To Bleed for Him

"You said that we'd be forever.
How could you kill me and lie to my face?
Now that we can't be together,
There's just no hope for our final embrace.
So here we are. I'm in your head.
I'm in your heart!"
- Bullet for My Valentine

"Are you gonna eat that?" Skylar asked around a mouthful of bacon, jabbing at a chunk of French toast with his fork.

"I'd planned on it, but you go right ahead," Torryn answered laughingly. He skewered the syrup-soaked piece and gave her a winning smile before shoving it into his mouth, which was still filled with bacon. She chuckled, resting her chin on the palm of her hand as she marveled at him. She wouldn't lie – she'd missed the idiot more than she'd known.

"You haven't eaten much," he pointed out once he'd finally swallowed his food. "Is your new keeper keeping you well-fed?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, Skylar. Believe it or not, Antony doesn't starve me so much that I need my boyfriend to sneak me to the local pancake house at ten o'clock at night to keep me alive."

"If you weren't hungry, you should've said something." He stabbed at another piece of her French toast, and she couldn't keep herself from smiling as he crammed it into his mouth, the very personification of a child trapped in a man's body.

"I wasn't not-hungry, either," she said, picking up her own fork and scooping up a hunk of bread before he could get to it. "Besides, what else would we have to do?" She slipped the bit of food into her mouth much more delicately than he had, and she actually chewed before she swallowed.

He cocked an eyebrow at her, dropping his own fork onto his empty plate. "We've barely talked the entire time. We could've gone to Walmart and probably had a more lively conversation."

She shrugged, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "This is our place, though. It just made sense to meet back up here."

He smiled back at her, but there was a solemn edge to it that made her ashamed that she was smiling at all. "We haven't been here in a while, huh?"

"Not since before all of this, no," she said softly, lowering her gaze to her half-empty plate. She gently set her fork down, any remnants of her appetite gone with her cheer.

She felt his eyes on her, lingering for a long moment, and he asked, "Why don't you ever wear the necklace I got for you?" She raised her eyes to his face, and he shrugged at her puzzled expression, suddenly uncomfortable. "You know, the penguin one I got you for our anniversary." His eyes found something interesting at the table nearest theirs, and he whispered, "You can still wear it even if we're not together."

"Are we all done here, guys?" the cheery waitress said suddenly, jerking them both out of the moment.

"Yes, ma'am," Torryn said with a halfhearted smile as Skylar nodded mutely across from her.

"All right. Pay at the register whenever you're ready. Have a good night, guys!" The woman placed a single slip of paper at the edge of the table, then took her too-happy smile elsewhere.

Torryn's fingers brushed Skylar's as they reached for the bill simultaneously, and a bit of light laughter eased the tension just a hair.

"I've got it," Torryn said, taking a firm grasp of the receipt.

"No, I'll get it," Skylar said, gripping the other side of the slip.

Torryn's smile grew strained. "Really, it's okay. I've got plenty of money."

Skylar wasn't even trying to smile anymore, a competitive glare leveled on Torryn. "I do, too. And I'd really appreciate it if you'd let me take care of it."

Her hold tightened along with her lips. "I've got it, Skylar. Just give me the damn bill." She tugged on it, and he tugged back.

"No, Torryn," he said, his voice strained. "I'll get it." But the sound of the paper ripping in half undermined his words, and they were both quick to look at the end of the bill they'd gotten.

"Ha!" Torryn cried triumphantly, waving the tattered paper in the air above her head. "I've got the end with the barcode scanny thing!"

"You fucking cheated to get that!" he shouted, and the few other people in the restaurant turned to glare at him, disapproving.

"Nuh uh," she said as she tucked the paper safely beneath her thigh on the sticky plastic bench. "You just suck." She stuck her tongue out at him, and he pouted.

"Cheater," he mumbled, crossing his arms over his chest to add more emphasis to his sulk.

Her smile faltered but didn't disappear, leaving a broken ghost of the cheery grin she'd worn before. Her mind had gone somewhere else, somewhere far darker, at the mention of the word. "You know I'm still really sorry about that, right?" she asked softly, forcing herself to meet his eyes. "You know I never meant to hurt you?"

He offered a weak smile of his own in return, his pout long gone. "You know that's not what I meant, right?" he teased halfheartedly.

"I know," she murmured, shrugging. "I just wanted to make sure."

He reached over the table to rest his hand gently atop hers, lying beside her plate. His smile was barely there, but it was genuine, earnest to match his bright eyes. "I know, babe. I never liked it and I never will, but I know you didn't mean it."

