For once in my life, I wasn’t jealous of the good-looking tall guy.
Max drew close to Melanie, put his hand on her upper back, and whispered, “I need you to do something. Take a walk with me.” The two then disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Priscilla and me alone in the living room. Dana was still upstairs, either crying or sulking. Knowing her, probably all of that with a little dash of eavesdropping as well.
“What do you think they’re talking about?” Priscilla asked as she arched her neck back and tried to see what they were doing. They were just standing by the kitchen counter talking quietly.
“Probably something to do with her vampirism,” I guessed.
“A vampire and a werewolf in the kitchen…I feel like there’s a bad joke somewhere in there. Where’s Cora when you need her?”
Priscilla looked sad, and before I could comment on it, she knelt in front of the coffee table and began lining each butcher knife and large fork across the surface as if she were doing inventory. “I don’t know how Max thinks I’m gonna carry all of this,” she said. “Women have more hiding places than men, but putting a pointy knife there doesn’t sound like the best idea.”
I sat down on the floor next to her and placed my hand on top of hers, stopping her from shuffling around the weapons. She needed to hear this. “You don’t have to do this, you know. Max is on high alert and wants as many people as he can to tag along, but I won’t let him do that if you’re feeling unsure.”
“As precious as it is that you’re looking out for me, it’s fine.” She almost didn’t sound sarcastic when she called me precious. “I want to be here.”
It was admirable, and I smiled. “I guess you have a lot of history dealing with things of this nature, with Rookridge and all that.”
“I have a history, but not a good history. It was a lot of screaming and cursing and hoping I didn’t die. This is the first time where I’ll have to get my hands dirty.”
“You’re cool with that?”
“I’m working on it,” she admitted.
She bit down on her fat bottom lip and the lipstick momentarily collected at the tips of her teeth before she brushed her tongue across them. Priscilla had such a pretty, full set of lips. I could only imagine how good they’d feel against mine.
I cleared my throat. “Since we might die and all, I was wondering…” She looked up at me, her large, blue eyes inquisitive. “When we were talking in the hallway, did we…I mean, were we about to…? Or am I off?”
“Don’t ruin it by asking.”
I pulled my lips into my mouth and bit down. “Right,” I said, regretfully.
“But yeah, we almost did.”
I smiled. “Seriously?”
Priscilla let out a loud scoff. “And there you go trying to ruin it.”
“My happiness is ruining it?”
“No, that face you’re making, like you won tickets to Disneyworld. This isn’t supposed to be a big deal, okay? We’re just…we almost hooked up. It’s not that deep.”
“What if I want it to be deep?”
That sounded perverted.
Must. Stay. Focused.
Her shoulders slumped as she sighed. “Daggett.”
I inched closer to her. “You’re the most interesting person I’ve ever met.”
“You need to get out more.”
“Be serious,” I pleaded.
“I am.”
“I know you like me. You’re just too afraid to admit it because I’m not what you envisioned for yourself. It’s okay, you’re not what I saw for myself, either.”
Priscilla clicked her tongue and tossed her head back slightly. “Thanks, Romeo.”
I shrugged. “You’re better.”
The speed in which she whipped her head toward me was almost supernatural. Her bottom lip dropped and hung there for a moment, and then she sort of giggled to herself.
I crawled off of the floor and said, “I’m into you, Priscilla, but if you want us to take it to the next level, then you’re gonna have to be the one to make a move.”
Her face fell, her red lips parted, and her eyes widened like she’d seen a ghost. She expected me to keep throwing myself at her and hoping for something to happen, and when I put my foot down, it knocked her for a loop.
I turned away from her, knowing she was still reacting to what I said, and then I smiled. Who was the alpha now?
Chapter Thirty-Four
MELANIE
I wasn’t even scared when I went upstairs to a quiet place. I was just ready to get the show on the road.
I found a dark, empty room that no one had checked into, sat down in a rocking chair near the bed, closed my eyes, and waited for The Master to let me in. Just as Max and I had discussed. It didn’t take long for him to appear, as I was certain he was already waiting for me. He knew we’d be looking for Cora.
Our minds linked up, and it took me to a sandy beach in the middle of a sunny day. I was barefoot and in cut-off shorts, standing on the shore near a hill of sand and rocks. Master hadn’t felt the warm rays of sun in hundreds of years, and if I didn’t hate his fucking guts so much, I might find his headspace being here almost sad.
I waited for his appearance, and it came in from the water. He didn’t swim in, he walked across the waves like a Christ-like figure. Master’s black attire and long, raven hair were dry and
