audibly swallowed before answering me. “Okay. Until then?”
“Until then, we stay with Alec Royce.”
Chapter 29
Sara spluttered, something that I’d never seen her do before. It was comical enough to make me laugh, even given how shitty my mood had become.
“Are you joking? What the fuck are you thinking?”
“No, I’m serious. He owes me for saving his life. He’s no more dangerous than waiting around my apartment for one of the Sunstrikers to come finish what they started, and more likely to be able to protect you if I start changing.” Sara sobered, but she still looked ill, and she fidgeted nervously with her lap belt. “You’re not contracted, and as long as you hold your ground, never will be. His place is practically a fortress, and every vampire in it is prepared to defend it. With John and Max gone, it’s probably the safest place for us to hide without having to leave the state.”
“But what about you? You’re contracted to him. He might not want you around if you’re … if you …”
“No,” I said shortly. “He might not. I already talked to him early this morning, though. He’s also got some ideas on how to handle this mess.” Ideas I wouldn’t share with Sara until I’d made my choice.
She nodded, fiddling with the strap of her purse now. I was tempted to slap at her hands to make her stop, but her worry was understandable. She was rarely this nervous; I was more used to seeing this kind of behavior out of her neurotic sister, Janine.
“He lives by Central Park, too, which is Moonwalker territory. The Sunstrikers don’t come by here often, so as long as we don’t stray too far we should be fairly safe.”
“Has Royce agreed to this?”
“I haven’t asked him yet.”
She quieted again, and the tension in the air crept up a notch. I was too on edge not to react; the words spilled out of my mouth before I could stop myself. “For fuck’s sake, Sara, he’s not the Antichrist. He’s been the most decent man—creature—whatever, that I’ve dealt with since the shit hit the fan. I’m sure he won’t mind helping us out here.”
“That’s funny, coming from you,” she said, too flatly for me to take offense. “A couple months ago, you would’ve cut off your own hands before driving to see him. What changed?”
“Fuck if I know,” I snarled, fingers tightening on the wheel until the rubber Tinkerbell cover slipped off. I scrabbled at it until it snapped back into place, cursing under my breath. Then slammed on the brakes when I realized the guy in front of me had come to a sudden stop, prompting more cursing and a one-finger salute from me.
“Do you need me to drive?”
“No!” I shouted. After a few deep breaths, I managed a much calmer reply. “No. Sorry. It’s been an incredibly shitty day. Why am I telling you this? You already know.”
“Getting in an accident won’t make it better.”
“I’ll be careful,” I said, settling back and rolling my shoulders to help ease out the tension. “Sara, really, I’m sorry. I’m not thrilled about this either, but it’s the best idea I can come up with on short notice. Maybe we can find someone else to stay with later. At least for now, he’s someone who can provide us shelter and protection.”
“Never thought I’d hear those words used in conjunction with a vampire.”
“Pulling out the fancy lawyer-talk on me, eh?”
A short laugh escaped her, though I could tell she hadn’t meant to let it slip. Some of her nervousness was easing off. “Yeah, yeah. Don’t make me go all devil’s advocate on you.”
If she knew the real reason I thought staying with Royce was a good idea, she’d have been wrestling me for control of the wheel. For now, I relaxed and followed the path burned into my memory from the day I’d first visited Royce’s home.
He owned a small apartment building half a block from Central Park that housed the closest and most trusted or valuable members of his “family,” plus the humans he’d once offhandedly mentioned were closest to being turned by him or one of the other vampires in the building. I’d met most of them during my stay while the bond between us wore off, though I’d made no special effort to get to know them. I wasn’t even sure I remembered all of their names; unless they were guarding me, they were the least of my concerns at the time.