Page 15

Baldy snapped the hood shut. I winced, the sharp metal sound banged around my skull. He doubled back to the stairwell exit, leaving it propped open. Nadine wedged the girl’s foot into the van to shut one of the doors.

“Hopefully, she’s really dead and we can forget this all happened.” Nadine’s voice was chipper but tired. “Or you could just take her head now…”

I swallowed hard, biting back a wave of nauseous. She was just so… discarded. Her skirt was hiked up, red lining flashing, legs akimbo, splotches of regurgitated blood patchworking her thighs. I touched my lips. Her blood had been… I wanted to sink back in to that feeling of…

Nadine put her hand on my shoulder to steady herself, to fix the ankle strap of her shoe. I looked at her hand, the white tips of her nails glowed in the dark.

Who the fuck was she to touch me?

Rage rolled in and burned out the nauseous. I sank fang into her hand. She yelped and tried to tug free, bits of flesh catching in my teeth. I hit bone, nerves. Vamp bites only hurt if you want them to. And I wanted it to. Pain and shock crinkled her eyes. I grabbed her throat. Watched fear bloom, take root. Backed her into a concrete pillar. I squeezed. You can’t kill a vamp this way. I harbored a happy little thought of popping her head right off her shoulders like a dandelion.

“I’m sorry,” stumbled out of her mouth. She had no idea what she was apologizing for. I spat out her hand, and her blood, like it had gone off.

“When did I ever say you could touch me?” Her eyes darted to my shoulder.

“I…”

“This,” I jerked my head toward the van, “is your fault.”

“Wha…”

“You did this.” I hissed.

“But I…”

“How could you?” I could use my Disappointed Mommy voice too. “How could you make us so vulnerable?”

“I don’t understand.” She whimpered.

“You brought a mortal into our sanctuary.” I eased up on her windpipe. My thumb stroked her jugular. “On Tribute Day.”

I let that sink in. “On Veronica Venier’s Tribute Day.”

I waited to see if she would blubber. Trip over herself to make it right. Nadine was made of sterner stuff.

“We trusted you. Both of us.” That got me a lip tremble. “You put the whole Family at risk.”

I watched her eyes work, gears clank in her pretty little head to talk her way out.

“Now,” I purred, “we have to wonder, was it malicious or are you proper stupid?”

Anger flashed in her eyes, sharp with budding defiance. She jerked back at my smile. I rag-dolled her to the ground, face first, took a knee on her neck.

“This is all your fault.”

I let her struggle, scramble for purchase. Let her get her dress dirty on the pavement.

“This is all your fault.” I whispered it. I didn’t need to raise my voice. A quick jab to a kidney. Nadine’s gasp of pain was satisfying.

“Say it.”

“This is all my fault.” She stuttered.

“You failed the Family.” I shifted a knee to grind her cheek into the ground when she didn’t respond quick enough.

“I… I failed the Family.” She caught on.

“You broke our trust.”