Page 132 of Mortal Shift
“There’s nothing I want from them once I get out of here. I don’t plan on being a blood bag for the rest of my life.”
“What, that’s what you mean?” I asked, attention snapping back to the blonde. “You make deals to go and, what, spend your life letting the vamps feed from you?”
“Sure, why not? It’s no different to any other job. Plenty of clans have resident humans.” She tossed her hair over one shoulder. “I have no issue being provided for, for the rest of my life.”
“You’ve always had low aspirations, Chanel,” a leggy blonde said as she sashayed into the room. I looked her way—I couldn’t not. Even amongst the beautiful people the vampires had gathered here, she stood out as stunning. She moved with an easy confidence, like she was completely at home here.
“We can’t all hook up with a pair of vampires, Melody.”
Melody shrugged one shoulder demurely. “Trio,” she murmured.
“I’m sorry?” I blinked at her.
The tall guy at the back snorted in amusement. “Mel has taken three lovers, and she enjoys their attentions. But I guess that doesn’t fit with your anti-feeder rhetoric.”
“I swear, I just wanted to know if you were all okay and happy here, that’s it. No agendas.” I shot a quizzical look at Melody. “Three, though? That sounds dangerous. What happens if they find out about each other?”
In my experience, vamps tended more towards jealous and less towards forgiving, and I didn’t want to think about what would happen to Melody if they caught on to her game.
To my surprise, she giggled as if I’d said something utterly ridiculous. “They already know about each other. My guys know how to share.”
I blinked. “Okay, I have to admit, I did not seethatone coming. Like, you’re with all three of them? How does that even work?”
“Surprisingly well,” she all but purred, and her every pore seemed to practically glow with satisfaction.
“So I see. And what about the other girls?” I blurted, still trying to wrap my head around it. “I mean, what makes you think you mean more to them than the other girls they’re sleeping with? God, sorry, that was rude.”
I flushed bright red. I mean, I was no prude, but open relationships…well, that was new territory for me. It was going to take some getting my head around. Melody chuckled again, but there was no mistaking the possessive glint in her eyes.
“There are no other girls. My guys share, but I don’t.”
“Oh. That’s…nice.”
Sam rolled his eyes. “Pay no attention. Melody enjoys shocking people.”
“Well, mission accomplished, then,” I admitted. “I feel positively provincial after a thirty second conversation.”
“Come talk to me when you’re ready to expand your horizons,” she said with a wink, and then sashayed back the way she’d come.
Well, that was one invitation I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be taking up any time soon. I chatted with the other humans for a while longer, and it became clear that though they’d all made deals to be here, some were happier about the reality of those deals than others. Most of them had no kind of plan for how to get on in the human world after they left, and I wondered if Astor made plans for that, because I couldn’t imagine her being happy about the exposure risk…but then, maybe growing up with my mom had just made me paranoid.
I thanked them all for their time and their honesty, and made my way out of the vampire quarter, glad to be away from the oppressive quarters the humans had been given. If nothing else, I needed to find a way to convince Astor to make sure they were better cared for while they were here. Being locked up like cattle all day? Well, even cattle didn’t deserve that, and these people sure as hell didn’t.
As I pushed my way out of the final doors of the vampire quarter and emerged back into the central corridors of the academy, I almost walked straight into a breathless Ling.
“Cali! I thought I might find you down here.”
I searched her face quickly. “What’s wrong?”
She shook her head. “Nothing. The opposite. It’s Thaden. He’s awake.”
I didn’t wait for her to say another word, rushing straight for the infirmary, vaguely aware of her following at my side. Thaden was awake. That meant my blood had worked, but I didn’t have time to dwell on what that meant, because more importantly, it meant he could clear Cole’s name. Finally.
My heart thudded in anticipation and a crushing band I didn’t even realize had been there loosened around my chest. Cole was going to be okay. They’d have to let him go, and then he’d be back at the academy…and safe. I needed to speak to Astor the moment I was done here, and get her to call the council so they could take Thaden’s testimony, and—
And then Cole would be back by my side.
Finally.
