Page 30 of For Dear Life

“And yes, he’s killing suspects. Grayson is honestly not helpful to me.” My jaw drops. “What?”

“Do you know how awful that sounded, Violet?”

She sets down the phone. “You like and trust him now?”

“As much as anybody. Grayson cares about you and not just your blood. That’s obvious.” I sigh at her unreadable expression. “The vamp’s waiting for the day you offer to open a vein for him, but when you bled to death in front of him, his first instinct wasn’t to go for your blood but to help. I swear if I hadn’t stopped Grayson, he would’ve opened his own vein.”

Her eyes go wide. “What?”

“To give you his blood to help. I don’t know how that works with hybrids. Leif stopped him—two of you bleeding out everywhere wouldn’t be great.”

“No. Grayson forcing blood down my throat while I’m temporarily dead would’ve achieved nothing.” Did Violet just moisten her lips?

“What I’m saying is, cut Grayson some slack. Like you did me.”

“That was the bond, Rowan. Not me.”

“Uh huh.”

Violet’s thoughts wander, her eyes focusing on a spot nearby, her mind definitely elsewhere. She’s in calculation mode. In the past, I would’ve taken this as the end of the conversation and walked away, but I’ve now known Violet long enough to wait.

Her intense eyes return to me. “How many people will I need to communicate with at a bowling alley? More or less than at a party?”

“Don’t worry. I doubt many people will want to communicate with you, Violet.”

“Right. Plan. You come with me to—”

“—on a date.” I smirk, and she gives me a perfect Violet scowl.

“To the bowling alley. I will avoid speaking to people and watch instead. You can talk.”

I scoff. “Aren’t you forgetting we trashed the house at a party we went to? Even if I was a talkative person, I doubt many people would talk to me.”

Again, the faraway look. “Maybe I should ask Leif.” I open my mouth to protest. “Actually. You make a very good point, Rowan. Leif wasn’t involved that night. More people like him than like you, anyway.”

Wow. Just wow. Violet nods and tucks her phone away. “You don’t want me to go with you?” I ask.

“You sound irritated.”

“Mmm hmm.” Did I really just talk myself out of a date with Violet?

“Now you definitely sound irritated.” She tips her head back to look up at me as I stand. “You didn’t actually want to go bowling, did you?”

This girl. Again, I’m pissed at her dismissive, heartless actions, but I say nothing. Violet still isn’t aware how her behavior can be hurtful—or is Violet aware and just doesn’t give a shit about me still? I could be the one cutting her too much slack.

“Do you understand what you just did, Violet?” I ask in a clipped tone.

“I don’t understand.”

And she doesn’t. Genuinely. “Violet, you can’t snap your fingers and expect me to come running, then shove me aside when you then decide I’m not useful.”

For a long moment, Violet stares at me, taking longer than she once would to form her response. “You want to go bowling?”

“No, I stupidly thought you wanted to spend time with me.”

Another longer than average pause. “I don’t not want to spend time with you. I’m merely identifying the most useful person for this evening.”

“Jesus, Violet.” I blow air into my cheeks and step closer, holding my thumb and forefinger a centimeter apart. “I am this close to not helping you again until you change your bloody attitude to me.”

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