Hunted

CHAPTER 16

Thankfully, Stevie Rae’s return stopped all of the Stark speculation.

“’Kay. I’m supposed to tell Erik to carry Zoey. The rest of you stay close. Darius is right outside in the parking lot,” Stevie Rae said.

“But we can’t all fit in Heath’s truck,” I said, forcing my heavy eyelids to open.

“You won’t have to. We found something that’ll work better,” Stevie Rae said. Before I could ask any questions she hurried on. “And Darius also said Z should bite Heath again for one fast suck before you head out. He said she ought to be gettin’ real weak about now.”

“That’s okay. I’m fine. Let’s just go,” I said quickly. Yes, I felt like utter poop. No, I didn’t want to bite Heath again. Well, I didn’t mean I really didn’t want to. I meant I really didn’t think I should, especially with him being pissed at me just then.

“Just do it,” Heath said. Suddenly he was there beside me, still holding the bottle of wine in one hand. He didn’t even look at me. Instead he focused his attention on Erik. “So cut me.” He held out his arm to Erik.

“My pleasure,” Erik said.

“No. I’m not okay with this,” I continued to protest.

In one blindingly quick movement Erik slashed Heath’s forearm, and the scent of his blood hit me. I closed my eyes against the spike of desire and need that was driving into me with every breath I inhaled. I was gently jostled and then Heath’s strong, warm thigh was again my pillow. He wrapped his arm around me so that his cut arm was just under my nose. I opened my eyes then and, ignoring the need that was screaming through my body, I looked up at Heath. He was staring across the room at nothing.

“Heath,” I said. “I can’t take anything from you you’re not willing to give me.”

He looked down at me and I saw several emotions cross his expressive face, the foremost of which was a terrible sadness. In a voice that sounded almost as weary as I felt, he said, “There’s nothing I’m not willing to give you, Zo. When are you going to understand that? I’m just wishing you would leave me with a little pride.”

His words broke my heart. “I love you, Heath. You know that.”

His expression softened into a slight smile. “It’s good to hear you say it.” Then he looked from me to Erik. “Did you hear that, vamp? She loves me. And remember that no matter how big and bad you think you are, you’ll never be able to do this for her.” Heath lifted his arm so that the bloody slash Erik had made in it was pressed against my lips.

“Yeah, I see what you can do for her. I might have to put up with it, but I don’t have to have it shoved in my face.” Angrily knocking the blanket aside, Erik left the room.

“Don’t think about him,” Heath told me softly, stroking my hair. “Just drink from me and think about getting well.”

I looked from the doorway to Heath’s sweet gaze, and with a small moan I gave in to the need that raged within me. I drank from him, sucking in energy and life, passion and desire, along with his blood. I closed my eyes again, this time because of the intensity of the pleasure drinking from Heath gave me. I heard Heath’s moan echo mine and felt him curl around me, pressing his arm more firmly against my lips and whispering sweet things to me that weren’t entirely understandable.

My head was spi

“Hey, she don’t look right,” Kramisha said.

“But I feel more right. Or is that righter? Which is it, Damien-Shamien?” I paused and giggled, which hurt my chest so I clamped my lips tight together to make myself stop.

“What’s wrong with her?” Jack asked.

“There’s definitely something abnormal going on,” Damien said.

“I know what’s wrong with her,” Stevie Rae said. “She’s drunk.”

“Nuhuh! I don’t even like to drink,” I said, and then burped softly. “Oh, oopsie.”

“Boyfriend is drunk. She just drank from boyfriend,” Shaunee said.

“So that means Z’s trashed, too,” Erin said. She and Shaunee had a wobbly Heath between them and they were guiding him back to the bed.

“Hey, I’m not drunk. Yet,” Heath said. Then he collapsed onto the bed.

“I didn’t know vamps could get drunk off a human’s blood,” Aphrodite said. “That’s really interesting.” She handed me my purse while she studied me like I was a specimen under a microscope.

“You’d think it was less interesting if you’d eaten a wino and had a hangover headache and then burped cheap wine for days,” Stevie Rae said. “All I can say about that is nasty.”

Aphrodite, the Twins, Damien, Jack, and I all stared at her. Finally I was able to say, “Stevie Rae. Please don’t eat any more people. It’s really dis-dis-disturbing,” I slurred.

“She sure won’t eat another wino. That last one tasted bad for real,&rdqu s a specimuo; So; Kramisha said.

“Kramisha! Don’t freak Zoey out. No one is eating anyone anymore. I was just usin’ that one time a long time ago as an example of why I know Heath’s being trashed made her trashed.” Stevie Rae patted my arm. “So don’t worry, ’kay? We’ll be fine here, and so will the street people. Don’t stress about us. You just get well.”

“Oh, yeah.” I rolled my eyes at Stevie Rae. “I’m not going to worry ’bout a thing.”

“Hey, you have my promise. No eating people while you’re gone.” Stevie Rae looked solemn and pretended to draw an X over her heart. “Cross my heart and hope to die.”

Hope to die! Jeesh, I really hoped that none of us would have to die. Again. And just like that I was able to think through the wine fog that had woozied my brain, and I knew what I had to do. On purpose I gave Aphrodite a tipsy smile. “Hey there, Afro! Why don’t you guys go on out to Darius? I gotta give Stevie Rae a phone number, then I’ll be right there.”

“Fine. We’ll meet you out there. And do not ever call me Afro again.” In a huff, Aphrodite led the Twins, Damien, Jack, and a whole passel of a

As they left the room, Erik came back in. Crossing his arms, he leaned silently against the wall and watched me. I used my drunke

“Hey, could you manage to focus? Do you want me to add a number to my phone?” Stevie Rae said.

“No,” I said stubbornly. “I gotta write it down.”

“Okay, okay,” she said quickly, obviously humoring the drunk.

She was looking around for something to write on when Kramisha marched over to her and handed her a piece of paper and a pen. “Here’s something to write on.”

Looking utterly confused, Stevie Rae shook her head at me. “Z, are you sure you can’t just tell me the—”

“No!” I snapped.

“Okay, here, don’t have a big ol’ cow.” Stevie Rae slipped the paper and pen into my hands. I could feel Erik, who had come over to stand closer to my table, watching me. I gave him a boozy frown. “Don’t peek at what I write!”

“All right, all right!” He held his hands up in surrender and walked over to Kramisha. I could hear both of them talking about how goofy I acted when I was trashed.

It was hard as hell to concentrate through the ridiculous buzz Heath had passed on to me, but the pain the movement of my hands caused helped to sober me up. I scrawled down Sister Mary Angela’s cell phone number and then quickly wrote Plan B: be ready to move everyone to the abbey but don’t tell. No one knowing = Neferet not knowing where you are.

“Okay, here.” Stevie Rae tried to take the paper from my hand, but I held it tight, which made her look up at me in exasperation. I met her eyes, trying to look and sound as sober as possible as I whispered, “If I tell you to move, you move!”

Her gaze went down to the note I’d just written, and I saw her eyes widen. She looked quickly up at me and then nodded almost imperceptibly. Awash in relief, I closed my eyes and gave in to the dizziness.