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“It’s your new home, of course,” Helena said simply. She gestured to me, then, and Kimberly looked up. She seemed to notice me for the first time. First, there was a look of confusion on her face. Then, recognition.
“He works for the Vampire of Garnetia,” she said to Raven in a hushed voice.
“Wrong,” I said, making my way down the staircase.
“I remember you,” she said. Her face hardened with anger. Yes, I was certain she was angry. She was probably very angry. From her perspective, I was the person who had slaughtered her friends and ruined her vampire hunting fun. From my perspective, I’d put a stop to a group of murderers who were hunting my kind for fun. I didn’t believe for a moment that Kimberly was involved with her friends’ illegal activities. That was the only reason she was still alive.
“I’m honored,” I said.
“You pinned me down,” she accused. “You put your boot on me. That hurt.”
“I’m glad you remember,” she said.
“Is that true?” Raven asked. “He pinned you?”
“He pinned me,” Kimberly said. She stared at me, curious. “But then he let me get away.”
So she’d known.
All of this time, I wondered whether she had thought she’d managed that escape all on her own or not.
“I did,” I agreed.
“Why?” She asked.
She didn’t seem afraid of me now, nor did she seem aggressive. She was slightly docile, which was, on its own, a bit unnerving. This wasn’t the type of woman who did docile.
“Why do you think I work for the Vampire of Garnetia?”
“You’re answered my question with a question,” she pointed out. “That’s childish.”
“And you’re blatantly refusing to answer mine,” I countered. “That’s also childish.”
“You’re both being childish,” Helena pointed out. “Look, I’m going to put a stop to this little dance,” she said. “I’ve hand-delivered you the human you wanted. You can thank me later. Don’t wait long to turn her. The others will notice, and regardless of how much they all love and adore you, they’re going to get hungry. Do you have any idea how hard it was for me not to take a taste on my way over here?”
Both Raven and Kimberly looked up at Helena with wide eyes. Yes, Raven might be a vampire, but she was still fresh and young and naive. She didn’t yet understand the hunger that came with time. She also didn’t understand just how much self-control most vampires had.
“Also,?
?? Helena continued, not finished with her exposition. “You’re wrong, Kimberly. Liam isn’t employed by the vampire you’re hunting for. He is the vampire you’re hunting for. I’m going to save you a little more time, too. He’s the one who ordered the hit on your friends. Your roommates, were they? I’ll let Liam be the one to tell you why he did it. I’ve talked enough.”
Helena started walking up the stairs, moving past me silently. Halfway up the staircase, she stopped and turned around to catch Raven’s eye. Raven was still standing perfectly still.
“You,” she said. “Come.”
Raven turned to her friend and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.
“I’ll see you soon,” she said to Kimberly.
“What happened to never again?” Kimberly asked quietly.
“That was before,” Raven said. “You’re here now. You’re going to be one of us. No matter what happens next, Kimberly, please remember to stay strong.”
“I’m waiting,” Helena said. Her voice was a bit more crisp. It was a little more harsh and determined. Raven noticed immediately and started moving. This time, she didn’t stop to look at her friend. Instead, she ran up beside Helena, slipped her hand into the vampire mistress’, and kept moving.
We watched silently as they made their way to the top of the staircase and then disappeared down the hallway. I sighed. Helena had given Kimberly plenty of information, but she really had left the most important information to me.
Now I was going to have to figure out how to deal with the fact that not only did I have a human I had to turn, but I had a human I firmly believed was my fated mate. She was my destiny. I had to convince her of that, though.
