Having him inside her apartment all the time, messing things up, expecting her to call and check in. No, no, and no. Which was why she was happy as a commitment-phobe.
Despite her admiration for male power, she liked to be in control of her own life, liked her things where she left them, liked having no one to answer to, and there was nothing wrong with that.
But what about McKell? What did he like? How many girlfriends had he had? Had he ever been in love with a vampire? A human?
Finally, he released the woman.
She stumbled backward, eyes glazed, hand fluttering to her neck. “Oh, my,” she said with a laugh. “Thank you.” Then she gathered her bags and sauntered off, as if nothing had happened. As ordered, she never once looked back.
McKell, too, stumbled back, though the brick wall stopped him from going too far. He stood there a minute, panting, eyes closing, skin … paling?
Ava frowned. “Are you okay?”
“Her blood must have been poisoned. The first few sips were good, but after that … and now my stomach hurts.”
“Wait. Poisoned how?”
“I don’t know.” Without any more warning, he hunched over and vomited.
Ava spun, giving him as much privacy as she could. Over and over he retched. Maybe she was as cruel and wicked as her mother had always said, because a part of her was glad that woman’s blood wouldn’t be flowing through his veins all night.
“This ever happened before?” she asked.
“A few times,” he said, spitting. “Lately.”
Great. Maybe he was sick, rather than poisoned. But just how did one find out? Human doctors, even otherworlder doctors, had never dealt with vampires.
First things first. “Better?”
“Yes, but still hungry.”
Nothing she could do about that just yet. She didn’t want him vomiting her blood, too. “Just … stay here, okay.”
He protested, but was too weak to follow as she raced to the pharmacy two blocks away. There she bought him an “Our Meds Are Best” T-shirt and a bottle of mouthwash. She was huffing and sweating by the time she returned, but he was exactly where she’d left him.
“By the way, you owe me twenty-seven forty-eight,” she told him, handing him both items.
“And you owe me a meal.” He tugged on the shirt. The material was tight, straining against his biceps. He should have looked ridiculous, but just looked sweeter, as if he didn’t take himself too seriously.
She tucked his necklace under the collar, and he used the mouthwash, rising several times for several minutes. While he couldn’t speak, she said, “I owe you? Really? I came with you to find someone. I stood by silent and patient while you ate. So how is your lack of sustenance my fault?”
He spit the final mouthful onto the already filthy concrete and glared down at her. “I don’t know. It just is.”
Irrational shit. “You sound like Noelle.”
“Then we’re now best friends?” he asked drily. “Finally, I can die a happy man.”
At least his warped sense of humor had returned. “Let’s be honest. We’re hardly friends at all. I mean, I can barely stand you.” Okay, that was harsh, even for her. There was no time to apologize, though. Fine. There was time; she simply opted not to use it. She could still picture his teeth inside that woman’s vein.
His eyes narrowed, but not enough to hide the challenge suddenly banked there. “You like me. I know it.”
She tried not to shiver. “What makes you so sure?”
“I’m strong, courageous, and handsome. What’s not to like?”
I like. “You just described about a thousand people I know.”
He chomped his teeth at her. “Yes, but none are vampires.”
And were therefore unworthy? Hello, renewed superiority. “Fangs do not make the man, you know.” Before he could reply, before she could start shivering again, she added, “So where are we going to round up those other vampires?” The sooner their association ended, the sooner the madness ended.
“I can’t round anyone up until I eat.”
“What if the next human is … poisoned?” What she really wanted to say: what if you’re too sick to keep anyone down?
He scrubbed a hand down his face. “I don’t know.”
“Look. Just tell me where to go and what to do. You can return to my apartment, rest, rejuvenate, whatever, and I’ll bag and tag you a vampire.” Boom. Done.
“No!” As his denial echoed between them, his violet irises once again glowed. “Promise me you will never chase a vampire without me.”
Great. They weren’t even in a relationship, and he was already issuing orders. “Why?”
He splayed his arms, as if he were the last sane man and dealing with a roomful of senseless women. “Because I said.”
“Oh, well, in that case … fuck you. Find me when you grow a brain.” She gave him a pinkie wave and a smile and turned away, then strode out of the shadows and onto the moonlit sidewalk. Like his meal, she never glanced back.
Thankfully, he followed, and was soon keeping pace at her side. “Do you not realize the fire you play with, human? I’m your superior.”
“I knew you felt that way!” No longer was he content to merely hint about it, either.
“Of course you did. I made no secret of the truth. How could I, when it’s so obvious?”
Red suddenly dotted her vision, and she had trouble drawing in a breath. Well, a breath that wasn’t laced with “fire.” She forgot their bargain, forgot that the man had just vomited his guts and might be dying from some horrible vampire sickness. “I’m gonna teach you just how inferior you are, you bastard!”
“Good luck.”
Oh, he would pay for that.
Ava removed the mini-taser she had stored in her back pocket and jammed it into his neck. His body vibrated, he struggled to speak, gurgled, and then, when she removed her thumb from the “fry” button, he fell to the ground, twitching.
Ava kept walking.
Nine
She had a temper. He knew that. His fault for forgetting.
Volts of electricity continued to pass through McKell, even though Ava had removed the weapon. His muscles convulsed, locking onto bones, and he could only sit there, immobile, as humans avoided him and Ava increased the distance between them.
If she thought she could escape him, she would soon learn the impossibility of such a task. She would never be able to escape him. He would always be able to find her. He knew her scent, her taste, the essence of her branded into his every cell.