“Right you are. Listen, I better get going. I need to administer your father’s medicine for the day.”
“No problem. Please, tell him I called,” I said, hanging up and slipping my phone back in my pocket before sinking to my knees. Being on the other side of the barrier, away from everyone else, I let myself be upset for a minute. Tears filled my eyes, and several sobs escaped me. Not being able to talk to my dad made me realise just how much I missed him and how much I needed to hear his voice.
Finally, I pulled a tissue from my pocket and wiped away the tears. I steeled myself and turned back around, walking through the barrier and returning to the other side.
11.
Finn
Even though I couldn’t see much of Tegan through all that purple shit, I could still tell she was upset. Her blurry form was knelt on the ground, her back turned to us. I hoped she hadn’t gotten bad news about her dad. A few minutes later, she stood, brushed herself off, and walked straight back through the barrier.
“Dad’s still not better yet. Edwards said it’ll be another two weeks at least before he’s up to talking to me,” she said, clearly disappointed.
I threw my arm around her shoulders and gave her a quick hug. “Two weeks will go by in a flash.”
She nodded quietly, and we walked back to the van. I decided to go for a drive instead of heading straight back to Cristescu’s. There was a deserted old farmer’s field on the outskirts of the city that I liked to go to sometimes when I needed some thinking time.
“By the way, everyone’s invited to a party at Crimson tonight,” Tegan said. “The vampires are throwing it for Ethan to celebrate his new position as their leader.”
“Yeah, no offence, but I’m not going to that,” I scoffed.
“You can count me out, too,” Gabriel added.
“Oh, come on, it might be fun for us to blow off some steam,” Tegan urged.
“I’m not in the habit of blowing off steam in the company of vampires I’ve tried to kill and who’ve tried to kill me. It’s just not a smart idea. And anyway, I know a better way of blowing off steam.”
Tegan raised an eyebrow, assuming I was making an innuendo. “Finn …”
“Ah, now, look where your filthy mind wanders,” I chided. “I didn’t mean sex. I meant something else. You’ll see.”
When we reached the empty field, I parked the van and hopped out, going around to the back, and they all followed suit. Taking out a handgun, I gave it to Tegan.
“You know how to use this?” I asked her.
“I have a fair idea.”
“Good, let’s go.”
At the back of the field, there was a low wall littered with empty cans. I’d set them up the last time I was here.
“What is this place?” Alvie asked.
“It’s sort of like target practice,” I said before I started shooting at the cans. I’d always found it liberating, the sensation of letting the bullets loose, kind of the same way some people loved bursting the bubbles in bubble wrap.
Taking a break, I turned to look at Tegan. “Go on. Have a go.”
Gabriel and Alvie sat on the hood of the van, their arms linked as they watched us. Tegan glanced down at the gun in her hand. A moment passed, and when she finally decided to shoot, she actually wasn’t half bad.
When she saw my impressed expression, she explained, “My dad gave me a lesson on how to shoot, back before he…” she trailed off, her voice catching with emotion.
Ah, crap. I’d been trying to take her mind off her dad but I’d inadvertently done the opposite. “He taught you well,” I said. “He should be proud.”
Tegan silently nodded, lifting the gun again and firing off a few more rounds.
A couple minutes went by, and I saw she’d started to enjoy it.
“Feel better now?” I asked when we’d both run out of bullets.
She smiled. “Strangely, yes.”
“Good. Now, come on. Let’s get back to the house. You have a vamp party to get ready for tonight.”
“Do you really not want to come? Ethan said he’d ensure your safety.”
She obviously didn’t realise how emasculating that sounded. I shook my head. “No, I’m good. I have my heart set on a quiet night in.”
When we got to Cristescu’s, Tegan rounded up the gang and invited them all to the party at Crimson. Delilah and Ira were the only two who agreed to go while everybody else respectfully declined. We might be guests in a vamp house, but that didn’t mean we wanted to be in a club with hundreds of them—me especially.
Later on, I found Alora sitting on a couch alone in the living room.
“Hey, Goldy. How’s your day been?” I asked as I entered.
Her cheeks got a pretty red tint when she heard my voice, and something about it caused a warm, pleasurable feeling in my chest. Was she remembering the way she woke up this morning in my bed? I hoped so, because personally I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Best morning I’d had in a long, long while.
“Hi, Finn. My day’s been okay. You?”
“Can’t complain,” I replied, stroking the back of her hair affectionately before lowering to sit beside her. She shimmied closer so that our thighs met, and I resisted the urge to pull her onto my lap and kiss her senseless. Instead, I took her hand in mine and ran my fingertips over her upturned palm. I never really connected with people on this level—touching just for the sake of it.
“That feels nice,” she whispered.
A thick wave of arousal swept over me, and I wished we could go back to my place, where I could lay her down on my own bed and make her feel good for hours on end. Being with her under someone else’s roof just didn’t feel right. My hand fell away from Alora when Delilah and Ira entered the room and sat down on the couch across from us. Delilah eyed me intently while Ira picked a book up from the coffee table and began flicking through it. I raised a ‘what the eff are you gawking at?’ eyebrow at Delilah, and she turned away with a little smirk.
Clearly, she suspected my feelings for Alora. Well, goody for her. I wasn’t going to act embarrassed. I liked Alora, and from the way she reacted to me this morning, I suspected she liked me back.
It had all come on so fast, but having her around made my chest feel less tight. There was a light, airiness there whenever she was close. It made no sense since I’d only known her a few days, but her quiet presence was soothing, a balm to my soul.
Leaning forward and ignoring Delilah’s shrewd observation, I gave Alora a tender kiss on the cheek.
“I’m going to do a quick circuit of the city and keep an eye on things,” I told her. “Do you want me to bring anything back?”
She shook her head, a shy look on her face at my show of affection. “I don’t need anything, but thanks.”
“Hey, Finn, I wouldn’t mind some Mexican food if you’re offering,” Delilah said cheekily, and I shot her a wry look as I pointed at her.
“You can go get it yourself,” I said, and she chuckled as I left the room.
Aside from Theodore, I hadn’t seen many witches or warlocks about. Marcel, in particular, had been uncharacteristically quiet this past while. Although, I had spotted him at Campion Row the other morning handing out maps to members of the angry mob.