She could only stare at him for a moment, wondering at how easily forgiveness had come – or was this really forgiveness? "I'm...glad," she said slowly, doing her best to smile at him, though she felt it come out more crooked and confused than she'd intended.

His smile grew, and he removed his hand from hers. "So," he started, his tone much lighter than before, "how have things been with the vampire?"

"Normal," she said with a shrug. "He's getting a better grasp on this whole undead thing, but not much has changed."

"Except you're moving in with him," he pointed out, and she could hear a hint of disapproval in his tone. "That's a major change."

"And you got a house with Lindsey and Madison," she countered dryly. "Any babies on the way yet? I'm sure neither of them can keep their paws off of you." Both girls had always been particularly fond of Skylar, she knew, though Madison's affections had always seemed to border on familial rather than romantic. The thought of the girl made her frown. She remembered when everything with Skylar and Antony had first gone down, when all of their friends had found out that Torryn had "cheated" on Skylar; Madison had been more than happy to confront Torryn and slap her the second she'd heard, right in the middle of a classroom. They hadn't talked since.

When she returned from her unpleasant stroll down Memory Lane, she found Skylar eyeing her strangely. "I forgot," he said. "You haven't heard about the two of them."

"What?" she asked, her frown deepening the crease in her furrowed brow. "Did something happen? Are they okay?"

He chuckled, resting his arms along the back of the booth. "Yeah, they're fine. Just a little...different, I guess you could say."

"What do you mean?" She felt like this was supposed to be obvious, judging by his smirk and relaxed demeanor, but she hadn't a clue what he was alluding to.

He grinned. "Madison's come out as a lesbian and Lindsey's figured out that she's bi. They're kind of an item now."

Torryn swore her jaw was about to hit the table. "No way."

"Yep," he said laughingly. "Happened about a month ago. I don't think either of them will be wanting to make babies with me any time soon."

"What?" Torryn asked, teasing now that she'd had a chance to recover. "No threesomes in your immediate future?"

"Not that I'm aware of," he answered, his grin never fading.

"Well, if you want, I can see if Antony'll let you join in on one of our sexy-times sometime," she joked, though she wondered if some weird little part of her was serious. They were both pretty fine men, after all...

Skylar's look soured abruptly. "I think I'll pass, thanks. Something about watching another guy be all over you is a serious turn-off to me."

She shrugged, smirking. "Whatever. I'll get my threesomes elsewhere."

"If you find two willing women, you let me know," he said, his smile returning.

"I'll do that," she laughed. She glanced around the restaurant, only now noticing how quiet it had gotten. It seemed that she, Skylar, and a single waitress were the only people still in the dining area. "You ready to get out of here?" she asked, already pulling her ragged end of the receipt out from under her leg, as her gaze returned to Skylar.

"If you want," he answered, shrugging. She nodded, and together, they slid out of the booth and made their way toward the front. He glared at her as she paid for their meal, but soon, they were stepping out into the cool summer air, and he no longer had a reason to be so angry.

All around them, crickets chirped their soothing song, and overhead, the moon was full, casting a bright light over the asphalt of the parking lot. Beside her, Skylar looked like a ghost, glowing in the pale light as he turned to smile down at her.

"Where to now?" he asked, and his warm fingers brushed her hand as he listed just a bit too close to her. She longed for him to touch her again, to mean it this time, but she knew it would never – and should never – happen.

"Dunno," she answered, looking away on the off chance that some of her thoughts showed on her face. "You're the one with the car. You pick."

"Why did you make me come get you, anyway?" he asked as he pulled the driver's side door of his small car open. "You have your license now, don't you?"

She shrugged, sliding into the passenger's seat, finally daring to meet his eyes again as he sat down beside her. "I don't really like driving alone. As sad as it sounds, it kind of scares me a bit," she admitted sheepishly.

He grinned as he started the car. "Nothin' wrong with that. We all have silly fears, ya know." He began to back out of his parking spot, craning his neck to see the path behind him. "So, where are we going, babe?"

She smiled wryly. "You have to stop calling me that," she said, and he glanced at her, a bit of surprise in his expression.

"What?" He began to drive slowly toward the exit, though his eyes were still on her. "Just because we're not dating anymore, I can't use any terms of endearment with you?" His eyes finally flicked to the road ahead, and a smirk knocked the shock from his face. "Unless I start calling you 'Boo-Boo Kitty Fuck,' I think we'll be okay."

