“I think that I’m the only person on earth who told you the truth from the first moment we met. I was real with you. Then I tried to help you when all you wanted to do was kill me. And you think that’s true love.”
“It is.”
I shook my head. “No, Quinn. That’s not love. That’s gratitude.”
His expression hardened. “No, that’s not true.”
“I helped ease you into your crappy new life as a vampire. And you’ve convinced yourself that there’s more between us than there actually is.”
“Sarah, just listen to me—”
“Just because you believe something is true, doesn’t necessarily mean it is. Like thinking Thierry had anything to do with these murders. It’s not true. If you just stand back and look at things objectively,
you’d see it. The world is not as black and white as you’d like to think.”
“It is true. It’s all true. I love you.”
I reached across the bar to touch his arm. “And I love you. But not the way you want me to. I want only the best for you. And it’s not me.”
“Don’t say that.”
“I’m sorry.” My throat hurt. I felt tears burning my eyes.
He swallowed hard. “But when I kissed you, you kissed me back.”
“I know.”
“That meant nothing to you?”
“It meant that I’m confused. I’m trying to figure things out. It might take me a long time before I finally do.”
“I’ll wait.”
I shook my head. “Please don’t.”
He looked away. “Then I guess we’re done here.”
“I guess so. I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, me, too.”
I reached up to touch his injured face again, but he pulled away from me, and with glistening eyes and a hurt expression he stormed out of the club without another word.
I was left alone. Again. Wondering if I should have just kept my mouth shut but knowing that would have been impossible.
Ididn’t stick around the club for much longer after that. I cleaned up the place a bit, moved the broken furniture off to the side. Picked up the broken glass without injuring myself this time. Go me. I got Lenny and Janie to drive me to Thierry’s townhome, but he wasn’t there. No sign of Gideon Chase all day. Maybe he wasn’t as interested in the Slayer of Slayers as Nicolai had been led to believe. Or maybe the news was already spreading that I was nobody to be afraid of.
I decided to think about it tomorrow. Then, feeling like a big pile of crap who’d just destroyed everything she cared about in the world, I had them drop me back off at George’s place to mope and feel sorry for myself. Well,our place. I guess. It would only be a matter of time before he started charging me rent. Which, since I was broke, would probably end badly. I didn’t want to think about what had just happened. Quinn probably hated me now. I didn’t even want to know what Thierry thought about the situation. I wanted to put it all out of my mind. Was that possible? Unlikely, but here’s hoping.
I didn’t have a key, so I knocked on the door. After a moment it swung open and Amy looked out at me with red-rimmed eyes.
“My marriage is over,” she announced. “Want to get really, really drunk?”
I took a deep breath. “What the hell are you doing here?”
She held the door open and I brushed past her. Barkley came bounding over to me and I let him jump up and lick my face. If he really was a werewolf I was going to kick his butt someday, but if he was just a dog, it was a nice way to be greeted after a lousy day.
George emerged from the kitchen. “We’re eating ice cream. Amy brought it over.”
She nodded. “I did. Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey. Want some?”
I shook my head. “Remember I’m the one who can’t eat solid food anymore? But thanks for rubbing it in.”
She promptly burst into tears. “I’m sorry! I forgot!” She grabbed me and hugged me hard to sob against my shoulder. I patted her back.
“It’s okay. So what’s going on? Did you leave Barry?”
After a moment, she pulled away. “I know you’ve had a terrible week and I hate to unload on you like I have been. But yes. He doesn’t know it yet, but I’m gone. I confronted him about my suspicions but he didn’t say anything to make me think he’s not cheating. In fact, I think the other woman was there this afternoon.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Why do you think that?”
“Because he wouldn’t let me go into the den. He has it barricaded. She was probably hiding in there like a cheap, hiding whore.”
Or more likely it was all of the birthday party paraphernalia he was trying to hide. I didn’t know why
Barry insisted on throwing Amy a surprise birthday party. It was a nice idea and all, but now that she was all freaking out about thinking he was cheating on her, wouldn’t this be a good opportunity to come clean? Maybe have a nice regular birthday party without the surprise, and therefore without the accusations of infidelity?
Then again, I was not exactly the right person to ask about her views on infidelity, or for that matter,
surprises, so I was staying clear of this.
Besides, after our exchange earlier, I think if I let the proverbial cat out of the bag, Barry might stake me in my sleep.
Amy would be feeling her pain until tomorrow when it was revealed that her diminutive husband (aka
Cranky Bastard) cared enough to throw a party for her. And then she’d be happy again. Till then, she was miserable. And since I was currently miserable—to say the very least—I figured that it was only fair.
“I never should have married him,” she wailed.
I frowned. “What have you done to your teeth?”
She bared them for me. Her fangs, which she’d just developed last week, were gone.
“What happened to your fangs?”
“If I don’t have Barry anymore, I don’t want to be a vampire,” she said very seriously.