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“Oh. What are we arguing about?” Luca strolls back and hands each of us a cup of tea before setting the sandwich plates in front of us and moving the tray so he can sit.
“Red thinks everything is her fault,” Ry growls.
“Well, she’s right,” Luca says with a grin. I can’t stop the laugh that barks out.
“What? How is she responsible for other people’s actions?” Ry snarls at Luca. For a moment, I’m worried that they’ll fight.
“It is all her fault. She controls everyone, right? So, she’s the one who makes us do all the stupid things that we shouldn’t,” Luca says.
That asshole.
seventeen
Making Up
JAMES
My throat burns the entire way to the SUV my brother shoves me into. Once we’re locked inside, he thrusts another bag of blood into my hands. “Drink it. Now.” I grimace against the order, even though I’m certain this is the one thing that will quench my aching throat.
“I mean it, James. Drink it, then we’ll talk about what happened back there,” he orders again as the vehicle starts. He puts it in gear and heads back toward the city.
I sigh and do as I’m told. After all, I’m a vampire now. This is my new life. One I asked for but never expected to get. How did we get here? I find myself anxious to hear what Declan has to say. I wish that I hadn’t reacted the way I did toward Garnet. I’m sure this isn’t what she wanted for us. When the bag is empty, I turn back to my brother, who is brooding as he maneuvers the SUV through the city streets toward Midnight.
“Okay, let me have it. I’m ready,” I insist. I’m pretty sure I know what’s coming, but I owe him the ability to say it.
“You shouldn’t have lied about your injuries. What if she hadn’t checked on you? Then what?” He looks over at me before turning his attention back to the road. “Then you’d be dead, you idiot. Do you know how badly that would have destroyed her? Not just her, either.”
“It’s not like I wanted to die. I didn’t think the stab wound was that bad. I cleaned it and dressed it. The bleeding had nearly stopped, until we had to move Ryland and Garnet to the bed so they could rest.” That was what did it. Helping to carry them is what re-opened my wound and caused me to bleed. I can’t argue with Dec; he’s right. I shouldn’t have hidden my injury. It was my fault.
“You’re lucky you have a woman who’s willing to beg for your life. She would have given me anything to save you. I should kick your ass for putting the two of us in that position. I know this isn’t what you really want, but you have to make a decision here. Either you’re going to learn to control the hunger and be a good vamp, or I’m going to have to lock you up when we get to Midnight.” Dec keeps his tone light, but I know he’s serious.
“I’m trying, okay? This isn’t an easy adjustment to make. When I went to sleep, I was human; then I woke up something else. Can I have a minute to freak out before I have to decide how the rest of my life is going to go?” I can’t tell him that I’m terrified I’ll hurt Garnet, or that she’ll decide she doesn’t want me now, because I’m a monster. I wanted to taste her, to drink her in until there was nothing left.
LUCA
“What?” I ask, looking at the shocked and annoyed faces staring back at me. “It’s ridiculous to think that Red controls everything and is the cause of all our misery. But telling her that isn’t going to prove my point.”
Ryland is annoyed, and I understand. I need him to consider for a minute that he’s going about this the wrong way. He’ll get further with Red by listening and sympathizing than with growling and shouting orders.
“I know what you’re doing, and I kind of hate you for it,” she snarls at me.
“Because you know I’m right.” I wink at her.
Ryland sighs. “Fine. You wanna blame yourself, go ahead. Just stop trying to make us blame you, too. Because we don’t.”
Who knew James being turned into a vamp would cause a rift in our little family? Oh, yeah, that would be me. But hey, nobody wanted to listen to me. I meant it when I told James I would respect his decision, and I will. Even if it wasn’t exactly his decision. He’s still family.
“Why don’t we relax for a while, and try to figure out how to show James that we accept him in his new form? If he was feeling insecure before, I bet it’s worse now. That’s probably why he lashed out before Dec took him away. It can’t be easy waking up to find out you’re a vampire now,” I suggest.
Red looks at me and smirks. “Look at you, being all sensitive and shit.”
“I’m sensitive,” I counter. She smacks my arm, but takes a drink of her tea and starts to eat her sandwich. Relief washes over me. She needs to eat and rest, but I couldn’t figure out how to force her into it. I guess all I had to do was drop some knowledge on her.
“I think that’s a great idea. We should figure out what we need to do to make James feel welcome. We’ll start with ensuring that there’s plenty of blood for him and a place to store it. Then we’ll have a family meeting when he gets back,” Ryland orders, finishing off his sandwich and laying back against the headboard.
“You two should rest. Orym and I will take care of things. Don’t worry,” I say, taking the tray and heading back to the kitchen. I hate being away from Red, but she’s exhausted.
Oyrm meets me as I set the tray on the counter. “Did they eat?”
