Chapter 35
Ashower was just what I needed, and I only feel a little bad about using most of Dax’s hot water.
I don’t usually hog all the hot water in someone else’s home. This is an exception, though, since I was comatose for half a week. The minute I stepped in, I felt everything melt away. There’s something about standing under a stream of imported Hell water that actually feels cleansing.
As I’m wiggling my ass into a pair of black jeans from the bag, a knock sounds at the bathroom door.
“Just a minute!” I shout.
Once the pants are on and buttoned, I throw on a tank top over my bra and open the bathroom door. A puff of hot air hits Dax square in the face, and he reels backward.
“Fuck!” he coughs, waving it away.
“Sorry.” I shrug. Dax wasn’t who I was expecting. “Did I take too long?”
“No.” He shakes his head, finally free of the heat. “I just wanted to check in and make sure you were okay.”
I look at my toes, then up to my arms. With a shrug, I say, “Yup. I’m all in one piece.”
“Be serious.” He frowns.
“I’m always serious.” He gives me a withered look and I relent. “Okay, I’m lying. I’ll be serious now.”
“I know you probably don’t care what I think anymore,” he says with a sigh, rubbing at the back of his neck with one hand, “but I don’t like this.”
“Which part?” I ask, gripping the duffel bag in one hand.
“Shit, all of it,” he says. “The new guy is a vampire, Jill is a witch, and I have no idea if right is right and left is left anymore.”
“It’s… a lot to take in, I get it.” In reality, I had very little personal time to process all of the new changes that came speeding my way after Halloween.
But then, I’ve always done well at swimming with the sharks when I’ve been thrown into a feeding frenzy.
Change is a balancing act, and sometimes you just have to bend over backwards to get your footing again.
Dax levels his gaze with mine, and I realize then I haven’t thanked him yet.
“You took care of me,” I say, stating the fact.
He nods. “That’s what friends do.”
“And you’ve always been a good friend,” I assert, stepping forward. “I wouldn’t be where I am today if you hadn’t been there for me. Not just for the other night, but for all the nights before this.”
“All we did was hook-up,” he remarks.
“You know that isn’t true.” He knows I’m right, too. We spent our time talking about everything. Before we ever fucked, we were friends. He pulled me out of a bad place, and in all that time we were together, I was finally able to get myself back on my feet.
“It isn’t enough to keep you from leaving, though.” His voice blanches.
I bite my lip. “That’s not fair.”
“But it’s true.” He turns it back on me now, and while I would still argue that he’s wrong, he has a point. I’ve already made up my mind about Gray. Vampire or not, I’m going to see this thing through to the end.
Shitty ex-boyfriend be damned!
Dax scrubs his face with both hands then runs his fingers through his hair. “Well, you’d better get going. Your vampire is waiting for you.”
“What’ll you do?” I ask, shuffling through the duffle bag for something warm. I pull out a sweater and slip it on. It’s thick and soft, and it’s my favorite color—black.
“I’ve got to get back downstairs,” he says, avoiding my eyes. “Cleaners are finishing up.”
“Cleaners?” I ask, but then the lightbulb goes off. Ooohhhh, cleaners.
“There was… more blood than I thought.”
“How’d you play that one off?” I ask out of curiosity.
He shrugs. “Bar fight turned ugly.”
Ah, yeah. Good cover.
An awkward silence falls over us until finally Dax offers to walk down with me.
I get the feeling he wants to be alone, and I don’t blame him.
After everything he’s seen, it makes sense.
I just hope that he won’t isolate himself for too long, but knowing Jill, she’ll probably be back to check on him.
“I guess I’ll see you later,” Dax says, leaving me at the foot of the stairs. Gray and Tannis are waiting by a parked car a little ways away. It’s just now evening, with not a speck of sunlight left to hurt either of them. Just a couple of vampires at dusk. Not foreboding in the slightest.
“Hey Dax?” I grab his arm and give him a tug.
He looks at me over his shoulder, one brow raised in question.
“Thank you.”
“Yeah, sure.” He nods, pulling his arm out of my hand.
“And Dax?” He doesn’t look back this time, answering me before I even have a chance to ask my question.
“Yes, Cheeks. You still have a job.”
I can’t help but grin. It’s good to know that I’ll always have a place here.
“Come along!” Tannis shouts across the parking lot, waving me down. “Time is of the essence.”
With my duffel bag slung over my shoulder, I hurry over, arms wrapped around my middle. The sweater is thick, but it’s still cold as fuck outside. Gray is ready with a brand new coat, offering it in exchange for the duffel bag. Immediately, I wrap myself up in it and savor the warmth.
“So, where are we going?” I ask.
Tannis points at us and says, “The two of you are going to meet a friend of mine in Chicago.”
“A friend?” I ask, a little skeptical of their wording. That’s a long drive, and we’ll need to make a stop for rest.
“I know a witch who knows a witch who owes me a favor, okay?” They cross their arms with a huff.
“Sounds complicated.” The more I fall into this supernatural world full of vampires and witches, the more powerless I feel by the sheer size of it.
“It is,” Gray agrees beside me. “Does she know we’re coming?”
