“I don’t care. Seriously. I know now, so it’s not a big deal.”
• 131 •
reBekah WeatherspOOn
“I do care. It will not happen again.” She looked down for a moment and then turned toward me. I think she was actually nervous. I didn’t think vampires could get nervous.
“I had to fire one of my guys down at my tattoo shop because he’s been self-medicating with meth. I think you heard part of that conversation on Sunday morning.”
“Yeah. I remember,” I muttered.
“He came back on Monday and got himself shot three times trying to rob the shop. That kept me busy through Wednesday night.
That’s why I wasn’t there when you met with Rodrick and Natasha.
I wanted to be there. They enjoyed spending time with you by the way.”“I like them too. And I’m sorry about the shop.”
“Jamie is fine now, but thank you. I didn’t call you or come see you last night because Cleo told me you had a statistics test today. I didn’t want to distract you from your studying.”
“Oh.” Okay, now I was feeling bad.
“I thought about you all week. I almost switched forms today and followed you to class, but I thought that would have been a little insane.”
“I wouldn’t have minded,” I said quietly.
She sat up quickly, a scowl touching her face. “And where are you getting these ideas that we can’t be together?”
“Cleo and Benny—”
“What? They told you I wasn’t allowed to date? Listen, the two of them may know a lot about my kind and how our world operates, but they don’t know a thing about my personal life or the personal lives of any of the other sister-queens. A while back, Faeth dated one of the girls for eight years. Kina has been seeing some kindergarten teacher for the last six months.
“I can do whatever the fuck I want. I didn’t say anything to you because you’ve been through plenty of changes lately, including joining a sorority against your will.” I looked away from her wry grin as she went on.
“I didn’t want you to feel pressured into a relationship with me because it would be complicated, but if you wanted me, it would be
• 132 •
Better Off red
something. Please don’t listen to the girls when it comes to things between the two of us.”
“Because it’ll lead to a conversation like this?”
“Exactly. So, Red, what do you want?”
“I…I…” I wasn’t expecting her to ask me that.
“Because I’ll take you out tomorrow night on a real date. If you’ll let me. We’ll eat at one of the restaurants I own, and if you’ll allow it, I’ll make love to you in the best penthouse suite of my best hotel—till about four a.m. I have to be back before sunrise.”
“You want to go out with me?” I said. At this point, the bitterness and the rage were replaced by something like sunflowers and daisies.
“Yes.” She reached across the center console and tucked my hair behind my ear. My skin tingled where her palm brushed against my cheek. “We can go out tonight if you want to, blow off the girls.”
“I’d like to watch movies with you tonight. And I need a little time to find something to wear on our date.”
“I’ll take you however I get you, Red, but I won’t complain if you want to get all prettied up. Are you sure there’s nothing else?”
“I want your number. Right now.”
“Your phone, please.”
I dug my cell out of my pocket and handed it to her.
“And what’s your last name?”
Before she answered, she got out of the car and walked around to my side, entering her number into my cell as she went. When she opened my door for me, I hopped down and let her slide my phone back in my hand as she took my bag from me. Her hips guided me off to the side so she could close my door. The grooves in the rear handle pressed into my back. I barely noticed as Camila leaned into me. Our faces were only inches apart. Our breasts were touching.
My nipples were instantly hard, and I realized how hard her nipples were, even through all our layers of clothes. And with a dull ache, my pussy started to drip.
She looked at my lips, licking her own. “My driver’s license says Sanchez. I change it every ten years.”
• 133 •
reBekah WeatherspOOn
She leaned in closer and my head automatically fell to the side.
Her warm breath on my neck made me drip even more.
“Why would you think I wouldn’t want to be with you?” she asked.“Um, I don’t know. I’m a college freshman and you’re…”
“An undead lady creature of the night?”
“That and I…”
She pulled back, hearing the hesitation in my voice. “What?”
The genuine concern on her face melted my heart. I had to be honest with her.
