I was taking a risk to be there. I was trying to do as many human things as possible for as long as I could, and grocery shopping definitely fit the bill. Anywhere with security cameras was a risk, and I knew Caleb would be furious. Though I doubted they were looking for Vamps in a grocery store. I was one of the few Vamps in history who ate.
Now Bernard and Maxim were the others.
“I really do not enjoy it. I prefer a liquid diet.” He gave me a predatory smile. “Why do you enjoy these trivial activities so much?”
“You’ve been inside my mind,” I said quietly, grabbing a loaf of multigrain bread and ignoring the enriched white flour brand she’d asked for. “You tell me why.”
“You thought you were half and half for so long. That made sense. But you are only a quarter…” he left the rest of the sentence left unsaid then continued. “Perhaps it brought you a sense of closeness to your mother, but now, you’d get a better sense of that in the clouds.”
Angels can fly? I asked with my mind, staring at him as I held a jar of tomato sauce.
Of course they can. He smirked. They don’t carry harps, but they are overly fond of music. Or so I am told.
“You’ve never met one?”
He shook his head, his eyes warm on my face.
“Not until you.”
Oh, boy. Okay, back to shopping, Sophie.
Maxim trailed me with a smug smile as I dashed around the store, just short of moving at Vamp speed. I wanted to get out of here, now. Nightfall, somedays, it seemed like I wanted to get out of my own skin.
When we got back, the house was cleaner than it had ever been. Maxim looked around and then back at the three bodies lounging in the living room. He pointed a finger at Karen.
“You used magic!”
She smiled unrepentantly.
“You assumed we were going to use mops and stuff. How is that my fault?”
I laughed so hard I bent over. Then I pointed to the kitchen.
“Come on, Maxim. Let’s put this stuff away.”
But Janelle was not all that grateful.
“What is all this healthy stuff?”
“You need meat. And that other stuff is not good for you.”
She glared. “Tell me you got me something sweet.”
I pulled out some fruit and she rolled her eyes.
“Oh, relax. I got your cookies too.”
I helped unpack everything with Dylan and Karen while Maxim watched. He was brooding, leaning there looking like a raven-haired James Dean with his leather jacket and palpable air of malcontent. Janelle started putting things away, though those of us with heightened senses flinched when she opened the fridge.
“Karen,” I begged. She pulled off her glove and the room filled with light. When she put her glove on again, the fridge looked brand-new.
It smelled a lot better too.
And then it was all done. I cleared my throat and said it was time to go. Maxim gripped my arm as I left.
“You’re riding with me, Sophie.”
“Um, okay.” I looked back at Karen and Dylan. “I’ll see you guys later. Give Janelle my number if she needs it.”
“I have Karen’s.” She came up behind them and smiled at me, showing all her teeth. Her normal human teeth, thanks to Karen. “And Dylan’s, of course.”
She knew. She knew it bothered me. I didn’t want it to bother me, but it did. Nightfall, it did.
“Okay. Have a good day.”
“Oh, I will.”
Chapter 26
I looked up, and there you were.
“What are we doing here?”
I sat on the motorcycle, refusing to get off. We were in the parking lot of a seedy bar that was across the parking lot from a seedy bowling alley. The kind that had been there for eighty years or so. I crossed my arms and glared at Maxim.
“I need to feed.”
I dropped my arms, feeling guilty. Of course he did. His next words made my hackles rise again.
“And so do you.”
“Don’t tell me what I need to do.”
“Sophie,” he said, coming close and resting his hands on the bike on either side of me. “Your friend’s transformation is a wake-up call.”
“She’s not my friend.”
“It doesn’t matter what you call her. She knows about you. So do the Cotswolds and all their guests. It’s not just the New Leaders. There are unknown threats to contend with, probably more than we could ever imagine. You need to be as strong as possible.”
He stared at me, inches away. Then he sighed and stood up. He held out his hand to me.
“This will all change in the blink of an eye, Sophie. It’s time.”
I looked at his hand, then at him. I knew he was right. The battle was closer than any of us thought. And childishly, I was dreading going back home. Caleb and Bernard were already blowing up my phone. There would be hell to pay when we returned.
I put my hand in his and followed him toward the bar.
“We need to let them know we’re all right.”
He squeezed my hand and nodded.
“I will text them. Let me take the brunt of it.”
“It’s my responsibility. But they need to stop treating me like a child.”
He nodded.
“I agree.” But then he looked at me. “But it’s time to put away childish things.”
“Like what?”
“Like Dylan.”
I glared at him. “He’s not a thing.”
“No, but he’s a vulnerability. He could get you killed.” He blocked my path. “He will get you killed, unless I am there to stop it. He will probably get me killed in the process.”
“You would do that? Die for him?”
“For him? No. For you? Always.”
I ignored his proclamation. I didn’t know what to do with it. I didn’t want him to die. I didn’t want any of my friends to die.
Especially not for me. Never for me.
“Dylan isn’t stupid. He’s not reckless.”
