Page 28 (1/1)
"Oatuts "It’s faster to get into oire ht and Bruiser slid his ar oire fell in beside me and his scent wrapped around me, a near synesthesia I sometimes found when Beast was very close to the front offlowers, a scent I’d always thought was luscious The va to charelic beauty, but an uncertain one, which made him seem almost human He took my arm, above the elbow, as if I was about to fall And with the floorup and down like waves, and around like the water in a toilet bowl, maybe I was
The four of us made it into the elevator before I threw up, all over the elevator floor, at least ninety percent of the water I’d guzzled Grégoire stepped back quickly to protect his shoes, which were a wine-colored patent leather If I hadn’t been tossing led Eli was still in the hallway, out of the line of fire Bruiser didn’t react at all except to give me a clean hanky to wipe my mouth "Sorry about your shoes," I croaked
"They’re just shoes, Jane," Bruiser replied And the spare phraseturn over inside me Just shoes Not important As if I was more important than the shoes
The others stepped inside, onto a clean patch of floor, and the doors closed, leaving e that reeked of vamp scent, human scent, the heated warer human but wasn’t vamp either, and oire, holding so lacy to his nose, palmed the display with his other hand and activated the button panel on the elevator It lurched gently into motion as Eli offered me another bottle of water "Try it slow this ti hts on the display And I dropped the water, jerking ain he didn’t question, just followedin his voice Beside hiuns and blades
"We’re going down Way down," I said I’d been so sick I hadn’t noticed
Grégoire hissed Placed his hand over the biometric handprint reader and pressed a button The elevator came to an abrupt stop, so fast I lost my precarious balance--still not back to norhtened around ainst hihts in the elevator flickered, browned down to a dull glow, and went out, leaving us in the darkness I think I growled, just enough of Beast left in e that with a human throat
The lightless interval didn’t last long Maybe five seconds But it was enough time to make h because I was a monster And I was in an elevator, stuck between floors, with anothersweet and flowery And watery vohts caoire stood with his back to a corner, pupils black in bloody orbs, fangs snapped down, holding blades in both hands, talons extended A oire had never been huoire My friend," Bruiser added softly "We are well There is no need of battle Jane, Eli, please put away the weapons"
"There’s--" A dark rooht Not saying that I thuun to Eli "There’s one in the chaun, but I wasn’t sure how because I’d still held the open bottle of water The elevator quivered, dropped an inch, and then started up again Grégoire’s eyes bled back to human so fast I would have missed it if I’d blinked
No one spoke until the doors opened on the main floor, at which point I pushed away fro on my oo feet inup To Grégoire, I asked, "You know about the dark room at the bottom of the elevator shaft?"
"There is no such roooire said stiffly He sheathed his blades, yanked on the lace cuffs sticking out of the sleeves of his velvet coat--wine colored to match his shoes--and stalked off the elevator Liar, liar, pants on fire, I thought His liar pants were velvet too, which h frorioire had found ti leathers
"Yeah," I ht as I could with the claht over the last few le froe fro ca or any subbaseot in Get Alex on it, and secure the footage I don’t want it appearing on YouTube" Ibut he seeht
Eli nodded and pulled his cell to call Alex To Bruiser, I said, "Food? And soain and I doubled over
"I’ll send housecleaning," Bruiser said, scooping me up in his arms like soreen room just off the foyer, and dropped uest cart I could hear squeaking down the hallway The cart was stocked with guest goody bags for just such occasions--though usually for a vaood sunscreen or a casket to sleep in Not that I’d ever insult a sane vaht really sleep in one That was an old wives’ tale and a terrible offense to suggest
In short order I had brushedoatmeal, or what passed for oatround, and had been cooked in such a way that the starch was activated The oats had turned into a ruel It was topped with cinna Not the way I cooked oatht that h like a madwoman deep inside, but not close to the surface where anyone could see or hear I ate the vile stuff anyway, for the calories I’d used half shifting and fighting and then half shifting again And I drank the milk, which was full fat and ice-cold and delicious