off the porch.
This hesitation was new to me. It was the first time I had been put into a situation where I had to choose between following my nature or following my conscience. This was different from the everyday struggle I faced with feeding. It was much more important than that.
After the first few days were over, I committed myself to staying inside to avoid accidental meetings. I was sure that if I saw Francesca, then I would lose myself. I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from trying to kill her.
I had daylight protection now. Sid and Reece had agreed to take shifts sleeping at my house. I didn’t like the idea. I had heard Francesca with my own ears say that they needed me alive. They weren’t about to drag me out of my light-safe bedroom to fry. Having the werewolves stay with me just gave them a reason to be killed.
Sid was fidgeting on the couch. He had gotten a pillow and blanket out and set up a bed. I tried talking him into using a spare bedroom, but both he and Reece had refused. They said it was easier to protect me from the living room. I thought it was a load of crap.
“Tired?” I asked.
He looked at me and blinked heavily. “I can’t sleep without noise. Do you mind if I turn on the TV?”
I shook my head. “How are things going at the bar?”
“Everything’s fine.” He pushed the power button, and an episode of Law and Order started playing. “Francesca hasn’t come back in since that night.”
“And the bus trip?” I asked.
“We leave in the morning,” he answered. “I’ll have someone stay behind for you, and we’ll be back around ten, maybe midnight at the latest. I don’t want to risk staying more than a day.”
I hugged a throw pillow to my chest and slumped in a chair. Maybe Flo was right. If he was more worried about protecting me than he was about his pack, maybe it was impossible to bring about a new age for them.
Sid pulled the covers up around his shoulders and rolled over. His long eyelashes twitched as he fell asleep, and his hand muffled his snoring.
That was it. I couldn’t take sitting there another second. I threw on my gray jacket and headed for the door. There had to be something to do. Sitting around just waiting for someone to make a move was getting on my nerves. I hated not having the upper hand. Even if we could find out who Francesca had brought with her, it would be something. I could rest a lot easier if I knew. A lot depended on that bit of information.
Francesca had such a knack for agitating me. I would love to wipe that little smirk right off her face. It didn’t even have to be me as long as I was there to see it done. I would settle for hearing a secondhand account.
And did she really think that Lyn was just dinner? I wondered. She had to. She was just pushing my buttons. I had a feeling that Francesca knew more than I’d like her to. They knew who Tom was, but there was no way they could know the connection to Lyn. I had only met her that night.
Even if they followed us back from the beach, they would only know I hadn’t bitten her that night. They would only know she was alive and where she lived. And I couldn’t call Tom to ask about her. I couldn’t very well tell him: “Sorry, but there might be some bad vamps after your niece. I just wanted to make sure she was still alive.” I would have to personally check on her, even if it seemed stalker-like.
Before I could make the conscious decision to go there, I was standing on her front porch and my finger touched the doorbell. There was just enough time to realize I was a complete idiot and for ding-dong-ditch to flit across my mind before the door opened.
“It took you long enough. Oh.” A girl with overly bleached hair stood in front of me. She was a little shorter than me and thin. There was a line around her face where her makeup ended, and she had raccoon eyes. “Can I help you?”
“Is Lyn available?” I asked.
Her bottom lip stuck out. “She’s busy. Come back
This hesitation was new to me. It was the first time I had been put into a situation where I had to choose between following my nature or following my conscience. This was different from the everyday struggle I faced with feeding. It was much more important than that.
After the first few days were over, I committed myself to staying inside to avoid accidental meetings. I was sure that if I saw Francesca, then I would lose myself. I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from trying to kill her.
I had daylight protection now. Sid and Reece had agreed to take shifts sleeping at my house. I didn’t like the idea. I had heard Francesca with my own ears say that they needed me alive. They weren’t about to drag me out of my light-safe bedroom to fry. Having the werewolves stay with me just gave them a reason to be killed.
Sid was fidgeting on the couch. He had gotten a pillow and blanket out and set up a bed. I tried talking him into using a spare bedroom, but both he and Reece had refused. They said it was easier to protect me from the living room. I thought it was a load of crap.
“Tired?” I asked.
He looked at me and blinked heavily. “I can’t sleep without noise. Do you mind if I turn on the TV?”
I shook my head. “How are things going at the bar?”
“Everything’s fine.” He pushed the power button, and an episode of Law and Order started playing. “Francesca hasn’t come back in since that night.”
“And the bus trip?” I asked.
“We leave in the morning,” he answered. “I’ll have someone stay behind for you, and we’ll be back around ten, maybe midnight at the latest. I don’t want to risk staying more than a day.”
I hugged a throw pillow to my chest and slumped in a chair. Maybe Flo was right. If he was more worried about protecting me than he was about his pack, maybe it was impossible to bring about a new age for them.
Sid pulled the covers up around his shoulders and rolled over. His long eyelashes twitched as he fell asleep, and his hand muffled his snoring.
That was it. I couldn’t take sitting there another second. I threw on my gray jacket and headed for the door. There had to be something to do. Sitting around just waiting for someone to make a move was getting on my nerves. I hated not having the upper hand. Even if we could find out who Francesca had brought with her, it would be something. I could rest a lot easier if I knew. A lot depended on that bit of information.
Francesca had such a knack for agitating me. I would love to wipe that little smirk right off her face. It didn’t even have to be me as long as I was there to see it done. I would settle for hearing a secondhand account.
And did she really think that Lyn was just dinner? I wondered. She had to. She was just pushing my buttons. I had a feeling that Francesca knew more than I’d like her to. They knew who Tom was, but there was no way they could know the connection to Lyn. I had only met her that night.
Even if they followed us back from the beach, they would only know I hadn’t bitten her that night. They would only know she was alive and where she lived. And I couldn’t call Tom to ask about her. I couldn’t very well tell him: “Sorry, but there might be some bad vamps after your niece. I just wanted to make sure she was still alive.” I would have to personally check on her, even if it seemed stalker-like.
Before I could make the conscious decision to go there, I was standing on her front porch and my finger touched the doorbell. There was just enough time to realize I was a complete idiot and for ding-dong-ditch to flit across my mind before the door opened.
“It took you long enough. Oh.” A girl with overly bleached hair stood in front of me. She was a little shorter than me and thin. There was a line around her face where her makeup ended, and she had raccoon eyes. “Can I help you?”
“Is Lyn available?” I asked.
Her bottom lip stuck out. “She’s busy. Come back
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