“Quite a bit. I am rearranging duties since all the werewolves will be out of commission tonight. Plus there is the issue of finding more permanent quarters for everyone. ”
“Why don't you use the gym for the werewolves to zonk in? That frees up space for tonight at least. ” The gym was a massive room where they could let the more energetic (read: rabid) paranormals run around.
Lish looked up at me and smiled with her eyes. “That is a great idea. Thank you. ” She went back to her screens.
Near the front of the line was a vamp I didn't know; his glamour was a teenage guy, devastatingly handsome with dark hair and crystal blue eyes. He gave me his best come-?hither smile. “Hey,” he said.
He was already trying to work his mind mojo on me. Vamps have slight mind control powers. They can influence you, push you in a direction as long as you're already leaning that way. So if you're kind of scared, they can make you terrified. Kind of attracted, they can make you downright lustylicious. Unfortunately for this particular vamp, I could see straight through him to the corpse underneath. Oh yeah, baby, hot stuff.
I busted up laughing. “Not a chance. ”
He scowled, offended. “What are you talking about?”
“I prefer my guys with a pulse. Lish, let me know if you need anything. I'll see you later. ” She glanced up and waved. I missed her. It would be nice to get to spend some time together again when this mess was over.
I was surprised when my communicator beeped with a page from Raquel. I thought about ignoring it but had nothing better to do, so I went to her office. She looked up at me from her desk with a tight smile. Dark circles ringed her eyes and her hair was falling out of its bun. That was a first. “Evelyn, thanks for coming. ”
I shrugged. I thought about making some remark about how I didn't have a choice, but the bandage on her neck made me think twice. Thank goodness one bite wasn't enough to turn her.
“I know things have been stressful lately and you've been struggling. When all this is over, I'm taking you on a vacation. ”
Didn't see that one coming. “Wait, a real vacation? Like, we actually spend the night somewhere else and just walk around or sleep or hang out during the day?”
She smiled. “Yes, a real vacation. Anywhere you'd like. ”
Oh, the possibilities. . . I couldn't help but smile back. Things weren't all right between us, not by a long shot, but this was huge coming from her. I had never known her to take even a day off. “That sounds okay with me. ” It sounded more than okay. The two of us, in some gorgeous, warm place. Almost like a family.
“Good. Now I've got a lot of paperwork to go over and some interviews to do. ”
“Oh, yeah. Sure. ” I don't know what else I expected, but I was disappointed as I left. We hadn't talked about anything important, anything that needed to be addressed. I wanted to help out around the Center. She probably wanted me far, far away from the Supervisors after my outburst. And I was sure she didn't want to talk about Lend again.
Lonely, I tried to sneak over and see Lend, but the hall was packed with werewolves making sure everything was secure before sedation. I figured I could make it back later; it didn't ease my disappointment at having to wait.
Lucky for me Easton Heights was on that night, even if it was a rerun. I changed into some black leggings and a tank top (I bumped up the heat in my unit from 85 to 90--why wait for a tropical vacation?), then snuggled up on the couch, just barely warm enough. When the show began I was startled by my buzzing vid screen. Lish.
“What's up?” I asked, trying not to panic. Surely something else hadn't gone wrong already.
“Easton Heights is on tonight, right?” the monotone voice asked.
“Yeah, I just didn't think you'd have time. ”
“All the werewolves are down; the rest of the Center is finally secure and settled. I am looking forward to seeing who Landon kisses this week. ”
I laughed. “Me, too. ” I turned my vid screen toward the television. It wasn't as good as actually hanging out in the same room, but it was pretty close. I pretended Lend was on the couch next to me, holding my hand. I had been going over all the times we'd held hands, trying to decide if they counted as really holding hands. I wanted them to, but it had always been in the context of comforting each other. Not, hey, I like you and I want to sit here
and hold your hand because touching you makes me happy.
About halfway through the episode Lish spoke up. “What the bleep?”
“What?” I asked, turning her screen toward me.
“I just had five new ankle trackers pop up on the grid. This does not make sense. ”
“Wait, like five new tags?”
She nodded, frowning. Then, vid screen still on, she called Raquel. “Raquel, I have five new ankle trackers. ”
“What?” Raquel asked.