I took a deep breath and blurted the rest out. I told Camila everything that Benny and Cleo had told us, about how the sister-queens viewed us and how they only wanted us for our blood and for the sex, which had been my suspicion from the very beginning. I even spilled to her how jealous I was of Anna-Jade, Amy, and their new relationships. Even Rodrick and Natasha. And then I told her that I understood we had no real future together. I’d be gone in four years. I wrapped things up with the reasons I didn’t want to be a vampire myself. I was cool with being in on the secret, but I loved my family and I had no need to serve the master in any new ways.
“I do want to go out with you,” I said. “But I understand there’s an expiration date to us. Even if your master was okay with me changing all the way, I can’t leave my parents. It would kill them if they thought I was dead.”
“Red, you’re so smart, but you think too damn much. You understand you started our relationship and planned our breakup before I even knew you liked me? Sorry, before I knew you were obsessed with me.”
“When you put it that way…”
“Let’s try a date first and then we’ll discuss your plans for after graduation. Maybe somewhere in there we can get to know each other a little better. No changing necessary. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“Okay. And so you know…” She dropped her voice to a whisper and leaned in close again. This time her lips brushed against mine.
“I’m pretty obsessed with you too.”
• 134 •
Better Off red
The next thing I knew, we were kissing, her soft lips slowly caressing mine. God, I’d missed her so much. Her arm came around my waist and I wrapped my arms around her shoulders. Our breasts rubbed together. It was a perfect kiss until her tongue slid past my lips.
The most mouthwatering taste hit my tongue, something beyond her own delicious spice. It sent a tingle over the crown of my head and straight down to my clit, followed immediately by a thousand-volt shock to my heart.
I jerked back, covering my mouth.
“Ginger, what’s wrong? Did I hurt you?”
I shook my head. My tongue was still tingling, my skin vibrating. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to locate the source of the pain, but there wasn’t any. There never was, only tiny aftershocks in my fingers and toes, a jolt I confused with pain. After a moment, I opened my eyes and slowly pulled my hand away. Camila gently placed her hands on either side of my face.
“What happened?” she asked.
I swallowed, scanning her face before I answered. I didn’t want to freak her out even more.
“When you drink our blood—human blood—what does it taste like?”
Her eyes shot wide as she processed the question. Her hands dropped to my shoulders.
“I, uh, I guess it has its own unique flavor. I wouldn’t know what to compare it to.”
“I think I just tasted Amy.” My face had to be glowing in the dark. I couldn’t believe what I was saying.
“Oh.” She grimaced. “I’m sorry. Did it make you sick?”
“No. I-I like the way it tastes.” It sounded so wrong, but it was the truth. I shuddered as the thought ran through me again. I knew the flavor of Amy’s blood now and I enjoyed it. The taste was delicious, sweet with a zipping tang, like berries electrified.
I gazed at Camila’s face in the golden glow of the streetlight.
She’d been living off the stuff. It would have been a little hypocritical of her to judge me for wanting to taste more, but that’s when the weight of what I was hit me. The daylight didn’t affect me, and I
• 135 •
reBekah WeatherspOOn
couldn’t vanish into thin air, but I had a thirst for human blood. The demon was in me.
I took a deep breath. The pocket of hysteria inside was balancing on the edge between laughter and tears. Camila picked up on my anxiety before I crashed either way. She stroked my hair affectionately, kissed me softly on the cheek. The heat from her touch helped calm my heart.
“Just think of it as another thing to add to the list. You can see through my cloak. You can feel my influence, but you can’t fight it, and now we know you do like the taste of human blood. And there’s nothing wrong with that. The same part of you that craves was the same thing that saved your mother’s life. And the life of her baby.”
“You’re right.” I let out a deep breath and welcomed Camila’s arms around my waist. I’d spent the whole week sulking over my lack of love life that I didn’t stop to consider what having vampire blood pumping through my veins meant. And I was angry at myself for assuming all sorts of things about Camila’s actions and motivations. A reality check was in order, on all fronts.
I don’t know how long we stood there together. The tingling faded. My body stopped reacting to the blood and started reacting to the body tucked tightly against mine. The firm but slow sweep of her hands up and down my back, the baby soft leather of her jacket under my own fingers, her amazing scent. The night weather had begun to get cooler, but I would have spent hours in front of the ABO house as long as she didn’t let me go.
