“At Sebastian’s house for the time being. I’m stil afraid to be alone at my house with my parents or to go to school until I real y get a handle on al of this,” I answered. “What about you? Where have you been staying?”
“My house. After a few weeks of watching Trinity feed, it got real y easy to deny myself blood, so now I just sneak in and out of my house. It’s easiest that way. Besides, I think it makes Mom feel better. Somehow, I think she can sense me. Sometimes she’l even talk to me like she can see me, like she knows I’m there. It’s pretty cool.”
The sadness in Devon’s voice belied his casual words. I couldn’t imagine how hard the last weeks had been for him.
I saw Savannah looking over my shoulder, smiling. At least they had each other, a person to cling to in al this madness. Devon provided Savannah with something to see in an otherwise dark existence and Savannah saw Devon when he was al but invisible to the rest of the world. The perfect match. Not a bad deal, al things considered.
“So now that the secret’s out and the band is back together again, maybe we can meet up at Sebastian’s.
Savannah, I could come get you and then bring you home later. I’d just have to make sure and feed right beforehand.”
“You’d real y try to eat me? After al we’ve been through?
That’s friendship for you,” she teased with exaggerated indignation.
“Trust me, it’s a lot harder to control than what I ever imagined. I don’t know how Devon does it.”
Al eyes turned in Devon’s general direction and I imagined him shrugging.
“I don’t know how either. I just do,” he said cryptical y.
I didn’t want to ask how he was stil alive or how long he could go on like that. I wasn’t sure anyone wanted that question answered, so I kept my mouth shut.
An awkward silence stretched around our little circle until final y Savannah broke it with a question that felt more like a bomb going off in my chest again.
“So what happened to Trinity? You said she’s gone, right?”
“What?” Devon asked. I heard him take a step toward me.
“Yeah, she’s gone.”
“What happened?” Devon was obviously very interested.
“Aisha caught up with her. Kil ed her before we could stop her.”
“Why would you want to stop her anyway? Trinity deserved everything she got,” Devon spat bitterly.
“Not in the end, she didn’t. She was like a total y different person. Tragedy can change anybody, Devon. Anybody.”
“Wel , I find it hard to believe that Trinity had a decent bone in her body. If you could’ve seen…”
Devon trailed off. In my head, I pictured him shivering in revulsion.
“Devon, you might be able to control your thirst and that’s both admirable and enviable, but it’s not so easy for everyone else. Besides, Trinity had a terrible teacher. And she was under the influence of Lars’s blood, so we don’t know how much of what she did was real y Trinity.”
“I have to say, I’m kinda with Devon on this. Trinity was just a nasty person,” Savannah commented.
“You didn’t get to see her die. You didn’t get to talk to her and see her and—”
I stopped, my stomach knotting and my chest swel ing painful y with memories of Trinity.
“What happened? Exactly.”
“Aisha was crazed. Trinity fed on her a few too many times. Like Summer. I don’t think Trinity knew what it could do to humans when you keep feeding on them.”
“Oh, she knew,” Devon assured bitterly.
“Wel , regardless, it caught up with her and it cost her both her grandmother’s life as wel as her own.”
“Trinity caused a lot of heartache during her miserable existence. It was only a matter of time until it came back around to bite her.”
“Um, Ridley,” Savannah interrupted uncertainly. “Why is it that I can sort of see you?”
Savannah’s question drew everyone’s attention to me.
For an instant I was confused, but then her observation brought my increasing thirst to the forefront of my mind. I felt the burn creeping up into my throat and I turned to Bo.
“Why would I need to feed again so soon?”
“You can’t forget that your body is stil adjusting. It could take weeks for your metabolism to slow down to a more normal rate for a vampire. Plus, you’ve had a lot of emotional stress today. That’s very taxing, especial y for a woman.”
“I didn’t realize that we had room in our circle for male chauvinists,” Savannah griped. “I suppose we’re just not smart enough to figure that out. Is that it?”
“You know that’s not what I meant. She’s under a lot of stress and women feel more. You know that.”
Savannah frowned, but said nothing, unable to argue with the truth.
“Wel , I guess that means that we’d better go,” I said to Bo.
“So, what are you going to do? Go find someone to, like, drink their blood?”
Savannah’s question made me feel ashamed of myself. I was like some kind of parasite or criminal that had to take what most people were unwil ing to give freely. My cheeks stung with embarrassment.
“No, she feeds from me,” Bo volunteered. “She can’t even stand the thought of feeding from animals. Ridley’s proof that becoming a vampire does not make you a monster.”
With that, Bo took my hand and tugged as he turned to leave. As far as he was concerned, this visit was over. I looked back at him, squeezing his fingers in silent gratitude for his defense of my character.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean it like that, Ridley. Real y. I’m sorry.”
I smiled at Savannah, even though she couldn’t see it very wel .
“Eh, don’t worry about it. It’s new to me, too.”
“I’l see you later, though, right?”
“Yep. Just give me a cal when you want to come out and I’l be sure to be...wel -fed.”
Savannah grinned.
“I have dangerous friends. How cool am I?”
I laughed. She would see it that way.
“Very cool.”
“Devon, come by any time.”
“Where is it that you’re staying again?”
I gave him the address and explained about the drive being al but hidden. He knew the area and promised to stop by. With that, Bo and I made our exit.
We hadn’t gone very far when Bo stopped and took my face in his hands.