Better Off Red

by Rebekah Weatherspoon

  chested under the leather except for the silver barbells that ran

  through his nipples and his collar. Moreland removed the thick black

  strap and handed it to Tokyo, then brought Andrew across the room

  to Cleo’s side. As she approached, Moreland kept her eyes lowered

  respectfully, the way she’d done with Camila. She didn’t look up as

  she spoke and Cleo didn’t ask her to.

  “The sister-queen Miyoko suggested that you may prefer

  a female, but all of my female pets are still away for the holiday.

  Andrew is very sweet and loyal and he will—”

  “Yeah. I don’t care. I’m fucking starving,” Cleo said

  dismissively, taking the scalpel from Omi.

  “As you wish.” Moreland turned and gently lifted Andrew’s

  chin with her finger. “I release you Andrew Edmond Franklin, Jr.

  Serve this sister-queen as you would serve the master himself. As

  you would serve me.”

  “I will,” he murmured quietly. Moreland stood on the tips of

  her neon green stilettos and kissed him on the lips. Then with a

  sense of finality, she stepped back and Cleo took Andrew’s hand.

  The words Camila had spoken to me months before echoed in

  my ears in the overcrowded room.

  “I thank you deeply for your sacrifice. Will you allow me to

  bind you to myself and to my sister-queens?” Cleo asked.

  “I will,” Andrew said.

  • 262 •

  Better Off red

  “Thank you,” she replied. Swiftly, Cleo sliced a deep gash

  across Andrew’s palm. He shuddered, his head tossing back. It

  was hard to ignore how aroused he was. His erection was straining

  through the fabric of his jeans. He shuddered again as she licked the

  wound closed. Cleo raised her head with a low growl and tossed the

  blade on the bed, then her hands went to the fly of his jeans. Andrew

  was pretty muscular and a good six inches taller than Cleo, but she

  was in charge.

  “I don’t care about an audience, but I’m going to fuck the shit

  out of him. I’m not sure if you ladies want to watch. Of course,

  my Queen, you’re welcome to,” she said with a dip of her chin in

  Camila’s direction.

  “Thank you, but take your privacy.”

  None of us wasted a second following Camila out of the room.

  Cleo was safe, but back in the hallway, it was clear that this night,

  this life for her, had only begun. Camila thanked Moreland again,

  this time with more kind sincerity, then dismissed her. Before

  Moreland vanished, I caught a glimpse of the blue tears rimming

  her silver eyes.

  Then, as if she’d called a huddle, the other sister-queens

  gathered around Camila.

  “I’ll get her some clothes,” Faeth said.

  “I will go tell Dr. Fountain it’s done, and then I will go to

  Rodrick and inform our Brothers,” Natasha said.

  “And I’ll call Sarah at the precinct and tell her when to release

  the details of the accident,” Kina added.

  “Thank you, my sisters. She’s going to be very angry once

  she’s fed. I’ll let them stay in my quarters until we sort things out

  with Andrew.”

  “No,” Tokyo said. “I brought him and Moreland into this. Cleo

  can stay in my place as long as she wants. I’m downtown half the

  time anyway.”

  “Fine. I’ll agree to that, but only because I’m still pissed at you

  for bringing Moreland into this. Good thing I like you so much.”

  “My Queen.” Tokyo flashed her fangy grin before she

  disappeared. The others were right behind her, going off to their

  assigned tasks.

  • 263 •

  reBekah WeatherspOOn

  Camila and I waited still under the protection of someone’s

  cloak. The nurses passed us, completely unaware. We both ignored

  the sounds coming from Cleo’s hospital room.

  Camila pulled me into her arms. “Do you trust me when I say

  she’ll be okay?” she asked.

  “She seems like herself. That’s better than months and years of

  surgeries and rehab, but her family…”

  “We’ll take care of her family. Baby, if they knew what we

  could do for her, they would want me to save her too. I swear it.” I

  nodded, not knowing what else to say. Cleo was alive and safe and

  whole—physically. She sounded pleased with Andrew, but I was

  worried about her mind and her heart. “Thank you for speaking for

  her, though. She’ll appreciate that.” Fat lot of good it did, but at

  least I tried. Camila pulled me closer and rubbed her lips against my

  neck. “I love you,” she whispered.

  “I love you, too.” But for the first time since we’d started

  dating, I wanted some time to be alone.

  • 264 •

  Better Off red

  Chapter fifteen

  I woke up to breakfast in bed complete with a bouquet of pink

  short-stemmed roses. On the way home from the hospital

  I’d considered spending the night at the dorm, but so much had

  happened, I didn’t want to add to the drama by pushing Camila away

  without giving myself a little while to cool down. By the time Cleo

  and Andrew were settled and it seemed like Cleo wasn’t going to

  flip out, I decided to stay the night. I looked at the tray on Camila’s

  bed beside me, a little more than confused.

  “What’s all this for?” I asked as I rubbed my eyes.

