“They might.”

“No, they won’t. You’re free to do as you like here as long as you’re not planning to hurt anyone.”

Lexi shifted in her seat and her eyes darted away from Helen’s.

“You’re not planning to hurt anyone, are you, Lexi?”

In a small voice, she replied, “I don’t want to.”

“What does that mean? If you don’t want to, you don’t have to. No one can make you do anything you don’t want.”

Lexi pressed her thumbs against her temples like her head was hurting. “I just need some time to think. That’s all.”

Helen didn’t believe that was all. Not for one second. Lexi had something up her sleeve, and as much as Helen loved her, she couldn’t let her friend hurt anyone here. These people were her family, and she was sworn to protect them, just like Drake was.

But, instead of pushing the issue, Helen let it go. She’d let the men know Lexi might be a danger, and everyone would keep tabs on her. Once she was here for a couple of days and had a chance to see for herself that it wasn’t what she suspected, she’d be more reasonable.

Helen only hoped that Zach had that long to wait for Lexi to believe the truth.

Lexi tested Helen’s theory that she’d be free to roam around by doing so. After a tense lunch that she barely managed to choke down, Lexi left Helen’s suite and ambled through the hallways until she found herself back in the big glass-ceilinged room.

By now, the lunch crowd had thinned out and the TV area was empty of kids. A few people sat at the tables, drinking coffee or finishing their lunches. Miss Mabel sat at the edge of the dining area, reading a giant, antique book. Every few seconds, she’d look up at the kids nearby, as if she had the need to keep tabs on them. After teaching public school for so long, Lexi guessed it was more a habit than anything.

She pulled out a chair and sat down across from the woman. Miss Mabel looked up and beamed at her. “Lexi! As I live and breathe. What are you doing here?”

She looked younger, as if some of the lines had been erased from her face. She still wore the same garish lipstick and the white bun on the top of her head was still held in place with a single yellow, number two pencil, but everything else about her seemed . . . different.

“You remember those rude men from the diner?” asked Lexi.

“Of course.”

“One of them found me.”

“Ah. Zach. That poor fellow has been pining for you since the day you ran off. I’m glad he finally caught up with you.”

“Glad? They abducted you and Helen and dragged you here against your will. How can you take their side?”

Miss Mabel’s eyes narrowed and she pointed a gnarled finger at Lexi. “Don’t you get uppity with me. I may not condone their methods, but if it weren’t for them, I’d be dead right now. So would Helen.”

“So they say. You can’t know that for sure.”

“Yes, I can. I’ve talked with enough of the children here to know what happens to those the Theronai don’t manage to find in time. So many of them have lost their parents, their families. The Synestryn do horrible things that don’t even come close to the sin of forcing someone into safety against their will.”

“How do you know the kids aren’t lying?” asked Lexi.

Miss Mabel lifted a white brow. “Thirty years of experience. That’s how.”

“How do you know they’re not brainwashed? How do you know their parents aren’t out there, looking for their lost kids?”

The older woman shook her head, frowning. “You’re a stubborn child and will probably only believe when you see with your own eyes, but when you’re here long enough, you’ll know what I know. You’ll see some big, strapping man carry a bloody child through those doors—one that’s crying and clinging to him like a lifeline. You’ll read the paper and see photos of the parents brutally slain—torn to pieces by monsters. Only then will you know the truth, deep down, the way I do.”

“How do you know it’s not those same big, strapping men killing the parents? They do carry swords, you know.”

“Are you really that blind?” asked Miss Mabel. “Can you really look around this place of refuge and see such evil? Because if you can, then I have to wonder what might be wrong with you.”

And that was the crux of the problem. Since she’d been here, she hadn’t seen a single sign of torture or mistreatment. Everyone seemed content, safe.

Miss Mabel stood, without the help of her walker, without even leaning on the table for support. Even though she was still not quite five feet tall, she was no longer stooped with age. She turned around in a circle, her movements smooth and fluid. “There’s no brainwashing here, child. The Sentinels didn’t have to take my pain away or free me from that blasted walker, but they did. And at great cost, too. I’ve never had a thing for vampires the way some of these youngsters do, but the one that healed me nearly made himself sick doing it. It took three Theronai willing to open up their veins and bleed for me to make it happen, too. These men may be big, rude brutes, but they’re good, big, rude brutes. Without them, I’d hate to think of where the world would be. Maybe you should spend some time thinking about that for a while.”

“I have been. Believe me. Nothing seems clear anymore.”

“Then I’d say you need to go have a look around. See for yourself.”

“That’s what Helen said.”