Tannis nods. “I had Nathaniel input the address for you. Just follow the little screen on your dashboard and you’ll be fine.”
Gray looks confused, but doesn’t ask questions. I know he still isn’t used to all the modern tech yet, so I’ll explain when we’re in the car.
“I also made a reservation for you here.” They pass a slip of paper to Gray, and he pockets it without looking.
What kind of road trip is this?
Tannis looks at me as if sensing my confusion. “Don’t worry. Gray will explain.”
“If that’s all, then let’s get going,” Gray says, ushering me toward the passenger side door.
He opens it for me, and I climb in. Just before he shuts it, though, Tannis swoops in and shoves their cousin to the side.
Gray grumbles, but leaves, zipping over to the driver’s side with his inhuman speed.
Ignoring him completely, Tannis leans in close and whispers, “I packed a few extra special things for you.”
“What does that mean?” I sputter, embarrassed by the implication.
They just smile and wink. “It’s a surprise! You’ll see.”
The passenger side door shuts and I see them wave one last time before Gray is going full throttle through the parking lot to the exit.
“Buckle up,” he says. “We’ve got a long drive.”
I pull the seat belt over my chest and click it in place. “Yeah, about that. Why are we going all this way to see a witch when we have a perfectly fine one here?”
“Jill is good, but she can’t do what it is I’m asking for.”
Perplexed, I press him for more. “And what are you asking for?”
Gray taps the gas and speeds forward. “I’m going to make you my thrall, Millie.”
“You are?” I sound way more excited than I probably should, but I don’t think he notices.
Or maybe he’s choosing not to address it.
His expression is inscrutable at first glance, but I can take a guess.
This wasn’t a decision he made lightly, that’s for sure, and as much as I don’t want to admit it, there’s still some physical tension between us that’s lingering.
That cold-shouldering he gave me earlier wasn’t just for show.
“I am.” He makes a sharp turn right, and I sway a little in my seat. “But before we make that bond, I’m going to make sure you remain you. The witch can help with that.”
Who would have thought?
“Not to sound like I’m second-guessing or anything, but what changed your mind? You were totally against this.”
Gray stops at a red light and looks at me.
At Dax’s, he appeared rough, bordering on sick-Victorian-child.
Here in the darkness of the car, with the soft light of the street lamps and traffic signals, I can just make out the shape of his face and the softened silhouette of his features.
By all accounts, he looks like any other healthy vampire.
I would bet that by the time I showered and met him down at the car, he had snagged himself a sweet little AB juice box somewhere.
Whatever it was, I’m glad he’s got some color back in his scarlet eyes.
“This most recent attack,” he says matter-of-fact.
I go silent, and so does the car. The air feels heavy with the unspoken thoughts and feelings he isn’t sharing. I can feel the guilt and shame and frustration in each syllable as he speaks.
“There are few things I remember as vividly or vibrantly as the fear I felt in finding you broken on the floor like that.” Gray chokes on the words, as if he’s been run-through with the sharpened edge of his own anxieties. I squeeze his leg, but am met with nothing, despite wanting to comfort him.
I suck in a deep breath, chilled by the steely tone in his voice.
He goes on, “I don’t want to cage you, or force you to stay by my side at all times.
That isn’t fair. I want you to feel confident and safe on your own, but I can’t give that back to you without some modicum of personal sacrifice.
So, I’ve resolved to make you my thrall. My power will be your power.”
“I won’t lie”—I suppress a shudder at the mention of power, his power—“I do like the sound of that.”
Gray scoffs. “Yes, well, it was this or I go back to my tower and confine myself for another century.”
“And let some other bimbo trip over your dusty ass? I think not.”
Gray laughs out loud, finally shedding some of his pent-up tension.
I can’t help but join him, doubling over in my seat as I let myself lose it a little.
The sound of our laughter ringing together in the car is the best thing I’ve heard all day.
Eventually, when we’ve calmed down and a comfortable quiet has settled over us, I lean forward and turn on the radio.
With a rustic voice and gentle guitar chords harmonizing around us, it’s easy to forget what we’re driving toward.
“Five hours to go,” I yawn, glancing at the navigation on the dashboard.
“You should rest while you can,” he says.
“Okay.” I push my seat back, uninterested in arguing. While I might have taken in a metric ton of vampire blood to heal myself, that didn’t mean I was running at a hundred percent. Curled up on the seat, I glance up at Gray in the darkness, then tuck my face against the leather cushion.
“Wake me up when it’s time for a shift change.”
As I close my eyes, I hear the familiar ping of my phone. It’s hard to ignore when it happens several more times, so I reach down and dig through the bag that Tannis gave me. I’m surprised it survived the attack without more than a simple scratch.
“Who is it?” Gray asks.
I swipe up and pull up my messages, but I hesitate to open them. My thumb hovers over the name at the top of the inbox.
RONNIE: I heard about what happened at the club.
I swallow hard as another message pops up.
RONNIE: Call me.
Terror sweeps through me. One ex was trouble enough without adding another, and yet, Ronnie is the one wild card I didn’t see coming.
“Shit.”