the revulsion
returned.
So Fred just wanted his peace and quiet. Well, whatever. I was alive because of it. Most likely Raoul would get distracted
by some other irritant before dawn and take out his anger on somebody close by. And Riley always came back at the end of the
night. He would hear that Diego had been in his cave rather than outside and destroyed by the sun, and Raoul wouldn’t have
an excuse to attack him or me.
At least, that was the best-case scenario. In the meantime, maybe Diego and I could come up with some plan to steer clear
of Raoul.
Again, I had a fleeting sense that I was missing an obvious solution. Before I could figure it out, my thoughts were interrupted.
“Sorry.”
The deep, almost silent mutter could only have come from Fred. It looked like I was the only one close enough to really hear.
Was he talking to me?
I looked at him again and felt nothing. I couldn’t see his face—he had his back to me still. He had thick, wavy blond hair.
I’d never noticed that before, not with all the days I’d sat hiding in his shadow. Riley wasn’t kidding when he’d said that
Fred was special. Gross, but really special. Did Riley have any idea that Fred was so… so powerful? He was able to overwhelm
a whole room of us in a second.
Though I couldn’t see his expression, I had the sense that Fred was waiting for an answer.
“Um, don’t apologize,” I breathed almost silently. “Thank you.”
Fred shrugged.
And then I found I couldn’t look at him anymore.
The hours passed slower than usual as I waited for Raoul to come back. From time to time I tried to look at Fred again—to
see past the protection he’d created for himself—but I always found myself repelled. If I tried too hard, I ended up gagging.
Thinking about Fred was a good distraction from thinking about Diego. I tried to pretend I didn’t care where he was in the
room. I didn’t look at him but focused on the sound of his breathing—hisdistinct rhythm—to keep tabs. He sat on the other side of the room from me, listening to his CDs on a laptop. Or maybe pretending
to listen, the way I was pretending to read the books from the damp backpack on my shoulders. I flipped pages at my usual
rate, but I didn’t take anything in. I was waiting for Raoul.
Luckily, Riley came first. Raoul and his cohorts were right behind him, but not as loud and obnoxious as usual. Maybe Fred
had taught them a little respect.
Probably not, though. More likely Fred had just angered them. I really hoped Fred never let his guard slip.
Riley went to Diego right away; I listened with my back to them, eyes on my book. In my peripheral vision, I saw some of Raoul’s
idiots wandering, looking for their favorite games or whatever they’d been doing before Fred had driven them out. Kevin was
one of them, but he seemed to be looking for something more specific than entertainment. Several times his eyes tried to focus
on where I was sitting, but Fred’s aura kept him at bay. He gave up after a few minutes, looking a little sick.
“I heard you made it back,” Riley said, sounding genuinely pleased. “I can always count on you, Diego.”
“No problem,” Diego said in a relaxed voice.“Unless you count holding my breath all day as a negative.”
Riley laughed. “Don’t cut it so close next time. Set a better example for the babies.”
Diego just laughed with him. From the corner of my eye, it seemed like Kevin relaxed some. Was he really that worried about
Diego getting him in trouble? Maybe Riley listened to Diego more than I realized. I wondered whether that was why Raoul had
gotten crazy before.
Was it a good thing if Diego was that in with Riley after all? Maybe Riley was okay. That relationship didn’t compromise what
we had, did it?
Time didn’t pass any faster after the sun was up. It was crowded and unstable in the basement, like every day. If vampires
could get hoarse, Riley would have lost his
returned.
So Fred just wanted his peace and quiet. Well, whatever. I was alive because of it. Most likely Raoul would get distracted
by some other irritant before dawn and take out his anger on somebody close by. And Riley always came back at the end of the
night. He would hear that Diego had been in his cave rather than outside and destroyed by the sun, and Raoul wouldn’t have
an excuse to attack him or me.
At least, that was the best-case scenario. In the meantime, maybe Diego and I could come up with some plan to steer clear
of Raoul.
Again, I had a fleeting sense that I was missing an obvious solution. Before I could figure it out, my thoughts were interrupted.
“Sorry.”
The deep, almost silent mutter could only have come from Fred. It looked like I was the only one close enough to really hear.
Was he talking to me?
I looked at him again and felt nothing. I couldn’t see his face—he had his back to me still. He had thick, wavy blond hair.
I’d never noticed that before, not with all the days I’d sat hiding in his shadow. Riley wasn’t kidding when he’d said that
Fred was special. Gross, but really special. Did Riley have any idea that Fred was so… so powerful? He was able to overwhelm
a whole room of us in a second.
Though I couldn’t see his expression, I had the sense that Fred was waiting for an answer.
“Um, don’t apologize,” I breathed almost silently. “Thank you.”
Fred shrugged.
And then I found I couldn’t look at him anymore.
The hours passed slower than usual as I waited for Raoul to come back. From time to time I tried to look at Fred again—to
see past the protection he’d created for himself—but I always found myself repelled. If I tried too hard, I ended up gagging.
Thinking about Fred was a good distraction from thinking about Diego. I tried to pretend I didn’t care where he was in the
room. I didn’t look at him but focused on the sound of his breathing—hisdistinct rhythm—to keep tabs. He sat on the other side of the room from me, listening to his CDs on a laptop. Or maybe pretending
to listen, the way I was pretending to read the books from the damp backpack on my shoulders. I flipped pages at my usual
rate, but I didn’t take anything in. I was waiting for Raoul.
Luckily, Riley came first. Raoul and his cohorts were right behind him, but not as loud and obnoxious as usual. Maybe Fred
had taught them a little respect.
Probably not, though. More likely Fred had just angered them. I really hoped Fred never let his guard slip.
Riley went to Diego right away; I listened with my back to them, eyes on my book. In my peripheral vision, I saw some of Raoul’s
idiots wandering, looking for their favorite games or whatever they’d been doing before Fred had driven them out. Kevin was
one of them, but he seemed to be looking for something more specific than entertainment. Several times his eyes tried to focus
on where I was sitting, but Fred’s aura kept him at bay. He gave up after a few minutes, looking a little sick.
“I heard you made it back,” Riley said, sounding genuinely pleased. “I can always count on you, Diego.”
“No problem,” Diego said in a relaxed voice.“Unless you count holding my breath all day as a negative.”
Riley laughed. “Don’t cut it so close next time. Set a better example for the babies.”
Diego just laughed with him. From the corner of my eye, it seemed like Kevin relaxed some. Was he really that worried about
Diego getting him in trouble? Maybe Riley listened to Diego more than I realized. I wondered whether that was why Raoul had
gotten crazy before.
Was it a good thing if Diego was that in with Riley after all? Maybe Riley was okay. That relationship didn’t compromise what
we had, did it?
Time didn’t pass any faster after the sun was up. It was crowded and unstable in the basement, like every day. If vampires
could get hoarse, Riley would have lost his
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