Dammit, no matter how hard she’d tried, becoming friends with the vampire king had been unavoidable, hadn’t it? He was noble. Proof that good vampires existed. After that long ago evening in Coney Island when Elias saved her in the alley, she’d sought Jonas out, thinking she might earn her mother’s approval by staking this so-called savior of the vampire race. By taking him and Elias out in one fell swoop.
Instead, she’d watched Jonas and Elias—Tucker rounding out the trio—work in fascination. Watched them locate Freshly Silenced vampires in the throes of their confusion and help them acclimate to a quiet, new life. A life where killing humans was off limits. She’d almost resented Jonas for bringing Elias into his well-meaning fold. She wanted him to be the face of her rage, this man who’d participated in the massacre of her friends. Was that so much to ask?
Roksana firmed her chin. Her mother’s appeasement, forgiveness, and possibly even approval would be enough to sustain her through this loss, just like the last one. She’d throw herself back into her training and make her mother proud. To memorialize her friends.
That was the goal that had seen her through the darkness.
Why was she losing sight of it now?
Roksana stomped to the hut, ringing the bell, giving her middle finger to the camera that whirred downward to scan her face.
The door popped open and she stepped inside, closing it behind her.
The interior of the small room held nothing but a metal elevator door and it rolled open now. After the slightest hesitation, she let herself be enclosed in the elegant car, her stomach dropping when the elevator started to plummet. She’d never actually been to the High Order’s hold before, but Ginny gave her the address once, telling her she’d always have a room ready if the slayer needed one.
Roksana swallowed the object in her throat and took a long, bracing breath.
A well-kept vampire stood with his chest puffed out when the elevator door sprang open. A quick once-over of Roksana was followed by an eyebrow raise. If he was scandalized by her leather minidress she’d been wearing since the poker game, he could join all the pearl-clutching mamas on the flight from Moscow. “Too much leg?” She breezed past the vampire into a dark stone hall. “You’re welcome.”
The hold seemed to be in a state of transition, which made sense since Jonas had only become the new vampire king months earlier. Torches sat unlit on the walls, a man on a ladder unhooked a heavy velvet tapestry and let it drop to a heap on the floor. There was a scent of fresh baked chocolate chip cookies in the air.
Vampires didn’t eat baked goods.
Roksana sighed. “You knew I was coming.”
“Yes,” Ginny squealed, rushing into the hall and throwing her arms around Roksana’s neck, choking the oxygen out of her. Roksana tapped her friend on the back and Ginny released her with a contrite expression. “Sorry, I’m still getting the hang of the whole superhuman abilities thing.”
Roksana’s lips kicked up at the corner. “I’m sure it’s a complicated process.”
“Yes. I’m not allowed to have pets yet.” Ginny clasped her hands together beneath her chin. “So. Are you going to tell me why you’ve been pacing back and forth outside for an hour?”
The slayer sniffed, disgusted when her cheeks burned with color. “Give me cookies and I’ll think about it.”
Five minutes later, Ginny had led Roksana upstairs to a small, book-lined study. The friends were sprawled out a butter-soft leather couch, their feet stretched out in front of them, bare toes being warmed by a crackling fire. Roksana had the plate balanced on her full stomach. There was one cookie left and it wasn’t a mystery who would be consuming it.
“Eating with you is no longer fun,” Roksana complained. “There is no one to share the guilt with.”
Ginny snuggled her face into a pillow, but couldn’t hide her smile. “You seemed to enjoy it just fine. There was nine of them when we sat down.”
“Rude of you to count. And I didn’t eat on my flight from Moscow.” She used the heel of her hand to rub at the emptiness at the center of her ribcage. “I was hoping food would make this go away.”
“Make what go away?”
“I don’t know. Nerves or something.”
Determined to ignore the discomfort, Roksana set aside the plate hastily and turned on her side to face Ginny. Having a friend at this stage in her life never failed to make Roksana feel indulgent. Like she was giving in to an unwise temptation. How easily she knew friends could be taken away and wasn’t she just an idiot for setting herself up for that pain again? But a welcoming magnetic pull existed around Ginny, an old soul energy, that made it impossible for Roksana to resist. Quite simply, she loved her.