was no different. She opened the door to her lounge and greeted us
with a warm hello. She looked completely at home and comfortable,
but still elegant, even though she was only wearing a white bikini
top and flowing white linen pants. Her long dreadlocks were braided
in a crown around her head.
We stepped inside and I realized her wardrobe matched her
design scheme. I don’t know how she managed it, but walking into
Omi’s underground apartment was like stepping into some tropical
beach resort. Blue, yellow, and green accents added splashes of color
to the white and bleached wood furniture. Camila’s room felt like a
Gothic cave. I may have picked the right sister-queen to be with, but
if I ever needed a tropical change of scenery, I knew exactly where
to go.Omi caught me looking at the bright track lighting. I felt like I
was outside.
“Camila won’t tell you, but some of us do miss the sun.”
Surprisingly, her voice had a hint of a British accent to it.
“Omi’s from Barbados,” Camila said.
“Oh. I’ve never been farther south than Disney World,” I said.
“I’d tell you you must go, but it’s far too sunny for your lady-
queen,” she replied with a grin. I couldn’t help but smile back.
• 212 •
Better Off red
“Tokyo’s running a bit late.” I spun around at the voice behind
us. Natasha suddenly appeared. Then Faeth right beside her. I’d
seen Camila vanish and reappear, but only on camera. It was a little
jarring to see it two feet in front of you. I blinked as they greeted
us casually and made themselves at home. Camila and I followed,
taking a seat on Omi’s white couch. A few moments later, Kina
arrived. She used the door.
“Where is Tokyo?” Camila asked.
“I’m here. Calm down,” Tokyo replied before she took form.
Her outfit shocked me more than her sudden appearance. The tight
leather pants she had on flared over her thick-soled boots. Her
leather zip front halter top was open, revealing the curves of her
breasts and her belly button. Her black hair was messy, down around
her shoulders. I was pretty sure she’d just finished having sex, or
having sex had to her. She pulled a hair clip out of her pocket and
arranged her straight-do on top of her head. I looked away when her
nipples peaked out.
“Okay.” She plopped down in the last available chair. “Where
were we?”
“Close your shirt and we’ll tell you.” Camila frowned.
“Sorry. Ginger was enjoying the view.” I looked up then over at
Camila about to stutter a denial. “I’m kidding, Ginge. Take it easy.”
She zipped up her halter. “Better? Great.”
“Were you downtown?” Camila asked.
“I was, and before you say anything, yes, I was with Moreland.
Moving on.” I did my best not to cringe at the thought of that
particular vampire.
“That’s fine, but just so you know, she seemed to have the
wrong impression of how to address me. I had to remind her the
other day,” Camila said, putting her arm around my waist.
“I know. She told me. She is sorry,” Tokyo said.
“Good. Natasha?”
“I’m happy to report Whitney-Pearl is adjusting very well…”
Natasha paused for a moment while Camila explained to me what
the heck she was talking about.
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reBekah WeatherspOOn
“Anna-Jade’s mom is in prison. Some white-collar shit she got
wrapped up in at work. Her dad has been drinking and taking his
anger out on A.J. and her little sister. She’s only thirteen. He’s in
jail now and we got Whitney-Pearl into a foster home with two very
kind feeders.”
I nodded, keeping my opinion and my shock to myself as
Natasha went on. It went without saying that the truth about her
family was not my business to share.
Natasha had spoken to the chancellor and secured Whitney-
Pearl a spot at MU once she graduated high school. I liked Anna-
Jade a lot. It broke my heart she’d been abused, her and her sister,
but I was so glad to hear our sister-queens had done something about
it, that Camila had helped to do something about it.
Camila filled everyone in on the redistribution of some feeders
in Houston. Omi reported that everyone was on track with their
grades, but Julia had requested a tutor for her advanced French class.
“How are the boys across the street?” Omi asked.
“It’s good that Ginger is here,” Natasha said.
I frowned at her sudden solemn look. “Why?”
“The boys are all doing very well,” she said. “Except your
laboratory partner, Gregory.”
My huff of frustration gave me away. Obviously, we had no
real secrets when it came to the sister-queens, and now the brother-
kings, but Greg had tried to confide in me. I promised him I wouldn’t
mention the issues he was having with joining OBA. I knew they
all had his best interests in mind, especially Rodrick, but my word
meant something to me.
“What’s the problem exactly?” I asked.
“Rodrick is concerned he’s hiding something. He throws
himself too enthusiastically into the feedings. Rodrick has probed
his mind, but the young man is so truly conflicted, it’s no indicator
of where those feelings will take him.”
“Mind reading isn’t exactly our specialty,” Kina chimed in.
