She snorted. "Like he didn't expect some slutty remark from me. From the first word he overheard, he labeled me a whore. Right, whoever you are?"
"This is Roane's best friend."
"I'm Gavin." There was nothing on his face. It was void of emotion now.
"Well la di da." Kates sounded bored. Her eyes flashed at him. "You can go back to your best buddy and report my lie to him. I'm sure he'll be even more indebted to you."
With a growl, Gavin was across the room in a flash. I blinked once and saw him holding Kates against the wall with a hand to her throat. She stared at him in a heated challenge, but no snippy comments passed her lips. They continued to glare at the other.
I cleared my throat. "Put her down?"
My best friend smirked. "He would, but he's enjoying it. Aren't you? You didn't expect to be turned on? And by a vampire slayer too?" Then she grunted and slammed an elbow into his face. The positions were reversed in the next second, but Gavin didn't fight back. He wasn't lifted in the air as she had been, but he stood there. His eyes never left hers.
I felt Kates' surprise as she let go and stepped back.
Then Gavin looked at me. "If you need anything, lift the receiver and speak into it. They'll get whatever you need. Roane wanted you to be comfortable."
As Gavin left, I glanced at Kates and saw a look that I'd never seen on her face. Perplexion.
I grinned as I sat on the bed. "That was fun to watch."
"What?" She rolled her shoulders back, but her eyes were lost.
"Maybe Lucan's not the one for you after all?"
Kates crossed to the bar and poured herself a drink. She downed it in one swallow. "Don't go all fairytale romantic on me. That vampire is definitely not 'the one' for me. He's not 'the one' for anyone. Don't you feel it from him?"
"Feel what?"
She poured another drink. "He's cold to the bone, Davy. He might look pretty on the outside and seem flashy, but he's dark. If I were to choose between him and Lucan, I'll always go Lucan. He's not as dangerous as that one."
I'd never seen Kates this rattled so I slipped inside of her and felt her confusion. She was frozen to the bone and I retreated out of her. It gave me the chills.
"I'm going to go." Kates moved to the door.
"Where are you going?"
She lifted haunted eyes to me. "I'll be back. He's right or Roane's right. Sleep. He'll draw the army away. That's what he's doing right now. You and I go back to Benshire University tomorrow." She flashed me a wolfish grin. "I wonder how Emily's going to welcome me back?"
The joke fell flat. "Where are you going?"
"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."
"Kates, where are you going? I know that you're going to do something not-good right now. What is it?"
With a hand already on the doorknob, she smiled at me. An odd ray of honesty shone bright from her. I blinked back tears from the power of it.
Her smile turned down at the ends. "I know that I'm not a great person, but I will always be a good friend to you. I will never let you get hurt. Ever. But right now, I have to go do my own thing. I'll be back in the morning. I'm your cover story, Davy. You were gone to help me. I'm sure Roane will have everything in place by tomorrow morning so our story will check out."
She left before I could respond and I was left to sit by myself. I felt more alone at that moment than I'd ever felt my whole life.
Wren emerged from the forest behind him and scanned the horizon before them. They were ten miles from town. Lights glimmered behind them and a vast darkness spread out before them. A sneer formed at her lips when she drew beside him. "Tracey's two miles away. I can smell her."
Roane already knew where they were. He couldn't smell a past lover, but he felt them. Their army was intense, built on fury and lies. Some of them were confused. Those vampires followed their leader because they'd been told to, but a majority believed in finding the Immortal and destroying her. He could smell their fear, though many of them weren't aware how deep their terror lay inside of them.
"Jacith is behind this. He's not with them, but his influence is strong over them."
Wren glanced at him. "You think he knows?"