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"You could join them, if you wanted," I said sourly. "The only price is never seeing daylight again. Having to suck blood to survive. You also get to choose from any of these assholes for friends, because you can kiss your human friends goodbye."
She grinned. "If that's your best anti-vampire pitch, it's actually kind of weak. I'm basically a forced recluse. I don't have any human friends to kiss goodbye. My only family is in there right now fighting for her life. And daylight? That's the stuff I see out my window but can hardly enjoy without worrying about getting sick."
"Vampires are..." I started. "They aren't people anymore. They aren't good."
"My sister is a good person." She said the words like a challenge, daring me to contradict her.
I felt my nostrils flare. She didn't get it. She didn't understand the kinds of things vamps did to people. The things I'd seen. "You wouldn't understand."
"Then make me. Try not grumbling and grunting about how bad they are. Explain to me why you hate them so much. Because unless changing literally makes them different people, I don't see how what you're saying could be true. If Maisey can become one, then they aren't all bad."
"They took my sister from me," I said. My heart was thudding then. I hadn't told anyone that. I hadn't even told Felix. He only knew because he'd known Kyla.
Sylvie paused. "Took her? You mean she's passed away?"
"No. They tricked her into becoming one of them. She had a wolf in her like I do. When our kind go over to their side, it kills the wolf inside us." And I’d promised my father in his dying hour that I’d protect Kyla. That meant her wolf, too, which was now erased from her by their fucking blood poison.
"Where is she now?" Sylvie's voice was quiet, almost a whisper.
I nodded toward Blackridge. "Somewhere in there, probably. She joined the rebels five years ago. Met some vamp, fell in love, and ran off with him."
"Am I missing something? Because that doesn't seem so bad."
"She killed her wolf, Sylvie. Imagine killing your sister to be with some guy. And I'm still not sure she made the choice on her own. Fucking vamps are always playing with minds. Our kind is resistant to it, but not immune."
Sylvie nodded. "What are you going to say to her when you see her?"
"She's dead to me. I have nothing to say to her."
Sylvie watched me with a frown but said nothing.
The damn woman just looked at me with sadness twinkling in her eyes, which was worse than any argument she could've made. She had such a goddamn innocent way of looking at the world. "Real life isn't like your stupid books," I snapped. I got up from the truck, folding my arms. "Stupid shit happens and it happens for no reason. Bad things happen to good people. The two who were supposed to get together usually don't. Do you get that?"
She looked right back at me, eyes blazing. "I'm not as stupid as you think I am. I get that. But it doesn't mean you have to assume the worst in everything. Maybe a little optimism would do you some good. Oh, and maybe some manners, if you've ever heard of them." She tried to hop down from the truck in a huff but her heel caught on the front bumper. She toppled forward and was about to faceplant.
I stuck my arms out, catching her.
She glared, then shook free of my hands. "I'll be in the back of the truck."
I shook my head as she stomped to the back of the truck and hopped up on the bed, fuming to herself.
Part of me was glad she thought she was right. I could still vaguely remember thinking that way. But there was only so much shit life could throw at a man before he'd be an idiot not to expect more. It wasn't about when the shit would come, it was about making the best of the moments between it. That was how I lived. Sylvie could keep believing her fantasy if she wanted, but I had a feeling reality was going to come bite her in the ass before long.
As if on cue, I saw The Prince come storming out of the mansion with his parents, Ana and Vlad, trailing behind
22
Sylvie
I hopped down from the truck, stretching my back. I was still sore and a little wobbly from all the time I'd spent in bed. I felt a little off, but I hoped it was just the aftershocks of my illness and not a new wave of symptoms setting in from my recent excursions. But being careful of germs was practically impossible when we were on the run like this. I was quickly learning to just cross my fingers and hope I'd be fine. Also, touching as little as I could inside Riggs' filthy truck helped.