“It’s thought altering. Humans don’t think linear, clear thoughts
unless they’re in the act of forming a sentence or in the middle
of making a decision. If Rodrick asks Greg, ‘Does it make you
• 214 •
Better Off red
uncomfortable when I feed from you?’ Rodrick could get a sense
of a feeling from him, no matter what his answer was, but Rodrick
can’t make informed decisions based on impressions. On the other
hand, Rodrick could convince Greg that he enjoys every part of the
feedings, but that’s not what we’re trying to do. We just want to know
if you’ve noticed anything or if he’s said anything to you that’s more
concrete. Everyone has intense emotions, even homicidal thoughts,
but that doesn’t mean we’ll act on them. Greg could be thinking all
sorts of things, but they aren’t facts.”
“You guys haven’t talked to Samantha about this? She’s going
out with him. She spends way more time with him than I do.”
“We’ve thought of that, but Rodrick says Greg trusts you
more,” Natasha said.
Why? Greg and I were barely friends. We weren’t friends,
actually. We were lab partners with mutual friends. Why did he
have to trust me at all, let alone more than his girlfriend? I regretted
giving my word in the first place.
Camila kissed my temple. “Look, Red. Greg seems like a nice
boy, but he’s aggressive during feedings. You don’t have to tell us
anything, just if you notice anything or if he says anything that
suggests he could be a danger to Samantha or himself—”
“Wait, is he getting violent with her?�
�� I asked.
“No. It’s just Rodrick has had a few like him before, ones
who were confused about their sexuality. He was able to head the
problem off before anything happened, and we’d like to do the same
with Greg.”
I felt backed into a corner, but they had a point. All the guys
seemed to understand that their relationships with the brother-kings
were not a deciding factor in their sexual orientation. Rodrick
preferred women, and even though Micah served Rodrick with no
problem, he loved Anna-Jade like crazy. Something told me Greg
would never be okay with the feedings. But if I could help, I wanted
to. I nodded and mumbled my okay before resting my head on
Camila’s shoulder.
• 215 •
• 216 •
Better Off red
Chapter tWelve
After their meeting, Omi let us stay in her lounge while
Camila and I met with Rodrick in private. When we were
done discussing my genetic abnormalities, the sister-queens planned
on coming back to test my powers, the ones I was positive I didn’t
have.Rodrick appeared suddenly by the coffee table, with the results
of my blood tests and his comforting smile that dulled the intensity
of his electric blue eyes and his large fangs. He handed me the
folder. I opened it and realized pretty quickly I didn’t understand
any of the results inside.
“Though you are not showing any outward signs of vampirism,
the blood in you is very potent. Most pressing, Camila cannot feed
you. Neither can I. If you are sick or injured, you need to feed from
someone further removed from a bourne-demon. I am almost certain
a small amount of our blood would jump-start your metamorphosis,”
Rodrick said.
“Oh. Okay.” I hadn’t even considered the effect Camila’s blood
would have on me. And then I was curious about Rodrick. “Um,
how far removed are you, if you don’t mind me asking?”
His grin made his bright white fangs seem even bigger. “I do
not mind in the least. I am three times removed from a bourne-
demon. All of my makers were very powerful.”
“Okay. So I don’t drink from you two. What else?”
• 217 •
reBekah WeatherspOOn
“Hmm,” Camila mused, reading over the papers in my lap.
“We can track him. The levels aren’t that high, but there is enough
of our blood in you to track whoever saved you and your mother.”
“If he’s still alive,” Rodrick said.
A twinge of hope flickered in my chest. “He?” I asked. “You
can tell it was a man, for sure?”
Rodrick glanced at Camila before he answered me. “Yes. We
may be able to locate him. We do not know him, or we would have
recognized your scent, but the world is big. Still you must consider,
Ginger—”
“That he might be dead,” I said. That hope quickly burned out.
I looked up as Camila took my hand.
“We could also track your birth father, if you’d like,” she said
cautiously. She must have seen the pain spread across my face as
I started to understand what she meant. For a moment, I’d been
thinking my birth dad and my blood donor were the same person,
but they weren’t. My birth dad could have gone through the change
after I was conceived, like Samantha’s father. It was possible, but it
wasn’t the case.
My adoptive dad had more than made up for the years of my
life I’d spent without a father. Still, it hurt so badly to know there
were two men in the world who had given me life and walked away
just as easily.
I let Camila’s arm slip back around my waist as she leaned
against me. I leaned back.
“Can I think about that?” I asked.
“Of course you can,” Rodrick replied. “I understand that the true
concept of what we are seems dangerous and frightening, but we do
love you, all of you. Any request you have of us, we will grant you.”
