Page 51 of The Vampire's Thirst
“But I’m not the male for you.” He tapped his head. “It’s very dark in here. You are nothing to me. I am nothing to you.”
“That’s cruel.”
“Sometimes to be kind, you have to be cruel. Besides, cruelty’s my strength. Why did your mother give you a BOB?”
Chiara wrinkled her brows.
“A bug-out bag. Or in your case, a bug-out monkey.”
She shrugged, swiping a hand across her damp cheek. “I don’t know. For as long as I can remember, she made me promise to keep the monkey close. I was to use it if something happened to her and Daddy. Mom made me read the notes inside, recite the plan, and memorize bank accounts numbers and info for the fixer. I swear, I think I said the wordmonkeybefore I saidmama.”
“Why didn’t you use the BOB earlier?” asked Dax.
Chiara pursed her lips, thinking. “Dunno. Too young. Fear I couldn’t take care of myself. The time wasn’t right.”
****
“How do you propose we get through two cops and a barricade?” asked Chiara.
Two blocks from the Missoula gateway, a growling Dax pulled to the side of the street. “Quiet. Let me think. If we had left in the dark like I wanted, I could have shadowflashed around the portal to eye what’s going on. It’ll be harder now.”
Chiara patted her skirt, re-arranging the folds. “Not my fault. You were supposed to wake me.”
His obsidian glare didn’t frighten her.Fact. He looked more handsome when he was irritated. The angry crinkles in the corners of his eyes. The way his jaw locked. His full, pouty lips.
“Use your cell to find another street to the portal.” He dragged his fingers through his hair.
“Yes, sir.” She studied the screen after tapping in their destination. “Take a right up there. Left first block. Five blocks. Then another left.”
Scrunched over the steering wheel of the small car, Dax started the engine as Chiara suppressed a giggle.
Following her directions, they ran into a second barricade manned by three cops. “Okay. Make a U-turn to get back on the last street. Take a left. Go about six blocks. We’ll approach from the north.”
Damn. Another roadblock.
Chiara consulted her phone. “Only one more road leads to the portal. Should we try it?”
“Why not. We can’t be more fucked than we already are.”
Finding this street barred also, Dax suggested they sit out the day in a motel.Oh, goody. An entire day with a pissed off, morose, brooding vampire.
“Can we shop for some clothes first? In case we’re here for a while. Not wearing panties, since you destroyed them, is a bit breezy.”
“Fuck.” Dax shot a hot glare at her.
Chiara located a Target, where they rolled a shopping cart into the men’s section. “What do you like?” she asked.
“Anything.” Dax threw pants and shirts into the basket.
“You didn’t even check the sizes.” Chiara tossed his selections out. From a stack, she read the labels on the men’s pants she pulled out. “Black. Right?”
He nodded.
She chose three pair after eyeing his waist and ass a few times. Shopping for a guy’s clothes was so exciting.
At the shirts, she paused. Picking out one, she held it up to his shoulders.Holy shit. The double X would be quite snug. A win. She tossed three into the cart.
“Briefs or tighty-whities?”
