“Well, I think feeding is much the same. I could have hurt you. I could have killed you.”
“I think you did kill me,” he said cheerfully.
She didn’t smile. “I’m being serious, Liam.”
“Yeah, I can tell by the way you’re sucking all the enjoyment out of this moment.”
“And I’ll outlive you,” she continued doggedly, “unless we take steps.”
“I know.”
“I don’t think you do.”
“There it is again.”
“What?”
“That I’m a vampire and a lot older, and so I’m smarter and just in general better than you.”
“That’s ridiculous!” she cried, freshly stung.
“Ha!”
“Ha yourself.”
They didn’t say another word until they got to the town where the last girl, Shawna, had lived and died. Then Liam said, “I’d prefer to ride with Betsy.”
“You took the words right out of my head,” she snapped, her idioms suffering, as always, when she was angry. She swung her door open and jumped out of the truck. “I’ll send her over.”
“Good.”
“Good!” She stomped over to the king and queen, who looked to be in the middle of their own lover’s spat.
“You don’t suck like ordinary people suck, by the way. You suck like Academy Award–sucking. If there was an Oscar handed out for Most Sucking, you’d have it locked.”
“You’ve got to come up with something new. Anything new.”
“Excuse me, Majesties,” she interrupted, her nervousness in their presence evaporating. She could be angry or she could be nervous, but apparently she couldn’t be both. “Liam would like the queen to ride with him.”
“Ride with…oh, right. The B and B thing.” Shawna’s mother had told them the killer was staying at a local bed-and-breakfast. There were two in town; they didn’t know which one she had meant. So they had decided to split up. Originally each couple would make a team. Not any longer. “That’s fine with me. Later, Sinclair.” She walked over to Liam, who had gotten out and was standing beside the truck. “Hey, can I drive?”
He wordlessly handed her the keys, then walked around to the passenger’s side. Sophie waited for a moment. For an apology? Whose?
“Dr. Trudeau, we need to be going,” Sinclair told her.
“Sir,” she replied miserably, and fell into step behind him.
11
“WHAT’S the matter?” Betsy asked him. She was so tall, she didn’t have to adjust the seat, just the rearview mirror. “Did you guys have a big wicked fight, or what?”
“Something like that.”
“I know what that’s like.”
“Mmm,” he replied, secretly doubting she had the tiniest clue. Nice enough gal, and super-pretty, but a regular guy like him didn’t have much in common with the queen of the vampires. “Okay.”
“Dude, seriously. I’m supposed to be the consort of a guy who’s totally arrogant and sneaky and has, like, eighty hidden agendas.”