She couldn't keep a light laugh from slipping through. "Fine," she said, then added teasingly, "Boo-Boo Kitty Fuck."

He glanced at her, still smirking a lopsided smirk. "Hey, now, sweetcheeks. You know how that name turns me on. You'd better tone it down a bit."

She laughed. "Right, right. My bad." He pulled out into the street, then took a sudden left, and the lights of the city slowly faded in the mirror as he sped down a dark country road. "Have you decided on a place to go, then?"

"Nah," he said with a shrug. "Just thought I'd start driving and see where we ended up." His eyes darted to her, and he smiled. "If that's all right with you, anyway."

She returned his smile. "It's a good idea. Just don't get us lost."

He turned his smile to the dim road ahead. "Well, then, since I picked the activity, it's your job to pick the first topic of conversation."

"Hm," she muttered, pretending to think, though she already had a topic in mind. "How has work been?"

"Funny you should ask," he remarked, taking a curve much faster than he should have, and her body jerked to the side, nearly crashing into his. "I quit my old job last week and just started a new one yesterday."

"Oh?" she asked, holding on to the door handle for dear life. "Where?"

"The Arena."

A chill went down her spine, goosebumps raising along her arms, and she gawped at him. "What?" she asked, voice laden with panic. "No, Skylar. No!"

He glanced at her, brow creased in confusion at her terror. "What? It's no big deal. The few times I fought with you, I was obviously quite the contender. Why can't I make some extra cash fighting solo every now and again?"

"Because," she stammered, scrambling to come up with a reason that was less insulting than the one in her mind, "because...What are Lindsey and Maddie gonna think?" she asked, latching on to the first coherent excuse that popped into her head. "Aren't they going to be suspicious when you go out a few times a month and come home with a bag full of cash every time?"

His lips pursed, his expression bordering on a scowl. He knew what she wasn't saying; she could tell. No matter how often she called him an idiot, she knew he wasn't stupid. "I plan to go out a few nights a week, whether I fight or not, to make it look like I'm working the graveyard shift at a factory. I'm going to put the money in the bank when I can and never show up with a bag full of cash when they're home. I've got everything covered."

She fidgeted, turning her attention to what little of the vast countryside she could see through her window, bathed in the moon's incredible light. Was she really going to have to come right out and say it? "Skylar," she started hesitantly, dragging her gaze back to his impatient glare, "I just...Do you think..." She exhaled, forcing all of her breath out through her nose, then took another deep breath before blurting, "You nearly died the first time we fought, when that werewolf nearly clawed your heart out. I had to save you then, so what makes you think you won't need me to save you in the future?"

The tension in the car escalated to a dangerous level, Skylar's hard glare hardening even further, and she dropped her gaze to the spot on his chest where she knew the faded scars of that battle still lay beneath his shirt, waiting for the outburst she knew would come. Why had she said that? Was she such a dumbass that she couldn't have worded her worry in a less insulting way?

"Oh, so you think I need you to protect me," he said bitterly, his grip on the steering wheel tightening. "You think you're stronger than me, just like your boyfriend thinks he's stronger than me. Well, news flash, sweetcheeks," he all but growled, glancing at her. "Just because I don't have your fighting prowess or his physical strength doesn't mean I can't take care of myself. I could kill you both without breaking a sweat, you know." His jaw flexed as he turned his gaze back to the road. "Don't assume that you're automatically better than everyone just because you're not human."

She licked her lips, her skin and her tongue and her throat suddenly feeling much too dry. "That's not what I meant, Skylar, and you know it."

"Then what is it you meant?" he snapped, his glare jerking to her face once more.

"I just meant...I just..." She struggled to find the words, to find the real meaning, until she finally burst out, "I just want to be there to protect you whenever you're in danger, okay? I'm not saying you'll always need me, but I'd like to be around in case you do." She watched a slew of emotions cycle across his moonlit face, her eyes on his and his on hers, and she hoped that her own expression reflected the earnest panic that had risen within her.

He was angry for another moment, then just barely annoyed, then, finally, thankfully, he was resigned. A sigh slipped through his lips, and his grip on the wheel loosened. His gaze was now firmly on the road. "Damn it, Boo-Boo Kitty Fuck," he started, his voice still strained but as lighthearted as he could make it at the moment. "I never was able to stay mad at you for long."

She heaved a sigh of her own, relieved. "And thank God for that, huh?" she said with that same halfhearted cheer. "Wouldn't want you to kill me in a fit of rage and ruin your interior or anything."

