Chapter Twenty-Seven
Savannah
On the wayback to Austin, I’d looked at Rhys and said, “I’m starving. Want to grab a burger?” Both he and Ava had stared at me in shocked silence for a few seconds. Still, as soon as we reached the city, Rhys steered the SUV into the parking lot of a burger chain and pulled into the drive thru.
I hadn’t spoken at all as I sat on the floor of my living room and devoured my food. Now my burger was gone and the events of the night were crashing down on me. The trash from our late night burger run littered my coffee table and I munched on leftover fries as I told Ava and Rhys about my day with Macgrath.
“He never hurt me. Even when I was kicking him or trying to punch him, he was gentle. He didn’t even leave a bruise on me.”
“That doesn’t matter,” Ava fumed. “Hekidnappedyou right out of my fucking store!”
“Language!” I chided her. “You know I don’t like it when you curse so much.” I neglected to mention exactly how much I swore when I was fighting Macgrath. It was better if she didn’t know about that.
Ava just glared at me. “I still don’t like it. We should have called the council in Dallas.”
I looked at Rhys, who was reclined on the couch. “What do you think, Rhys? Do you think it was a mistake to let him go?”
He sighed and rubbed his hands over his face. “Yes,” he muttered. “Savannah, he took you from me. He threatened you. For that alone, I want to suck the life from him and burn his carcass.”
My nose crinkled at his statement. “Eww.”
Ava snorted. “Yeah, the visual there is kinda gross, Rhys.”
He shrugged. “It’s the truth.” His eyes came to me. “But it’s also the truth that his heart is good. He allowed his desperation for answers to blind him to her true nature.”
I smiled at him. “He’s more like you than you realize.”
Rhys shook his head. “I don’t think so.”
I didn’t respond, merely took a sip of my drink. He was wrong. Rhys had been searching for a home when he moved in across the street. Macgrath wanted the same thing, even if he didn’t understand that yet. He claimed he wanted to find his maker, but I knew it was more. He yearned for the sort of relationship a maker often had with their vampire children. He yearned for home.
Satchel pranced into the living room, straight to me, meowing all the way. She sat down in front of me and grumbled for several seconds.
“Is she talking to you again? What’s she saying?” Ava asked.
I reached out and stroked Satchel’s back. “She’s just letting me know that she didn’t appreciate being left alone for so long today.” The cat purred as she walked forward and butted her head against my waist. “And that she’s glad I’m home.”
Ava shook her head. “You two are so weird.” She drank down the rest of her wine. “And I still think it was stupid to let that damn vampire go.”
I rolled my eyes. “Speaking of letting things go, why don’t you free that thought? You’re driving me nuts.”
“Savannah,” Ava began.
“No, I don’t want to hear it,” I stated, lifting a hand. “You and Rhys have made your feelings on the matter clear enough. You aren’t going to change my mind and I’m not going to change yours.”
“Fine,” Ava relented. “What happened after you tried to climb out of the bathroom window?”
“Well, he made mushroom risotto and roasted asparagus for dinner. I didn’t eat much but it was good.”
Ava groaned and let her head fall back on the couch. “Okay, maybe not that much information. I don’t care if he can cook.”
“Okay, how about this? Rhiannon helped Gaius make Cornelius and Rhys, but with an ulterior motive in mind. She never said what that was, but I’m pretty sure I’ve figured it out.”
“To increase her power,” Rhys stated.
I nodded, sipping my drink again as I petted Satchel. “I think so.”
“The legends,” Ava murmured.
