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Calla frowns, dropping her gaze to the bedsheet she’s pulling through her fingers. “I know you think I have blinders on when it comes to her, but I have considered the possibility.” She lifts her head and meets my gaze again. “Can we please just cross that bridge if we have to?”
“I suppose,” I say, lacing my fingers together behind my head. “This really cuts into our timeline to gauge a potential ceasefire with the hunters.”
Calla nods. “It’ll divide the vampires, choosing to go to war and wipe out the hunters or deciding to work alongside them to protect both sides.”
Closing my eyes, my lips turn down at the dull pounding in my temples. “It won’t be easy,” I say, “there are going to be a lot of vampires who choose what they know. Bloodshed and killing come naturally to most. Taking a risk and working with the enemy is a huge ask. One many will refuse to even consider.”
“You’re right,” she murmurs, “but I believe we still need to try.”
I open my eyes and sigh. “Yeah.”
She reaches over and slides her fingers along my cheek, turning my face toward her. “It’s going to be okay,” she says, her eyes flicking between mine.
I drag my tongue over my bottom lip, wetting it. “The certainty in your voice makes me want to reassure you that’s true, but this is a centuries old fight.”
Calla nods thoughtfully, holding my gaze as she drops her hand back to the bed. “Okay. So, we fight for something new. If we’re going to risk our lives, it should be for something that’ll make a positive change, right?”
I stare at her silently for a long moment. For someone so young, her optimism and determination is, while understandably naive, really quite incredible.
It’s no wonder we’re all in love with her.
“You can say it, you know,” she says with a little twitch of her lips, and when I arch a brow at her, she adds, “You can admit I’m right. The world won’t implode.”
I chuckle softly, sliding out of the bed and getting dressed before heading for the door.
“Where are you going?”
I turn back to her. “I need to speak with Lex.”
“Atlas,” she says with a frown.
“Don’t start,” I warn her.
She sighs heavily, putting her hands up in defeat. “Fine, but if you don’t scold him the same way you did me, he’s going to be very disappointed.”
17
Calla
The days are passing painfully slowly, and considering this new place doesn’t have any workout equipment, I resort to basic bodyweight exercises on the lawn in the backyard. I still manage to work up a sweat, which is the goal. That, and a distraction from waiting to hear back from the groups of vampires Marcel’s been contacting to see if a meeting with the hunters is even a possibility.
I’m blasting Valerie Broussard’sKillerin my wireless earbuds on my second set of pushups when the music cuts out to an incoming call. I sit cross-legged on the grass and grab my phone, answering the call to the Bluetooth function of my earbuds when I see my mom’s number on the screen.
“Hey, Mom,” I say, uncapping my water bottle and taking a long drink before tossing it next to me.
“Calla, oh I’m so happy you answered. I’ve been thinking about you lots.” The relief in her voice makes my chest swell. I want to see her so badly. I think I’m confident enough to know I won’t hurt her or my dad, but now that simply walking outside without sunglasses or colored contacts puts a nationwide target on my back, visiting them needs to be pushed to the back burner. I won’t put them at risk because I miss them. Until it’s safe to go, I’ll have to deal with phone calls and video chats.
“How are you?” I ask. She’s pretty much back to normal after the accident, but I still feel the need to check, to make sure.
“I’m doing just fine, honey. I called to askyouthat.”
“I’m okay,” I say automatically.
“And how are you really?” she asks in that tone of hers that makes it impossible to lie, even over the phone. It must be a mom thing.
I press my lips together, then blow out a breath. “Uh, well, it’s been an adjustment for sure, but… I don’t think it’s as hard as I was worried it would be.”
“Really?”
