Page 28 of Blood Lovers

I sit up to take it all in.

“Told ya I’d pay you back double.” I look over to my right and there sits Zusi, blowing on a freshly painted toenail. “Do I come through, or do I come through? How do you feel?”

“Like death.” And I sound like it too. “I need—”

“Right there.” She points to a tray with a glass bottle of water chilling in a silver bucket of ice.

I take the bottle, pop the cork, and guzzle the whole thing down. Once that’s done, I let out a long breath and look her in the eye. “OK. Fill me in.”

She does.

We’re on some island off the coast of some South American place. This is literally what she says and I can’t tell if she’s just being coy and doesn’t want me to know exactly where we are, or she just wasn’t paying attention when we got dropped off, and it’s the beach, so who cares. Because both of these options perfectly describe my cool-as-a-cucumber best friend.

“So, cool, right?”

“How long are we staying here?”

“Well, you really fucked things up with the grandma visit.” Zusi slides her pink sunglasses down her nose so she can look me in the eyes. “Tristin was pissed.” She says these words softly, hinting that he’s nearby. “But”—now she smiles big, putting on her trademark charm—“there is no point in being cute as a button, as I am, if you cannot use your gifts to procure yourself and your BFF”—she points to me—"a fantabulous beach vacay so the evil scion vampire won’t kill us all.” She says that last part in a mock-evil voice, then shrugs. “So. That’s what I did. We’re here for at least two weeks.”

I sigh, then smile. My head is kinda pounding, but I don’t even care. “Two weeks? So we’re free? He’s not coming?”

“We slipped him days ago.”

“Days? How long have I been asleep?”

“Technically, you were dead.”

“You said—”

“I lied. You were dead. We smuggled you into the country in a coffin.” She begins to giggle hysterically. “Oh, my God, Syr. Remind me to fill you in on all the antics Tristin and I—”

“Antics?” Tristin’s deep voice penetrates the canvas tent. “Those weren’t antics, Zusannah! They were fuck-ups!”

Zuse and I both put hands over our mouths so he can’t hear us laugh.

“Anyway.” She shrugs her shoulders up to her ears. “We’re here. And we’ve been ordered to pamper you and let you rest.” She picks up a cluster of grapes and dangles them near my face. “Would you like a peeled grape, princess?”

Then she lowers the cluster down and I pluck one off with my lips.

And I decide… yeah.

Fuck the world, ya know?

I didn’t ask for any of this. None of it. And I’m tired. Not just literally from whatever death magic the Guild just did on me—but spiritually too. And now that I’m out of that cabin and away from her rotting body, everything about my last visit with my grandma makes me feel gross instead of sad.

I’m done. The protection is over, the magic is gone, and I’ve been kicked out of the only home I’ve ever had and no matter what happens next, I’m gonna be lost and alone.

So fuck the world.

I’m gonna sit on a beach for two weeks. I’m gonna forget all about being a Black witch, and the vampire who wants to suck me dry, and that scion who’s hunting me.

CHAPTER TEN - RYET

I am just an addict.

My phone rings again. And of course it’s him.

Don’t answer it. Just like the last five times, all you have to do is just not answer it.