“Then let go of me,” I said in a hurt voice. “Novis is going to have a bodyguard assigned to me, so keep that in mind the next time you decide to grab my arm.”
“It started the day you accepted his offer.” He released my arm and mashed his cheek up and down with the palm of his hand. “I’m your personal guard.”
“Novis wouldn’t hire a Vampire to—”
“What’s the matter, am I not up to snuff?” He made a sweeping arm gesture and cupped his hand over his heart. “I’m devastated.”
“You can’t protect a Mage, you’re a
Vampire
.”
“You keep saying this, but I’ve already come to your aid more than once. I’d say that I more than satisfy the job requirements.”
“I’m going to ask him for someone else.”
“You
do
that,” he grumbled. “I’m not here for volunteer work.”
“Could you refrain from speaking during the ride home? This was a special night for me. I don’t expect you to understand; just don’t speak.”
He softly cursed as I returned to the car.
***
Halfway home, Christian pulled the car over by a newspaper stand in an empty parking lot and threw it in park.
He kept his eyes straight ahead. “I can see you’re vexed by my words and for that, I’m sorry. This night was important to you. I don’t want us to quarrel, not like this. I didn’t mean what I said back there so put it out of your head. Novis is not going to hire someone else. Many years ago, I guarded Justus, and there is a trust between us. You have no obligation to speak to me and after tonight I’ll remain in the shadows until Novis no longer requires my services. But have comfort in knowing that I will do my job and not meddle in your personal affairs. Your eyes have been hating me for the past half hour, but I can’t change that.”
He cracked the window and fished out a piece of peppermint from his pocket.
Outside the window, a small rabbit peered out from a tall cluster of weeds and hopped across the parking lot. The weight of my conscience came down on me with immeasurable force. I prepared to widen my throat for a nice dose of pride. Christian was right—this wasn’t about friendship or playing nice. He was an employee and was always straightforward with me. Neither of us could back out of this situation, but we could at least come to a mutual agreement.
“I accept.”
Chapter 28
I rediscovered the thrill of going out alone
. You don’t realize what a privilege it is when you can just run to the store or catch a movie without having to worry about your Ghuardian being in the mood.
And that man is
never
in the mood.
The Council had summoned me to give testimony against Merc. Novis advised that we keep the genetic breeding undisclosed, doubting that Merc would be anxious to admit his involvement. His betrayal of Novis and the Mageri was noted—punishment to be determined.
“This stuff is awful,” I complained, twisting my mouth and shivering from the spicy rum. The flavor carried a thick perfume as it slid down and settled in my stomach with a burning heat. Still, it was nothing in comparison to the green swill served at the Red Door. It was a quaint little pub that Sunny picked out.
“Sorry,” Sunny said apologetically. “I could have sworn you liked rum. Did Justus drop you off?”
“No. Logan lent me his car. He’s out for the night playing pool with Levi and Finn. Don’t tell Justus I’m here, either. He’d have a fit if he knew I was in a human bar.”
She snorted. “Rebel.” Sunny rested her chin on her fist and a couple of silver rings sparkled under the lamp. “Knox told me that you’re in some kind of trouble, which is why we’re under protection. I get it. This world freaks me out a little and I love you to bits, but I don’t want to spend the rest of my life isolated in a cabin.”
I turned my attention to the table next to ours where two elderly men were playing a round of cards. “I feel like shit about it too. There’s a lot going on right now and I don’t want to put you in any kind of danger, but being my friend does that inadvertently.”
She poked a cube of ice in her glass. “I have Knox to look out for me now. We can’t stay in hiding for the rest of our lives just because we’re human. So, we talked about it and decided that we’re coming out of the safe house. I have a life to get back to.”
My eyes circled around her heart-shaped face.
“I’m not asking you, Silver. If anything happens to one of us, then it’s not your fault. It’s called life.”
Easier said than believed.
“Will you stop saying that?” She flicked a finger in her glass and sent a spray of alcohol on my face. “If it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t have met Knox. My life changed for the better and I have more friends here. Life is too short to be worrying about the big
what if
.”
“I never meant to put you in danger; I just didn’t think that far ahead.”
“Hmm,” she pondered. “Are you going to tell me what’s really bugging you? I know you better than that. Spill.”
“Logan is getting serious. What if he turns out to be like—you know. What if it’s a mistake?”
“There you go again with the
what ifs
.” She lifted a straw from the table. “What if I shoved this up your nose?”
I tapped my finger on the edge of the glass. “Nero hired a Chitah to hunt me down and as it just so happens, he’s an old archenemy of Logan’s. He’s using me as some kind of history lesson,” I said, rubbing my eye. “Nero is ruining my life. I’d love to be able to get through the day without someone trying to kill me.”
Sunny shook off her sweater jacket and folded it neatly on her lap. “What do you mean by using you?”
“He’s playing mind games with Logan and tried to claim me as his…” I waved my hands. “…soul mate. It’s a long story, but that’s a big deal with Chitahs. He marked me at their Gathering and lied to his elders.”
Her nose wrinkled. “Marked you? That sounds a little unsavory.” Her tongue pushed out.
I laughed. “It’s actually not that bad with the right guy.”
“Are you saying Logan’s the right guy?”
