“I’m so glad you’re okay. When Cole called and told me you’d been in a car accident, my heart almost stopped.”
“I’m sorry,” I said.
“Ali, I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you.”
“Nana, I...” Didn’t know what to say.
“I know you’re fighting for a good cause, but it’s hard on me sometimes. Waiting and worrying.”
“I’m sorry,” I repeated, but I couldn’t promise to morph into a normal teenager with normal problems, and we both knew it.
“Yes, well, enough about that for now.” As she bustled around the kitchen to make me a sandwich, she changed the subject and said, “Are you and Cole back together? Or are you seeing two hot totties at the same time? Or are you single and just playing the court?”
Hot totties? Playing the court? “No, Cole and I aren’t back together, but we are going to a party on Thursday. And Gavin... Well, he and I will only ever be friends.”
“I think maybe you need to rethink things with Cole. He’s good for you. You light up when you see him, and he can actually get you to smile. It’s an honor few people receive.”
I smiled so rarely? I hadn’t noticed.
She slid the sandwich in front of me, and after I’d eaten every crumb, she put the plate in the sink and patted my shoulder. “Ali, bear, I know your mom talked to you about, you know, sex, so there’s no need for me to mention STDs and babies.”
Someone kill me. “Right. No need,” I managed to croak.
“But I’m going to mention them anyway. I read that a lot of teens are too embarrassed to buy condoms, and that’s one of the reasons teen pregnancy is so high, so, if you ever want me to, you know, buy you some, please just let me know. Not that I’m condoning sex at your age. I’m not. I really think you should wait until your emotions are as ready as your body.”
Seriously. A gun to the head. A knife in the gut. Either would work. “Cole and I haven’t had sex.”
“But judging by the way you look at him, you’ve considered it and I’d guess you’ve come pretty close—”
“Nana. Please.”
“Oh, all right. I just don’t want to see you get hurt. Sex can be a commitment for a girl, and a mere moment for a boy and—”
“Nana!”
“Okay, okay. Go on to bed,” she said, kissing my temple. “You look ready to fall over.”
Cheeks burning, I stood and gave her another hug. “Love you.”
“Love you, too. I’ll see you in the morning before school.”
I drifted to sleep the moment I was snuggled in the softness of my covers.
I wasn’t sure how many hours passed before I noticed the light streaming through the curtains. A new day. I lumbered out of bed, my body far more sore than it had been last night. A hot, steaming shower helped, but not enough to keep me from wincing as I dressed in a pink T-shirt and jeans and dried my hair, leaving it down.
My door opened, the hinges loud. “Ali?” Nana said. “You awake?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Good. You’ve got a visitor.”
I frowned. “Who?”
Gavin stepped beside her and grinned. “Me.”
Nana arched a brow at me.
I shrugged—I wasn’t sure why he was here—then nodded to let her know I’d be okay with him.
For a moment, she wrestled with indecision. And I think if the situation had been any different—if I hadn’t been a slayer, used to taking care of myself, if I hadn’t been dealing with Z.A., fearing for my life—she would have forced us to go into the living room.
“You have ten minutes,” she finally said, and walked away.
Gavin stepped inside and I was grateful he didn’t shut the door. Curious, I motioned for him to sit at the desk, then eased onto the side of the bed, across from him.
He laughed. “Afraid the vision will come true?”
Yes. No. Maybe. “What are you doing here?”
“Thought I’d drive you to school today.”
“That’s nice of you.”
“Well, I’m a nice guy.”
“I guess that depends who you ask,” I said drily, and he grinned.
“Funny girl.” He sobered. “I heard about the crash and explosion and wanted to check on you. You okay?”
“I’m sore and upset a man was killed in front of me, but yeah. I’m dealing.”
“I’m sorry.”
I nodded to acknowledge the words. My nose wrinkled as I caught a peculiar scent, distracting me. “What is it I’m smelling?”
“My manliness?”
I crossed my arms. “Seriously. What?”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s like you couldn’t decide on an air freshener, so you decided to use them all.”
He gave another exuberant laugh. “Maybe that’s exactly what happened.”
“Or...you were with another girl or six last night? Oh, my gosh. That’s it!”
