“I know. I know you might not ever forgive me – andnot everis a very long time for us now – but I wanted you to understand why I helped her.”
“What happened today? Did you set me up to be turned into a vampire, Zara?”
“No,” she insisted. “She just told me to make sure you didn’t know thatIwas a vampire and that she was going to get Iro back. I was thinking you and I would be friends for a while, and maybe one day, I could tell you how I felt and see how that goes. That was it, Arwen. When you went to the bathroom, Cassia sat down at the table. As soon as she told me what was happening, I ran. I got in my car and went to Iro as quickly as I could. I told her what I did and that Cassia had you. Then, I had to hide because Cassia sent Gigi after me.”
“Gigi…”
“Yeah. Iro killed her, and–”
“Iro didwhat?”
“She didn’t tell you?”
“No,” Arwen replied.
“She killed her. I think Gigi would’ve killedyou, Arwen. She wanted Iro dead as well. I could tell she was in love with Cassia, and Iro stood between her and what she wanted. She could’ve killed you to make Iro miserable and then killed Iro or something. I don’t know, but Iro did what she had to do. Then, she sent me to the office and went to get you. I’d been sitting in that room ever since, thinking I’d gotten you killed and trying to figure out what to do. Iro called me and told me you weren’t dead but that you were like me now right before you got to the office.”
“Zara, didyoukill anyone?”
“Yes,” she admitted and looked down. “Well, turned. They’re not dead. One was an accident. I honestly don’t know how it happened. I did what Cassia told me to do, so I could just take enough, and–”
“What?” Arwen asked.
“It wasn’t me,” Zara said and realized at the same time. “Son of a bitch. She set me up.”
“Who?”
“Cassia. She wanted me to think I had made her, when I didn’t. I listened to Cassia when she told me to stop. I know I did. She was fine, and then–” Zara stopped again.
“And then what?”
“Well, being a vampire means you want two things over everything else.”
“Sex and blood?”
“Yes.”
“Oh,” Arwen said, realizing it now.
“Yeah…”
“You slept with Cassia?”
“Yes. Other women, too. But I don’t think I was the one who turned that woman. I didn’t drain enough. I think Cassia did it to make me think that I screwed up so that I would need her help.”
“I know very little about her, but that’s unsurprising.”
“There was one more, but she wanted it.”
“To be turned?”
“Yes. I asked her more than once to make sure. She’d been there as someone who willingly let us feed from her. She wanted it, Arwen, I swear.”
“So did you, I imagine.”
“What do you mean?”
“It sounds like you’ve really enjoyed being a vampire since you turned, Zara.”
