Page 70 of Vampire so Virtuous
Cally nodded. “That one.”
“Okay?”
“Well, I figured out what happened.”
“Uh-huh?”
Cally swallowed, staring at her glass and twisting the stem back and forth, back and forth. The mark stirred inside her, tugging toward Antoine like an eager puppy.
“Want me to guess?” Eve asked into the silence. “I’m good at guessing. Uh, a low-flying drone knocked you out?”
Cally gave a dry laugh. “Surprisingly close.”
“Really? Told you I was good at guessing.” Eve leaned forward, warming to the theme. “Okay. A government black-ops experiment to turn you into a super spy used a drone to paralyze you as the first step?”
“Colder,” Cally said with a grin. Eve had a way of cutting through even the bleakest of moods.
“Damn.” Eve took a sip of wine to recharge for the next attempt. “An alien time-traveling drone accidentally—”
“It was a vampire,” Cally said in a rush.
“Pardon?”
“A vampire,” Cally repeated, looking back down at her wineglass.
“An alien time-travellingvampiredrone?” Eve asked.
“No,” Cally said quietly. “There was no drone. It was just a vampire.” Only Eve could make her add ‘just’ to the word ‘vampire.’
“A vampire?” Eve blinked. “Avampiremade you feel kinda fain—Oh.” She blinked again, twice, then leaned forward. “A vampire, huh?”
“Yes,” Cally said in a small voice.
“Was he hot? It was a ‘he,’ right?”
Cally gave her a look. “I tell you I’ve been bit by a vampire, and you ask me, ‘Was hehot?’”
“Well.” Eve shrugged. “I mean, vamps are hot, right?”
“Minh wasn’t.”Creepy, more like.
“His name’s ‘Minh’?”
“No. His name is Antoine.”
“Exotic.” Eve nodded. “Hot.”
Cally frowned at her friend. “Why do I get the feeling you don’t believe me?”
“Because you’re talking aboutvampireslike they’re real?” She made a face that clearly said ‘duh.’
Cally stared at her in exasperation. “You told me I had witch blood, that I had magic. That’s somehow okay, but vampires aren’t?”
Eve flapped her hand. “Let’s take a step back. Are you seriously sitting there—inmyfavorite armchair by the way, which I only let you use because you’re my bestie for life—and telling me that yougenuinely, reallygot attacked by a vampire after your date with the asswipe?”
“Yes, Eve,” Cally said, her tone flat. “Yes I am.” She hadn’t thought it would be so hard to persuade her occult-obsessed always-wearing-black friend who probably had at least three pentagram necklaces in her bedroom drawer.
“Like you got attacked by an actual blood-sucking fiend? A walking leech? An undead denizen of Nosferatu?”