I tapped my finger on the cold glass, ignoring the twinkle that brightened her mischievous eyes. Sunny had an expressive face where not a single emotion could slip by unnoticed. When we first met, I stereotyped her. Maybe it was the dress with all the tiny cherries and the candy-red pumps, but I thought there was no way I was going to like her. We were young and she was the temp at my first office job. After a happy hour with coworkers, we’d been fast friends ever since.
“Anyhow,” I continued, “this is all about a woman who came between them. Peril is a way of life for me now.” I called the waitress over and ordered a beer.
“Why not get a restraining order?”
She held a small mirror in front of her face and dabbed on some peach-colored lip gloss. A man behind me wolf whistled and I snorted, giving her the look. Men were always falling at Sunny’s feet like shooting stars racing to the horizon.
“Breed laws are black and white; there’s no such thing as a restraining order. Logan called him out in front of their elders and thinks that he’ll back down. I just don’t know. I’ve got enough crap to worry about with Nero, among other things. My life has become so complicated. Remember when all I had to worry about was getting laid off at my job?” I sipped my beer. “Now I’m always looking over my shoulder, wondering what’s next.”
“Normal is boring,” she said, rolling her azure eyes. “No one who ever did anything worth remembering lived a peaceful life.”
“When did you get so philosophical?”
Sunny winked and pursed her lips. “I can be Confucius when I need to be. You didn’t tell me what you’re doing for Novis.”
“Deviant,
sexual
things. He’s got this outfit made of black latex—”
“Stop that!” she said with shocked eyes. I laughed at how easy she was to rile up.
“An apprenticeship means I’ll be doing whatever he wants me to do, like a gofer. Although, I’m hoping the position will be a little more glamorous than that. I’ll still live and train with Justus and… Oh, you have to come see the new house! It’s beautiful and has electricity!” I gushed.
Her brows arched. “
That
is a step up.”
We clinked glasses.
“I was very impressed. My room—I could live in there forever. It’s going to be impossible to move out and leave that luxury behind.”
“When will that be?”
“Don’t hold your breath. You’ll probably be a grandma by then.”
“I’ll have to check it out at your party.” She smiled with her pearly whites.
“Really, do we need to do this? You know I don’t like all that attention.”
“It’s your first birthday as a Mage so of course we’re doing this. It’s not every day you turn
one
. I’m so jealous that you’re younger than I am. Maybe when you’re a toddler, I’ll buy you a tricycle.” She gasped excitedly. “And when you’re twelve, I can get you a training bra!”
“I need one now.”
She snorted. “You have a lot more going on upstairs than you used to. What man wouldn’t want a peek at those?” She reached across the table to touch. “Has Logan seen them yet?” I slapped her hand and censored my smile.
“I’ll agree to the party as long as it’s low-key. Lately my social functions have ended with me facing a blade, so I’m a little wary if you get my meaning.”
“The only blade you’ll see is the one cutting your cake, Silver. Not everything has to end in disaster, and if it does, then you need to rise up from the ashes like you always do.”
I wanted to tell Sunny about my mother, but took another swallow of beer instead. Some things would have to wait.
“Don’t worry about me,” she said, wiping the condensation from her glass with a napkin. “We’re going to be just fine.”
“Just be aware of your surroundings. Don’t talk to strangers, don’t take candy from men in bars, and run if you see fangs. The usual.”
Sunny’s boisterous laugh attracted attention from the booth adjacent to ours and she covered her mouth.
“Tell me all about Knox. You guys still doing good?”
“It’s hard to explain. We just click and he gets me. I love the way we fit together physically—his body looks so hard but it’s soft when he holds me. Kind of like his mouth; he sounds like a tough guy but he can melt my heart with his sweet talk. Oh, he quit smoking, so I decided to hit the gym and tone up.”
“Don’t be ridiculous; I’d kill for your body.”
“Me too,” a man to my right said. He and his friend clinked their beer bottles. I rolled my eyes and Sunny leaned in, lowering her voice.
“It’s hard to get an impression of Marco,” I said, tearing the label from the bottle. “He’s cocky as hell and I hate the way he strung you along, collecting all those humans with such indifference. He did all of that to free a woman he sold to Nero.” I watched her eyes dart up to mine.
“Isn’t that romantic? He used me like a dishrag and hurt all those people to atone for his sins by releasing one girl. Don’t give him the benefit of the doubt, Silver. If I had never dated him, you’d still be human. Marco strung me along so he could pass you over to a man who would cut your throat.” She blew out an angry breath, still blaming herself for what had happened to me. “Not the intellectual I took him for. I hope if he ever does find her that she’ll see what a pig he is.”
I tipped my beer in agreement and we listened to the rock music. Everything we talked about revolved around Breed. It was ironic that I spent time with those who weren’t human and our conversations were about normal, everyday things.
I flared and tapped into the energy in the room, but only sensed humans. It was customary to flare around humans. Otherwise—by law—a Mage could legally kill you and claim self-defense. It wasn’t easy to conceal entirely, because sometimes energy just leaked out. It was safer to play by the rules than take chances hiding.
We wasted an hour talking over a plate of nachos, making bets on when the first snow would come. Sunny remarked that surrounding cities were at least ten degrees hotter than Cognito, as if I had a problem with that. Cognito was truly a world of its own and a city that was becoming my home.
Once we said our goodbyes, I decided to kill some time before Justus checked his credit card account and discovered the frivolous charges I’d been racking up. Money was never an issue with him; it was
how
it was spent.