Page 38 of The Devil and the Dancer
“Interesting.”
Beatrice didn’t say more than that, but Chloe sensed approval.
“So you spotted Audra?” she asked.
“Quickly. Most humans won’t. She’s good.”
Chloe glanced behind the car where she knew Audra’s motorcycle would soon be following them. “I try to pretend she’s not there.”
“That’s usually the best policy.”
Chloe felt like the elephant in the car was sitting on her chest. “Why don’t you like Gavin? Can I ask? Is it for supersecret vampire reasons?”
The corner of Beatrice’s mouth turned up. “Yes, you can ask. The short answer is, I don’t trust him to look out for people other than himself. I think he has good tendencies—and I can’t lie, he’s been a friend to Ben—but I have a hard time trusting him.”
“Because of something that happened to you personally?”
“Yes.”
Chloe nodded. “Okay. I mean, I can’t argue with that. But I guess…”
Beatrice didn’t jump in. She waited for Chloe to speak as she handed Sadia a soft-sided book.
“If you acknowledge Gavin has been a good friend to Ben—someone that he can trust—why don’t you think he’ll be a good friend—or more than a friend—to me?”
“Honest answer?”
“Always.” Chloe braced herself.
“I trust Ben to take care of himself.”
It bruised her, but Chloe could only nod. What did she expect? Beatrice knew all about her ex. She knew that Chloe had allowed herself to fall into an abusive relationship. It was hardly surprising that she didn’t trust her to—
“Ben grew up with us. Grew up with vampires. He started training when he was twelve. He grew up on the streets before that. You’re still new to this world and I worry. I know you’re smart as hell. I know you’re training with Tenzin now. But I worry. I can’t help it.”
“Oh.” The hurt eased a little. “So you don’t doubt me because…?”
“Because what?”
Her voice was small. “Because of Tom. Because of what he did to me. What I allowed to happen.”
Beatrice’s voice cut like a blade. “You were young and you were in love. Tom’s actions are his own fault. Not yours. If anything, that experience makes me less concerned for you, not more. Experience is a hard teacher, but you’ve earned a level of wisdom about relationships that Ben doesn’t have. I don’t doubt you because of that, Chloe. Don’t think that even for a minute.”
She nodded. “Okay.”
“Do you believe me?”
Chloe forced a smile past the lump in her throat. “I do. Mostly. I’m still processing all this. The world he lives in—the world all of you live in—it’s a lot to take.” Chloe blinked back tears. “I’ve spent too much of my life being afraid, and I can’t”—she forced the words past the lump in her throat—“I can’t ignore that risk because of how I feel about him.”
“You’re smarter than I was at your age,” Beatrice said. “If you need to talk, let me know. When I say I’ve been there, I mean it.”
8
Gavin strode into his penthouse already irritable. He’d woken that night to an empty phone. He had messages, but none of them were ones he wanted to read.
He hadn’t heard from Chloe. Usually she texted him during the day, and he would wake up to one or more messages from her telling him what her plans for the night were, where she was staying, or some random amusement she’d seen or heard.
He’d met with Audra in the lobby, but as he’d instructed her, she didn’t report on Chloe’s movements, only that she was safe and Hassim had taken over her shift since Gavin would be occupied for most of the night.
