“Allison, are you ok? What’s wrong?”
Veronica has an innate skill for reading my moods and knowing when something is wrong. It makes me wonder for a split second if she’s a vampire too.
“I’m fine. Just a little stressed with everything.”
“You work too hard. You need to put your coursework aside and just try to have a little fun over there. Get naked with Simon.”
I laugh, feeling some of the tension leave my shoulders. “Roni, I can’t believe you just said that.” I’d love to reveal that every part of me wants to get naked with Draven instead, feel the normalcy of girl talk, but I don’t.
“When will you be home?”
I sigh. “I’m not sure.” In fact, I don’t think I’ll ever go home again.
Veronica fills me in on what’s happening in her day-to-day life. It feels nice to forget about vampires and sexy husbands for a few minutes. My carefree existence in Portland feels like a lifetime ago.
After everything that’s happened, I can’t picture returning and continuing the life I once lived. When we say our goodbyes, I want to climb through the phone and go grab coffee with her. Sit in the coffee shop and act like my largest problem is whether I’ll turn my assignments in on time. But Transylvania is my new home, and that girl no longer exists.
And I don’t know how I feel about that.
Seventeen
Draven
* * *
“Bogdan hasn’t done much at all,” Simon says on our phone call.
“Good.”
“Vlad thinks he’s planning something.”
I scrub a hand along my jaw. “Why do you think that?”
“Just a hunch. It’s nothing. Bogdan hasn’t done anything out of the ordinary.” He’s silent for a beat before he asks, “Are you sure you want this, Uncle?”
“Of course I do. Don’t you?”
Simon takes so long to answer I check my cell phone to make sure I haven’t dropped the call.
“I do,” he finally says. “But sometimes the thought of it is hard to grasp.”
“I know. It’s hard for me too, but it’s the right thing.”
“Yes. Once I have more information, I’ll get back to you.”
I hang up knowing Vlad, Gregor, and Simon will do their best in tracking Bogdan’s movements.
Viggo blows into my office, his enraged face like a blustery cloud before a raging storm. “Rao’s letting him go.”
“Grander?”
Viggo nods. “Rao met with his other clan leaders last night.”
“I feel like he just wants to show off his power.”
“They know they’re about to lose it.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “He needs to be taken out. We need to form this council whether or not they want it. We can’t have people going around killing each other.”