Maxim’s eyes were blazing as he stepped closer.
“No, he’s not stupid. He’s brave and loyal. Intelligent. Kind. He loves you. He would die for you. He’s almost everything you should have in a mate. Except . . .”
I bristled at the use of the word ‘mate.’ I hated that word. I wasn’t an animal. But I was too angry to even hit pause on the argument.
“Except what?” I growled.
“Except that he’s mostly human. Frail. He’s easily killed and easily used against you.”
I inhaled sharply. He was right. I knew he was right.
If the New Leaders got Dylan, or even got close to him, he would die. Or they would use him to gain my surrender. And I would surrender for him.
Nightfall, he was right.
“You know I’m right,” he said, sounding resigned. “You just don’t want to admit it out loud. I don’t blame you.”
Did Maxim sound… hurt?
Being on the sidelines of my feelings for either one of them had to be hard on the other. I was an idiot. Worse, I was a heartless idiot.
I would hate having to listen to, or even feel, how either of them felt about another girl. And I was sure I wasn’t the only female in their orbit.
“You’re wrong. There isn’t anyone else for either one of us. There never will be.”
“How do you know?” I said, my voice small. I wanted to shrink down. Take up less space. “How could anyone know what’s in someone else’s heart? Really know.”
“I know because he told me. I know because of this bond, this connection.” He grabbed my hand and pressed it against the center of his chest. “Because I can feel your dark half drawn to me and your light half drawn to him. I can feel this connection changing all three of us.”
I stared at him, my hand splayed over his heart. I almost felt a beat. But that couldn’t be real. Vampires didn’t have living hearts. Not really. I wasn’t even sure I did. Maybe that was what was wrong with me. Maybe I just couldn’t
feel.
“You feel enough. You just feel it for two people. And one of them will get you killed. Not because he’s not worthy. Because he is.”
I closed my eyes, determined I wasn’t going to cry. Something about this speech felt like goodbye. I closed my mind off from everything. I wouldn’t think about what I had to do. I would just do it when the time came.
I was going to leave. Soon.
No one else would get hurt because of me. No one would die.
“Okay, it’s been a while. Show me how to feed quickly and efficiently.” I gave him a wry smile. “After that speech, I could really use a drink.”
He nodded, staring at me. I watched a muscle in his jaw tick as if he was trying to decide something. I saw it the moment he gave in and became the teacher, not the friend, not the almost-boyfriend who was tired of waiting around for someone he wasn’t sure he would ever have.
“I’ll wait forever,” he said as he shouldered his way through the crowded bar.
“Forget this ever happened. Go home and take care of yourself and your family. You definitely want to go back to college. And you hate the taste of beer and fried food. And spandex. You hate spandex.”
I watched as the woman Maxim had fed on tottered off on her platform shoes. I tried not to laugh at his fashion advice. She was wearing an outfit better suited for a disco-era superhero.
“She’s going to go home and throw out half her wardrobe.”
He grinned at me rakishly.
“Probably.”
“Now you’re giving life lessons with your feeding?”
“Yes.” He gave me an even look. “I learned it from you.”
“Me?”
“The last time we fed together. The biker.”
He winked at me, all traces of his earlier sadness gone. His mask of flirtatious arrogance was firmly back in place. I sighed, concealing my thoughts with effort. It was probably easier that way for both of us.
“Oh. Right.” I shrugged sheepishly. “I guess I do dole out knowledge sometimes.”
“Don’t ever stop,” he said in a voice like raw silk.
I looked around, ignoring the sense of intimacy that returned.
“Who’s next?”
“Do you want more?”
I shrugged. We were working with taking little sips. So fast that someone watching would think we were whispering in their ear. It was less taxing on the humans but a bit more labor-intensive for us. It was also harder to get caught.
“I guess I need the practice.”
I would have to feed if I was on my own, I knew. I would need all the strength I could get. I concealed the thought, burying it deep in the steel lock box I’d been working on. I actually imagined a safe, inside a vault, inside an underground bunker. It was so deep in my mind I wondered if Maxim even knew it was there.
“Pick someone.”
There was a group of college guys wearing sports jackets at a table near the dartboard. It was early and they were already very drunk. It was a wonder none of them had accidentally stabbed themselves or each other with the darts.
One of them looked a bit more thoughtful than the others. He was tall, with light brown hair and blue eyes. Handsome, but in a quiet way. He was staring into his beer while his buddies shouted nonsense at each other.
He reminded me a little bit of Dylan, though I was careful to conceal that thought too.
“Him.”
Maxim said nothing. I set down the beer he’d bought me. I hadn’t even taken a sip.
“Call Caleb.”
“Now?”
“Yes. I got this.”
“Separate him from the group. The dark is your friend. Remember, every jackass in the world has a cellphone camera.”
I nodded. Maxim hesitated, then shrugged and went outside. I knew he would be back soon, so I had to hurry.
I sent a little ruffle of breeze through the bar to get his attention. When he looked up, I smiled and crooked my finger at him. He stood and crossed the bar to me, with his buddies hooting and hollering.
