“Everything between us was a lie,” shemurmured.
“What makes you say that?” Lucy asked.
Melanie lifted her head to stare at herfriend, who hovered nearby. Lucy glanced at the closed door beforewalking over to sit next to Melanie on the bed.
“How could it be anything else?” Melanieasked. “He’s a vampire. He messed with my head to make me think hecared about me. He made me think he could go out in the day, but weknow that’s not possible.”
Lucy stared at the door as she chewed herbottom lip. She’d taken out her piercings, and her shirt coveredher tattoos. She suspected Delilah had something to do withthat.
“How long was I gone?” Melanie asked. “Howlong were they… uh… interviewing me?”
CHAPTER 23
Lucy made a fewmovements with her hands that Melanie recognized as the secretlanguage they adopted as kids. They were always aware that otherscould be listening to them. Once they were old enough to discussthings they didn’t want others to know, they adapted their signs.It had taken them years to hammer everything out, but in thisplace, they had plenty of time.
There are no cameras in here, but therecould be hearing devices,Lucy signed.
Are you sure about the cameras?
They rarely used their language aroundothers. If anyone found out they’d developed a secret way tocommunicate, they would put an end to it. And that end would mostlikely be separating them. Neither of them would survive that.
Yes. I have an in with a guy, Lucysaid.
Of course, you do.
They grinned at each other.
“We’ve been here for almost three weeks,”Lucy said out loud.
Melanie felt the blood drain from her head,and for a second, she almost passed out, but she managed to keepherself from falling over. “Three weeks?” she squeaked.
“Yes.”
“Did they interview you too?”
“They questioned me for a week. I spent thefollowing week and a half hoping you’d come back and the past twodays waiting for you to wake up.”
I had no idea what they did to you, and Iwas beginning to worry there might be permanent damage,Lucysigned.
Melanie grasped her friend’s hand andsqueezed it. She knew how terrified she would be if their roleswere reversed. “I’m back, and I’m okay.”
Another question formed on her tongue, butshe couldn’t get her mouth open to issue it. And then, unable toresist any longer, she signed.“Where’s Kyle?”
Lucy’s hand tightened on hers, and as shesaid. “You’re okay.” She also signed,“He’s imprisoned with theothers.”
Melanie glanced around the room. It was whatshe’d expected; it was where he belonged. He was a monster. So thenwhy was she fighting against the urge to cry again?
Vampires were monsters. She kept tellingherself this, and the murder of her mother was ample proof of it,but she couldn’t convince herself that Kyle was a monster. Whatthey’d done to her these past two weeks couldn’t convince her of iteither.
Maybe that made her a gullible idiot, ormaybe it didn’t, but it definitely confused her.
Lucy rose. “Are you still hungry?”
“Starved,” Melanie admitted.
“Let’s get you some more food.”
Lucy opened the door; Melanie rose andfollowed her into the hallway. They walked to the elevators and hitthe button. Melanie watched as the elevator from the first floor,the aboveground level, descended to them.
