I worried that I’d spoke to soon, gauging Thayer’s incredulous reaction and Kroven’s unshakable one. “Is that…okay for me to say?”
“Of course it is.” Kroven wrapped his arms around me, bending down to kiss the top of my shoulder. “And I quite like the sound of boyfriend privilege.”
“Alright, I’m gonna go back to bed before you guys go at it incommunal spaces.” Thayer chuckled, bidding both of us farewell as he retreated back to his room.
I gazed up into Kroven’s foggy eyes, wishing I could fully shake the conversation he’d blocked us from having in the shower. But I didn’t want to come off like a total brat, so I buried it for the time being. Plus, there was the super real possibility that I was about to travel with Kroven out of the city for the first time.
“Let me get dressed and I’ll pack. Are we going to be gone long?”
“We may spend the night, but probably nothing longer than that, I’m afraid.”
“That’s fine.” I kissed him quickly and stepped back. “I’ll finish getting ready and then we can go.”
Kroven affirmed with a wink, and the sight of his casual affection for me kept the burn in my belly going the whole time I packed.
Chapter 17
The sightof the protestors came into view from the car Kroven had ordered for us, making my teeth ache with annoyance. As the car drove past the crowd and stopped before the sidewalk outside of the blood center, I could tell that this crowd was bigger, just since yesterday. It baffled me that this many people could rally together to specifically boycott something fueled by hate, but couldn’t unite as one for the betterment of everyone.
Kroven thanked the driver and we got out of the car. Our ears were assaulted at the sight of a sangamar nearing the blood center. The protestors were chanting, which wasn’t unusual. Normally they spouted rhetoric about “keep humans safe” and “stop draining us for them”. Today was different.
They were holding up signs that displayed their latest hate speech, chanting it in uneven intervals amongst their group. The wordORB-ominationwas plastered across multiple signs in chalky red letters, a phrase far too clever for their evident stupidity. I would have been thankful if it was just the signs, since Kroven still hadn’t consumed blood to restore his sight,but since they were chanting it out as well, rage filled every bone in my body. I glanced over at Kroven and the hurt in his still-grey eyes made me want to stomp over and bash every single one of their heads in.
I didn’t realize my body was subconsciously making me move that way until Kroven put out an arm to stop me, tracking me by the angry stomps of my Converses.
“Don’t, they’re not worth it.” Kroven twisted to knock on the window of the car we’d just piled out of, the window coming down as Kroven asked the man if he could wait and give us another ride to the airport. He turned back up to me when the driver agreed. “I’ll wait in the car while you talk to your boss.”
“Kroven, you shouldn’t have to—”
“I know.” He sighed. “But this is exactly why we’re going to D.C. Do what you need to do and I’ll be here when you’re finished.”
Sadness crept around my ankles and up my body as Kroven reluctantly got back inside the car. The protestors on the other side of the street stopped chanting the play on abomination, returning to their normal chants, perfectly directed at me.
Ignoring them and their closed minds, I sauntered into the blood center with a renewed sense of urgency. The last thing I wanted after experiencing the onslaught of ignorance from the protestors was to be in Piper any longer than necessary.
I had to ask around from various co-workers if they had seen Babs, but as luck would have it, Babs found me before I had to go hunting her down.
“Bas, are you going to come in here every day begging me for more shifts?” Her sigh was a heavyweight occurrence, and I got the sense that it was a particularly stressful day by the timbre in her voice. “I told you, I’m doing the best I can with what I have.”
“No, it’s not about working more.” I brushed her off. “Actually, I was wondering if I was still off the scheduled for today and tomorrow.”
“Whatever it says right now is right.” Babs nodded. “Nothing’s changed.” Her expression soured, eyes squinting at me in scrutiny. “Why?”
“I’m headed out of town for a couple days,” I explained. Part of me didn’t think it was my boss’ business and I didn’t need to explain where I was going, but then I thought about my previous interactions with Babs about discussing Wallace Watson and his connection to the blood centers around Piper. Perhaps this would give Babs something to look forward to. “Actually, that friend I was telling you about asked me to go with him to meet with Watson personally.”
Babs’ eyes nearly walked out of their sockets. “Are you serious?”
“Yeah.” I shrugged. “I thought, if you don’t mind, I’d give a personal outlook on what’s happening here when we meet with Watson.”
“Oh my God, Bas, that would be amazing!” Glee was pouring out of her in leaps and bounds, and I wasn’t equipped to handle it since I’d never seen her this frantically excited. “Make sure you tell him how bad it is. I mean, seriously. And how it’s only gotten worse.”
“Trust me, I will.” I sighed, thinking back to my earlier moment with the crowd only minutes earlier. “I’ll do everything I can to get Watson to understand how dire the situation is.”
Surprising the hell out of me, Babs embraced me, her arms snaking around my back and squeezing the hell out of me. “Thank you, Bas. I really appreciate it.”
Letting out a nervous laugh, I came out of the hug with a nod. “I’ll see you for my next shift.”
She assured me she would and went about her day. By the time I made it back out of the building, I saw that the crowd was losing gusto. At least they weren’t shouting that horrible self-made word anymore. My thoughts that they would remain quiet as I reached the car quickly died when they saw me, apparently remembering that I was guilty by association by just knowing Kroven. They were yelling all kinds of shit, and I tuned it out as I made a dash for the car. Pulling open the closest backseat door, I ushered inside the safety net of Kroven’s presence as the driver made no secret that he wanted to get the hell away from the protestors and their relentless rhetoric.
