Darkblood Prison - G.K. DeRosa Page 0,69

care about you a lot, Azara, and I hope that means something to you, even if whatever you felt for me was only a result of the bond.”

My heart screamed to tell him the truth, that I was being stupid to try to protect myself. Of course I still had feelings for him. I finally forced my mouth open to spill the words I should’ve said days ago, but Talon cut me off.

“We’re going to be working together for the next two years, and I’d like to at least be friends. With the Vander situation, I think it would be best for all of us. If you’re okay with that?”

My heart plummeted, taking a one hundred-and-eighty-degree nosedive. Friends? But what I could I say, no? That I was still crazy for him and screw his best friend-slash-brother. I blinked away the hot tears stabbing at my eyes and nodded. “Sure, I’d like that.” I hoped my tone sounded more convincing out loud than it did in my head.

“Good.” The ghost of a smile ticked up his lip, and he released me.

Blood bond or not, my body still ached for his touch. My skin protested its absence the moment he turned away. How was I going to survive two years of this?

We walked the rest of the way in a semi-comfortable silence. It was going to take me a minute to switch from lust-zone to friend-zone. Somehow the shift from enemies to lovers was a much easier one.

When we finally reached the secret entrance to Darkblood’s own mini SIA headquarters, muffled voices seeped through the metal door. A tiny swirl of happiness kindled in my insides. Hayden and Dallas had been sent off on assignment, so I hadn’t seen them in the last few days, and I definitely needed their humor in my life right now. Talon whispered the words of the incantation, and I waited impatiently.

The door slid open, and I muttered a curse under my breath.

“Hey Vessa, what are you doing here?” Talon gave her a broad smile, one he reserved for very few people I’d come to realize, and she bounded toward him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Geez, hadn’t they just seen each other?

Vander appeared a second later, poking his head through the training room door. “Oh hey, I was giving her the grand tour. Hope that’s okay.”

Talon released Vessa, and my burgeoning murderous urges simmered a notch. “Yeah, that’s fine. I know a vampire who can wipe all those pesky memories away if Vessa gets out of line.” He booped her nose, and I almost puked.

“You know your secrets are safe with me, T.” She slowly ran her hand down Talon’s chest.

Okay, I’m out of here. I darted toward the door, but Vander’s bulky form blocked my escape.

“Where are you off to?” he asked.

Anywhere but here. I quickly shuffled through my thoughts before I said something nasty. “Um, out to the yard. I need some fresh air.”

“You can’t go by yourself.” Talon’s booming voice shot across the small space.

“Why not? Delacroix already said he wants nothing to do with Thax anymore. That means I’m safe.”

“You trust him, just like that?”

“Yeah, I do. He’s never lied to me, Talon. There’s no reason for me not to believe him.”

“Why don’t I go with her?” offered Vander. “It’ll be like a compromise.” He smirked, and his amber eyes twinkled. They were warm and inviting, so different than Talon’s.

I found myself agreeing before I could stop. “Sure.”

Talon shot me a dark glare before composing his features to normal.

“Perfect, then I can show you my room, T,” said Vessa.

All the air siphoned from my lungs, and it took everything I had to keep my jaw from unhinging. We’re just friends, we’re just friends. I repeated the mantra over and over until my stupid heart got it. Grabbing Vander’s hand, I twirled him to the door. “This way,” I barked as I dragged him from the room.

Talon’s piercing gaze bored into the back of my head as I raced out of there, but I didn’t dare look back. He was just being his normal, protective self. I was his job and nothing more. He’d made that perfectly clear, and I wouldn’t start reading more into his behavior.

When we reached the top of the staircase, I finally slowed my pace and released Vander’s hand. He sidled up next to me as I trudged toward the door to the yard. In all my weeks here, I’d only been out there a handful of