14
Silver
“You seem chipper,” Zeph grumbles.
I roll my eyes at him. It’s late morning, two days after I came face to face with my mother for the first time since I was a child, and Z hasn’t left me alone for a moment since I returned. I spent most of yesterday recuperating with Roscoe, but after a long night’s sleep, I had a brain-wave.
Subsequently, I’ve dragged Zeph outside of The Spire to execute the first part of my plan. If I was Roscoe, I’d probably name it something like my Plan To Take My Life Back and Be a Badass. But I’m not and instead I have a grumpy and confused Z tagging along with me, grumbling because I’ve refused to tell him what we’re doing.
“I got knocked on my ass, but I’m won’t stay down for long,” I tell him.
He huffs. “Are you going to explain where we’re going? I’m still not so sure it’s a good idea traipsing around the city after everything that’s happened.”
I know I’m being annoying by not telling him where we’re going or what my plan is, but I just know it’ll be so much easier to explain once Ishowhim.
Plus... there’s every chance he’d say no if I told him the full details. It’s an assholish move on my part, maybe. But I’m trusting that this is going to go to plan.
“I need coffee and a ton of sugar to function today, and since we don’t have either of those things in the kitchen right now, we need to head out,” I tell him.
When in doubt, deflect, deflect, deflect. I grin at him and batter my eyelashes, and he lets out a grouchy exhale.
“You could just tell me whatever frou-frou drink you want and I’ll get it for you.”
“Or I can do the same thing I’ve been doing for years and get it myself.” I shove my arms into my pockets a little more aggressively than is necessary. “I’m done holing up and hiding from all the people that want to mess up our lives. I spent years hiding from the Archarcans. Much good it did me. And I’ve been hiding out from Felix for weeks. I’m done with it.”
He grumbles and slips an arm around my waist, pulling me against his big body. “Fine. Still think it’s a bad idea, though.”
“What’s gotten you even grumpier than usual?”
“Oh, I dunno,” he replies sarcastically. “Maybe it’s the threat of you being put in a cell somewhere and us never being able to find you. Or maybe it’s having to rely on a damn vamp to track you down, and even then he can’t find you, even though he’s got a damn weird fixation with your blood.”
Ah.
“You and Dante didn’t get along the other day while you were on your grand rescue mission?”
My gut twinges. Imaybe hoping they can put their shit to one side and get along, but that’s probably wishful thinking. Or delusional.
“He’s a vamp, Silver. He’s not to be trusted.”
I don’t want to argue with him right now, so I just grab his hand and tug him along.
“I want a coffee and a muffin that’s the size of my head.” Something in my tone must finally get it into his thick head that I’m serious. If he tries to stand between me and my caffeine-sugar combo, there may be bloodshed. That earns me the smallest of smirks and a head-shake, but he presses a kiss to the top of my head and lets me steer him along.
Ten minutes later and I’m smiling big as I sip my coffee and tear hunks off the muffin that’s sadly not as big as my head. Still, it’s too big to carry that and my cup, so Zeph holds it for me as I take massive bites as we walk.
