“You are still in California,” Gia assured her.
“Oh,” Holly murmured, wishing the woman would stop this mind--reading business. She let that thought go as she realized that Gia had said “back home to Canada.” The words seemed to suggest that Justin and the others were just visiting California, that they hailed from Canada. Weather aside, it was hard to believe vampires came from there. Canadians were known for being so polite, so . . . nice. Heck, James liked to joke that if America ever invaded Canada, Canadians would probably apologize for being in their way. It seemed the unlikeliest place for vampires to come from.
When a burst of laughter slipped from Gia’s lips, Holly realized the woman must still be reading her thoughts, and flushed with embarrassment.
“Well,” Gia said with amusement. “Vampires, or immortals as we prefer to be called, aren’t exactly from Canada. I mean they didn’t originate there, though that is where Lucian and some others now live. But you can find them all over. I am from Italy, for instance, and some live in the States as well. In fact, Justin is originally from here in California,” she informed her.
“Is he?” Holly asked with surprise. Vampires from her home state . . . Who knew? It was often referred to as sunny California and for a reason . . . one that didn’t seem to her to make it vampire friendly. She shook that thought away and asked, “Why was he going to take me to Canada for my training?”
“Because that is where Justin, Lucian, and the others now live. Actually, that’s where I was staying too until I came to house--sit for Vincent and Jackie,” she announced. “So, he thought it best to take you there, at least temporarily. But Justin argued against it.”
Holly had been about to interrupt until she added that last part, but now blinked in surprise. “Justin did?”
“Si. He seemed to think you would be more comfortable getting your training here in California.”
He was right, Holly thought. She would have been super stressed to wake up and find herself not only in a strange bed, but a strange country as well, with no passport or way home. At least this way she could get home under her own steam if Justin refused to take her there. She had agreed to talk to him, and to get blood, but she had no intention of spending any longer than she had to here. As soon as she had the thought, Holly tried to forget it. She didn’t want Gia to get wind of that and try to stop her. Fortunately, the woman didn’t seem to pick up on the thought, because she continued her explanations.
“And when Lucian heard that Dante and Tomasso were considering coming out to house--sit with me . . .” Gia shrugged. “Lucian knew they had helped Vincent train Jackie after her turning, and had done a fine job of it, so he said okay and brought you all here.”
“ ‘All’ being myself, Justin, Andrews, and Beckham,” Holly said slowly, trying to recall the names.
“Anders and Decker,” Gia corrected gently. “They are Rogue Hunters, like Justin, and offered to stay and help out until Dante and Tomasso get here.”
“Anders and Decker. Rogue Hunters,” Holly nodded, pretending she knew what that was. She hadn’t a clue, but didn’t care either.
“Mind you,” Gia said, amusement back in her expression. “From what I can gather, Anders and Decker only offered to stay and help so they could give Justin a hard time.”
“Right,” Holly murmured. She didn’t understand why or how the men planned to give Justin a hard time, but really had no desire or intention to get to know anyone or what was between them anyway. She hadn’t agreed to this training business. And she hadn’t thought talking to him would land her in another strange bed. How much time had passed since she’d got in the car with Justin? She wondered. The last time she’d woken up in a strange bed, two days had passed. How long had it been this time? And how had she got from her car to here? The last thing she remembered was riding in her car. No. She recalled him parking it and turning to her . . . Jeez, she’d attacked him like some wild animal, going mindlessly for his throat and the blood she could smell pumping through it, Holly recalled with dismay.
“You didn’t hurt him,” Gia said. “Lucian came upon you assaulting Justin and knocked you out.”
“Oh,” Holly said weakly, unsure how she should take that news. She was glad this Lucian had stopped her from hurting Justin, but knocking her out seemed a bit drastic. Couldn’t he have just slapped her face or something to bring her back to her senses?
“Slapping you would not have brought you out of blood hunger,” Gia said quietly. “You had been too long without feeding. New turns need more blood and more often than mature immortals. You needed to be fed. Knocking you out was the best thing he could do for you at that point.”
“Oh,” Holly repeated.