Jason shrugged.“Sorry, man.Hey, you’ve been staring at my plate.You want half of this?”
“Nope.Blood diet.”
“You don’t have to,” Raven said.“You’re doing that because of me, aren’t you?”He picked up what was left of his own blood.“I…don’t really mind this.It’s nice.”
Jason nodded.“Almost like what I imagine fugu would taste like, but less risky.”
Heath frowned at Jason.“Fugu, huh?You know what’s really good?Being risk-averse, as a general rule of thumb.You ever thought about trying that, Jason?”
Risk-averse…
Raven felt out of sync the more he tried to think about the word, the more he tried to figure out whether he had been risk-averse that day, the day he’d gone to the lecture.When he’d thought about going to the front of the lecture hall and asking a question.
I just came up to him after the lecture.The lecture was good.That didn’t fit, those memories of that man talking, smiling, being polite.Then the other memories, those that weren’t as sharp, but painful in their bluntness.They didn’t fit, like two puzzle pieces that looked as though they belonged together but just wouldn’t slide into place.
Ume licked his hand.
“Ugh, come on, dog.Why?”Heath unfolded one of the napkins and held it out to Raven.“I think I should hire a dog trainer.Yeah, that’ll be good.”
Raven took the napkin.“Thanks, but he probably just wants to go for a walk.”
“Weird fucking way of showing that.”Heath looked from Raven to Jason.“You two’re headed out?”
“It’s basically why I came here,” Jason said.“Food’s a bonus.This is better than the cafeteria.”
“I should fucking hope so.”Heath stood.“I’ll head back up.And, Raven, keep an open mind about downsizing Maxim’s mountain of trash, okay?You have my full support.And I will absolutely craft an alibi for you if anything—anything!—he keeps up there ever has an unfortunate accident.If it happens to be fire, you don’t even really have to worry, because Bryan would never let the building burn, let alone let anyone get hurt.Just…allow yourself to see the possibilities.”
“Um, okay?”
“It’ll earn you a bonus too.Just because I’m generous that way.”
Heath headed back the way he’d come, and Jason looked after him, almost done with his sandwich.“It can’t just be me.Those two’re the biggest oddballs under the sun, right?”
Raven chuckled.“Discounting me already?”
“Hey, I just keep pointing out that the way you can quote stuff can be a little unsettling, that’s all.I never called you an oddball, oddball.”
They laughed together, though Raven could tell that Jason was different.Is he being careful?Or something else?What would I think if he’d gone to that lecture, not me?If he’d been taken, not me?If he’d come back the way I came back—changed and… Changed.
The thought was a wound in Raven’s mind, something he didn’t want to think about, couldn’t.
“Ready to head out?”he asked, hoping the bite of the sun could distract him from his wandering thoughts.
Chapter 30
“Thatdogissoweird,” Jason said.
Ume glanced up at Jason before going back to minding his own business, keeping to Raven’s side.They were just outside the building, walking along the sidewalk.The sun wasn’t too bright, objectively, but it wasn’t pleasant to be out in it either.
“He seems fine.”
Jason snorted.“My point exactly.When I took him outside, he’d speed-walk ahead of me but then wait at the next corner.You know, he’d just stand there and look at me with those creepy black eyes and that smile.I swear he was laughing at my weird, slow human legs.”
Raven tried to look at Jason, but it was pretty bright.He blinked, then focused on the ground again.“Are you making that up?”
“What?No.I’m telling you, that dog has more attitude than a drunk equestrian.”
“I don’t know any equestrians, drunk or otherwise.”
