Enemy Within (Vampire Born Trilogy, #2) (9 page)

I even put a little extra swing in my hips, just for him, and smile as I walk into fourth block.

I halt.

Hawk’s sitting in the corner. Mirko doesn’t trust me to take care of myself; he was only switching off with Hawk.

“Hi, Hawk,” I say as I step forward and drop onto the stool next to him.

His pierced lip quivers like he’s fighting back a grin.

“Yeah, yeah. You and Mirko are sooo clever.”

He can’t fight it anymore and lets out a deep chuckle. “He knew you’d be all pissy about it, but damn, now I owe him ten bucks.”

I turn to him. “You bet on how I would react?” Jerks.

“Yeah, I thought you would be giddy to have him in all your classes, but he knew it would tick you off.” He laughs and shakes his head. “He was right.”

“You know, I kind of have the urge to pull out that lip ring to wipe the smirk off your face.”

He laughs harder.

I roll my eyes and turn forward, ready to ignore Hawk for the rest of art. I take it one step further and ignore him all the way to the lunch hall.

Kaitlynn’s curled up under David’s arm when I catch up with them—the same time Jaren does.

I’m nervous about seeing him, but he gives me a slight smile.

“What’s up, man? Too good to answer my calls now?” David asks as he slaps and locks hands with Jaren.

Jaren laughs. “Nah, been getting settled back in. How’ve things been with training?”

I guess Jaren stayed tucked away at Garwin’s while I was in my sleep.

“Not bad. You know me—not one to slack off, even if you do abandon me.” He smiles at Jaren and looks to me. “Sorry about your loss. How ya doing?”

I fidget, sliding my fingers in and out of my belt loop. I’m dealing with way more than the loss of a loved one. “It’s hard, but I’m ready to get back to things.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear that,” he says and wraps me in a one-armed hug, which turns into a group hug as Kaitlynn has his other arm. We laugh in David’s shoulders before he releases me.

The lunch hour feels good. Like old times. Talking, laughing, hanging out. No stress. And it’s less awkward being around Jaren than I expected, which I take as a good sign that he might stay at Garwin’s. A good thing too, because Kaitlynn’s my best friend and Jaren is David’s, and our BFFs are lovebirds now.

Mirko steps out of the shadows and approaches us.

David drops his voice. “And what’s up with all these new people?”

Jaren watches Mirko as he makes a beeline for me. “The blonds are Brooke’s cousins. They used to live with her grandma.”

David’s eyes narrow in sympathy.

Mirko reaches us and puts his arm around my shoulder, not in a protective, possessive way, but a natural, I-belong-here way.

“And this one,” Jaren says, thumbing at Mirko, “is a vagabond we picked up on our way back.”

Everyone laughs, including Mirko. Mine is of the awkward variety.

“He’s mad because Brooke wants me,” Mirko says, as if my feelings for him are a given and I hadn’t crushed Jaren’s dreams of our happily-ever-after this morning.

I elbow Mirko but he doesn’t flinch.

David and Jaren’s faces are sober. David eyes Jaren with his signature “what the hell, man?” look.

The first bell rings. “Come on. I’ll explain it to you in class.” Jaren and David walk off with Kaitlynn still folded under David’s arm.

I glare at Jaren’s back. He’d better be careful what he says.

Kaitlynn stares back at me with a promise we’ll catch up later. I nod and she offers a thumbs up.

Geez, I love that girl.

When they are far enough down the hall, I step out from under Mirko’s arm. “Could you be any ruder?”

He raises his lip in the crooked smile that weakens my knees. Some of my anger dissolves.

“He started it. I was only offering up the facts. I didn’t act differently around you before you made your choice, and I’m not going start now that you’ve made it. It’s not like I’m going to change how I feel for you because you two aren’t sure how everyone else is going to feel about our situation.”

He has a good point. And that’s one of the reasons I love him. He loves me and keeps me honest no matter the circumstances. And even though we’re in school and no one knows about the situation and would probably think worse of me for doing it, I stand on tiptoes and reach my lips to his. I brush his softly, opening my mouth slightly so he can catch the scent of my tongue.

He growls and latches onto it.

In this moment I forget where we stand. My inner beast leaps forward to the part in Mirko that comes out when he fights.

I prepare to jump up and swing my legs around his hips when someone clearing his throat breaks through my haze. What started out as an innocent sign of affection quickly morphed into an inappropriate public display of Mirko’s fierce passion.

And all right, mine too, but he started it.

“Excuse me, Ms. Keller, but I believe you should be making your way to class,” Mr. Kingston admonishes. His words are nice but the tone is clear: I left as the sweet little girl and returned as the town hussy.

Whatever. Let him try to resist Mirko’s wiles and see how well he does against them.

***

When we arrive back at Garwin
’s—Jaren is with us, thank goodness—Garwin and my mom are gathered with more strange faces in the den.

My mom meets me with a kiss on my cheek. “Hey, honey, how was your first day back?”

“Ugh. I don’t know why I thought I was missing anything important.”

She frowns.

I change the subject. “What’s going on now?”

She leads me to the sofa across from the fireplace. “This is Richard Syphis, head of the Društvos in our area. He’s here to go over your provider arrangements and preparations.”

My jaw drops. “
The
Richard Syphis? Governor of Virginia, Richard Syphis?” Wow. These secret society people run high and deep.

