Chapter 6

PJ shifted his weight impatiently in the leather chair in the corner of the coven's living room. He folded his hands together, his eyes intent on the sleeping form of Tanis. Streaks from her dried tears were the only flaws on her sleeping face, her thick dark eyelashes brushing the skin just below her closed eyes. Unconsciously shifting her position, her hair fell over her shoulders as she turned away from him to sleep on her side. PJ fought the urge to run his fingers through her long tresses, his legs twitching with impatience while he listened to the low whispers of his coven in the kitchen.

"You shouldn't have brought her here, NewBlood," Randy hissed angrily, slamming his palm on the granite counter top.

"What else was I supposed to do? I wasn't expecting you to kidnap her sister!" Lucky snapped back, his fangs extended as he glared at his elder.

"Maybe this can work to our advantage," Edge muttered from his perch at the kitchen table. His eyes lifted to Randy, "Where did you take the girl?"

"Not far," Randy replied shortly, his eyes still on Lucky who looked murderous.

"Jon, leave us," Edge waved at Lucky nonchalantly, the younger vampire forced to obey. He waited patiently for the younger vampire to move out of the room before leaning forward to address Randy, Beth and Melina.

"As of right now, Jericho and his ilk took her. We'll use them as a scapegoat until Tanis is turned and with us."

Shifting uncomfortably, Beth glanced from Edge to Randy. She didn't have a good feeling about the plan at all. "Adam, I think we should come up with an alternative."

"Why?" he demanded.

Holding her hands up to ease his intensity, Beth took a step forward to explain her reasoning. "I can just see this blowing up in our faces and I think we'd be safer doing something else. Like, oh I don't know, letting her go!"

"Don't take that tone with me, Elizabeth," Adam jumped to his feet, his fangs bared as he glared at his first protégé. Her own fangs extended and she hissed at him, ready for physical confrontation.

"Adam, relax," Melina appeared at his side, her fingers wrapping around his forearm. Immediately his fangs retracted and he sat down, his mood calmer as Melina eased him back into his seat. Beth relaxed her stance, smoothing her hands over the front of her gray blouse.

"I just think we should rethink this entire situation," she clarified. "It would be better if we just let the girl go."

In the living room PJ tensed as he watched Tanis sleep. She took a slow breath in, a low hum escaping her lips as she swiveled on the couch. Her hair fell over her face, the curls silky and shiny as they slid over her skin. Licking his lips, PJ felt his fangs extend in his mouth, his lust getting the better of him as he watched her breathe. He could feel the presence of Lucky in the corner of the room but he ignored him, his attention fully focused on Tanis.

She groaned in her sleep, her hands moving to her face to wipe the sleep away. Slowly she opened her eyes and stretched. "Lucky?" she squinted at PJ before letting out a shriek and scrambling away from him.

Startled, PJ hissed, jumping to his feet out of instinct. Tanis held her hand out in front of her just as Lucky stepped between them and pushed PJ back into his seat.

"Relax," he soothed. "It's just Paul."

"Who's Paul?" Tanis squeaked.

"That's me," the South African waved. "Sorry if I startled you."

"Where did you come from?" she gasped, hugging herself close to Lucky. "Where am I?"

Smoothing his hand over her hair, Lucky hugged her. He couldn't help but selfishly enjoy her weight pressed against him, the warmth of her body bringing back memories. Lily's dark amber eyes and gentle lips flashed through his memory and his muscles tensed as the pain wrenched his insides. He pushed Tanis away from him and sank onto the couch clutching his head.

"Relax Tanis, this is my house. PJ, here, is one of my housemates," he said to the floor, his voice choked as he tried to shove away the agony.

"Lucky, are you all right?" she sat down beside him, wrapping a comforting arm around his shoulders. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, just give me a minute," he exhaled deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose to try and clear his head.

"I'll get Melina," PJ offered, making his way into the kitchen where the whispers had stopped with Tanis's waking.

Taking a second to assess the tension in the room, PJ nodded at Melina who disappeared into the living room to help Lucky. When she was gone the youngest vampire turned to his maker with a curious gaze.

"Randy, what's going on? I thought we were just taking her," he whispered, pointing to the living room.

"Not now, PJ," Randy waved him off with a loaded glance while Beth and Adam stood to leave. The pair shared a tense glare before disappearing, PJ raising his eyebrows before returning his eyes to his maker.

