When his father next replied, McKell understood exactly where he’d gotten his ruthless streak. “Give me what I ask for. Time, a chance, and I will return the Schön to their world before they have a chance to infect your Ava. That will not keep them away from Earth forever, but as barren as their planet is, they will be too weak to return quickly.”
Ava would be safe, then. Ava would be healthy. Would live. “Before I agree, tell me something. What did you do with the ones I brought with me?” He could still hear them screaming.
“They are between portals at the moment, but again, I can’t hold them like that forever. I need to send them somewhere. Agree, and I’ll send them to their home planet with the others.”
“Ava—”
“I won’t keep you from her forever, McKell. Just give me time. Please. Agree, and you will see her again.”
“When?”
“Soon.”
“Soon” wasn’t soon enough, he wanted her now. “I’ll give you a week.”
“And we’ll learn nothing about each other. A year.”
Everything inside him rebelled. “A month.”
“Six months, and that’s as little as I’ll accept.” That purring voice had firmed.
“She will be healthy? Remain healthy?”
“Yes.”
McKell knew Viktor wouldn’t budge on this. Their determination was obviously equaled. “I … agree.” Damn, damn, damn! Six months without Ava. He wasn’t sure he would survive. Physically, yes, he probably could. He could sip from others. Still. He’d be weak and emaciated when he finally reached her and he would have to be careful not to accidentally drain her at his first true feeding, but he wasn’t going to allow her to be purged from his system. Ever. “Go one day over the allotted six months, and I’ll tear this world apart—and you with it. I don’t care who you are.”
“Agreed.”
Thirty-one
Three days after McKell had told her how much he loved her, that he wanted her safe, Ava realized he’d abandoned her. She’d expected the abandonment from the first, but had maybe kinda sorta convinced herself it wouldn’t happen.
What made it worse was that she knew he hadn’t wanted to leave her. There hadn’t been a good-bye in his last kiss. Merely relief and joy. He wouldn’t have felt those things if he’d been planning on leaving her. Because he loved her. He f**king loved her. But he was missing, and there wasn’t a goddamn thing she could do about it.
She knew he would come back to her if he could. Which meant he couldn’t come back.
Oh, God. A new round of sobbing started up.
The last few minutes together kept replaying in her mind. He’d plopped her in that seat at the coffee shop and taken off as if his feet were on fire. She’d sat there a moment, staring at Noelle, confused, overjoyed that her live-in had just admitted to deeper feelings, real feelings, when she’d realized he had also told her that Schön warriors were at her apartment. In a snap, she’d known he meant to battle them on his own.
Like she could allow that to happen.
She’d gathered her group and taken off after him. Only to watch him disappear. She hadn’t known what had happened to him, where he’d gone, how he’d gone. But she’d waited. For hours. A day, then two. Never moving from the sidewalk. On this third morning, she’d been weak, shaky, crying, nearing hysteria because he could be hurt or worse, and Noelle had managed to overpower her and whisk her home.
Along the way, her friend had told her that Johnny and every other Schön-infected person locked in AIR headquarters had disappeared the same morning McKell had. Just boom, there one moment, gone the next.
Where? How? she wondered. Where they with McKell? Was he infected now?
And then, yesterday, Johnny had been returned to AIR. Again, just boom, pop, he was there when he hadn’t been a moment before. He’d been confused, yet healthy. And thirsty. So thirsty. Thanks to McKell’s blood, he was a vampire now. And he wanted Ava.
He called all the time. Only once had she answered, and that had been to ask him where he’d gone, how he’d gotten back, if he’d seen McKell. He hadn’t known, so she didn’t care to talk to him.
Another round of sobs started, and she rolled to her side. She lay on the bed she’d shared with McKell for one glorious sexcapade, his scent all over the sheets. She might never leave.
Noelle was in the process of packing McKell’s things, trying to clear any memory of him from Ava’s mind. A good plan. Except for the fact that he was burned into her memory no matter what was around her.
Ava squeezed her eyes shut, holding the rest of the tears in place.
The mattress eased down on one side. “You look terrible,” Noelle said gently.
“Don’t care.”
“Hellina’s doing well. She’s sleeping on the couch with a nice warm bellyful of my blood.”
“Good.”
“Okay, how about this.” The bed dipped again as Noelle stretched out beside her, turned, and draped an arm over her waist. “I’m gonna do you a solid and let you out of your promise to go to my mom’s cocktail party.”
“Thanks,” she offered, and it was the most she could do. She hadn’t felt this lonely, this abandoned—didn’t matter if McKell had left willingly or not—even when her father had taken off.
While she’d stood propped against that building, feet aching unbearably, heart aching worse, she’d called Mia, asked if there was a way to track McKell or any of the others. The answer had been an unequivocal no. They’d disappeared as if they’d never been.
She hadn’t cared, though, because the disease they’d all feared had been seemingly eradicated in one swoop. AIR had broken down and tested Johnny upon his return and discovered McKell’s blood had healed him.
When he realized he couldn’t get her by phone, Johnny had tried to visit her a few times, but Noelle had barred him from the apartment. McKell would have beaten him into pulp for daring to try to steal what was his. If he’d been here.
Great. More sobs.
“McKell’s crazy about you,” Noelle continued in that gentle tone. “He’ll come back. One day.”
“I don’t want to talk about him. I can’t talk about him.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll take mercy on you and change the subject.” Soft fingers stroked her hair. “So get this. I was at AIR headquarters this morning, and Dallas and Hector Dean were both there. Both of them were watching me like I was a turkey and it was Thanksgiving.”