A deep sigh escaped when I realized that wasn’t going to happen.
There was a movie to be watched, and I had sorority bonding to do.
Damn sisterhood. My mind was exhausted. All I wanted was the heat from Camila’s body. Add her bed. Minus the clothes.
She took a small step back. “I’ll be more careful next time. Are you sure you’re okay?”
I looked down at myself, patted my stomach and my chest like an idiot.
“Yeah. I’m fine. That was pretty weird, though.”
“Come. Why don’t you go join the girls? I’ll let Rodrick know about your reaction.” She took my hand and led me to the front door.
• 136 •
Better Off red
“When will he know about my blood makeup?”
“By Monday. We’ll hold off on any other ‘experiments’ until then, and I’ll be sure to brush after I feed from now on,” she said.
I glanced at her just in time to catch her smiling at me. Then I giggled like a total dork. In a weird way, her fangs made the grin even sweeter. Screw an apology. I owed Amy a solid for dragging me through Rush. Ignorance about my blood would have been one thing, but I never would have met Camila without Amy’s perky insistence. And maybe Todd’s nudging helped. Missing out on any part of Camila would have been an absolute shame. Even if I’d become a little obsessed.
As I reached for the door handle, there was one more thing I wanted to clear up.
“So we’re dating now?”
“Sure.” Camila’s upper lip twitched into a little grin. “What’s on your mind?”
“I’m just wondering what or even if I should tell the girls. Cleo and Amy love to give me shit about you.”
“Yes, I caught that. You tell them whatever you want, Red. If you want to tell them I’m your girlfriend, you can. Or you can tell them to mind their own business. It’s completely up to you.”
“I like the way the girlfriend thing sounds,” I muttered in reply, biting my lip.
“Then I’ll tell Cleo to shut the fuck up.” I laughed at her toothy grin. The porch light made her canines shine. “You’re sure you’re okay?”
“Yes. Good as new.”
“Okay. I’ll see you in a few minutes,” she said, touching my cheek with the back of her hand.
This time, I kissed her, but just a quick peck on the lips. Then I slipped inside before we ended up making out on the porch.
❖
I met the bright light of the foyer like a new woman. Again, my life had changed in a matter of minutes. Camila knew the truth, and
• 137 •
reBekah WeatherspOOn
I hadn’t died of embarrassment. Not only was I still upright, but she actually liked me back. I damn near skipped past Kyle and Julia on my way up to Cleo’s room, greeting them with perky hellos. They looked at me like I was nuts, but I didn’t care. I had a girlfriend now.
I also had a bizarre interest in biting Amy, but that wasn’t the point.
There was music coming from Cleo’s room. When I opened the door, I felt like I’d stepped in on an impromptu Soul Sisters of ABO
meeting. All the African-American girls in our sorority were there.
Cleo was singing along with Carlos Santana while flipping through a magazine. Ebony was watching Layna’s handiwork as she put the finishing touches on a fresh set of micro braids in Irene’s hair.
In high school, I’d spent a weekend in Atlanta with my friend Morgan and her family. Her cousin Shanice ran a salon out of her house. She’d walked me through some simple braiding techniques, but nothing as fancy as what Layna was doing.
I stood in the doorway and looked over at Cleo. “Should I come back, or is the meeting almost over?” Ebony and Layna laughed.
Irene smiled and then winced. Her new do was a little too tight for her to show any drastic emotions. Just then, Benny came out of the bathroom. She’d already changed into her pajamas.
Cleo flipped the pages of her
People
. “Amy and Danni will be back in a sec. Either way, you’re black by association. And B here’s got booty for days.” She reached forward and slapped Benny on the ass. Benny didn’t even blink. She just plopped on the bed and curled up with her cheek on Cleo’s thigh. I knew they were just friends, but they would have made a cute couple.
“How’d your stats test go?” Benny asked me.
“Oh, good. I think I got an A.”
“Is that what you’re smiling about?” Ebony asked.
As a reflex, I frowned. “I’m not smiling.”
“Well, not now.”