Page 71 of Vampire so Virtuous

“Yes.”

“Yes? What do you mean ‘yes’?Reallyyes?”

“Affirmative. Ten-four. Hundred percent. And all the rest of them.”

Eve lurched forward to the edge of the couch, her wine sloshing onto the carpet. She didn’t seem to notice. “Omigod,” she breathed. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

“Still yes.”

“Did a train wreck just throw a party?” Eve stared at her open-mouthed, apparently lost for words.

The concept of Eve ever being lost for words was almost scarier than the vampires, and Cally couldn’t help but smile.

“You’re grinning,” Eve said, confused. “You just told me you’ve beenreally, genuinelyattacked by a vampire, and you’re grinning.”

Cally shook her head as her amusement faded, blinking back tears that pricked at her eyes. “Just thinking how… pissed off and terrified and angry andviolatedI’ve been feeling, and I’ve been bottling it all up, too scared to face it, and I come over here, and you don’t believe me, and then you ask if he’s hot—which he is, by the way—and then youdobelieve me, and you talk about alien drones, and it’s so…you, and, well, it’s exactly what Ineeded.” She finished with a little sigh.

Eve stared at her, the silence stretching. “Wow,” she said eventually. “Hug?”

Cally nodded hastily. “Hug.”

They both got up, wine glasses onto the coffee table, and met halfway between the couch and the armchair. Eve was smaller than Cally, but she still managed to wrap her arms fiercely around her, making her feel safe and loved. One hand came up to Cally’s head, pulling it down onto Eve’s shoulder, which was nice too, though a bit uncomfortable.

Cally drew back before she got a crick in her neck. “Love you, you know.”

Eve smiled. “Love you too. Always have, always will.” She picked up her glass and sat back down. “So, real vampire, huh?”

“Yeah.” Cally slumped back into her chair, then leaned forward to retrieve her wine and took a long sip.

“What are you going to do about him?”

Cally laughed bitterly. “I have absolutely no fucking idea.”

Eve pulled her phone out and checked the time. “We still have half an hour before we need to leave for Zara’s.” She looked at Cally, wide-eyed. “You okay to do Zara’s?”

It was a convenient excuse, and Eve was practically offering her a way out, but… “You know what? Yes. Yes, I am. I’m not letting this bastard ruin my life.”

“All right, you little badass. Half an hour. Spill every last bit of it.”

*

“Wow, not one but two?” Eve shook her head. “You don’t do things by halves, huh?”

Cally shrugged. Telling Eve her story had made Antoine seem knight-like in comparison to Minh, which was a strangely disconcerting thought.

But Antoine was the one who had bitten her. The one who hadmarkedandclaimedher.

“Still can’t believe you ended up in jail,” Eve said.

“That harder to believe than a vampire?” Cally teased. Somehow, Eve still had her feeling better about her life, even after re-living everything for the past almost half hour. She loved her for that.

“What’s hard to believe is that you didn’t call me.” Eve glared at her. “Whowasthe lucky recipient of your Constitutional right to a phone call?”

“Uh.” Cally cringed. “No one?”

“Yeah. That’s what I thought.” Eve shook her head in mock dismay. “Reckless, impulsive, beautiful, distrusting, strong, independent…” She trailed off, waving a hand as if trying to find more words to add to the list.

“I feel called out,” Cally muttered. “I mean… reckless, impulsive… Joon calls me that all the time, though I think he means it about my style.” She made a face. “Distrusting, though?”