“Track my maker. Not my father,” I said. I had a father, an
amazing dad who’d taught me all I could know about sports and still
high-fived me when I’d finally picked out a prom dress. He was all
the father I would ever need.
“Rodrick, please.” Camila asked him politely to give us a
moment. I didn’t hear or see him vanish, but I sensed the moment
he’d left the room.
• 218 •
Better Off red
“I don’t want to know him. I can’t not blame him. No matter
what. Even if he didn’t know she was pregnant. I’m not ready. I’ll
blame him,” I said.
Her hand slid up the back of my neck and she gently massaged
the base of my scalp. My eyes closed. I felt the tears threatening to
spill over.
“Baby, it’s your choice.”
“I know. I just, I don’t know what happened between my
birth parents. And I don’t think I want him to explain. I just—”
I let out a huge breath. I couldn’t deal with this, not now, not in
Omi’s apartment. I sniffled and wiped my eyes, shaking my head
on another deep breath. “Rodrick can come back. Let’s finish this
and then I’ll have a meltdown. I’m sure Omi wants her living room
back.”“Omi is fine. If you change your mind, just let me know. We
can find them both.” I said okay and let it go.
Rodrick returned once I’d pulled it together and we talked some
more about the precautions I should take. Camila told him about the
incident that had followed her feeding with Amy. They both agreed
that human blood shouldn’t have any negative effects on me, but
Camila still promised to be careful with me after her feedings.
When there were no more warnings, the sister-queens came
back and they grilled me about my powers. And I told them again
I didn’t have any. Camila had explained that I had seen through
her cloak for humans, and unlike the other girls, I could sense her
mental influence, but wasn’t capable of stopping it. They already
knew about the Amy incident. There were a few cracks about the
kind of mind control fun they could have with me, but those went
silent when Camila growled.
“Nothing bizarre happened to you as a kid, nothing recently?”
Faeth asked.
“Recently?” I mocked her.
“Other than all this joining our little club. Crikey, you are a
smart ass.” I chuckled at the way the words sounded with her accent.
“I have a pretty sensitive sense of taste and smell, but that’s
it,” I said.
• 219 •
reBekah WeatherspOOn
“Well, maybe we can teach her,” Kina said. “Walk her through
some things and then we’ll know if there’s anything lying dormant.”
Camila looked at me, gently stroking my hair. “Is that okay?”
“Sure. I guess, but don’t get your hopes up.”
“Before we start, there’s one more thing you should understand.
Our powers reflect the functional needs of our master. A pure,
powerful demon needs to be able to deceive, to appear in different
forms, and to disappear on a whim. Some
demons, not any of us,
have the power of possession. All of these tricks are meant to do
evil, I won’t lie to you, but we use them for our own survival and for
the good of our feeders. The downside to being born human is that
the powers we don’t use begin to fade over time. I’m excellent at
shifting. Tokyo is better with the mind tricks. My mental skills are
still sharp, but they would be better if I was mind tampering for the
Feds every day. We can also communicate with each other through
telepathy. You’ve seen Camila vanish and reappear?”
“Yeah.” After Kina’s explanation, the ability seemed even
creepier.
“And she was able to read your mind?”
“Yeah. I sort of forced her into my thoughts involuntarily.”
“Well, we can start there.”
For two hours, they worked with me, and by the end, I was
exhausted. Camila was afraid to overpower me and she didn’t trust
Faeth and Tokyo in my head, so Omi, Natasha, and Kina patiently
walked me through several trials. Rodrick was in a similar situation
as Camila. His influence would have been too strong. He sat back
and did his best not to openly mock the ridiculousness that followed.
First, Omi opened her mind to me. I tried over and over to get
in there and snoop around, hoping I could find some silly juicy bit
to tease her with. But no. Nothing. We just ended up staring at each
other until my eyes watered.
Natasha suggested that I try to vanish and reappear across the
room. She gave up when I gave up and just walked over to the TV.
I couldn’t do it.
Other than Camila and Rodrick, Kina was the most skilled in
changing form. I watched her become a German shepherd, a fluffy
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Better Off red
white cat, a bear (she knocked over Omi’s coffee table with that
one), a raven, and then as a final showpiece, she turned into Faeth.
One moment I was looking at this Native American beauty, with
her high cheekbones, full lips, and her long, ink-black hair, and the
next moment I was staring at an exact copy of the vampire sitting
on the floor beside me. Now that was a useful power to have. Just as
quickly, she was back in her own body.
“The best shifters can alter parts of their body separately.” Kina
put her hands on her hips and looked around. “Let’s try Camila’s
rack, Omi’s arms, and Rodrick’s package.” She winked at Natasha.
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