Chapter 12 (2/2)

Matthew kept his arms around my neck while she used a ipe on his loss on his lips, though they didn't seem to need any to me She took the hat from me and put it overhis curls If he'd been any older the outfit would have been e to any boy I'd ever met, but at three it was actuallycute I would not admit it out loud, but it was

"Thank you so ot it"

I could, but I just smiled and kept quiet Quiet usually worked better between Monica and irl version of his outfit bounced up, and he wiggled to be put down I did so, happily

Monica watched him run aith the others in his class with that proverbial mother's look: pride, love, and almost possession I never doubted that she loved her little boy It was one of the reasons I was nice to her

She turned to ht so I can concentrate on the business tomorrow"

I nodded, and tried to make my escape Monica was apparently a better lawyer than she was a hu, or at least Jean-Claude trusted her to do up the contracts that ned toood businessman

"Agreed," I said, and tried to slip away

She grabbed my arm I don't like to be touched by people that I'm not close to I stiffened under her hand, but she didn't see offered a seventeen-year-old boy toy I'd be more excited, Anita"

Mattheas out of sight so I let o of my arm, her eyes a little wide, face surprised "Oh, come on, Anita, oman wouldn't be flattered?"

"First, I haven't agreed to letting hias toain"

"Touchy," she said, and then her face softened and her eyes glittered with so to like "Defensive of him already, Anita My, e"

I leaned in and hissed in her ear "We were all mind-raped by one of the scariest vampires to ever exist, Monica She used er She used ers in a bid to survive even if itall of us You tell rabbed her arm somewhere in all that

She spoke low "You're hurting me"

I let go of her, and stepped back She looked up at me, and I think for a ry, and for just amoment I knew that she didn't like me any more than I liked her, not really Then I watched a different look cross her face, one that ood look, but a woman knohen another woman is about to drive the blade home

"Funny how it's never your fault when you have to have sex with all these men, Anita," and with that she walked away She walked aith the proverbial knife stuck deep and hard right throughcuts deeper than when another person says exactly what you're afraid to say out loud Hell, Matthew had said it, too, in his way All the big boys kiss you, 'Nita

I fled the laughing costu eyes I waved at Matthew as he called irls in his class I wanted to be in o on second Yeah, that was it, I hurried to my seat to make sure I'd see his performance, but I knew that wasn't the truth I ran towardfor ht and alltoo much