  “I’m sorry for last night. I hoped we’d be celebrating our

  engagement.”

  “We still can, just not now. And there’s nothing to be sorry

  for,” I said before I let her kiss me. The apology was sweet, but

  unnecessary. The pancakes, juice, and flowers were overkill. The

  night had been rough on all of us, but Camila didn’t need to make

  anything up to me. “Have you seen Cleo yet this morning?”

  “No. She and Andrew were busy screwing all night. I’ll go

  check on them in a little while. Eat.”

  “This smells great. Thank you.” My stomach growled as I picked

  up the fork. I hadn’t eaten anything since I’d left the airport in Boston,

  and that hadn’t stayed with me for very long. “So what now?”

  “Now the complications.” My mouth was full, but she continued

  when my eyebrow shot up. “Kina was in line after me. She’s very

  powerful, but with my pure blood, Cleo is now third to Dalhem.”

  • 265 •

  reBekah WeatherspOOn

  “Does that cause any problems for Kina?”

  “No, and she doesn’t mind the shift, but Cleo is very strong. A

  young, stubborn vampire with that much strength and power could

  be very dangerous. I love Cleo and I trust her, I just hope she can

  handle the responsibility.”

  Then why did you change her?

  “But I wanted to talk to you about Benny.”

  I thought back to all of the times I’d watched them together.

  “She’s in love with Cleo, isn’t she?”

  “Yes, she is. She will be back on campus in an hour and I think

  it would be better if she talked to you first. Her world is full of

  vampires and she lives with a full demon. I think having another

  human she trusts on her side t
hrough this will help”

  “How did she find out?” I asked.

  “Dalhem told her, but he said there was no reaction. That’s why

  he’s worried.”

  “He didn’t read her mind for any ‘general feelings’?”

  “No. When he married her mother, he vowed never to read

  Benny’s mind except in the case of a life-or-death situation. Benny

  is fairly honest with him so there’s never been a need to.”

  “I guess details about your daughter’s crush aren’t a risk to

  vampire national security.”

  “You’d be surprised.”

  “Well, at least now Benny can feed Cleo.”

  Camila frowned. I rolled my eyes in frustration, trying to remind

  myself that sharing this information with Camila was important.

  “Benny wanted Cleo to change so she could feed her. I don’t

  know if Cleo feels the same way about her, but I’m guessing feeding

  Cleo is something Benny will suggest. How do you not know any

  of this? Some powerful vampire you are.” I nudged her shoulder

  playfully. I had to offset the annoyance that was building inside.

  “I don’t have to tell you to keep this to yourself, but Benny

  knows how to block me.”

  “She does?”

  “She’s not invincible by any means, but Dalhem has taught her

  a lot of tricks to protect herself. I can breach her mind, but she would

  be able to tell.”

  • 266 •

  Better Off red

  “Like I can?”

  “Exactly. And that’s why I’m worried. Cleo is the only one she

  opens up to, and now that she’s not human anymore…”

  “I get it. So what now? What happens with Cleo and Andrew?”

  “He’s hers. She can do whatever she wants with him. She can

  give him back to Moreland if she wants to. She can keep him. If

  she does, I may have to move them out of the house. I don’t know.”

  Camila sat back on the bed. “I have to talk to her. I’ll have to assign

  her two more feeders as well. At this rate, she’ll drain him by tonight.

  I’ll give her Benny if that’s what they want.”

  “And what about her family?”

  “The hospital contacted them last night. Florencia will let me

  know as soon as her family decides to come pick up her things. And

  her remains. We have a cadaver prepared.”

  “This is so weird. Because she’s…”

  “Not dead.”

  “Exactly. I mean, she’s different, but even in the car last night

  it was obvious she was still Cleo, just more potent. I guess. If that

  makes sense.”

  “She is superior to everyone but me and Dalhem, and she

  knows it. Even Rodrick will have to bow to her.”

  “All because of your blood?” I asked still amazed at the power

  it carried.

  “Yes. Because of me. I’ve never changed anyone for this exact

  reason. Dalhem and I and even Rodrick are very careful about that.

  I should have let her drink from Moreland instead. I couldn’t.”

  “I think if she’d had a choice she would have picked your blood

  over Moreland’s. I would have. I know it might throw off the power

  structure around here, but no one can blame you for making that

  call. What did Dalhem have to say about it?”

  She made a slightly annoyed, dismissive noise. “Nothing. I

  think part of him is glad I saved her, for the sake of her friendship

  with Benny. He had some jokes about having to raise a teenager and

  then reminded me it was my responsibility to keep her in line.”

  “Are you worried she’ll go on vampire pantie raids with

  Moreland?” I asked.

  • 267 •

  reBekah WeatherspOOn

  “I’m worried that she’ll do something stupid. If she breaks the

  law, I have to put her down,” she said bluntly. I could see where that

  would be a problem.

