“We’ll break into the damn place if we have to.”
“We’re thieves now?” I asked.
Max shrugged. “What would you rather be, a thief or dead?”
“Is there an option C?”
Dana asked, “How are we going to get to the shop, though? You said we shouldn’t go on foot.”
“We’re not all going to go,” he told her.
I felt dread creep into my stomach, and it twisted so sharply I had to lean forward to control the pain. Dana must have felt the same way because her eyes darted toward me and then back at Max. “Split up?” she trembled. “We just found each other.”
Max put his hand on her shoulder and said, “Only one or two of us need to go. Don’t worry.”
“Who’s going?”
“Me and Daggett.”
Daggett lifted his head up and let his eyes bounce around the group, like he was trying to make sure he had heard correctly. “Me? Why me? Shouldn’t someone stay with the women?”
“Prince Charming over here,” Priscilla commented with a scoff.
Max approached Daggett. “The only way we can sneak out of here mostly undetected and get to the store fast enough is if we’re in wolf form. You and I are the only ones here who can do this at will.”
“Would that actually work?” Dana asked.
“It’s our best shot. I doubt they’re as fast as us, and it’ll let us break into that place without cameras catching us.”
“What about us?” Priscilla asked. “You’re just gonna leave us behind with no way to defend ourselves?”
“I can protect us,” Melanie said.
“Me too,” Dana added.
They exchanged a faint smile.
“That’s cute and very ra-ra feminist of you both, but we’re outnumbered,” Priscilla complained. “Dana can’t even wolf-out when she wants to, and Melanie is only one vampire. And if that Master dude shows up, we’re completely fucked.”
“They’re not gonna show up, because they don’t know that you’re with us,” Max said to her. “As soon as we’re gone, you’ll kill the lights, which will clue them in that something is up. They’ll start sneaking around the building looking for us and realize that we bailed, and then they’ll come after us while the rest of you hide out.”
“That’s a pretty iffy scenario,” Daggett replied.
“You got a better plan?”
“Maybe not a better plan.”
“What if I was the one who left?” Melanie said. “They’re after me anyway.”
Before I could raise my voice to tell her it was an insane idea, Max very casually said, “No. The whole point of us two going is so they don’t know where you are. You isolate yourself, and you’re as good as dead.”
“Is it really fair that you two get yourselves killed for me?”
“We won’t be killed. We have ten times the speed and strength when we change than when we’re human.”
Melanie scoffed. “So do we. But we don’t have to turn ours on.”
Gravely serious, he said, “This will work. Trust me.”
The worst part of this plan wasn’t that Max was putting himself in danger or that we were left to fend for ourselves, but that all of this would be happening and he was completely in the right to let it. His plan was the most sensical, and as much as I wanted to fight him about it, it’d only be wasting precious time.
I guess it was my turn to worry about him now.
Just as I had this thought, Priscilla turned to me and said, “You’re being uncharacteristically quiet. You choking on air over there?”
My mouth dropped. “You said you weren’t going to make fun of me for that anymore. But, no, that’s not what’s happening, I’m just…I’m thinking.”
“As equally dangerous.”
“Why are you single again?” Melanie sarcastically asked.
Priscilla glared at her. “No man is ready for what I have to offer.”
“Crabs?”
A few of us chuckled, but no one louder than Dana. Her cheeks instantly turned red afterward and she covered her mouth with her hand to stifle the continuous laughter.
Melanie had been in such a dark, mopey place that it was easy to forget she had a sharp tongue much like Priscilla, and no filter. They were more alike than they realized.
“Cora?” Max called out, his voice breaking through the catty chatter around us. “What are you thinking? How pissed are you right now?”
“I’m not at all,” I replied with a headshake. “I actually agree with you. This is our best option.”
Max squeezed his lips together tightly and quietly smiled. It was a reluctant smile, and I knew it was because he was relieved that we were on the same page, but also sad we were on the same page. Because if we were in a similar headspace, he knew I was dreading us being apart again just as much as he was.
We had, after all, only been together for an hour, tops. I hated this. So much.
Daggett crossed his arms over his chest and said, “If we’re gonna do this, we gotta do it now. Every second we stand here is one more second they have to figure out we’re kind of clueless as to what we’re doing.”
“We’re not clueless,” Max replied and slapped the back of his hand against Daggett’s chest. Daggett rubbed the area afterward like a bullet had pierced his flesh. “You ladies lock this place up tight, and we’ll be back before you know it.”
“What if there isn’t a battery for you to steal?” Dana asked.
Max’s jaw clenched. “Well, I guess we’re fucked then.”
Priscilla let out one loud laugh. “Oh, goody. I love a motivational speech.”
Max blew air out of his mouth, and a lock of his brown hair flicked from his forehead. Even he couldn’t fault Priscilla for her response. He looked over at Dana and asked, “Is there a back exit to this building?”
“We have
