Page 141 of The Good Vampire’s Guide to Blood & Boyfriends

But Brennan couldn’t count on Sunny and Nellie to save the day. With or without them, they would have to face Travis.

It was past 2 a.m. when Mari and Tony went to bed, leaving Cole asleep on the couch. Dom and Brennan sat on the living-room floor with the box of pamphlets between them, Brennan leafing through one while Dom lay on her back, throwing a ball up in the air and catching it rhythmically.

“So,” Dom said. “What do you plan on doing? Once all this is over?”

Brennan laughed, distractedly scanning the pamphlet. “Honestly, I’m more focused on getting through this week.”

“Well, what for?” Dom said, grabbing the pamphlet from Brennan to demand his attention. “Say we pull this off, vampires stay hidden, and you get to live your little life how you want it. What are you gonna do?”

Brennan blinked away the research haze and centered himself on the new question. Without Travis and murders looming, he imagined his life, vampire and human intertwined. Dating Cole, going toBacheloretteNight with Mari and Tony, meeting up with Nellie and Sunny, maybe even Dom, wherever she ended up after this.

“I guess,” he said, and naturally, his eyes floated to Cole, asleep on the couch. Hair messed up, shirt riding up exposing his stomach, hands curled by his chin. “Maybe I want to take life slow for a while. I’m still only nineteen, and I have nothing but time. I kinda just want to enjoy this. What about you?”

“I thought I might ask Sunny and Nellie to hook me up with other clans, maybe see the world, you know? Try out some different lifestyles.”

The idea made Brennan a bit squeamish. What kind of lifestyles and clans would she explore? She seemed so much more like a real vampire than Brennan—she had powers, she had the desire to turn, to kill.

“Yeah, I guess it’s harder to pretend to be normal when you have actual bona fide powers,” Brennan said. “What is that even like?”

Dom scoffed. “Aw, you’ve read all these pamphlets and you don’t know?”

“It’s not the same, obviously.”

“Obviously. But I know the stuff in action but not in theory. That’s your area.”

“Yeah,” Brennan said. “Together we almost make a whole functional vampire.”

They shared a laugh, but Brennan’s levity wasn’t long-lasting. He felt himself droop with everything they’d have to overcome for those plans to succeed.

“Are you,” Brennan asked, “I don’t know,ready?”

Dom considered the question. “I’m not sure my answer is what you’re looking for.”

“Try me.”

“Well, I’m not ready for the whole heroic bit. Stopping the bad guy, saving the day. It’s a bit cliché, you know?” Dom laughed. “No, what I’m looking forward to is beating Travis. Showing that asshole he didn’t break me.”

There seemed to be a lot she wasn’t saying, but Brennan didn’t push. Brennan had been so busy hating Dom for her mistakes that he hadn’t thought of things from Dom’s perspective, how Dom had lost her sister and Travis had swept in and taken advantage of her trust for his own plans. It felt far too late to realize it now.

“I know what has to be done,” Dom finally said. “Do you?”

Something in her tone sent a shiver down Brennan’s spine. Dom tossed another pamphlet away as she stood, and made toward the window for her exit. Brennan didn’t know where she was going. He didn’t ask.

BRENNAN’S PHONE

Quinn Miller

Hey Brennan! Thanks for reaching out! I’d be happy to help out. I owe Sunny and Nellie the world. I can’t leave the blood drive unattended for longer than I had planned, especially with needing to replenish the supply, but I was planning on coming to the ball.

Let me know how I can help and I’ll be there.

“The New Squad” Group Chat with you and 4 others

Mari

update! we’re at 46 packs out of a goal of 180 after day 1 of illegal blood driving!

Tony