AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I looked at the crude stakes in my lap. “But this could get you killed. ”
“I can take action, help you figure out what’s going on in this crazy place, and maybe get killed instantly. Or I can sit here, doing what I’m told, waiting to get killed eventually. ” She gave me a wry look. “I prefer just ripping off the Band-Aid, thanks. ”
My mind went back to my creepy run-in with Alcántara. Something had shifted in his lizardy eyes, telling me he might’ve been done with Mei-Ling. It gave me a chill, but I thought her assessment was probably right. From now on, she would simply be waiting for her eventual death. And it wouldn’t be a long wait.
I gave her a quiet smile, then looked down to continue my carving. “Okay, here’s what we’re going to do. ”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
I began to explain the situation, but my roommate interrupted me almost immediately, and I guess I understood why. The phrase “There’s a Draug keeper I need to spy on” wasn’t something you heard every day.
I gave her one of my stars to help with the carving, and as we worked, I told her about Draugs and about the keeper and about the dire warnings I’d heard about the other side of the island.
I hoped she was right and that she wasn’t helping me in vain. That this actually would be one step toward unraveling the mystery of the island. Because I really liked my peculiar, unpredictable young roomie, and it would devastate me to lose her as I’d lost Amanda and Judge.
When Mei spoke again, her question was the last one I’d expected. “Is this about that vampire you like?”
I froze. “What do you mean?”
“Oh, come on,” she said at once. Then she laughed, and I realized I’d never heard her laugh before. It was a high, tittering sound that made me smile despite myself. “You may be able to use your brashness to manipulate and confuse other people, but it doesn’t fool me. ”
“Wait. ” My hands dropped to my lap. “Full stop. My brashness?”
“Yes,” she said, trying not to smile. “Arrogance seemed too harsh a word. ”
“Wow. ” I gave a little breathy laugh, amazed at this study of my character. “Well, thanks, I guess. So, you’re saying I’m—what?—brash? And that I use it to confuse people?”
She shrugged. Her eyes didn’t budge from me, and they were unflinchingly honest and steady. “Maybe cocky is the better word. ”
I laughed nervously. “I like your style, Mei-Ling. Very Mei-the-Merciless. ”
“See,” she said, not to be interrupted. “Just like that. You’re dismissive and pretend to be careless, and it confounds people. Nobody ends up seeing the real you. Then they either fear you or hate you, or they just help you, hoping you’ll help them someday. ”
I had been smiling at this bizarre evaluation, but that last statement gutted me. I was reminded how Josh had offered his help, claiming an alliance with me was only smart. “You think people help me because they fear me? That just kind of completely bums me out. ”
She put a tentative hand on my arm. “Not all of us. Not those of us who really know you. We really like you. ”
I shook my head, unsure what to make of it all. “You’re way too much, Mei-Ling. ”
“So what’s the answer?”
I laughed again, getting back to my stake, picking up the carving stroke where I’d stopped. My hands were a little shaky after all those true confessions. “You’re relentless. I don’t even remember the question after all that. ”
Her smile was prim, and it made her look all of fourteen years old. “Is this all about the vampire you like?”
Discussing Carden seemed like child’s play after my very own character assassination, and I caved. Anything to change the subject. “Okay. You win. It’s about Carden, the vampire I like. ” I caught her eye. “Is that what you were after?”
I could only hope she’d noticed my thing with Carden because we were roommates and roommates noticed things and not because my attachment to him was so obvious.
“What’s the deal with you two?” Mei-Ling’s question was probing, but her gaze was glued to the star and stake in my hands.
Her averted eyes somehow made it easier to reply. “The deal…” I wouldn’t tell her about the bond, but if she was going to risk her life to help me, I owed her a partial truth. “The deal is, I really like him. ”
She made a face. “But why? He’s a vampire. ”
“Why? He’s just different,” I said, without thinking.
Her brows scrunched even more. “How?”
