seemingly oblivious to the fact that she’d insulted herself by the “filthy bloodsucker” comment. When she turned around, her gaze was devoid of pink and lit up with vampiric green instead. “You have no control over that. The only thing you can control is whether I do it with the support of your old team, if I make it through their version of basic training, or on my own.”
“Even with their support, you’ll still probably get killed. You don’t know how dangerous it is.” I let out a sigh of sheer frustration. “Please, don’t do this.”
Her jaw tightened until it creaked. “I’m doing it.”
“God, you’re just as stubborn as Don!” I said, fed up.
“Just as stubborn as someone else I know, too,” Tate muttered under his breath.
“Stuff it, Tate,” I snapped.
“Kitten.” Bones placed a hand on my arm. Waves of calm seemed to wash over my subconscious, soothing my twisted emotions like salve applied to a burn. “Some things can’t be taught, only learned. But there is a matter we can change; stopping these ghoul radicals. If their numbers grow, every vampire will be in danger, including your mum.”
Right. That problem wouldn’t wait for me to try to talk sense into my senselessly obstinate family. I had to focus on priorities. First: Stop the lethal, fascist propaganda in the ghoul community that had already left a trail of Masterless vampire bodies. Then I could move on to trying to talk my mother and uncle out of their newfound death wishes.
Something cynical in me wondered if the ghoul zealots might turn out to be easier.
I stared at my former team members. “You guys are so on my shit list, both for hiding this and for concealing Don’s condition from me, but we’ve got bigger problems. Come with me so I can bring you up to speed. Mom.” I shook my head. “We’ll talk later.”
She redid her dark hair into a tighter ponytail as she walked away. “Much later. I have training for the next several hours.”
Chapter Six
Don sat on the bed, an oxygen mask lying on the table next to him. From the faint lines around his face, he’d had it on before we came in. I would’ve told him to keep using it, but of course, that logic would only fall on deaf ears. I shut the door behind the six of us and then proceeded to outline the situation with the ghouls as we knew it.
“As I told Cat, we need a person on the inside,” Don stated once I was finished. “It’s important enough that I’m asking you, Dave, to take an extended leave from the team to infiltrate these zealots. Our country has enough problems as it is with human terrorists. We can’t afford to let undead ones grow in power. The results could be catastrophic.”
Dave ran a hand through his hair. “ Fuckin ’ right. I’ll do it.”
I knew that would be his answer. Dave had never backed down from a dangerous assignment. Not even after he’d been killed on one.
Satisfaction flitted across my subconscious for an instant before it was gone. I cast a glance at Bones just in time to catch his faint smile before it, too, disappeared. Then realization hit me.
He’d intended this all along. Bones knew what Don would do if we told him about the ghouls, and he also knew I’d have balked if he’d been the one to suggest that Dave be the undercover operative. Hell, I already didn’t like using Scratch and Ed as bait, and we’d just met them.
No wonder he’d been so keen on coming here when I broached the subject of dropping in on my uncle. I’d wanted to wait until tomorrow, but Bones said we should go at once. I’d just thought it was because he wanted to be back in Ohio quickly if Scratch and Ed happened to run into those ghouls tonight, but he’d had another plan altogether.
“You and I are having a talk later,” I told him in a low, measured voice.
A dark brow arched, but Bones didn’t pretend ignorance as to what the topic would
“Even with their support, you’ll still probably get killed. You don’t know how dangerous it is.” I let out a sigh of sheer frustration. “Please, don’t do this.”
Her jaw tightened until it creaked. “I’m doing it.”
“God, you’re just as stubborn as Don!” I said, fed up.
“Just as stubborn as someone else I know, too,” Tate muttered under his breath.
“Stuff it, Tate,” I snapped.
“Kitten.” Bones placed a hand on my arm. Waves of calm seemed to wash over my subconscious, soothing my twisted emotions like salve applied to a burn. “Some things can’t be taught, only learned. But there is a matter we can change; stopping these ghoul radicals. If their numbers grow, every vampire will be in danger, including your mum.”
Right. That problem wouldn’t wait for me to try to talk sense into my senselessly obstinate family. I had to focus on priorities. First: Stop the lethal, fascist propaganda in the ghoul community that had already left a trail of Masterless vampire bodies. Then I could move on to trying to talk my mother and uncle out of their newfound death wishes.
Something cynical in me wondered if the ghoul zealots might turn out to be easier.
I stared at my former team members. “You guys are so on my shit list, both for hiding this and for concealing Don’s condition from me, but we’ve got bigger problems. Come with me so I can bring you up to speed. Mom.” I shook my head. “We’ll talk later.”
She redid her dark hair into a tighter ponytail as she walked away. “Much later. I have training for the next several hours.”
Chapter Six
Don sat on the bed, an oxygen mask lying on the table next to him. From the faint lines around his face, he’d had it on before we came in. I would’ve told him to keep using it, but of course, that logic would only fall on deaf ears. I shut the door behind the six of us and then proceeded to outline the situation with the ghouls as we knew it.
“As I told Cat, we need a person on the inside,” Don stated once I was finished. “It’s important enough that I’m asking you, Dave, to take an extended leave from the team to infiltrate these zealots. Our country has enough problems as it is with human terrorists. We can’t afford to let undead ones grow in power. The results could be catastrophic.”
Dave ran a hand through his hair. “ Fuckin ’ right. I’ll do it.”
I knew that would be his answer. Dave had never backed down from a dangerous assignment. Not even after he’d been killed on one.
Satisfaction flitted across my subconscious for an instant before it was gone. I cast a glance at Bones just in time to catch his faint smile before it, too, disappeared. Then realization hit me.
He’d intended this all along. Bones knew what Don would do if we told him about the ghouls, and he also knew I’d have balked if he’d been the one to suggest that Dave be the undercover operative. Hell, I already didn’t like using Scratch and Ed as bait, and we’d just met them.
No wonder he’d been so keen on coming here when I broached the subject of dropping in on my uncle. I’d wanted to wait until tomorrow, but Bones said we should go at once. I’d just thought it was because he wanted to be back in Ohio quickly if Scratch and Ed happened to run into those ghouls tonight, but he’d had another plan altogether.
“You and I are having a talk later,” I told him in a low, measured voice.
A dark brow arched, but Bones didn’t pretend ignorance as to what the topic would
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