“When will we be leaving here?” I ask no one in particular.

Farrah balks. “You can’t leave me, Mercy. Seriously, you’re the only interesting person here!”

I chuckle. “Farrah, we can’t stay here for much longer. I’d bet my favorite dagger that they already know I’m here. That they know I’ve been here. It’s just a matter of when they decide to attack.”

Parker shoots his sister a look. “She’s got a point, Fare.”

She waves her brother off. “Whatever. You’re in a house full of vampires, all of who have their own special gifts and powers.”

“But they can’t really go out in the day,” I point out, cutting her off.

She narrows her eyes at me. “There are tunnels.”

I roll my eyes. “That’s not the point.”

“To answer your question, Mercy,” Hunter cuts in before Farrah and I can argue anymore, “we were thinking of taking off this weekend.”

“Sounds good,” I say simply.

“No it doesn’t,” Farrah grumbles. “My life’s going to go back to staring at the damn walls and dealing with Chelsey’s spoiled ass while you guys get to go out and actually see the world.”

“I’ll come back and visit,” I promise. “Although, I don’t think your mom will want that.”

Farrah grins. “That’s perfect. I get to annoy mom and see someone who’s more fun than watching paint dry all in one day.”

I wiggle in Kai’s lap, trying to get more comfortable, and he chuckles before grasping me around my waist, pulling me back into him.

“Calm down,” he murmurs in my ear. “You’re extra fidgety today.”

I bite my lip. “Yeah, I don’t know why.”

The door to the library slams open, making everyone look up from the table to see Parker’s mom. And she is pissed.

“You!” she hisses, pointing at me, shaking in rage. “I gave you sanctuary in my home, and you dare to violate that?”

I blink at her. “Uh, say what, now?”

Parker stands up and moves between me and his mom. Even though it’s not needed, it’s appreciated. I’m kind of comfortable where I am in Kai’s lap.

“What are you talking about, mom?” Parker asks, his voice deceptively calm.

“I’m talking about you letting that thing in here, and now Chelsey is dead!” She shrieks.

Her words cause everyone to tense and freeze.

I’m the first to recover. “And you think I did it?”

She sneers at me. “Her friends saw you do it.”

I snort. “Saw me do what, exactly? I’m not exactly subtle when I kill, but I’d like to at least know what I did, if I’m going to be blamed for something that I actually didn’t do.”

“You did it, and you will pay for it!” She moves to take a step towards me but doesn’t get far before Parker’s in her way.

I quickly stand up from Kai’s lap as ten vampires enter the library. Presumably, her guards.

“Out of the way, Parker. Chelsey needs to have justice,” she hisses.

“Mercy didn’t do it,” Parker insists.

The guards move in, trying to surround me, and my guys all stand up as one, ready to stop them from taking me and making a very scary but hot picture.

“And you’re sure of this?” Bianca spits. “She did it! I know she did.”

“Bianca,” Hunter warns, “call off your guard dogs, and let’s talk this out.”

“No, there will be no more talking. I’m done talking. This is the time for her to pay.”

“Mom-”

“No!” She shouts. “She can sit in the dungeon if you’re so hellbent on keeping her alive, for now. That’s the most I’m willing to give you right now, Parker.”

The guards move in again, and the guys draw weapons.

“Stop!” I shout, causing my guys to pause and look at me. “Just calm down a minute, seriously.” I turn to Bianca. “You can take me wherever you want to take me, I won’t fight that as long as the guys don’t get in trouble for defending me. I didn’t kill Chelsey. I don’t know who did, but it wasn’t me.”

She hisses at me. “We’ll see about that.” She tilts her chin at me. “Take her.”

One of the guards slips by Kai and grabs my arm in a tight grip, making me flinch. Damn, dude. Put enough strength in that?

Kai moves to stop him, but I shake my head, and he stops. “Just, find out who really killed her, for god’s sake,” I tell the guys.

“Mom, this is ridiculous. You can’t tell me you honestly think Mercy would–” Farrah starts.

“Enough of this. Take her to the dungeons beneath the house. Parker, if you wish, you alone may go with her, but do not stay for long. I want to speak to you.”

The guard who has hold of my arm pulls me roughly out of the protection of the circle that was formed around me and shoves me forward, making me stumble into a chair.

