Going into my contacts, I pulled up Maz’s number and sent her a text.
Me: Things got complicated last night. Will give a full report later. Job is done.
If I didn’t report about killing Luka, someone else would go after him, and I didn’t know how I felt about that just yet…
I turned my phone off and leaned my head against the cool glass window, my fingers going to the two prick marks at my neck.
Holy hell, Aspen, you have royally screwed up this time.
* * *
I pacedthe entrance of Riverfront Park, getting stares from people as I realized I must look like a murderer.
“Good lord, Aspen!” Liv’s voice came from behind me and I spun. She was holding my bug-out backpack firmly. She took one look at my appearance and winced. “What happened last night?”
I grabbed the bag from her and pulled out my trench coat, throwing it over my bloody clubbing outfit. I slung the bag over my shoulder and we started to walk.
“Prince Luka … saved my life.” I hated the words as they left my mouth.
She frowned. “Why would he do that?”
“I dunno. But … then I saved his.”
She looked horrified. “Why wouldyoudothat?”
I stopped and faced her, feeling overwhelmed by my own emotions. My entire life I’d spent hating the bloodsuckers, bringing them down as a servant of God, and now … my world felt like it was shifting on its axis. “I don’t know, okay. He was a decent dude, he carried me to safety from the bar even with his guts hanging out of his stomach … and he was dying. I felt bad. So … I let him feed from me.” I pulled my hair back to reveal my neck and she gasped, hand flying to her throat. “And I think we…” I remembered when he spoke into my mind. “I dunno, it was different. I think we imprinted or some demon magic. Like the wolves do.”
My best friend’s eyes widened to giant saucers and she stood there for a full minute staring at me like I’d sprouted two heads.
I reached out and shook her. “Liv … breathe. You’re scaring me.”
“Surely imprinting is a myth,” she finally said, “and even if it’s true, it’s only for werewolves andcertainlynot humans.”
Her confidence made me feel better. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Maybe I’d imagined the mental speaking thing.
She pulled me over to a bench and yanked me down to sit with her. “But … why would you think you imprinted or whatever?”
I took in a deep breath and described the feeding. In detail. Including the intense sexual energy of it and when I’d heard him speak into my mind. She grimaced through the entire thing and I was mortified beyond belief.
“Well … that does sound different, but maybe you were just horny. I mean, you haven’t had a boyfriend since Sterling—”
“Liv! Get real,” I shouted. “I’m nothorny, and that doesn’t explain hearing his voice in my head after!” I winced when a passerby glared at us. Shoutinghornyin the middle of a public park wasn’t even the low point of the last twenty-four hours, and that was just sad.
Liv nodded, her tight dark curls shaking around her shoulders. “Well, that was just a hallucination fueled by panic.”
“Really?” Maybe she was right. Maybe I was freaking out for no reason. I relaxed at her reassurances.
“Close your eyes. Do you hear him now?” she coaxed me.
I did as she said.
Hello?
Nothing. But … I didfeeldifferent. When I concentrated on the feeling, it was like … I could feelhim, like I knew how he was doing, what he was feeling. He was … confused, scared.
No. I was imagining that.
My eyes snapped open. “Nope. Don’t hear anything.”
