Page 27 of The Vampire Oracle
“Mhm,” he said, barely listening.
“When will the academy open back up?”
“Hard to say. Frazier and I haven’t decided. A lot of… other things to take care of.”
“Mhm…” I sat back, stopping my tapping.
He started his round of taps. “Did you see that new bar down the street?”
My brows pulled. “The Titty Bar?”
He chuckled. “Fancy meeting there soon?”
I rolled my eyes, letting the tapping fill in the secret message. “Will you actually ever settle down? Or will you just be finding random fucks all your life?”
“Watch it, Kierry. I am superior to you.”
“By a few points,” I stated, standing.
“Whatever. Have a good night. All the paperwork here for me?”
“Yes, sir. And sir about those runes… Did you guys ever figure them out?” That was safe to ask…. Right?
“Out of my rankings. The Fathers above us will be taking care of it now.”
That didn’t leave many people on our side to talk to about it.
“Okay, thank you.” I moved out of the room, replaying our tapping conversation. It was morse code, something different that only he and I knew.
I said in taps, “Spectre is with us. Getting her ready to join us.”
He replied with, “I want to meet her.”
He suggested the club down the street from his place, but that wouldn’t do. Ashbourne was going to think I was a pervert. Why do I care about what she thinks?
Once I got back to my house late at night, I threw my coat on the rack and walked into the kitchen. Ashbourne’s childhood friend was at the table, sipping water and writing something on paper.
“How did it go?” I asked, moving to grab a beer.
“You tell me, Kier. You have cameras.”
I wasn’t fazed by that. “My cameras are for me and my friends’ safety and yours as well.”
“And where does she land? The friends or the girl you’re leading on for your own gain?” he spat.
I chuckled, turning to him. It was about time he let down his facade. “Where does she land with you? A friend or the girl you didn’t have the balls to get?”
His eyes snapped to me. I could tell from the moment he came up from behind us at the station. The hesitating steps and the skipped steps as she laughed. Then the way he looked at her. Like she was something radiant, and she was.
“Or better yet. The girl you didn’t want to see die, so you stayed away and faked your death?” I fired with a smirk on my lips.
Cozen licked his lips. “So what? You’re going to tell her?”
“Hell no. She doesn’t need any more heartbreak right now.”
“You barely know her.”
I shrugged. “That’s true. But I know her better than you. I saw her face when she saw Jade. The hurt. The rage. If it is her, and she finds out that her best friend left because he was heartbroken over losing Jade and couldn’t stick around to watch her die, then I will not break that to her.”