I scowl at him. “Easy there, ape-man. Chill your shit.”

He growls at me and pushes me forward again.

“I’m going! Shit. Someone needs to take that fucking pole out of your ass,” I grumble under my breath.

With all ten guards surrounding Parker and me, we make our way down to Bianca’s dungeon.

“Should I feel flattered that your mom has ten guards on me?” I ask Parker curiously.

He scowls at me. “I don’t know how the hell you’re so calm.”

I shrug. “Honestly, your mom won’t be able to kill me.”

“What makes you say that?”

I give him a cheeky smile. “Because you won’t let her.”

He narrows his eyes, but I can see the amusement glittering in them. “Damn, right.” He pulls me into his side and places a kiss on my head as we walk. “We’ll figure this out, Mercy. I swear.”

“I know you will,” I mutter.

The guards in front of me part, and I realize that we’re at our destination. I was so focused on Parker, I wasn’t paying any attention to where I was going. Well, I’m an idiot. I could have used that information to escape if this didn’t go my way.

“In you go, half-demon,” the vampire holding the cell door says.

I move to go into the tiny-ass cell they have for me, but I don’t get more than a step in when Parker stops me and pulls me back into his arms. He slams his mouth on mine, pouring all of his anger and frustration into the kiss.

A guard grabs me, pulling me out of his arms and literally throws me into the itty-bitty cell. Dick.

I glare at the guy before looking at Parker. “Go. Help the others find out who the hell did this and why I’m the one taking the blame.”

He nods and leaves the room once ten of the guards have left the room. The eleventh one is stuck on babysitting duty it seems, since he pulls up a chair right outside of my cell and pulls a magazine off the table beside him and starts flipping through the pages. Wait eleven? There were only ten. Weren’t there?

I pace around the little cell for a while before finally giving up and sitting on the little cot. Jesus. Everything’s little in here.

You’d think I was a fucking leprechaun or something.

Plopping down on the cot, I place my chin in the palm of my hand and rest my elbow on my knee. I purse my lips and frown when the guard starts whistling. “Can you please stop that?”

He chuckles humorlessly then goes right back to whistling.

Seriously. What is with these vampires and being such dicks?

“So, what exactly did Chelsey’s little groupies say that has Bianca so convinced it was me that killed her?” I finally ask.

The whistling stops. Thank god!

A sigh slips out of the vamp. “I don’t know. I’m not even supposed to be talking to you, so be quiet.”

“Seriously? ‘Be quiet’? That’s the best you got?”

He snorts. “No, I just happen to like and respect Parker. I know you’re his female, and he would rather you be safe than have any of the other guards his mother had come down here with you. They wouldn’t have any problems torturing information out of you, even if that information was false. They wouldn’t give a shit.”

I frown as I realize why I was confused at the number of guards when we first came in here. “Wait, you weren’t a part of the original ten guards that came to take me away, were you?”

“No, I wasn’t,” he confirms. “Parker telepathically asked me to blend into the guards when you were walking past me, then asked me to stay and keep an eye on you to make sure nothing happens.”

“So, if Parker told you to stay with me, why aren’t you supposed to be talking to me?”

He shrugs. “It’s kind of standard procedure when you’re on guard duty for the dungeon.”

“Standard procedure,” I drawl. “Right. Well, I’d say this isn’t actually all that standard wouldn’t you agree?”

He chuckles. “I guess not.”

“What’s your name?” I ask.

“Dax Corbin.”

“Well, Dax Corbin, can you tell me what the fuck is going on? What happened to Chelsey?”

He sighs. “Honestly, I’m not entirely sure. I didn’t see the body. I do know that she was decapitated. I heard there were also signs of torture, but I’m not sure since I’ve yet to see the body.”

I frown. “Uh, I’ve been with Parker or one of the other guys or Farrah over the last twenty-four hours. I couldn’t have done that without one of them present. And as it turns out, I didn’t do it.”

He nods. “I believe you, but Bianca will not be so easily swayed. Especially with her friends’ statements that point you out as her attacker.”

“If there was signs of torture, how the hell did they see me kill her, but not do anything to stop it?”

“I don’t know. I’m just telling you what I do know. Which isn’t much.”

I sigh. “I know. I’m sorry, I’m just frustrated with all of this. It’s such bullshit.”

“I’ll agree with you there.”