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“Where else do you want to go?” Lex asks.
Calla purses her lips in thought. “Italy, for sure. Hmm… Scotland and Ireland. Oh, I want to visit Tessa in Oregon at some point this summer. I’ve also never been to New Orleans, so that’s on my list as well.” She slides off Kade’s back as we round the corner toward the hotel. “But honestly, right now? I want to go back to Washington.”
I slow my stride and walk next to her. “We’ll leave soon.”
She nods silently, pressing her lips together as if she wants to say more, but I don’t push her.
We walk through the lobby of the hotel, and Calla leans against Gabriel’s side as the elevator ascends to our floor. When we get back to the room, Lex and Kade drop the gift shop bags onto the coffee table and collapse on the couch. Gabriel follows Calla to the kitchenette and speaks softly to her while she fills the kettle with water and turns it on.
“What happens now?” Calla asks, looking my way as she drops a tea bag into a mug.
“We’ll start when you’re ready,” Gabriel assures her, his hand resting on the small of her back.
She turns her attention to him. “I… Okay.”
The five of us sit around the collection of shopping bags. Calla pulls her hat off, tossing it on top of the pile, and sips her tea.
“Do you have any questions?” Kade asks, watching her so closely I’m not sure anything could break his focus.
Calla leans back against the couch, tapping her finger along the rim of her mug as she stares into it. “How long will it take to, um, you know.”
Kade’s eyes flick to me, and I nod. “Once you have vampire venom in your veins, you’ll need to drink vampire blood.”
“And then I have to die,” she says in a low voice and lifts her head to look at me, “right?”
“That’s right.”
She nods slowly, her pulse kicking up. “Will it hurt?” She cringes the moment the words leave her lips, her brows knitting.
“I promise you it won’t,” I tell her.
“Unless you’re already dying painfully when it happens,” Lex chimes in, shooting Calla a wink. “Do not recommend.”
Her lips twitch briefly, but the smile doesn’t reach her eyes. “I don’t want to know how you’ll do it, but what happens after that?”
“When you wake, you’ll need to feed on human blood,” Gabriel answers her. “We’ll take care of that.”
“I’m not going to try to kill everyone, am I?”
Kade laughs, and I shoot him a look.
Calla’s eyes widen, and she stands, setting her mug on the edge of the coffee table before walking around the couch. “I don’t want to hurt anyone.” Her gaze flits around the room, never stopping anywhere for long. “Please, I… Don’t let me.”
I move in front of her, blocking her from pacing. She stops abruptly and steps back, pressing her lips together as her pulse races. She’s panicking, and I don’t blame her—but I can make it easier on her.
“Calla,” I say in a smooth voice, closing the distance between us again.
The fear in her eyes slams into me like a train as her chest rises and falls quickly. She swallows. “Atlas, I—”
“I know,” I tell her. “It’s okay.”
“I’m scared.” The words leave her lips in a whisper.
“Let me help you,” I offer softly, opening my arms to her. When she steps in, I draw her against my chest, resting my chin on top of her head. Her heart pounds in her chest and her breaths come in quick, shallow pants. I run one hand up and down her back, the other cradling her neck. She buries her face in my chest, gripping my shirt in her fists, her hands shaking.
The others sit silently watching us, their expressions serious and focused, as I’m sure mine appears as well.
“Take a deep breath for me,” I murmur, focusing glamour into my instruction as I continue stroking her back.
