Page 19 of Taste of Death

I kept those instincts reined in as Novak gave a final smoothing of his waistcoat and a curt nod in my direction. “Take care, akra.”

That word. He’d said it twice. What did it mean?

With that, he strode out the side door into the street without so much as a glance to anyone else. I watched him go, wishing with all my heart that I could go after him. But I knew Blood ‘til Dawn would stop me, and I didn’t want to be pinned to the wall like he had been.

A sudden touch made me flinch, and my head jerked to see Tavia with her hand hovering over my shoulder.

“What?” I snapped.

She drew her hand away and moved closer to Cyan. “Just glad you’re back. Glad you’re okay.”

This passive side of Tavia was almost as infuriating as her overbearing side. If I snapped at my best friend, she snapped back. Fights weren’t common between us, but one of Tavia’s defining features was that she didn’t back down. Who was this person who acted afraid of me now that I had bigger teeth?

She cast her eyes aside, holding onto Cyan’s arm like a good, dutiful little wife. Not even a year ago, she gave a guy a black eye and cursed up a storm because he was trying to steal a batch of her wine.

Apparently I wasn’t the only one who had changed. But at least I hadn’t changed for a man.

I went robotically into the house with no destination in mind. My need to be away from Tavia and all ofthemcarried me through the communal great room and down the stairs to the underground corridor where all the clan members had suites of rooms where they slept during the day.

Nothing’s changed,I realized when I entered Bea’s apartment and collapsed into the same sofa I’d rotted in for the past two weeks.

I felt exactly the same as when I was first turned into this… thing. Angry, resentful. Ugly. Wishing I could crawl into a hole and disappear.

A light clicked on and then a soft voice called out, “Hey, Amy?”

“Sorry, Bea. Now’s not a good time.” I rolled into the couch cushions, bringing my legs up to curl into a ball.

There was a sigh, and then I felt the weight of someone sitting next to my legs. “I’m sorry. I know you’ve had a rough couple of weeks, but I really need to talk to you.”

I turned slightly and looked up at her. Somehow, Bea’s looks and style fit the brusang features perfectly. She had a bit of a goth vibe with straight black hair, blunt bangs to her eyebrows, and she wore predominantly black clothes and silver-toned jewelry. Tonight, her lipstick was a darker shade of red. All that combined with her delicate bone structure and adorable button nose? The small fangs and black eyes were natural accessories to her overall look. She looked born to be an alluring, vampiric creature.

Jealousy flooded me, but I forced it down because Bea had always been polite and sweet. It wasn’t like she was preternaturally gorgeous to torment me.

“What did you want to talk about?”

She chewed her lip in a nervous response. “I understand things are tense with you and Tavia right now, and I don’t want to exacerbate that. But it has been a couple of weeks, and don’t get me wrong, I’ve been happy to help you. It’s just that my place isn’t set up to be shared by two people, and it’s starting to feel a little, um, cramped in here. I haven’t had any real privacy in a bit, so… ”

Bea trailed off, but I knew what she was saying. Her apartment in the Blood ‘til Dawn compound was a studio. Rather than an actual bedroom, her sleeping area was separated from the living area by a half wall. Aside from the small kitchenette and bathroom, there wasn’t much space.

And now she wanted me out.

I sat up, and her blue-green eyes went round with guilt. Shit, she felt really bad. Bea was just too nice. We were alike in that sense. Or at least we had been, until I’d become a ball of bitterness and depression.

“I’m really sorry, Amy. I just want to get the living room tidied up and?—”

“No, don’t be. I’m the one that should apologize. I’ve taken over your place, overstayed my welcome.” I rubbed my face, feeling bone-deep exhaustion settle into me. “It’s just… I don’t know where else to go.”

Bea hesitated before speaking. “Tavia and Cyan have an extra bedroom.”

I snorted. “Any chance I can get my own place? Maybe a little studio like this?”

“I believe there are some vacant suites, but you’d have to ask Thorne.”

Ask the asshole clan leader who forbade me from seeing Novak ever again? Yeah, right. It sounded like becoming roommates with Tavia and Cyan was my only option. Great.

I stood, hesitated, then gathered up the blankets and pillows that had been my bed and home for the past two weeks. “I’ll get this stuff washed and then return it. Sorry again, Bea. I should’ve realized.”

“Oh no, don’t worry about it. Put that stuff down, you’ve got enough on your plate.” She yanked the bedding from my arms and dumped it back onto the couch, then gave a sympathetic squeeze of my shoulders. “The beginning of being a brusang is hard. Really fucking hard. It’s so alienating feeling like you’re not human, but also not a true vampire. But it does get easier, I promise. And I am here if you need anything, seriously. Come back over and have some tea with me whenever you want.”

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