Page 85 of Golden Eagle

Trina halted beside them, too, arms still folded, chewing at her lip. Pointedly not looking at them.

“Are we disgusting?” Nik whispered to Sasha.

That got him a warm snort in his ear. “No, she’s trying to be respectful.”

“Oh.”

Trina said, “What did you say to him? That other vampire.”

“To leave us alone,” he lied. Smoothly, thank you very much, but Sasha let out a silent breath of laughter.

She sent him a narrow look. “Sure.”

“It’s like you said: not everything’s a conspiracy.”

She shook her head and glanced away. “You know the worst part?”

He kept silent, listening.

She hesitated, voice just a whisper when she finally spoke. “I don’t think any of our – our issues – are because he’s a vampire. I think we just…don’t fit. Sometimes.”

Sasha picked his head up and said, “What?” Disbelieving.

“We never had a chance to be together before he was turned. Maybe it would have worked out differently if we had…but maybe it wouldn’t.”

Sasha made a nearly inaudible sound of distress, and that wasn’t acceptable.

“Don’t be maudlin,” Nikita told her, sharper than he should have.

“Oh, you’re one to talk,” she shot back.

“Exactly. Don’t be like me. Don’t worry about stupid shit when maybe a good shouting match is all you need.”

She gathered breath to respond, but then reconsidered. Hummed thoughtfully instead.

Sasha’s chin went back on his shoulder.

~*~

Eating helped. By the time they walked into the apartment, and Lanny had scarfed down five chicken tacos on the way, his dizziness had receded. He could already feel that some of the swelling in his face was down. A dull, thumping headache was setting up shop just behind his eyes, but a good night’s sleep, and a few shots of blood out of the fridge would take care of that.

The real problem, now, was Trina.

(And the horrifying personal knowledge that it had taken Nikita coming to the rescue to keep him from getting his ass handed to him.)

Alexei went to the freezer, pulled out an ice pack, and tossed it across the back of the couch to Lanny. “For your thick head,” he said, with a sideways, shit-eating grin.

“I for one was very impressed,” his new friend, Dante, said, and, okay, when had that guy become British? “You’ve a very powerful hit.” He mimed a punch.

Alexei sent him a look. “Down, boy.”

Jamie fell onto the couch with a deep exhale, like he was the one who’d fought three men – and one vampire – tonight.

“Do you have blood?” Nik asked, and went to the fridge to check. Pushy bastard. He came back out holding the clear plastic soup container Lanny had bought from David the butcher. “How old is this?”

“Few days.”

Nikita made a face. “If you’re going to keep this much of it stocked, you’ll have to freeze it.”

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