Shameful by May Dawson
39
Legacy
That night,Killian radioed for a boat to come pick us up. Rhett, West, Killian and I caught a ride over to the main island. The boat's crew was delivering food to the outer islands, and while I sat on a sack of rice, I wondered what the other islands were like. I caught glimpses of residents, and Killian helped toss the suppliesout.
Rhett, for his part, seemed to be sulking about the fact we were receiving yet another installment of rice and beans.
"You can read all the cookbooks you want," West drawled. "You're never going to get flank steak and jicama."
Rhett looked balefully at Killian. Killian asked, "Why are you looking atme?"
Before Rhett could answer, Killian corrected himself. "Nevermind, I don't care. I'm not going to banter withyou."
“You’re both so boring,” Rhett said. “I’m glad I have Legacy to entertainme.”
Killian focused on studying the islands as we passed.
"What are you looking for?" I asked.
"I'm trying to figure out where Tobias came from," he said. "Just like we can't get out easily, he shouldn't have been able to get in. And we should have scentedhim."
"Wedid."
"Earlier than that," Killian said, frowning. "His scent was... subdued. Almost like he was masked from us in someway."
"That was subdued?" I asked. "Vampires must really stink."
"Pretty sure they say the same about us," Rhett said lightly.
"Have you ever met a vampire?" I asked. “Not just tried to kill one, I mean. But actually talked toone.”
Rhett nodded.
"What was itlike?"
"A lot less eventful than when you metone."
"Ha."
“Vamps are just like everyone else. Their lives are long and they drink blood, but their childhoods were unhappy, they don’t get over their exes, they want to be adored and envied.”
“You think that’s what everyone islike?”
Rhett shrugged and went on to tell me about the vamps he’d made small talk with at a bar. That helped distract me from searching the waves the same way Killian was. I didn't know how I'd ever relax again, now that I had been attacked by a vampire unexpectedly twice.
Or at least, I didn't know how I'd ever relax until I had Tobias Bentley'sbody.
We arrived back at the main island. Killian led us toward Gibson’s office, only to find out that he was back at his house.
Gibson let us inside, said curtly to Killian, "I'll talk to you in my office."
He looked at West and Rhett as if he didn't trustthem.
"Don't steal anything," Killian told Rhett, but he didn't sound very optimistic. "And don't do anything ill-advised."
Rhett just grinned cheerfully back. "You know me. Completely trustworthy."
Killian scrubbed his hand over his face, then followed Gibson into his office.
After a few moments, Gibson called me in and asked me to tell him everything that had happened. He said he would contact Cyrus to tell him my side of the story. After all, now I had at least one reliable witness--Killian--to confirm that I really had been attacked by a vampire.
"You can stay here tonight," Gibsonsaid.
West and Rhett exchanged a glance--the faintest of glances, a flicker out of the corner of their eyes. They were plotting something already.
But Killian caught it too. "No thank you. We'll get out of your hair. We can patrol tonight, just in case he comesback."
Would Rhett and West really take the opportunity to escape from the main island, when there was a chance of getting Cyrus to listen?
I understood it from their perspective. They weren't willing to gamble on Cyrus being reasonable. But selfishly, I wanted to return to my pack, my family, my best friend. I could never do that if they ran. If Cyrus thought I was involved, he would never let me come back home either.
The thought of being left alone on ghost island stole the air from my lungs.