Miss Mabel sat back down and waved Lexi away. “Scoot. I’ve got work to do. There’s an entire library of books here I haven’t read and that just can’t stand.” She went back to her reading, dismissing Lexi.

With a sigh of weariness and confusion, Lexi left. All she could think of was that if the Sentinels wanted to keep Miss Mabel prisoner, the last thing they would have done was given her the ability to run away easier.

Like so many other things she’d witnessed, it made no sense.

The sunshine outside called to her. Maybe some fresh air would help her sort things out. And if not, at least she’d walk off some of the excess energy clawing around inside of her, making her anxious.

The outdoor exercise area was stuffed full of muscular men, all shirtless and glistening like they knew she was coming by and wanted to give her a fantastic show.

Most of them were Theronai—she could tell by their tree tattoos. A few humans mingled with them, sweating and pumping iron, though just not as much. Apparently, the Theronai were superstrong. Or maybe they’d just been lifting longer.

Lexi enjoyed the sight as she pushed through the doors and walked right down the middle of the area as if she owned the place.

She was pretty sure they wouldn’t let her pass, but other than a few interested stares—something she was used to—no one moved to intercept her.

So far, so good.

She followed a sidewalk to the right, and saw water shining in the distance, either a lake or a really big pond. The grass was thick and lush, and flowers were planted in pretty little clumps lining the walkway. As she cleared the corner of one wing, she saw a fenced-in area and heard the joyful squeal of small kids. Behind that iron fence and the low hedges along one side, she found about a dozen preschoolers playing. Some of them climbed on the sturdy plastic slide, or ran into the matching playhouse. Two boys were rolling a ball between them, their aim so bad they had to run after the ball, which was apparently part of the game, based on the way they laughed while doing it. Three girls were in a giant sandbox building a crooked sandcastle.

Lexi propped her arms up on the top railing and just watched them, ignoring the stares of the adults keeping track of the tykes. She hadn’t expected to see kids here, and certainly not so many of them.

They seemed happy. Healthy. How could that be when they were being raised alongside monsters?

Unless, of course, Helen and Zach had been telling the truth all along, and it was Lexi’s mother and the Defenders who had been wrong.

This was their home. There was no way she could destroy that, and certainly no way to get them all out to safety.

Which meant that not only could she not blow this place up, she couldn’t let the Defenders do it, either. That much was crystal clear. She had to find a way to contact them and let them know there were kids here.

She turned away from the playground and went back the way she came. Only this time, when she tried to pass through the exercise area, four large Theronai stepped in her path.

“Let me by,” she told them, craning her head back to look them all in the eye.

The one with a scarred face said, “Not until we touch you.”

Lexi backed up and bumped into another man. He grabbed her upper arms and panic sliced through her for a split second before her body settled, and all the preparation she’d done kicked in.

This was what she’d been expecting all along and she knew just how to handle it.

Chapter 14

Nika was draped over Madoc like a blanket when he awoke. For a moment, he thought he was dreaming again, but in his dreams he didn’t hurt, so he had to be awake.

The bedside clock said it was nearly two in the afternoon. He’d slept longer than usual, even considering how exhausted he’d been last night.

Nika’s head was tucked under his chin and he could feel her breath sliding out of her lungs, tickling him as it swept through his chest hair. One of his hands was locked around her waist and the other cupped her ass. Her skinny legs had settled between his thighs, and his hard cock was throbbing against her stomach.

He had no idea how she’d gotten in his room, or what in the hell had possessed her to come, but all of that was inconsequential now. Nika was here, in his bed, and everything inside him screamed out that because of that, she was his for the taking.

Sweat beaded up on his skin and he started to shake against the need to flip her under him and fuck her—drive into her body until some of the pain bled off and he could think straight.

He hadn’t asked her to come to him. She had to be here because that was what she wanted him to do, right?

Something about that line of logic was flawed, and Madoc held still, fighting himself until he could figure out what was wrong. He tried to remember what he would have done before his soul started dying—before he’d turned from a noble man into this bloodthirsty killer he now was.

Nika was sick. Fragile. Completely crazy. The girl didn’t know what she wanted. Maybe that was why he needed to keep himself in check.

Her fingers curled against his bare chest and she let out a sigh. Madoc’s blood pounded through him fierce and hard.

Why the hell was she here?

To get fucked? Or had she needed him? Maybe she’d come here for help and been too tired to get back to her own room. It made more sense than anything else.

Slowly, so he wouldn’t wake her, Madoc rolled her body over onto the mattress. He cradled her head in his hand, keeping it steady as her slight weight shifted. The girl was already too mixed up in the brain for him to do any more harm by jostling her noggin, but the part of him that used to be good remembered he was supposed to be careful with her. She might be able to save one of his brothers.