Delinquents Turned Fugitives - Ann Denton Page 0,116

before two beefy guys had used their Icefire magic to completely freeze the rogue detective. I’d whispered, “Thanks, Claude.”

His ghostly fury, when Claude had realized I’d used him somehow, and he’d emerged from Muller’s body, had been delicious. It had been so beautifully gorgeous that I hadn’t even noticed the people around me at first. Not until Claude had faded away, his eyes promising murder.

I yawned. I needed coffee. After the chaos, and the official statement I gave to the pinheads, I was exhausted.

Evan led me over to a pale blue sleeping bag he’d put out on the grass. “Sleep for a little bit, Hailstorm. We’ll wake you up if we need you.”

I slept until the sun went down.

I woke when the vampires arrived, as if my body somehow knew predators had entered the vicinity. I shot up on the sleeping bag, my sun-warmed skin suddenly overheated. The sun was nearly down, the last ribbons of color fading from the sky as Callum and his followers arrived underneath the picnic awning.

I shoved aside my rats-nest hair and stood, walking over to nod at my ally. “Good evening.”

Callum cringed. “Why don’t you go brush your teeth while we … eat breakfast. Reconvene in half an hour?”

I nodded, trying not to grimace at the thought of their breakfast.

The vampires were gone in the blink of an eye and I yawned and stretched before blearily realizing that Evan was next to me, holding out a comb and a toothbrush. “You really needed that nap.”

I shrugged. But he was probably right. The day had been crazy. The night was going to be even more so. I ran down to the bathroom and fixed up my hair and teeth, changing into my clothes for tonight’s break in—clothing similar to what we’d worn for the Pinnacle, but with Kevlar instead of fireproof material this time. The hope was that it might slow a vampire’s fangs or claws a little bit.

When I came out of the bathroom, my eyes sliding naturally over to the spot where Andros had fucked me, a voice stopped me mid-step.

“Oh no, you don’t, little lady. You and I are gonna have that third date right here, right now, before you can get that pretty ass of yours in any more danger.”

38

Zavier was in the same type of outfit I’d first seen him in, a wifebeater that showcased his deliciously muscled and tattooed arms, and running shorts and shoes. His hair was still styled in that adorably mussed, just-climbed-out-of-bed look. He held out a single daisy that he’d probably plucked from some of the wildflowers that had grown up through the asphalt in the abandoned amusement park. His dark brown eyes flashed with both determination and excitement, almost as if he expected me to argue and as if he expected to win.

But as I stared up at my dirty, flirty friend, I couldn’t find a single reason to protest. The obvious wasn’t good enough. I’d done two incredibly dangerous things today to try to get assholes off our tail—and if something went wrong tonight, we’d only end up with more of them after us.

This could very well be his last shot at a date.

So, I reached out my hand and gently took the flower. “Thank you.”

“Just so you know, you’re totally making this up to me later. Like five times.” He wagged a finger in my direction.

“Ten,” I promised.

“A day? Your mouth might get a little sore.”

I threw my head back and laughed. “I didn’t realize we were talking per day.”

“Too bad, you already agreed to ten. It’s done. Over. You’re committed.”

“I’ll have you committed.”

“I thought we were against anyone getting committed,” he quipped. “I thought that was the point of tonight.”

“I’m about to commit a homicide.” I crossed my arms, needling him with my eyes.

“That’s cause you’re hangry.” He pointed at the ground behind him, where he had a picnic blanket, a bottled sports drink, and a bag of fast food. “I’ve got that problem solved. Leave your bag and follow me.” Zavier pointed at my duffel bag of toiletries, which basically contained all of my worldly possessions since I’d blown up the King mansion.

I dropped it and walked over to him with a smile, taking the picnic blanket when he handed it to me. “So, where’s our epic date?”

Z gave me a grin. “Someplace we can go reflect on our relationship.”

“You don’t strike me as the thinking type,” I teased with a grin, wondering what the hell he meant. He was