"The ancient vampires. They have magic in them. Roane said you had an encounter with them earlier. He thinks his brother is with them."
"The ones who can have baby vamps. Oh—oh! That's not good."
I didn't know how magic could affect me, if I was immune, or if there was something that could be used against me. I knew that the Immortal thread no longer existed. It had dissembled when my body molded to the Immortal.
"Why are you telling me this? Why didn't Roane?" And could I still call him Roane if he wasn't with that Family anymore?
Gregory smiled. "You talk out loud sometimes. You should not do that so much."
Oh, yeah. My smile felt a bit foolish. "Why did you tell me this?"
"Because you should know. Roane chose not to because he is trying to let you live as normal a life as possible. If he needs to take you away from this place, you would never be able to be a normal human again. You would be on the run for the r
est of your life."
Which would be forever. I shuddered.
Then he continued, "You can always call him Roane. His given name is Lucas, but he prefers his Family name even if he is no longer associated with them. He has their standards in his blood. It is why he is making this stand against them."
I felt his trust and belief in Roane again. It was so powerful; it was almost stifling to me, but I could sympathize. Roane had a way of pulling that loyalty out of everyone, human or not.
"Okay." I nodded and reached for my door. "I know what to do. Be normal. Right?"
"It's what he wants for you."
"Then I will do that." And I needed to put a cork in my self-pity talk. Seriously. People had worse problems than mine, like Brown. Everyone would think she was crazy.
As I got out of the car and walked around, Gregory wound down his window. "If you really need to talk to someone, here's a number you can reach meat. I warn you that Roane will be told every detail that we discuss, but I can be a sounding board for you."
I took the piece of paper he offered and tucked it away. "Thanks, Gregory. And tell him thanks too. I know he said you could do this."
He jerked his head in a nod, a sign of respect from him. "He cares more for you than you might think."
When I finally went inside, I was a mass of emotions. I'd been rejuvenated, but when I heard Emily in the bathroom, guilt flared in me too. Pippa rushed out of the bathroom. "What's wrong with her? She won't stop puking."
"She had too much to drink. I should've stopped her." But I'd been distracted.
Pippa rolled her eyes. "She's actually green from vomiting so much, but she still says she had fun tonight. What did you guys do?"
"Nothing. We stayed there and drank. That was it."
"I can smell vampires all over both of you. It's disgusting." She wrinkled her nose and then went around me. "I'm going to grab some medication for her."
When she left, I went into the bathroom and found Emily in a back stall. She was bent over the toilet and gave me a weak grin. "I feel horrible."
"I'm sorry, Em." I patted her back as I sat beside her. I drew my knees against my chest.
As she felt another spell coming on and bent forward over the toilet again, I closed my eyes and drew some of her illness into me. It was there—ugly, slimy, icky stuff. Along with it remained some of her lovespell from Bennett. It still hadn't fully left her system. As it flowed into me, I felt Pippa's presence and then I felt her surprise. She knew what I was doing and I could sense that Emily was starting to feel better. After a few more minutes of drawing the illness into me, Emily was able to sit up straight and she sighed.
"I feel much better." She panted and gave us a stupid grin. Sweat soaked her hair. Some of it clung to her forehead in clumps and she brushed it back. "Much better."
I smiled and squeezed her hand before I stood up.
Pippa helped me up and met my gaze for a brief second. She studied me hard. Then she murmured, "You're not even affected."
I turned away from Pippa. It wasn't any of her business. "Emily, you want to watch a movie to end the night?"
"Pippa, you want to watch too?"