“Good night, Addison,” I heard him murmur,far behind me when I finally reached the top. “I’ll see youtomorrow night.”
That’s what I’m afraid of! Withoutanswering, I left and went looking for Taylor. I didn’t wantanything else to do with Corbin tonight—not if I could help it.
Chapter Eight
I found Taylor in a small dark room not muchbigger than a janitor’s closet. Someone had jammed a tiny foldingcot in there with one small, flat pillow and a scratchy puke-greenblanket. All in all, it didn’t look very comfortable. Although itwas miles better than the opulent bedroom in Celeste’s mansionwhere my friend had so lately been tied up and tortured.
Taylor must have thought the same waybecause the minute I came into her tiny room, she threw herself inmy arms and hugged me.
“Oh, Addison, you shouldn’t have! Thank youso much but I wish you hadn’t done it.”
“I only did what any good friend would do,”I protested.
“No, you didn’t. You went above and beyond.Way beyond.” Her dark eyes widened. “I can’t believe you putyourself in Corbin’s power just to help me.”
I made a shooing motion with one hand.“Please, it’s no big deal. I’m just pretending to be his girlfrienduntil that Inquisitor bastard leaves town.”
“Shhh!” Taylor looked around warily asthough someone might be listening in under the door of her crappylittle room.
“What?” I frowned at her. “I’ll call himthat to his face and a lot worse after what he…” But I couldn’tfinish. The pain in her eyes was still too new, too fresh. “Oh,Taylor,” I murmured, patting her arm.
She sniffed and shook her head decisively.“No, don’t, Addison. I don’t…don’t want to cry anymore. Not now.Besides, I don’t have a right to complain to you, not after whatyou did for me.”
“Oh come on.” I shifted uncomfortably.“Don’t start that again.”
“What did he do to you?” she demanded in alow voice. “I heard him talking about punishing you. I know youthought I was too wrapped up in myself to notice but I heardthat—did he hurt you?”
I thought of Corbin’s method of “punishment”and hoped very much that my face wasn’t as red as my hair.
“Um…” I shifted again. “You mind if I sit onthe bed? It’s been a long day…er, night.”
“Sure.” Taylor sat beside me and the littlecot creaked with our combined weight. “You still didn’t answer myquestion,” she said.
“And I’m not going to,” I said firmly.“Let’s just say I’m not hurt and leave it at that.”
“But Addison—”
“Taylor, I don’t want to talk aboutit.”
“Okay. I’m sorry.” She looked down at herhands, clasped loosely in her lap. “I didn’t mean to pry. I justfeel so bad about what happened to you—whatever it was.”
“Oh, honey…” I grabbed her hand and squeezedit tight. “I feel the same way for you. But the point is we bothmade it through. And now that Corbin’s got you under hisprotection, you’ll never have to go through anything like thatagain. So…” I cleared my throat and looked around. “How are theytreating you so far? Besides the palatial digs, that is?”
Taylor gave a little half-laugh—a far cryfrom the joyful little giggle I remembered from our roommate days,but still better than sobbing.
“Oh, you know…it’s not so bad. They evengave me refreshments.” She nodded at a half-empty bag of bloodlying to one side of the sad, flat pillow.
“About that,” I said. “Corbin says he’llfind you a willing donor—someone willing to, uh, pay the CrimsonDebt?”
Taylor went pale. “A willing donor would benice but I don’t want anyone paying the Debt for me,” she saidquickly.
“It wouldn’t be a human, I’m sure,” I said,trying to reassure her.
“I don’t care who it is.” She looked down.“I don’t want that—sex and blood at the same time, I mean. I don’tthink…” She sighed. “Addison, I don’t honestly think I’ll ever wantto have sex again. Not after…” She shook her head. “You know.”
“I know.” I squeezed her handsympathetically. The broken look in her beautiful eyes made me soangry I wanted to scream. “God damn it,” I said in a low voice.“Roderick, that evil fuck. Vamps are so screwed up—they’reall bowing and scraping to him when what he really needs is abullet right in the chest. I’d be glad to put it there, too.”
“Don’t talk like that, Addison,” Taylorimplored. “It’s not safe. Besides, I’ve heard it takes morethan just bullets to kill the really old ones.”
“I guarantee if I put enough hollow pointsin that empty, rotten cavity he calls a heart he’ll die,” I saidfuriously.
“No, he won’t,” she said. “Seriously,once a vamp reaches six stars, they’re practically indestructible.So please, Addison, don’t try going Dirty Harry on him. You’ll justget yourself killed.”
“Well, as long as I take him down with me,maybe I don’t care,” I grumbled, but decided to let the matterdrop. I squeezed her hand again. “I’d invite you back to my placebut I don’t have any bagged blood on hand if you feel peckish. AndI don’t think…” I sighed. “I don’t think I can feed you anymoreuntil after this whole thing with evil fuck Roderick is over andCorbin and I part ways.”
“I understand,” Taylor said quickly. “Mostvamps are picky like that. Me taking blood from you while you’rewith Corbin would be like…well, it would be like you were cheatingon him, like he said in the car.”
“Yes, so I understand.” I sighed. “He’sgoing to have to get over the idea of owning me really quick,though. As soon as this is all over, we’re going back to the usualstatus quo.”
Taylor gave me a wan smile. “What, you meanhim harassing you and you writing him as many citations aspossible?”
“Exactly,” I said grumpily, althoughhonestly, the idea of going back to our old relationship seemed alittle strange now that Corbin had seen me naked. Ugh, nowthat was going to be a fun fact to consider the next time Icame to inspect Under the Fang.
“Addison,” Taylor said quietly. “Has it everoccurred to you that maybe Corbin really cares for you?”
“What? Don’t be silly.” I frowned. “I’m justa conquest to him—it’s a feather in his cap to be able to say thata non-glam Auditor is his consort. It’s like…like a mobster showingoff his girlfriend
