Page 55 of Taste of Death

Novak touched his glass to mine. “To loyalties that headfuck us.”

I laughed and accepted his toast. “Cheers.” After taking another sip, I added, “Thanks. You get it. I think you’re the only one that does.”

With a small smile, Novak lowered his arm from the back of the couch. It almost looked like he was going to put his hand on my leg, but he placed it in the space between us instead.

“I just hope your visit goes well, and that you get what you’re looking for out of it.”

“Me too. I still don’t entirely know what that is. Closure? Clarity? No idea, but I just know I need to see it again.”

“They better treat you with respect and decency, and not a whiff of fucking bullying. That goes for the humans and the Blood ‘til Dawn members you’ll be traveling with.”

The intensity with which he said that almost made me snicker. “Or else what?”

Novak smiled coldly and I realized he was dead serious.

“Or else they’ll contend with me.”

Chapter 17

Amy

As it turned out, Blood ‘til Dawn owned vehicles other than motorcycles.

Five of us piled into a van with all but the two front seats ripped out. Rhain and Cyan sat up front, with Rhain driving. Laith, a younger-looking vampire with pale blond hair close to Novak’s shade, and Desmond, a darker-haired vampire with one chipped, blunt fang, sat with me on the van’s floor.

We sat among stacks of plywood, rebar, bags of concrete mix, long two-by-fours, and several toolboxes. There were no seatbelts, but someone had at least welded handles to the van’s inner walls. The three of us grabbed for the handles on instinct whenever Rhain made an especially wild turn.

“Temkra save us, he’s going to flip the van one day,” Desmond muttered.

Laith seemed less bothered being thrashed around. He grinned with every wild turn like he was on a rollercoaster ride.

“Are you excited to see Sapien again?” Laith asked me.

“I don’t know if excited is the right word,” I admitted. “Definitely nervous but hoping for the best.”

“We won’t let anyone mess with you. Right, Des?”

“No one will be brave enough to do anything.” Des made a dismissive noise. “She’s one of us now. Just snap your teeth a little, Amy, and those humans will jump to do whatever you want.”

I forced a smile but couldn’t shake the dread creeping into my stomach. I didn’t want to scare anyone. I wanted them to see me as…me. Like when Tavia came back to visit after she was given to Cyan. Robin and I were overjoyed to see her again. Would Robin react the same way to me now, with blackened eyes and sharp teeth?

But if the people of Sapien feared me a little, that might not be so bad. A touch of fear could command respect. They wouldn’t mess with me, like Des said. And they sure as hell wouldn’t bully me.

I wasn’t so meek anymore. If anyone tried to push me, I knew I could push back.

“What will you guys need me to do?” I returned my focus to the real reason we were going, to rebuild. No matter how Sapien saw me, I was going to help.

“Mixing the concrete for the new fence post bases.” Des grabbed a wall handle and swore under his breath while we took another precarious turn. “That’ll help reinforce everything so nothing can tear it down.”

“Works for me.”

“And whatever those douchebags up front need,” Laith called loud enough for Rhain and Cyan to hear.

Rhain didn’t respond but Cyan pretended to rummage in the center console before holding up his middle finger.

Before leaving, he’d asked me again twice if I was sure about coming along. I answered yes like a normal person the first time. The second time, I just climbed into the back of the van and waited for the drive to begin.

Eventually, Sapien’s security lights were visible on the horizon, looking like stars or planets hovering closer to us than the rest of the cosmos.

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