted, or even who they were. I had
no idea how I should be acting. The only thing I really wanted was
to make sure Dawson and Mason did not get hurt because of
me.

A sudden flash of light blinded me and
the men surrounding me. Before anyone could recover from the light,
there was a deafening explosion. I was thrown to the ground by the
force. I felt my head hit the pavement; then everything went
black.

I opened my eyes, and blinked slowly a
couple times. My head ached, and my vision was a little fuzzy. I
had no clue what had happened. The last thing I remembered was
Dawson standing at the front of his truck supporting Mason; then a
sudden flash of light and the loud noise.

I slowly sat up, trying to figure out
where I was. The room wasn’t familiar at all. I wondered if I was
with the hunters. I didn’t have anything restraining me, which I
thought was odd. If I was a prisoner, I would think they would be
smart enough to restrain me. That had to mean that wherever I was,
I wasn’t a prisoner. I started to wonder who caused the flash and
explosion. It was obvious it was not the hunters. In fact, the
whole things seemed to be aimed at the hunters, as if someone was
trying to help me. Maybe Dawson had a backup plan I didn’t know
about.

I thought about the possibilities as I
swung my feet over the bed, and looked around the room. The room
was extravagant. It was almost like a hotel room. The furniture was
all large and gaudy; almost over the top. The place reminded me a
little bit of Selena’s house.

Before I could think much more about
the room, the door opened and Dawson stepped in. A look of relief
crossed his face when he saw that I was awake. “I was so worried,”
he said softly, as he hurried over to me and sat down on the bed
next to me.

“
What happened?” I asked
as I ran my fingers through my hair. I still felt a little
confused, and I was still a little out of it.

“
Selena and Deek decided
to intervene. I knew there was something she wasn’t telling me,” he
said gruffly.

“
Did you find out what?” I
asked excitedly. Maybe he’d finally found out something about me. I
was hoping Selena did know something, and now that the hunters had
come after me she would tell me.

He shook his head. “She is being
stubborn, but there has to be a reason she intervened. She didn’t
want the hunters taking you. If you weren’t a threat in some way,
what would it matter if they did take you? Selena normally helps
certain groups, but she does not usually get involved in the fight
herself.”

I watched him as I thought about it.
He was right; maybe there was a reason for her actions. Then again,
she was fond of Dawson, maybe she was just helping him. There were
so many possibilities it made my head ache. “Where are we?” I
asked, deciding to change the subject.

“
Selena’s house. Deek is
here, too. Apparently, they are working together,” he said
grumpily. I wasn’t sure if he just didn’t like Deek, or if he
didn’t like Deek with Selena.

I couldn’t help but get slightly
annoyed, myself, with the possibility he still had feelings for
Selena. I tried to push the thought away as I got to my feet. It
didn’t matter what he felt for her. I wasn’t going down this road
with him. I didn’t want to feel anything for anyone. It was all too
complicated for me. I liked things being simple, and romance was
not simple at all. What if he didn’t reciprocate my feelings, and I
told him mine? The thought made me shiver. I wasn’t going to say
anything. I was going to keep moving forward as friends; that would
be the best solution to my problem.

“
What are you thinking
about?” he asked, as he watched me. He could tell I was thinking
about something, but I wasn’t about to tell him what it
was.

I looked at him, pulling myself from
my internal battle. “Nothing. I am still a little out of it,” I
lied, hoping to deflect his questions. There was no way I was
telling him anything about how I felt.