The raw panic in Vincent's voice was more terrifying than his rage had ever been. Marcus didn't
question the command. He moved instantly, his previous animosity replaced by a chillingly
efficient focus. He grabbed my left arm, his grip like a manacle of ice, while Vincent seized my
right, his hand a brand of heat.
"Who are they?" I demanded, trying to wrench myself free. "What do you mean, 'get me out of
sight'?"
"Silence," Vincent snarled, pulling me towards a hidden panel in the back wall of his office.
"There is no time."
It was Marcus who answered, his voice a clipped, urgent staccato. "They are vultures in wolf
pelts. The Ashen Claws. Nomadic Alphas who hunt and collect rare supernatural beings. Your
scent, whatever it is, would be a beacon to them."
"We take her to the vault," Vincent commanded, gesturing into the dark passage.
"Idiot," Marcus countered without heat. "They'll sense her concentrated scent and tear the
building apart. We need to mask her. My penthouse. The air filtration systems are military
grade."
Vincent glared, but logic won. He shoved me into the passage, and Marcus followed, the panel
hissing shut behind us. The journey through the service corridors was a claustrophobic
nightmare, trapped between the two immense, competing forces. They moved with a reluctant,
hateful cooperation, their mutual desire to protect a priceless asset overriding their instinct to kill
each other.
We arrived at a private, high-security penthouse deep within Marcus's skyscraper, accessible
only by a biometric elevator.
"You will stay here. You will not leave," Marcus commanded, his authority absolute now that we
were on his territory. Vincent looked on, his jaw tight, a king in another's castle.
As Vincent turned to leave to deal with the diplomatic fallout of the Claws' arrival, Marcus
paused. He looked at me, his grey eyes analytical. "They don't just take what they hunt," he said,
his voice a low, clinical warning. "They are scholars of the flesh. They vivisect them. They are
interested in unique biology. Yours would be a prize beyond measure."
The door slid shut, leaving me alone in a new, more luxurious cage.