sec, Ava. Give me one sec.” She was playing on her PlayStation; she was literally addicted to the thing.
“Ooh, can I play?”
Suddenly, Jared was between us, having moved in vampire speed. “No. No. No. The last time that happened, the pair of you were on it for two hours.” He handed me a cola-flavoured NST and pointed to the sofa. “Over there. And stop smiling. It’s too early for chirpiness.”
“Killjoy.” I went to sit beside Sam’s snake, Dexter. As I greeted him and lightly stroked his white scales, they turned a brilliant blue. Dexter had been a gift from Antonio’s Sire, who had the ability to make his pictures come to life. After Wes drew a snake on Sam’s arm, it instantly became a tattoo that could become a live snake. He was a mix of a rattlesnake, the black mamba, spitting cobra, and a garter snake – a breed Wes had termed ‘Strikers’, and I badly wanted one. Dexter’s colouring actually changed with his mood. To go from white to brilliant blue meant he had gone from relaxed to happy.
Jared sighed tiredly at his mate, who was again cursing at the T.V. “Baby, get off the damn thing! You haven’t even touched your breakfast!” Actually, to be fair, it looked like she’d nibbled on her toast and possibly had one swig of her NST. “ Sam …”
“Fine.” Ending the game, she turned to face us and shot me a bright smile, though it was strained. She was calmer than last night, more composed, but she was still seething inside. “Evening, Ava. Please tell me you’re here to accept my offer.”
I returned her smile. “Actually, I am.”
Her expression smug, she pointed at Jared. “Ha. Told you.”
“I said that you’d refuse the offer and go back to your brother,” he explained to me. “Not because I didn’t think you had it in you to join the legion, but because I know what it’s like to be really close to your sibling. I’d hate to leave Evan behind.”
Ah, well that really did explain it. “I called Cristiano last night and told him I’d decided to stay. He admitted he’ll miss having me around, but he wants me to be happy more than anything else. He said if this makes me happy, I have his support.”
Sam smiled at Jared. “See, he’s not all bad.”
Jared snorted, and I had to laugh. It was true that Cristiano got some perverse joy out of pissing people off – me being the only exception – and he’d certainly pissed off Jared by flirting with Sam. She didn’t realise that Cristiano wasn’t just dicking around; he really did care about her. But Jared saw that, and he hated it.
Sam took a swig of her NST. “What made you decide to stay?”
“Going on the assignment, seeing what kind of fucked up shit goes on in the world, made me realise just how important the legion is. I want to be part of that. And it’s always fun to watch you work, Sam. No one does interrogations quite like you.”
She bowed. “Why, thank you.”
Jared gave her an indulgent smile. “I can agree with Ava on that one.”
“Have you heard anything about the survivors yet?” I asked them before taking a gulp of my NST.
“Mary Jane phoned half an hour ago,” replied Sam. Mary Jane, who had been a nurse in her human life, liked to act as one at The Hollow. “Denny, Stuart, Reuben, and Max have all recovered. The survivors are looking better after being on a drip of blood. They’re healing and not as gaunt, but they’re flitting in and of consciousness. They can move a bit and sometimes they even talk. But they can’t get up, and they’re not making sense. Like someone who has a fever.”
I had to wonder if the survivors even realised they were no longer in the brothel. “Maybe they’re not fighting for consciousness because they’re worried they’re still in that place. This all has to seem dream-like for them.”
“You could be right.” Sam drank the last of her NST and reached for her toast. “Enough on that topic or I’m going to lose my shit again. Let’s talk
“Ooh, can I play?”
Suddenly, Jared was between us, having moved in vampire speed. “No. No. No. The last time that happened, the pair of you were on it for two hours.” He handed me a cola-flavoured NST and pointed to the sofa. “Over there. And stop smiling. It’s too early for chirpiness.”
“Killjoy.” I went to sit beside Sam’s snake, Dexter. As I greeted him and lightly stroked his white scales, they turned a brilliant blue. Dexter had been a gift from Antonio’s Sire, who had the ability to make his pictures come to life. After Wes drew a snake on Sam’s arm, it instantly became a tattoo that could become a live snake. He was a mix of a rattlesnake, the black mamba, spitting cobra, and a garter snake – a breed Wes had termed ‘Strikers’, and I badly wanted one. Dexter’s colouring actually changed with his mood. To go from white to brilliant blue meant he had gone from relaxed to happy.
Jared sighed tiredly at his mate, who was again cursing at the T.V. “Baby, get off the damn thing! You haven’t even touched your breakfast!” Actually, to be fair, it looked like she’d nibbled on her toast and possibly had one swig of her NST. “ Sam …”
“Fine.” Ending the game, she turned to face us and shot me a bright smile, though it was strained. She was calmer than last night, more composed, but she was still seething inside. “Evening, Ava. Please tell me you’re here to accept my offer.”
I returned her smile. “Actually, I am.”
Her expression smug, she pointed at Jared. “Ha. Told you.”
“I said that you’d refuse the offer and go back to your brother,” he explained to me. “Not because I didn’t think you had it in you to join the legion, but because I know what it’s like to be really close to your sibling. I’d hate to leave Evan behind.”
Ah, well that really did explain it. “I called Cristiano last night and told him I’d decided to stay. He admitted he’ll miss having me around, but he wants me to be happy more than anything else. He said if this makes me happy, I have his support.”
Sam smiled at Jared. “See, he’s not all bad.”
Jared snorted, and I had to laugh. It was true that Cristiano got some perverse joy out of pissing people off – me being the only exception – and he’d certainly pissed off Jared by flirting with Sam. She didn’t realise that Cristiano wasn’t just dicking around; he really did care about her. But Jared saw that, and he hated it.
Sam took a swig of her NST. “What made you decide to stay?”
“Going on the assignment, seeing what kind of fucked up shit goes on in the world, made me realise just how important the legion is. I want to be part of that. And it’s always fun to watch you work, Sam. No one does interrogations quite like you.”
She bowed. “Why, thank you.”
Jared gave her an indulgent smile. “I can agree with Ava on that one.”
“Have you heard anything about the survivors yet?” I asked them before taking a gulp of my NST.
“Mary Jane phoned half an hour ago,” replied Sam. Mary Jane, who had been a nurse in her human life, liked to act as one at The Hollow. “Denny, Stuart, Reuben, and Max have all recovered. The survivors are looking better after being on a drip of blood. They’re healing and not as gaunt, but they’re flitting in and of consciousness. They can move a bit and sometimes they even talk. But they can’t get up, and they’re not making sense. Like someone who has a fever.”
I had to wonder if the survivors even realised they were no longer in the brothel. “Maybe they’re not fighting for consciousness because they’re worried they’re still in that place. This all has to seem dream-like for them.”
“You could be right.” Sam drank the last of her NST and reached for her toast. “Enough on that topic or I’m going to lose my shit again. Let’s talk
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