B Y some miracle, Dawn fell asleep on a couch. She was too exhausted, and when Frank wouldn’t talk to her, a retreat into herself was the only logical way to deal.
She must’ve slept for hours—at least her grogginess made her think so after a jarring sound woke her up.
Muffled laughter.
At first, Dawn just stared at the back of the couch since she was facing it anyway. Something was telling her not to turn over and see what was going on.
Shifting, she heard a slight clink, then felt metal bracelets on her wrists. Through the stretched void of after-sleep, she remembered how Julia had come back in to remove Dawn’s leather bracelets and slap restraints on instead, then put more medicinal goop on her while she was resting. Dawn had barely even known what was happening she was so out of it.
Giggle.
There it was again—intimate and gentle. This time, she couldn’t help looking.
Frank and Eva stood near the fireplace. The vampire woman was cuddled up to him, pulling dopey faces in an effort to make him laugh. It was all very Jac, and it made Dawn wonder just how much of the starlet was really a part of Eva.
For Frank’s part, he had his chained arms crossed over his wide chest, immovable, jaw clenched, but Dawn could tell it was because he was playing some sort of twee game with the vamp and not because he was discouraging the interaction.
When Eva tickled his stomach, he jerked away, chains clanking as he burst into a laugh, too. He teasingly put a hand over her mouth and shushed her.
Nausea made Dawn grimace as she sat up, leaning her arms on her thighs while fixing a glare on them.
Amidst their gaiety, Frank noticed the attention, his face going serious as he saw his daughter. He must’ve caught on to the betrayal Dawn was exhibiting for both her and Breisi’s sakes, because he let go of Eva, gaze crushed and disconcerted.
Dawn knew the emotions were genuine, but that didn’t mean anything when he was over there canoodling with the enemy.
Still, as he backed away from Eva, something ate at the edges of Dawn. Part of her wanted them to be together, for them to be tickling each other and cracking up at inside jokes.
“Morning,” Eva said. “Or evening, actually. Your dad and I were just—”
“I saw what you were doing.” Dawn looked up at one of the cameras, knowing Julia was spying on them. Suck up.
No one said anything for a minute. One big happy family.
With an anxious glance at Frank, Eva took a seat near the door, hands folded in her lap. Dawn noticed she was even paler than she’d been earlier, and that she was trembling again.
“Out of pure curiosity,” Dawn said, “are you seriously this great of an actress? Because I always thought vamps had little or no emotion.”
Eva’s mouth opened then closed at the sucker punch.
“Dawn…” It was a papa warning from the peanut gallery.
“It’s only fair for her to ask a lot of questions, Frank.” Eva’s smile wobbled as she aimed it at her daughter. “Believe me when I say that I feel emotions now more than ever. That’s not how it is with all our community though. I know one individual who’s prone to depression and manic episodes, but I also know another who’s levelheaded and calculating. Maybe it depends on the person you were before the change and what you bring with you into the new heightened life.”
“You mean new death. Because, again, you’re dead.”
“Debatable.” Now Eva’s smile evened out. “I actually feel more alive than ever. Maybe it’s because I’m in control now.”
Dawn paused, then got up, minding her chains as she went to the mini fridge and rooted through it to find a bottled water. Taking it out, she mockingly saluted Eva. “You were expecting me.”
“I told you, it’s what I’ve always planned.”
“You’re going to make me one of your kind—that’s your big mustache-twirling scheme.”
“I…” Eva tilted her head. “Well, yes.”
This could work to Dawn’s advantage. When she escaped—and she would, especially when the team realized she was gone and they sent backup—she could use Eva’s arrogance against her. The vamp was parceling out crumbs about life in the Underground, and Dawn could work with that, stringing out as much info as possible then reporting back to Jonah.
Right? Isn’t that what she should do?
Her mother was giving her a weird look, one that Dawn couldn’t stand for too long. It could’ve been affection, if a creature like Eva was capable of it.
“I’m sorry,” the vamp said. “I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable. It’s only that…” Eva bit her lip, eyes going teary again. Acting!
Or was it?
“It’s only what?” Dawn used her shirt to help undo the cap, then took a sip, casting a sidelong look at Frank, who was staring at the carpet. She tried to find the redness on his neck again, but couldn’t.