The Survivors: Body & Blood (book 3)

Addiction, pt. 3

AN HOUR LATER, AFTER WE TALKED ABOUT SOME THINGS THAT MATTERED AND many more that didn't, I watched Sadie devour a dessert concoction like a deconstructed tiramisu in a martini glass that actually just looked like a scoop of mascarpone, a shot of a liqueur of some kind, chocolate, and a lady finger stuck in the way olives would usually be in a martini. It looked delicious.

"How long are you willing to put up with Ben and Noah before you send them home?" I asked bluntly.

"You make me sound so cold," she said, licking the mascarpone off the spoon.

"Not cold. Calculated. There's a difference," I said. My arms were crossed. I was watching her.

"A nuanced difference," she said, scraping the glass for a bite. "What do you think I should do, wise one?" she said. She was wearing a neon color-blocked dress that was somehow not as offensive as the last time dayglo colors were in, and she had on this radiantly bright pink lipstick. It had not smudged, smeared, or disappeared during our entire meal.

I hated that I'd noticed.

"I don't know," I admitted. "I was kind of surprised you wanted to bring them along at all. You must think they had a specific purpose."

"You don't think it's just that I wanted to watch out for my family?" she asked. Her eyes were playful, but the meaning wasn't. She wanted to know: Did I not think she wanted that? Did I not think she was the kind of person capable of that?

I didn't, but I was better at not letting my eyes show it.

"I assumed that was part of it," I lied. She was looking down now, some deep thoughts radiating through that head. And then I caught a glimpse of it in some way. Guilt. There was guilt. "You think you can't leave them with anyone but you," I said. I felt stupid for not having figured it out sooner. She felt protective over so few, but Ben and Noah? They were at the heart of it.

"I thought they would be useful," she said, pretending we both couldn't see what she was really feeling. Then she squinted her eyes. "I mean, they could be useful, but they don't know anything about humanity, and that's turning into a difficulty. I think Noah is the best chance we have to find the rogue Survivors, and that matters. A lot. And Ben and Noah might be the only ones whose tracking power allows them to feel what I feel sometimes, who can a track a thing because it's related to what we are. I need that. I can't do that alone."

"You need Ben and Noah who are better at pretending to be human, sharper with their skills, and less distracted by bloodlust, generally speaking," I said. She hadn't said the last part but its exclusion was conspicuous.

She inhaled deeply, as if to say a lot, but then found herself only saying, "Yes." I wondered what she omitted.

I put on The Charm. I took out my phone, I pulled up Everett's number, and I dialed.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Doing what I do best. Fixing."

Everett answered. "What's wrong?" Always panic with that one.

"Hello big brother. Time to use your talent. I have a formal request for your presence at Bibi in Leeds, England. If you could grab Ginny and appear in the alleyway out back, then enter this fine establishment and tell them you're joining the table in the corner with the handsome boy in black and the knockout in the neon dress, sometime in the next ten minutes, I'd be much obliged."

"Inviting us to crash your date, Polly?" he said. But his voice was light, grateful for an invitation at all.

"Need the address?" I asked.

"No, I can Google," he finally said.

"Good. Per Sadie's unspoken instruction, be pretty."

He laughed and hung up. They were there in two.

"You rang?" Ginny asked, sitting down beside me.

"I did! Thanks for coming so quickly, gorgeous," I put my arm around her and pulled her toward me. I missed her when we were apart. So much it surprised me, actually.

"Well, look at you," Ev said to Sadie and the dress. He kissed her on the cheek.

"We are in need of your services," I smiled. "Gin, you have a new assignment."

She sat up straight in her chair. "Sir, yes, sir."

"Ben and Noah need a crash course in passing as humans. They are so lovely and could be so crucial to our goals, but until they understand the world around them or the way they need to interact with it, they are, shall we say, somewhat of an encumbrance," I explained. I turned to Sadie. "Jump in any time if I'm not adequately explaining the predicament."

"You're doing just fine," Sadie laughed.

"So, Ginny Winter, your mission is to turn them into one of us. Desires under control. Skills sharp. And the ability to fake humanity at any time. Are you up to the challenge, soldier?"

"Sir, yes, sir," she said again with her trademark over-the-top enthusiasm. She saluted so stiffly that her hand hit a wall sconce and cracked it. Naturally, she broke out laughing hysterically. "This is like having new siblings! I love a good project!"

Sadie's eyes widened, clearly not expecting this reaction from Ginny. "I'm . . . so glad," she said.

Everett chimed in. "Hey, what did you need me for?"

"I just thought you'd like to see your girl," I cooed.

He narrowed his eyes, playfully. I hoped. "What did you really need?"

"All right, I figured Ginny couldn't mirror the teleportation power to get back home if you weren't with her."

Everett laughed. "There it is."

"But don't I have to take the babies home on a plane or something?" Ginny pointed out.

"I didn't think of that," I realized aloud. "Good point. Everett, you are totally useless. Thanks for coming anyway."

"I do what I can," he said. "And Sadie, my love, might I say you look stunning, and if I were any less of a man I'd feel insecure that you're sitting in a romantic restaurant with my baby brother, looking so . . . wonderful."

"For the record," she said, "Yelp didn't describe it as romantic."

"Well then, insecurities resolved," he smiled, and I was grateful. He could have zinged me for that, and he didn't. "So it looks like I'm in England for the evening and have shockingly little on my social calendar."

"I bet I could fix that," she said.

"And I have some kids to get working with," Ginny said. "So. Shall we?" They got to their feet, but I stayed where I was.

Sadie looked down at me. "You're not coming?"

"I'll catch up," I said. "I might find other ways to entertain myself." She smirked, nodded, and didn't say anything else. And I let her think what she was thinking even though the truth was simple: I'd drink a few more drinks here and think too hard, and then I'd go back to Ben and Noah's empty room and stare at the ceiling the way Sadie did. I might even grab our copy of The Cider House Rules just to complete the effect.