He shrugged, unabashed.
“How do you get the girls to flock to you like that?”
“Besides this beautiful face?” he said, rubbing his jaw. “I can speak French, and they like it.”
I gaped. “You speak French?”
His eyelids dipped to half-mast, as if they were too heavy to hold up. “Je peux casser trois briques avec ma main.”
Grinning, I fanned myself.
He wiggled his brows. “Sexy, right?”
“Not going to answer that. So, what’d you say?”
“I can break three bricks with my hand.”
I couldn’t help it. I laughed.
He stood, drawing my gaze to the band of skin revealed as the hem of his shirt lifted from his jeans. Tanned muscles underneath. Beautiful. But I was happy to note I still felt nothing romantic for him.
“We should go.” He held out his hand, waved his fingers.
His scent wafted to me once again. This time, hunger pangs followed.
Feed.
I moaned. Not again. Not here, not now. Not with him.
Fight this.
“Ali?” Concerned, he closed the distance.
Even though I told myself not to, I gripped him by the forearms. I rose to my tiptoes and put my nose at his neck, breathing deeply. So. Good.
“Ali?” Curiosity this time.
“You should run.” Even as I warned him, I swung him around and pushed, sending him to the bed, on his back. As he bounced, I climbed on top of him. “Don’t run. I need you,” I said, only I wasn’t speaking this time. She was.
She’d used my voice, putting everything she had into taking me over.
Gavin’s brows furrowed with confusion, but he didn’t protest as I leaned down...down...and pressed my lips against his neck. One of his hands actually tangled in my hair, holding me close, helping her.
“Let me shut the door,” he whispered.
Stop! I inwardly screamed. Please, stop.
She laughed with glee. “No.” Gripping his chin, she forced his head to the side for better access. He allowed it, his lower body arching into mine. He ran his fingers down my spine, cupped my butt.
She ran my tongue up the length of his throat.
He shuddered. “Yeah. I like that, but one of us really should shut the door.”
“Forget the stupid door.” She bared my teeth.
Hard bands wrapped around my upper arms and jerked me backward.
She struggled to free my body and get back to Gavin. So close! His eyes were wide. He was panting from exertion, his pulse thumping wildly. He was confused—no, now he was afraid. She’d made him afraid, and she knew the fear would taste so sweet.
“Her eyes are red,” he gasped out.
“Ali! Snap out of it.”
Cole’s voice.
I tried to speak. I gurgled.
He tossed me on the floor and pinned me with his knees. She continued to struggle against him, turning my head in an effort to bite into his inner thigh.
He barked something. I don’t know what. Then Gavin was there, placing something in Cole’s hand. A needle. A needle Cole jabbed into my neck. A familiar cool stream bathed me.
I sagged into the carpet. Cole glared down at me, violet eyes crackling.
“Ali,” he said.
“Yes,” I croaked.
He eased off me. “You were trying to feed from him.”
I rolled to my side and curled into a ball. “Leave. Please.”
“Ali.” Gavin this time.
“Get out of here.” Cole scooped me up in his arms and carried me toward the bed.
Gavin was trying to lead my Nana away.
“Is she going to be okay?” she whispered.
“Yeah. I’ve got her now.” Cole lay down with me still locked tight in his embrace.
He held me for a long while, whispering to me, smoothing his hands through my hair.
“I hate this,” I said.
“I know.”
“She took over, Cole. She used my voice, controlled my actions.”
“The new antidote stopped her.”
“For now. But we both know I can’t take the antidote forever.”
He kissed my temple.
“Cole.”
“Yes?”
“If she takes over and the antidote doesn’t work, I need you to—”
“Don’t say it,” he growled.
“—kill me,” I finished anyway. “Please.”
“That’s not going to happen, Ali.”
That wasn’t what my instincts said. Maybe it was time to bring back my original to-do list, version two, but with a slight tweak. Find a way to disable the zombie inside me. Kill the zombie inside me. Addendum: even if I have to die, too.
I made it through the school day without incident. I hadn’t wanted to go, but Cole had insisted, citing I couldn’t afford another absence. He watched over me, making sure my zombie side didn’t try to take over.