“Yes,” he says as he stands and shakes my hand, then Mirko’s. “Pleasure,” he says when he finally gets to Jaren.

“Richard has found a family for you to provide—”

“Wait,” I cut Garwin off, “I thought you said I would only need to feed one person?”

“You will, but these Pijawikas are a married couple. Both of them need a provider, and your mother has agreed to feed the husband.”

I peer at her with a mixture of curiosity and gratitude. I’ll be feeding the wife, which relieves me. After feeding off Mirko and knowing how intimate it is, I would’ve been beyond uncomfortable feeding a man. I have to give it to my mom for her foresight on this one.

“Thank you,” I tell her. Those simple words can’t convey to her how much her sacrifice means to me.

She smiles.

“The Tomics will be expecting you Friday night.” Richard looks at Garwin. “Will that give you adequate time to prep her?”

“Yes, I think we can manage that.”

“Good. They’re aware of your situation with Zladislov, but they have been without providers for quite some time now and are willing to accept you, anyway.”

I’m sure that is also why we had to throw my mom into the deal as well.

The governor studies me. “I know you agreed to this purely because of your predicament, but the Društvos pride ourselves in who we are and what we stand for. Are we weaker physically? Yes, but we will always be stronger when it comes to character and sacrifice. We keep our bloodlines pure to carry forward the pact that saves all humanity from a free-for-all slaughter.”

Interesting. I guess the Društvos don’t like the idea of my being a melez, either. At least they aren’t lining up to kill me over it.

Richard continues, “We are willing to accept you if you play by our rules. You must serve the Društvo name with honor. You must keep your body clean for your providees, and you will follow the Društvo customs always, the Pijawika customs whenever in their presence.”

He surveys me, probably waiting for my acquiescence, but I have no idea what I’ll be agreeing to. I don’t know much about the Pijawikan customs, save that they want me dead and think the world of themselves. And all I know about the Društvos is that they serve the Pijawikas . . . with pride. But then, I guess they’d have to be okay with it to talk their future generations into following in their footsteps.

I regard Garwin, silently asking him to give me some indication on what I should do or say because I’m at a loss for words.

Keep my body pure? What does that mean? Am I supposed to not drink or do drugs? No problem there. It’s like I’m being inducted into a cult without any knowledge about what is truly expected from me, other than to serve as someone’s food source.

“She’ll do fine,” Garwin chimes in. “We’ll prepare her and get her up to speed on our practices.”

“Very well.” Richard nods and stands.

Garwin mirrors him and shakes his hand.

“We still need to figure out Brooke’s salary. Her predicament and the Tomics’ add a few kinks to what would normally be a straightforward arrangement. If everything goes well on Friday, I’ll get the paperwork started.”

“I understand,” Garwin says. “Thank you for your consideration and assistance.” Their voices fade as Garwin walks him out.

“Does that mean I get paid?” I whisper to my mom.

“Yes, honey. Although the terms still need to be settled.”

“Hmmm.” Well, if I have to do this, at least I’m getting something in return.

I turn my attention to Mirko but can’t get a read on him. He appears indifferent, and that bothers me. I know by now that there’s usually a storm underneath his calm exterior, but that knowledge doesn’t put me at ease. “What do you think about all this?”

“I think we have a lot to go over with you,” he replies as Garwin strolls back in. He takes his seat in his armchair. The leather crunches with his weight.

“Yes,” Garwin adds. “We only have today and tomorrow to prep you, so let’s get started. Now, you’ll be arriving at the Tomics for dinner to meet with them and get a feel if this arrangement will work between you. They’ll be evaluating you as much or more as you might be assessing them. It is crucial you pay attention to everything we tell you and act accordingly upon arrival.”

“Okay,” I drawl. Geez. It’s like I’m being prepped to go on a covert mission for the FBI.

“You’ll do just fine,” my mom assures me.

Garwin continues without missing a beat. “Make sure you bow when you meet them. More so for Mr. Tomic, and really only bowing to your shoulders for Mrs. Tomic. Drop your eyes in both cases, though. You’ll need to greet him first, and if you ask her a question, make sure to look at him at the end of it.”

“I have to bow? Whatever happened to a simple handshake?” This is ridiculous. Like I’ll ever be able to remember to bow, let alone how deep I should be bowing for him versus her, and all that other crap.

“The customs between Društvos and Pijawikas have remained stagnate for quite some time. Yes, it’s a bit different than what you’re used to, but important nonetheless.”

“More like archaic,” I mumble.

“There are a lot of nuances,” my mom says, “but soon it will all be a part of the role you’ll play. Think of it as a courtesy, as being a guest in their home. Oh, and you should compliment Mrs. Tomic on their home too, but tell Mr. Tomic how well it’s run.”

Garwin moves forward, as if reading from a list of dos and don’ts. “The men will get soups and the women will get salads. Don’t ask, just eat it.” I prefer soup to lettuce. Actually anything over lettuce. “All things being passed around the table will be passed clockwise toward the head, where Mr. Tomic will be seated.”

I shake my head, trying to absorb it all, but I’m overwhelmed already.

“They know you’re part Pijawikan, so if they ask you if you’re feeding, you tell them no.”

They already told me I won’t need to really feed going forward if I don’t use any of my Pijawikan side, but it still makes me sad when he reminds me of it. Once this blood-buzz wears off, I’ll probably want another one. If I can learn how to drink from someone without hurting them, that is.