The Scarlet Dagger (The Red Sector Chronicles, #1)

Chapter 24

Don't. Panic.

Pasting a bright smile on my face, I welcomed the crowd as they closed in, hugging and welcoming me back with warm sentiments. My body tensed as they surrounded me, but as far as I could tell, they didn't suspect anything amiss.

Yet.

Old friends and new faces alike spoke to me. In just the short month I had been gone, the Guild had already doubled in size. McGuiness always had been an ambitious recruiter.

I was hardly able to meet their eyes, knowing what I was and how naïve they were. Not too long ago, I was just like them. We thought all vampires were like the wild Rogues, that they were nothing more than blood thirsty monsters incapable of turning a victim, though we knew it was possible. But the Rogues always killed their victims before turning them; making a vampire was practically impossible in our books.

Oh, how we had been so very wrong.

"All right, all right." Leo pushed them back. "I know you're excited, but give her some space."

Silence fell over the crowd as they parted, and a giant-of-a-man sauntered up to me. For the most part, he looked like a G. I. Joe, complete with rippling pectorals and a buzzed haircut; he even had a set of dog tags dangling from his neck, a souvenir from the time he'd spent on the frontlines of the U.S. Army in his early twenties. (He was now twenty-eight.)

"So the rebel returns," McGuiness cawed. His shadow fell over me, but I kept my spine straight as I met his beady eyes. "Welcome back, McAllister."

"Thank you," I said, unflinching. "It's good to be back."

Truthfully, I was glad to see everyone, despite my nausea at being surrounded by vampire hunters.

Then McGuiness did something I never would have expected: he opened his arms, inviting me in for a hug.

I stared at him. Is he serious? He barely shakes hands with people.

Beside me, Leo looked as shocked as I was. The whole room seemed to be holding their breath, waiting for my reaction.

"Well?" McGuiness barked. "It's not like I have damn fleas."

Speechless, I slowly stepped into his embrace. He immediately grabbed a fistful of my hair and painfully jerked my head to the side. "I knew it." He dug his nails into the scars on my neck, where Aden had first bit me. "She's been bitten, fed upon."

Leo paled, shooting me a questioning look before turning back to McGuiness. He steeled his gaze. "It doesn't mean anything."

"Ha!" McGuiness spat on the floor. "Like hell it doesn't. You heard about the experiments, what could happen to a human if they've been drained dry. All it takes is one drop..." He brought his face close to mine, and I nearly gagged from the smell of beer and tobacco on his breath. "Did you have any of their blood?"

"No," I hissed, forcing myself to look him in the eye. "I'd rather die."

The look in McGuiness' eyes made me cringe. "Vampirism wasn't classified as a virus for nothing. If you've been fed upon, you could still be infected." His gaze snapped to Leo. "Rinaldi," he barked.

Leo stiffened at the use of his last name.

"Bring me your dagger." McGuiness' voice was sharp as a blade.

Leo's fist clenched by his side. I barely made out the edge of a hilt. Squinting, I saw the outline of a sheath tucked into his belt. "For what?" Leo hissed.

"So I can test her, see if she's still human."

My heart began to race, the memories of being chained and shot by Scarlet Steel fueling my terror. You have nothing to worry about, I consoled myself. Leo doesn't have his dagger.

But maybe they've found more Scarlet Steel, another voice countered. It's been a month.

My eyes roved to the sheath at Leo's side. Had he managed to accrue another dagger? Or was this one a fake, meant to trick his father into thinking he still had it?

For my sake, I sure hope so.

Leo's face was murderous. "Over my dead body."

Everyone froze, not saying anything. No one was stupid enough to contradict McGuiness, not with the look he was giving Leo. "That was an order."

"And I have the right to say no way in hell," Leo shouted. "If Sloane was different, I of all people would know. She's just as human as you and I."

Guilt gnawed at me. What would Leo do when he found out the truth? Would he be so quick to defend my honor then?

"If you won't give it to me," McGuiness hissed, "then I'll have to take it." He made to swipe the dagger, but Leo threw a punch to his face that sent him reeling backward. His grip loosened enough that I squirmed away from him, my scalp raw from having my hair pulled. McGuiness staggered and regained his footing, wiping blood away from his busted lip. His eyes burned with rage. "You're going to regret that, boy."

Leo held up both hands, as if saying "bring it on," and I stepped in front of him. I placed my hands on his chest, pushing him back. "Please, don't make things worse," I pleaded.

Leo glared at McGuiness, sucking in a tight breath, before turning sharply on his heel. "Let's get out here," he muttered.

I followed him out while McGuiness shouted at our backs. "Don't come back 'til you've learned to reign in your emotions. Think with your head and not your penis, Rinaldi! It'll get you killed someday!"

My blood ran cold. It was a very real possibility that Leo could die because of me.

What have I done?

Once we were outside, Leo punched the side of the building, fuming. I stayed back, awkwardly watching him with my arms crossed. Leo always did have a bit of a temper, and I had learned the best way to deal with that was to just let him get the anger out of his system. "Riding out the storm," I called it.

At last, Leo turned to me, running a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry you had to see that. McGuiness has been edgy ever since you disappeared. I guess he was afraid if you did show back up, you'd attract the Scarlet Guard."

The Black Cross Guild operated "under the radar," since hunting vampires was illegal. The government was struggling to maintain control as it was; they had enough problems to deal with without the rest of the human population going all medieval by raiding the Red Sectors in hopes of slaying every vamp they came across.

Leo looked at me, his eyes softening somewhat with sympathy, and I knew what he was going to ask before he spoke.

"You ready to tell your mom?"

I chewed on my lip. The snowball's started rolling down the hill. Might as well go with it, at this rate.

"Ready as I'll ever be," I grumbled, getting into the Jeep.

We didn't talk during the drive, not that I would've had much to say. My glamour barrier, as I called it, was so strong now I didn't even have to think about holding it up. It came naturally, and I could let it slip at a whim, controlling how much of one's emotions I tasted. Leo's were hot, and I felt guilty for probing, so I backed off. I could tell he was still angry, partially at me for not telling him the truth. But he was trying very hard to withhold that anger and talk to me later when he knew he wouldn't bite my head off. It was one of the aspects I loved and respected about him. He would call me out on my stupidity, but he would also give me time to open up to him on my own terms.

It was just as well we didn't have this argument now, about why I had lied to him in the first place. I had other problems stewing in my mind.

Home, sweet home, here I come.