“I need some air…” I let my words dangle and he offered up his name.
“Christopher.”
“Christopher.” I smiled. “Come outside with me.”
He said nothing, just followed me silently to the back entrance where all the smokers hung out. Thank Nightfall, no one was outside at the moment. It was surprisingly pretty outside, with the sun setting through lush green trees.
Well, pretty if you ignored the dumpster and cigarette butts everywhere.
“I need your help, Christopher. Will you help me?”
He nodded. I exhaled in relief. I had asked him before glamouring him. Now I could do this without feeling like too much of a monster.
“You will not repeat anything that happens between us to anyone. You will forget about it when not carrying out tasks. Nod if you understand.”
He nodded.
“Why are you so sad?”
“I have a congenital heart defect. The doctor just told me I had to stop playing ball.”
I could have sung with joy. I could help him. He would solve my problems and I would solve his.
“I need you to set up a bank account for me. Here is the information. Make sure to get an access code so I can make online transfers.” I rattled off an identity I’d set up without Caleb’s knowledge. She had a social security number and everything. Even a blood type. There would be no way for them to find me if I traveled under this name.
No way other than the bond.
To truly escape them, I had to weaken the bond once and for all.
To do that, I had to share my blood with someone else.
I had no idea if it would work or what it would do to the young man in front of me. I knew it would heal his heart. Vampire blood could heal a lot. But my blood was different. I was torn about what I was about to do, but I had no choice. I had to risk the effect on this young man to save every other person I cared about. I could only hope that it would make his life better and not worse.
I bit my finger and rubbed the blood across his lips.
“Drink. It will heal your heart.”
It was only a few drops, but I thought it would be enough. His eyes widened as he licked the blood off his lips. My fingertip healed almost immediately. I hoped that it was enough to begin to weaken the bond and that if we did the exchange a few more times, it would destroy the bond I shared with Maxim and Dylan completely.
“I need your phone number.”
He rattled it off and I memorized it.
“I will call you soon from an unknown number. Answer the phone. We will meet again.”
“I’m glad. You’re so pretty.”
I stifled a laugh just as I heard Maxim’s footsteps hurrying down the passageway. Christopher didn’t seem to mind the baseball cap and messy hair. He was a nice young man, and I was lucky to have found him.
“I need to drink from you now. It won’t hurt. Offer me your neck.”
He leaned forward and offered his throat to me. He did it so sweetly, I nearly cried. Thank Nightfall I was not like the Cotswolds or this kind young man would not live past the sunset.
I went up on my tiptoes and gripped his jacket, sinking my teeth into the soft skin. The heady taste of his blood filled my mouth. And I could taste something else. Just a tiny bit of magic.
That was me. Me in his blood. If I could taste it, then it must be enough to heal his heart and to create a new bond, one that he would not be aware of, but I would.
Hopefully, Christopher’s thoughts would be easier to block out.
I looked over my shoulder as Maxim stopped short, staring at us. I was deliberate in making it look like there was a flirtation going on with my drink.
I wiped off his neck and smiled at him, using another drop of my blood to seal the wound.
“Go back inside and hang with your friends. Tell no one about me or anything that happened between us. Study hard and drink less beer. Be respectful to women. Go to
the doctor.”
He nodded, and I pressed a kiss to his cheek.
“I will.”
I smiled softly, feeling the waves of jealousy coming off Maxim.
“’Bye, Christopher.”
“’Bye.”
I turned and watched him go.
“Enjoying yourself?”
I stretched and nodded.
“Did you call?”
“Yes. We are expected at home.”
“Okay, let’s go.”
Yes, I was being cruel and cold. I hated being mean to him. Maxim might be irritatingly pompous, but he was my loyal friend and so much more. But it was better this way. He would live another four hundred years if he stayed far away from me. There was only one way to do that.
To hurt him and break the bond.
We rode back to the house in silence.
Chapter 27
Friends are all you need
“I don’t know if I will ever get used to him,” Karen said as Chilies lay across the foot of the bed, lazily grooming himself. We were leaning against the headboard, working on her college applications. She knew she was starting a semester late, so she hadn’t bothered to apply for admission in the Fall. She was too busy studying magic to want to start college right away.
I gave her a look, considering. Then I shrugged.
“He’s not the only one.”
“The only what?”
“The only animal I’ve changed.” She looked astounded. “The first few times, it was accidental, like with you.”
I scratched Chilles’ head.
“With Chillies, I had to make a point.”
“What other animals?”
“Well, insects, really. A centipede and a spider. Do you want to meet them?”
“Giant insects?”
“Yes. A centipede and a common house spider. Well, she used to be common.”
She shivered.
“Maybe later. I love all creatures, but spiders give me the willies.”
I laughed, trying not to think about leaving my familiars behind.
“That’s a pretty normal reaction. She hasn’t bitten anyone since her transformation, but I doubt it would tickle if she did.”
Rogue Prince Page 16