His eyes flicked to her, and the softness in them comforted her immensely. "I wouldn't hurt you," he whispered, and his eyes were already back on the road. "You should know that."

"I do," she said softly. "I do."

"Not like I haven't been tempted, though," he went on, his tone more conversational now. "For a smart girl, you do some of the dumbest shit I've ever seen in my life."

"I haven't done that many dumb things," she grumbled, turning her attention to the passing scenery. She vaguely wondered where they were; she didn't recognize any of the farmhouses they passed.

When she turned back to him, she found his eyes on her, his smile the goofy grin she remembered from their relationship, from the good old days. "Well, you broke up with me," he pointed out, turning his gaze forward once more. "That was really the moment I realized you weren't nearly the intellectual wonder I thought you were."

She smiled wryly. "I was never an intellectual wonder. We both know that, and we figured it out way before that ghastly mistake."

"So you admit it was a mistake?" he teased – at least, she thought he was teasing. Something about his silly smile had changed, had grown more solemn, and she wasn't sure what he was thinking anymore.

"Well, yeah," she said cautiously. "I mean, it was the right idea after everything that had happened, but everything leading up to it..." She paused for a moment, contemplating the idea, then she nodded. Really, even with her tiny brain, she didn't need to think that hard to realize that cheating on Skylar had been the biggest mistake of her life. "Yeah, that was all one giant mistake." She kept pondering the idea, mulling over all the little incidents that led to that inevitable end even as she spoke. "That fight in the cafeteria was a mistake. Agreeing to meet up with Antony was a mistake. Everything that happened with Antony...That was all a mistake." But did she regret it, she wondered? Would she change it if she had the chance? Would she give up this exciting new life, give Antony up, to be with Skylar again? She knew it was selfish, to want to have her cake and eat it too, to want Antony but want Skylar too; she knew one choice lay in logic and the other in emotion; but she wasn't sure what she would choose, and she didn't want to think about it. Not right now.

When she came back to herself, she noticed that Skylar was regarding her grimly, stopped at a stop sign in the middle of nowhere. "Do you really think so?" he asked softly.

She nodded without hesitation in spite of every contradicting thought that flitted through her mind. "I do."

His eyes darted past her suddenly, focusing on the side mirror. "How long has that car been behind us?" She followed his gaze, seeing for the first time an over-sized luxury car with its headlights off, only inches from Skylar's bumper.

"Why do they have their lights off?" she asked, suddenly wary.

"We're gonna die, babe," he said rather nonchalantly as he slammed on the gas, tires squealing as he sped off down the street. The car was quick to follow, accelerating much more quickly and smoothly than Skylar's, and only a second passed before it was swerving to drive beside them. She could just barely make out five figures in the moonlight before it swerved again, slamming into the side of Skylar's car. They were sent into a tailspin, impossible to maneuver out of, and Torryn was just about to let our a shriek of terror when the vehicle jerked to a stop, the other car's tires squealing as they braked abruptly to stay nearby.

"Level-five telekinetic, bitches," the boy mumbled more to himself than to Torryn, his gaze intent as he watched the car do a quick U-turn and start toward them. "Don't test me."

"Jesus Christ, Skylar!" she yelled as the car was jerked off of the ground, only inches from hitting Skylar's. It hung in the air a good ten feet above the road, bobbing slowly up and down.

"I hope they're vampires," he said offhandedly, his eyes following the car as it slowly drifted backward down the road. "Or at least something as durable. If they're human, they're about to die, and I can't get answers out of them if they're dead." The second the doors of the vehicle began to open, the car jerked into the air fifteen more feet and abruptly plummeted downward, as if released by an invisible hand in the sky.

The sound of twisting metal and breaking glass was grotesque as the car met the pavement, debris scattering everywhere, some of it even bouncing off of the windshield of Skylar's car. Torryn had half expected an explosion, considering that's how the movies would have handled it, but nothing quite so exciting happened.

The doors were pushed the rest of the way open against the resistance of their crushed hinges and twisted frames, and five figures crawled into the street. Here, bathed in the impossibly bright light of the moon, stood three men and two women, covered in cuts and blood and bruises, a few bones obviously out of place on a pair of the males. Torryn frowned.

"They look familiar," she whispered. A shiver slithered down her spine as every pair of eyes suddenly found her face in the dark cab of Skylar's car.

"Where have you seen them before?" Skylar asked in a low voice, his expression oddly serene as he scanned the small group.