"What's going on?" he hissed.

"Not while the girl's awake," Randy sighed as he made his way out of the room. "We'll discuss this later."

"PJ!" Melina's shrill voice distracted him from the living room. Quickly making his way back into the other room he frowned at the sight of Lucky bent double on the floor, Tanis and Melina both holding his arms as he groaned.

"What happened?"

"He's not responding to me," Melina rested her forehead on his arm in concentration. "He's blocking me out."

"Come on, Lucky, tell me what's wrong," Tanis pleaded as he let out another groan of agony. "Let us help you."

"Lily," he whispered between clenched teeth. "No."

"Lily?"

"Never you mind," Melina waved her off and pulled Lucky to his feet. "He needs some rest. Stay out here while I take him to his room."

Narrowing her eyes, Tanis watched Melina and Lucky slowly walk away. PJ stood quietly off to the side, his arms crossed over his chest. The hair on the back of Tanis's neck rose at the feel of his eyes on her and she turned to meet his gaze.

"What's going on here? We're supposed to be looking for my sister. What's wrong with Lucky? And who's Lily?"

"That will all be explained in due time," the cool voice of Randy interrupted Tanis's confused questions. Spinning on her heel she stared up into the cold blue eyes of the St. Louis native and gaped at his tanned skin and tattooed arms. His chest was still bare, although clean of mud and his toned muscles sported a light sheen of baby oil.

"Who the hell are you?" she asked before she could stop herself, the onslaught of new people overwhelming her ability to use manners.

"My name is Randy Orton, you must be Tanis, Lucky's new plaything," he smirked and held his hand out to her.

"This one's charming," Tanis shot sarcastically and shook his hand. His fingers slid over hers and he pulled her knuckles to his mouth, brushing the smooth skin over his soft lips. Tanis fought the urge to shiver and pursed her lips. She yanked her hand away before he gave her any naughty ideas. "If we don't come up with a way to find my sister in the next ten minutes, I'm calling the police."

Frowning, Randy draped his arm around Tanis's shoulders and eased her onto the couch. He placed a large hand on her thigh and smirked, laying on the charm. "There will be no need to involve the police. That is our last choice in such a fragile situation."

"What are you talking about?" Tanis demanded slowly, twisting to glare into his sharp eyes. Her heart skipped at the danger in the blue depths. She could tell this man was a natural predator and he wouldn't hesitate to hurt her given the motivation. Something wild lingered on the brink of his sanity and if terrified her but the tug of curiosity lingered beneath her fear.

"No need to tense up, darling, Randy wouldn't hurt a fly," PJ chuckled when Tanis's muscles flexed in her arms. He could tell she found their presence intimidating and it thrilled him even more. "There's no danger here."

"Yeah right," she scoffed, avoiding Randy's gaze. "I just want to find my sister and go home. Can we focus please?"

"Alright, how about this: Beth works closely with the local police department. She helps them as a kind of special detective on certain cases. We'll send her tomorrow to file a report. How's that?" Randy raised his eyebrows and puckered his lips.

Tanis swallowed hard her eyes falling to his lips and her stomach tensed. Mentally shaking herself out of her lusty thoughts she cleared her throat and nodded. "Fine, take me home then. I'm tired and I want to sleep before I start looking tomorrow. Maybe I can find something in the daylight that I didn't see in the dark."

"Why don't you just stay here and get some rest?" Adam's gravelly voice interrupted the conversation. The three occupants all looked up at his entrance. Tanis narrowed her eyes and got to her feet.

"Are you stalking me or something? I see you everywhere."

A low chuckle emanated from his throat. "Stalk you? Hardly."

"You were at the club tonight and Lucky—you go to the Kingston all the time!" Tanis struggled to keep her thoughts coherent. "What's your deal, man?"

Adam ran his fingers through his wavy blond hair and leaned on the arm of PJ's chair. His eyes bore into Tanis making her uncomfortable. It felt like he was reading into her soul and it terrified her. An involuntary shiver erupted up her spine but she ignored it, trying to look tough.

"Can't a guy go to a diner where a pretty waitress works? The other instances might be purely coincidence, Tanis. I assure you." He folded his hands in his lap and raised his eyebrows while Tanis gaped.

"You all are a bunch of creepy motherfuckers! Take me home. Now!"