“He still saw you as nothing more than a monster,” Kanin finished.
With a cry, I turned and drove my fist through the wall. The plaster flew inward, leaving a six-inch hole behind. “Dammit!” I slugged the wall again, feeling it give way with a satisfying crunch. “I was his friend. I was the only thing that kept him alive, all those years of picking up his slack, all those years of going hungry so he wouldn’t starve!” I slammed a fist into the wall once more, then leaned into it, feeling chalky plaster against my forehead. My eyes burned, and I squeezed them shut, willing the pain to go away. “He should’ve known better,” I whispered through clenched teeth. “He should’ve known me better.”
Kanin hadn’t moved, letting me rip apart his wall without comment. Finally, he rose, coming to stand just behind me. “Did you tell him where we were?” he asked in a low voice.
“No.” I shook my head against the wall and finally pulled back. “I didn’t…wait. Yes, I might’ve…mentioned the hospital. But he doesn’t know where it is.” I half turned, looking up at Kanin, who watched me gravely. “He wouldn’t come looking for it, anyway,” I said, hearing the bitterness in my voice. “He’s too scared to leave the hideout most of the time, much less the sector.”
“You’re still being naive.” Kanin rubbed a hand over his eyes, stepping back. “Stay here. Don’t leave the hospital. I’ll be back soon.”
“Where are you going?” I said, suddenly on edge. A thought entered my mind, and my stomach went cold. “You’re not…going after him, are you?”
“No,” Kanin said, pausing in the doorway, and I sagged in relief. “But I need to set up alarms around the area. The few already in place won’t be enough, I fear.”
“For what?” Frowning, I followed him down the hall. He didn’t answer, and I gaped at him as I realized. “You think Stick will tell someone,” I guessed, hurrying to keep pace with his long strides. “That’s not going to happen. I’m telling you, Kanin, you don’t have to worry about that. He’s too much of a coward to go to anyone.”
“Perhaps.” Kanin strode into the reception area and stopped me at the desk. “And perhaps he will surprise you. Wait here. Practice your sword techniques. Don’t leave the hospital grounds, understand? After tonight, you won’t be able to go anywhere without triggering an alarm unless I’m with you.”
“I still think this is pointless, Kanin.”
The look he gave me was pitying. “Maybe it will be as you say. Maybe this boy will surprise me. But I’ve lived far too long to leave anything to chance, particularly when it comes to human betrayal. If there is nothing to lose, and even very little to gain, you can almost count on it. Now, give me your word that you won’t try to leave.”
“What if I need to go outside?”
“Either stay here or leave now and don’t come back. Your choice.”
“Fine.” I glared at him. “I won’t try to leave.”
“Forgive me if I don’t take your immediate word,” Kanin deadpanned in a cold voice. “I want your promise. Do you swear?”
“Yes!” I bared my fangs at him. “I swear.”
He nodded curtly and turned away. I watched him shimmy up the elevator tube, trying to work my way through a jumble of swirling emotions: anger, frustration, disappointment, hurt. One second I hated Stick, and the next I could almost understand his instant terror. I despised it and thought it sucked, especially after all I’d done for him, but I could understand. After all, he’d reacted to a vampire appearing suddenly in his home. If he’d suddenly disappeared and shown up as a bloodsucker, I might have reacted the same way. Or I might have attempted to see through my knee-jerk reaction and actually tried to talk to him, for friendship’s sake. I didn’t know. I did think Kanin was overreacting, setting up alarms and forbidding me to leave the hospital when there was no need.
Only when he was gone did I remember the strange vampire I’d met in my old room earlier, the one with the dead eyes and terrible smile. I considered climbing the shaft and hurrying after Kanin to warn him, but I’d just promised him I wouldn’t leave the hospital. Besides, Kanin was a big, capable vampire. He could take care of himself.
I practiced my sword drills, thought of Stick and what I could have done differently, and wandered the halls, waiting for my mentor to come back.
But Kanin did not return that night.
Chapter 9