"I'm not sure." She looked into the eyes of the driver, a blonde woman in a pair of tight-fitting jeans and an equally formfitting shirt, and the woman smiled coldly. She shuddered again – vampires. "The Arena, maybe? Antony's house? I don't know."

"Antony's house?" he asked, suddenly alarmed. "You've seen them with Antony?"

"I don't know," she repeated, squirming uncomfortably in her seat. "Maybe."

He turned back to the vampires, and she could hear his teeth grinding for just a second before he spoke. "Man, that bastard's gonna have a lot of explaining to do when we get home." Then, as the remnants of the car began to rise from the asphalt like a cloud of steam, he pushed his door open and stepped out into the night.

"What are you doing?" she called after him. When he didn't respond, only slamming his door shut and standing there as the vampires started forward, she opened her own door and stumbled into the street.

The car suddenly crashed down, crushing one of the men beneath it, though another leaped out of the way just in time. Still, the vampires approached, not so much as batting an eye at their fallen comrade – of course, Torryn doubted he was down for long. She started around the car, toward the vampires, but she was suddenly held in place by some invisible force – Skylar.

"Let me go," she told him, struggling against her translucent bonds, but he only shook his head, watching the vampires' movements carefully.

The car lurched forward suddenly, scraping across the asphalt with a horrid sound akin to that of nails on a chalkboard, and swung around like a baseball bat at the approaching vampires. It caught one, the woman who had been in the passenger's seat, but the other three stepped easily out of the way, bodies blurring with their vampiric speed. The car swept across the ground again and again, shrieking horribly every time, but none of the remaining three joined their unconscious comrades on the ground.

"Skylar," Torryn snarled, the vampires only yards away now, "let me go." He didn't even acknowledge her this time, and the mangled car launched into the air and came crashing back down with a deafening bang, cracking the asphalt. This time, another vampire was caught, one of the men; and if he wasn't dead, Torryn was certain he wouldn't be rising again any time soon. The last two, however, lunged out of the way and now briskly approached Skylar.

"Skylar!" she shouted. They were feet away, then inches, nearly touching him... "Let me go!" She found herself able to move again just as the car dropped lifelessly to the ground, just as the female vampire caught the boy hard enough in the stomach to send him sailing several yards through the air before he finally fell back to the earth. Her body jerked into action before she had the chance to think about it, sprinting toward the female who now strode coolly toward Skylar's crumpled form.

The man stepped into her path, however, reaching swiftly for her throat. She ducked beneath his hand and landed a quick blow to his nose, one hard enough to break it, then another punch to his stomach. He staggered back a couple of steps, though he was still on his feet and ready for the fight, but she charged past him.

"Skylar," she snarled to herself. "If you weren't so fucking stubborn, this would all be over by now." She heard the male vampire close on her tail, but she was already leaping through the air and onto the female's back.

She'd expected the woman to buckle beneath her sudden added weight, but she bore it as if Torryn were no more than a kitten latching on with its tiny claws, swiftly gripping one of the girl's arms and flinging her over her shoulder and onto the pavement. The wind was knocked from Torryn's lungs, her mind and body jarred by the sudden collision with the ground, but she wouldn't still. She lurched to her feet and faced the woman squarely. The man paused beside the female now, eyeing Torryn as he effectively ignored the blood dripping from his nose.

"No one mentioned a telekinetic," he said, smiling wickedly as Torryn gasped for air.

"We should've known, though," the woman said dryly, eyeing Torryn with distaste. "It was mentioned that she had a close friend who had such powers, and considering the pathetic little twit only has two friends left, it stands to reason that this one would be a telekinetic."

"Hey!" Torryn protested. "I have more than two friends!"

"Eh," the woman said with a shrug. "More like had." And she was suddenly in front of Torryn, a hand tightly gripping the girl's throat. "You'll be dying now, okay?" she said simply, not a hint of emotion to her tone in spite of the cold smile spreading across her lips.

Torryn found herself dangling a foot above the ground a second later, the woman's grip on her throat tightening until she swore her windpipe was about to burst. She clawed at the woman's wrist and kicked at her stomach, but no matter how hard she struggled, the woman barely moved. Finally, as her vision began to dim, as a last desperate attempt to escape before her throat was crushed, she gripped the woman's arm and twisted her body up until she could land a hard kick to the vampire's face.

Now, the woman staggered, if only a step or two, though her grip remained painfully tight on Torryn's throat. The girl twisted and kicked again, harder this time, and the leverage provided by the push finally pried Torryn free from the woman's hand.

