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After their resoundingno,I smiled. It was sweet, in a vampire way. I was basically their personal feeding bag. At some point, I’d clearly become okay with the concept, even sort of flattered over the whole thing.
“Speaking of death…” I set down the cookie bag. “Griffin killed a vampire to save my life, and that was just damned amazing.” I kissed his cheek. “But I need to be able to save myself from vampires. I don’t want to be the feeding tube for other vampires, just you guys.”And maybe Rowan, if he doesn’t try to kill me.“How can I defend myself? Can someone teach me?”
They stared at me as if I grew two heads, but finally Ace spoke. “I need to hear about this vampire you killed, Griffin. I’ve really been left out of doing anything for you, Maci. That being said, I’ll teach you. We can start tonight.”
“Great.” The cookie made me thirsty.Water is the name of the game now.“It isn’t that I don’t worry about the elders. Trust me, I do. But they’ve already destroyed me. I don’t have a death wish, but that’s all they have left to do to me, so if I spend too much time worrying, they win. You know what I mean?”
Tanner sighed. “I don’t but maybe it’s a vampire thing.”
“Maybe it’s a Maci thing.” Griffin squeezed me. “Since we don’t have a meeting tonight, thank you Ace, let’s go look at the creek. We have a house with a creek. We should at least go look at it.”
That sounded like a plan.
Thirteen
It turned out looking at a creek in the dark wasn’t very exciting, even with the help of Tanner’s flashlight from his phone. The guys could all see just fine, but I didn’t know if they were overly moved by it, either. We sort of stared at the creek for long moments before we walked back inside my little house.
I touched the side of it when I entered. When Caesar and Griffin arranged the place, I believed I could leave if I wanted. I’d run, if I had to. At present, I wasn’t so sure Icould. I loved the house. I’d never in my life had so much company, so many people who cared about me—even if that was because I fed them and made them feel better. Whatever their reasons, it worked for me.
I loved the building.
It might be the first place that ever resembled a home for me.
“I’m going to update your phone tomorrow, and I’m going to pay for it.” Griffin walked past me into the house. “I’m letting you know before I do it, but I can’t stand that your phone won’t even run the flashlight. You can be annoyed with me for a few days, but you can do it with your new phone that works, so I’m not worried it’s about to fall apart. Money is meaningless to me. I’m spending it on you.”
I opened and closed my mouth. “I thought you understood how I felt about this.”
“I tried to understand. I’ve obviously failed. I need to be able to reach you because safety is an issue. You said it yourself. I had to kill a vampire who wanted to kill you. Now you want to be taught to protect yourself in case we’re not around. The key to keeping you alive might be for your ability to use your phone in an emergency.”
I sighed. “Griffin…”
“You’re not our paramour. We get it. That’s not what you want to do, and I’m not trying to force the issue.” He tilted his head. “But you have to let us take care of you or this isn’t going to work. Not because you give us blood and sleep with you, but because we’re friends, right? That’s what we are and what we once were?”
Oh, Griffin was so manipulative. He really was. I scowled at him. “Fine. Thank you for the phone. I am aware of what you just did there, and I want you to know that. I wasn’t fooled or stupid about it. I’m saying yes because you’re right and it’s going to be a good long while before I can afford to replace it myself.”
His smile was huge, which took some of the sting out of giving him his way. “Great.”
“How did you kill the vampire?” Ace leaned against the wall watching us. “Also I’m more than a little jealous that you got to do that. I’d kill a vampire for you any day, Maci.”
Tanner nodded. “Me too. Give me a vampire to kill and I’ll do it.”
They weren’t even hungry, but their bloodlust was there just the same. Caesar watched me, not saying a word. It was funny, even Griffin didn’t have the same experience as Caesar and me in the beginning. Only he really saw me with the other vampires. Only he understood what my life was like.
Did he know what it meant that I was asking for help to never be put in that position again? Even if I had to beg a vampire to feed, I wouldn’t have to worry they could hurt me anytime they wanted.
“You guys are so anxious to kill each other.”
Ace nodded. “We’re not really naturally group oriented. It’s sort of evolved that way, I suppose, but I’d rather just be with all of you and fuck the rest of them. I wonder if we could read an actual history that hasn’t been doctored if we’d see that we used to be more like small clan groups or something. Not this large vampire gathering that we’re doing. I swear it’s why things always go bad. There’s too many of us.”
I blinked. “They’re all doctored?”
“All of them.” He nodded. “It was one of the first things I noticed when I was changed and finally let out of the holding house. The books they gave us to read were different than the ones the elders have in their private library, not that I’ve particularly gotten to peruse them all. They still guard their stuff like it’s a state secret.”
Maybe those were exactly the right words. “Ace, do you think it might be worth it to, I don’t know,find outwhy your dad never bit me? Like, maybe he isn’t exactly on the same page with the others.”
“It might be.” He cupped my face. “But you asked me to teach you how to kill a vampire, so I’m going to do just that.” With a nod at Griffin, he stepped toward one of the chairs. “How did you make the stake I assume you used?”
“First the stake, and then the burn. I broke the chair, and made a stake out of it fast. I don’t think she can do that. She might be able to break the chair, but probably not tear off a piece of wood. She’d never have the strength. Don’t be mad.” He held up his hand. “It just is what it is.”