  ❖

  The cold air helped me clear my head as I walked back to

  campus. I respected Benny’s private nature, but I needed to leave

  polite at the door and get her to be honest with me. I had to share

  Camila before I even knew what she truly was. Even though our

  relationship had been full of surprises, she had always been a vampire

  to me. If Benny felt for Cleo a shred of what I felt for Camila, there

  was no way she was handling the news of Cleo’s accident very well,

  even if it meant she could finally feed her. And if it was simply a

  matter of deep friendship, I knew Benny would still need some time

  to mourn what they had just lost together.

  I texted her on my way over. She texted back telling me she’d

  wait for me in the lobby of her dorm. We didn’t bother with any

  small talk as we made our way to her room. It gave me a few

  minutes to think of what exactly I was going to say and time to wish

  she hadn’t been wearing one of Cleo’s ABO hoodies, one with her

  name stitched into the arm.

  She opened her still decorated door and I realized I’d never set

  foot in Benny’s room. I looked around at her bed, twice the size of

  mine over in Cramer, and her bright purple decorations. There were

  pictures of her and her mom lining her dresser and pictures of us

  girls on her desk. There was a picture of her and Cleo next to her

  bed. I didn’t see any evidence of Dalhem.

  My dorm room would probably look the same way if I’d spent

  more than three minutes there a week. I glanced around once more.

  There was only one bed.

  “You don’t have a roommate?” I thought all the freshmen

  living in the dorms did.

  “My parents sprang for a single.” She held her hand out,

  motioning for me to sit at her desk. I took a seat and she flopped

  on her bed, pulling her stuffed panther into her lap. “How is she?”

  Benny asked.

  • 268 •

  Better Off red

  “Fine. I think. I haven’t seen her since last night. When did you

  find out?”

  “Last night. My step-dad told me, but I knew before that.

  There’s a database I have access to and her name popped up while

  I was getting ready for bed,” she said, putting on a casual front. I

  winced, feeling my chest ache for her. Benny pretended she didn’t

  notice my grimace. “I’m assuming she already has a feeder.”

  “His name is Andrew. He seems very nice,” I said and then

  I blurted, “Benny, I know how you feel about her, but is there

  something more going on between you and Cleo?”

  She looked up at me, a smirk touching the corner of her lips.

  “There’s nothing going on between us anymore. She took Camila’s

  blood?” I nodded.

  Benny stood and placed the large stuffed animal back on her

  pillows. “Let’s go.”

  “He’s at the house right now, Benny. With Cleo.”

  “Where else would he be?” she said. I had no clue. If Andrew

  was anything like Benny, he’d never want to leave Cleo’s side.

  ❖

  As we walked back to the house, Benny shut down completely.

  I wanted to be there for her, help her bear the brunt of whatever was

  running through her head, but that just wasn’t Benny’s style. She

  was preparing her
self to handle Cleo’s pain, or maybe just dealing

  with her own.

  Florencia let us in and told us Barb and Paige were back. They

  knew about Cleo and were both in their rooms getting their heads

  together. Florencia offered to make Benny breakfast, but she said

  no. We walked into the pantry and as we waited for the elevator,

  Benny finally spoke to me.

  “I heard congratulations are in order for you.”

  “Oh, ah, yeah. Camila asked me last night, before all this

  happened.” The elevator door opened and we stepped inside. Benny

  looked at the floor as I entered the code. Camila must have talked

  to Dalhem about her intentions with me while I was sleeping. Of

  • 269 •

  reBekah WeatherspOOn

  course Benny would know about our engagement. At the moment I

  didn’t want to think about it.

  “Well, congratulations. My mother is patiently waiting for the

  day she can call herself my step-father’s na’suul.”

  “I thought she and Dalh—your step-dad were married.”

  “They are married in the human world and she is his mate. A

  demon can only take another demon as their na’suul. They’ll have

  their proper ceremony after she changes.”

  “Oh.” I didn’t know what else to say. Benny seemed to

  understand.

  Camila had been trying to get me to stop knocking all semester,

  but I could hear voices on the other side of her door. I knocked

  twice and the door opened on its own. Camila was pacing in front of

  the TV and Cleo was sitting comfortably in one of Camila’s chairs.

  Andrew was on the floor between her legs. They were both wearing

  the same clothes from the night before. He had on a shirt, but his

  shaggy brown hair had been shaved off. He looked a lot better.

  Camila must have caught me staring at him as I walked over to

  the couch with Benny. “Did you cut his hair?”

  “No. Moreland made him wear it long. He said he didn’t like

  it. I said he could cut it. So he did. Hey, Ginger,” Cleo said. Nobody

  missed the fact that she didn’t acknowledge Benny.

  “Hey,” I replied, frowning slightly.

  “Andrew, you know Ginger, and this is Benny,” Camila said.

  He greeted us both with a nod and a polite hello.

  Cleo took a breath and closed her eyes. “What do I do about

  my stuff?”

  “I’d be happy to get your things for you,” Andrew murmured,

  gazing up at her. Sometime in the night she’d broken him of his