She hit the ground and immediately rolled away from the vampires, coughing and gasping for air as she went along. Her throat throbbed, but she did her best to ignore the pain, staggering to her feet to face the man and the woman. Behind them, she could see the figure of the fallen female crawling to her feet like a zombie emerging from its grave. How long before the others were up? She could barely hold her own against the first two. She'd be doomed if she had to face them all.

"They said you'd struggle," the woman remarked almost absentmindedly as she wiped a bit of blood from the corner of her mouth. She took a step forward, and Torryn shifted into a fighting stance, but the woman only smiled. "Don't worry, okay? This'll all be over soon." The faint scent of vampiric pheromones tickled Torryn's nose, and though she quickly leaped back, her mind was already swimming in the pleasant haze that the chemicals had cast over her mind. She dropped to her knees, vaguely wishing that Antony had been here to catch her, and watched as the woman walked slowly toward her.

A pale hand reached toward her, slender and youthful. The delicate fingers brushed a strand of auburn hair from her eyes, then traveled slowly down her cheek, growing closer and closer to her waiting throat.

Blood suddenly spattered across the ghostly white skin, marring the ethereal pallor with a streak of red; but white turned to gray soon enough, and the ashen body toppled to the ground in front of Torryn, the head, separate from the rest, landing only inches from the girl's lap.

She could feel the fog in her mind beginning to dissipate at the sight of the spectacle, at the realization that a massive shard of glass hovering in the air overhead had just taken out this cocksure vampire. It darted off as the male vampire who had been lurking nearby started forward, slicing through his throat like a knife through softened butter. The body crumpled to the ground, ashen like the woman's, and the glass zoomed off to meet the other woman's throat. She, too, fell to the ground, her dusty form frozen in mid-run, and the shard dashed away to somewhere Torryn couldn't see – likely taking care of the remaining vampires, she presumed.

"Are you all right?" a voice asked from beside her, and Skylar was suddenly kneeling before her, his brow knit in a worried frown.

"I'm perfectly fine," she said, surprised at the harsh rasp that left her mouth. Was that really her voice? "You don't look so good, though." There was a smear of red on the boy's chin, and another streak of crimson colored his left cheek, a deep scrape from where he'd met the asphalt. Similar wounds were scattered across his body, his gray shirt stained with blood, but he only smiled at her.

"I'm fine," he reassured her, but his grin was soon replaced by a frown as he reached out to gently prod her throat. She hissed in pain and jerked back, not expecting such a sharp pain. "That's going to be one nasty bruise, though."

"It's not a big deal," she said, pushing herself to her feet. Her head spun, but she shook it off as best she could. "The glass was a good idea, by the way," she remarked, eyeing the ashen corpses that littered the road. Her eyes drifted back to Skylar's face as he straightened, and she smirked. "Did you finally give up on showing off by trying to use the whole car?"

"I wasn't showing off," he grumbled, scowling at her.

"So you were just too stupid to use something as subtle as glass in the first place?"

He opened his mouth to speak, but snapped it shut after a moment, his scowl darkening. "Let's just get you home," he said sharply, turning to head for the car. "We need to have a little talk with Antony."

"Why?" she asked, following him slowly. The vampires might have been acquaintances of Antony's, but what did that matter?

He stopped and looked back at her, eyebrows raised. "Because, sweetcheeks," he said in a tone that suggested this was the most obvious thing in the world, "this looks a lot like a hit, don'tcha think?"

Her face completely blanked. There was just no way he meant what she thought he meant. "You mean, like...someone hired these people to kill us?"

"Not us, babes," he pointed out, brows still held high on his forehead. "You. And not just anyone hired them."

She felt her eyes widening. "You think Antony tried to have me killed?"

"Bingo," he said with a wry smile. "Now, get your sexy ass in the car. He's got some 'splaining to do." He started toward the car again, but she stayed where she was, eyes wide and focused on some unimportant point in the distance.

Nuh uh, she thought to herself in a tone that even she found to be childish. There's no way...

But what if there was? What if Antony had decided that she was just a liability, a loose end that needed tying up to secure his rise to vampiric power?

A gust of cool air swept over the land, and she shivered. There was only one way to find out, wasn't there?

She jogged to the car and slid in to the passenger's seat, catching a glimpse of her own stern, determined face in the side mirror. She would face him if she had to, she thought. She would do what needed to be done.

At least, she hoped she would.