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“Dang. Well, Seraphina’s a hotel bigwig, so she’s never around. After their divorce—the squall—Kota’s dad went to Jersey City to start a whole new family with the mistress, so he’s MIA, too.”

“Kota’s dad doesn’t have anything to do with her?”

“No. He left Sea Haven, and everyone in it, without a backward glance.”

That’s fucked. Not unheard of, sadly, but still fucked.

“How old was she?”

“I want to say freshman year of high school.”

“So that’s when you two fell out?”

“We didn’t fall out. We just drifted. I didn’t have as much to offer her.” Tina shrugs.

“But Guy did?”

“Mm-hm. Smooth waters.”

“What does that mean exactly?”

“His dad, Guy Humphries the Fourth, does a lot of real estate deals with Sera, so anything Guy asked his parents in regard to Kota, got automatic approval. At fifteen, he was staying over whenever she needed, even on school nights. He became her cat.”

That explains the G4 thing. It doesn’t excuse it. It’s very stupid.

“So she used him?”

“Not in the way you’re thinking.”

“In what way then?”

“It wasn’t malicious, or even selfish. It was…basic instinct.”

“How so?”

After a yawn, she says, “Given the chance, a drowning person will latch on to anything, or anyone, they can. Kota was lucky enough to find someone that kept her afloat all this time.”

All these water metaphors are hurting my head.

“I thought she chose a cat.”

Eyes closed, Tina’s laugh is nothing more than a rumble in her chest.

She’s passing out. At a party. Next to a pool.

“You’re really just gonna…” I glance at our surroundings. “Sleep? Right here?”

A soft snore is her only response.

Fucking fantastic. Looks like I’m not moving from this spot anytime soon.

Arms over my chest, I settle in, watching everyone around me. Aside from several questioning stares, no one bothers me or my…friend. I’ve never had a female friend before.

I try to avoid Kota’s general vicinity, but it’s hard when she’s the only one here worth paying attention to. Lisann thinks she is. I don’t have to look at her to know how obnoxious she is. I can hear her making scene after scene, not all at Kota’s expense but enough of them that someone should’ve said something by now. She’s a vampire, all right, sucking the life out of this party.

Or maybe it’s just me she’s draining.

An hour and a half later, I’m shaking Tina awake.