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I shook my head. “I don’t buy that.”
“You don’t have to. You just need to avoid causing trouble here till the cleaners have to recognize Maisey as a sanctioned vampire. She’ll be a rebel to them, but it’ll mean they lose the special permissions the Coven gives cleaners to hunt her.”
“Don’t you think it’s strange that Lazarus just let us come here?”
“He didn’t. He sent that car you rammed off the road.”
“Right. He sent a few low-level grunts. The cleaners are the meanest fuckers the vamps have to offer. Have you ever heard of anyone getting away from them? Ever?”
Felix clenched his jaw, then shook his head.
“Yeah. So why wouldn’t they do anything they could to stop us from getting here? Why would Lazarus not bring high hell down on us? He knew we were going to have to move.”
“Like you said, maybe. He was occupied.”
“It’s too easy. I don’t buy it. I think he wants us here. I just don’t know why.”
Felix got up and clapped his big hand on my shoulder. “Maybe try sleeping more than an hour at a time, Riggs. You’re getting paranoid, and you look like shit.”
“Yeah,” I grumbled. “At least I only look like shit when I’m neglecting sleep.”
Felix grinned. “By the way, be careful with Sylvie.”
I paused. I’d been about to leave and head for the room, but I looked over my shoulder at him. “What does that mean?”
“It means she’s a good person. So be careful with her.”
“The only goal I have is to keep her alive. What else would I be?”
“I mean there’s more than keeping somebody from getting killed. I’ve seen the way she looks at you. Don’t save her life and toss her out into the world with a broken heart.”
“You’ve got to be kidding,” I said.
Felix just raised an eyebrow. “You’re a shitty actor, Riggs. Stick to punching things.”
I left him there, feeling irritated for too many reasons to count.
I felt like I’d just led us all into a trap, but I had no idea how to confirm that. My sister I swore to never speak to again was somewhere in this very building. And a human girl I had no business caring about felt like the only thing keeping me going.
God, I’d really made a mess of things.
25
Sylvie
I sniffed deeply, smiling to myself. The scent on the air was laced with flowers, fresh air, and maybe just a little touch of hope.
It was early afternoon and the sun was warming the back of my neck and shoulders. I’d been given a fresh set of clothes by Faraday—a simple gray skirt and white button-down shirt. I probably looked like one of the students, but I didn’t mind.
“It’s so quiet here,” I said.
Riggs had been trailing behind me like a grouchy shadow. “When the sun burns you to flakes of carbon, it has a way of making for quiet days.”
He had to make everything so morbid. “Well, it’s nice to be able to get outside and not have to worry so much about getting sick.”
“You’re sure you feel okay after the trip to get here? We were around a lot of people.”
I spread my hands, smiling and doing a little twirl. “Healthy as a nut.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Right.”
“I want to go see their library after this. Is that okay?”
Riggs shrugged. “We’re stuck here for the foreseeable future. Might as well enjoy yourself.”
“Do you think maybe vampires and werewolves don’t have the same kinds of germs as humans?” I asked. I bent down to sniff a vibrant purple flower and smiled. It smelled like fresh laundry.
“How am I supposed to know.”
I gave him a look. “You’re stuck with me for the foreseeable future,” I said, mimicking his deep voice. “You might as well get used to making conversation with me.”
That earned a rare, small smile from Riggs.
“It’s possible, I suppose,” he said. “Vampire and werewolves don’t get sick. Our bodies may fight off any germs before they have a chance to spread. It could be that you’re safe around us.”
I beamed. “Wouldn’t that be incredible? Maybe the answer is that I just need to live with vampires from now on.”
“Or werewolves,” Riggs suggested.
I looked at him, quirking an eyebrow. “Would you like that, Mr. Riggs? For me to come live with you and your hairy friends?”
“Once this is through, I don’t particularly care what you do.”
I turned so he wouldn’t see my frown. “Well,” I said. “So far I’ve seen that werewolves hang out in smelly bars with weird, feral half-conscious dancing fiends. Vampires live in cozy mansions with beautiful gardens. I think my vote is leaning their way.”
“Werewolves and vampires live in all sorts of places. My home when I was alpha of the Silverbacks was beautiful. You would’ve liked it.”
“Was it a bar?” I asked.
He chuckled. “No. We had a small town to ourselves in the countryside. It was surrounded by forests. Not a human for miles. We’d free roam the woods most nights and hardly anyone ever bothered us.”
