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I stared at him, unable to believe what I was hearing. “You’ve got to be joking.”
“No.” He waved me silent. “I’m asking you to quietly withdraw from Vampires Anonymous. Don’t show up at the meetings. And don’t contact me in public . . . keep all of our communications in private. You’ve become a liability to me, Menolly. And to the group.”
CHAPTER 2
I stared at him. Liability? Who the fuck was he kidding?
“You have to be joking. What happened to our plans? You know the ones. Where I’m supposed to be your second, if you won? And what about all the big talk about creating an underground vampire police force to corral the rogue vamps? Did all of those plans suddenly go up in smoke?”
Wade avoided my gaze. “I know, I know. But face facts. Your presence at the VA has divided the entire group. Half the members want you dead, the other half worships you like a goddess. But in the larger vampire community, your name’s become synonymous with troublemaker. Menolly, you’ll cost me votes that I can’t afford to lose.”
His voice dropped an octave, and he slammed his hand against the wall next to me. “If I don’t win the position of regent, Terrance will. And then everything we’ve worked for will go straight down the toilet.”
I stared at him, wondering where he’d found this new, unpleasant side of himself. Wade was usually mild, soft-spoken. What had happened? But in my heart, I knew the answer. Ever since the Earthside vampires started coming out of the closet along with the other Supes, they’d begun to hive off into regions, choosing leaders to represent them. The regency for the Northwest Dominion was up for grabs, and Wade wanted it. He wanted it so bad he could taste it.
“Fine.” I slammed the door open so hard one of the hinges broke. “Then leave. I won’t bother you or your fucking group again. You can go to hell, for all I care. Just make sure to take that battle-axe of a mother with you.”
The look of surprise that washed across his face made me feel good. I hoped I’d hurt his feelings. Bad. Nobody used me, then dumped me when I became inconvenient. And the sooner sucker boy found that out, the better.
“Menolly, don’t be this way.” Wade spoke softly, but he could have melted into tears, and I wouldn’t give a damn.
“Don’t be what way? You kick me out of the group, you tell me you don’t want to be seen with me, and you expect me to smile and play nice? Get real.” I pointed to the door. “I told you to get out.”
“I knew you were going to be pissed,” he said, looking irritated. “Please try to understand. This is my chance to make a difference as the dominions take shape. I know we talked about you being my second, but that was before all the fallout over you staking Dredge. When you killed him, it sent a shock wave through the vamp community that still refuses to settle.”
Disgusted, I gave a little hiss and narrowed my eyes. “Idiot. Dredge was a monster, and he would have destroyed every possibility for vampires to live among FBHs without being hunted down and staked. What I did was harder than anything you’ll ever have to do. You know exactly what he put me through. Do you realize how fucking painful it was to relive my own torture, rape, and murder in order to sever the ties that bound me to my sire?”
“Yeah, I know—”
“Like hell you do!” I cut him off, so angry that I shoved him away so he wasn’t standing so near me. “Go through one-tenth of what I endured, and then look me in the eyes and tell me what I did was unjustified. But you couldn’t take it, could you, boy? You’d end up crawling on your belly, sucking Dredge’s cock, begging him to spare you. You would have curled up in his court just to stop the torture.” I didn’t care who heard me now. There was no wiggle room when it came to discussing Dredge. Not for me.
Wade’s eyes flashed red. He leaned forward, staring down at me, his long lashes fluttering against his pale skin. “Don’t be an ass. I know what you went through. And I know you had to kill him. But Menolly, be logical. If I don’t win, Terrance will. And Terrance is another Dredge in the making. He wants to bring the mystique of fear back into being a vampire.”
Terrance, the owner of the Fangtabula, was an old-school vamp. Badass and arrogant, he thought nothing of using mortals for his private feeding station, then tossing them out when they were dry. But he was a Boy Scout compared to Dredge.
“Bullshit.” I stared past him. As much as I hated to admit it, I knew he was right. I had become a controversy, a division among the vamps. I weighed down his campaign, unless he chose to stand by my side and defend me. And he could do it—if he wanted to. But Wade didn’t like being the bad guy. Wade wanted to win on his charm, not his ability to lead.
I felt the bloody tears well up and willed them away. I wouldn’t let him make me cry. “Damn you. I’ve done one hell of a lot for Vampires Anonymous, and to be shoved aside like this is a fucking slap in the face.”
“Menolly—”
“Don’t Menolly me. If you had any real balls, Terrance wouldn’t have gained the foothold he has now. But you don’t like confrontation, and you’re still trying to please everybody, even though you know you can’t do it. If you’d taken Terrance out when he started showing signs of being a troublemaker, we wouldn’t be facing this problem.”
Wade grabbed me by the shoulders.
I slowly reached up and took hold of his wrist, squeezing hard enough to feel the bones shift. “Take your hands off of me, or I’ll toss you across the fucking room.” My fangs extended as anger clouded my senses.
He abruptly let go. I shoved him again, just enough to give him the message that I was serious.
His gaze never left my face as he steadied himself.
“I agree that you’ve done a remarkable job for Vampires Anonymous, but don’t ever lose track of the fact that the group is my baby. I started it, I built it into what it is today. There have been others who’ve put just as much time into it as you, if not more. Sassy Branson for one. Now, can’t we keep this civil?” He leaned down, his lips a hairsbreadth from mine.
I let out a low hiss. “Don’t you go all red-eye toward me.” No breath, no whisper of air passed between us.
His gaze lingered on my face. “I thought you liked men who take charge. You’re certainly spending enough time with that incubus. And he’s still a breather, demon spawn or not.” And then Wade was kissing me, pushing me hard against the door.
Without so much as a second thought, I kneed him in the groin, and he shuddered, backing away. While a kick in the balls didn’t hurt vamps the same way it hurt FBH men, it still smarted.
