"Hell no I ain't gonna lie for you!" Kramisha said.
"I'm not telling you to lie," Alena said.
"Yah you is. You want me to say you're all involved in checking out the tunnel with Sister Mary Angela. Everbody already knows you totally sealed it up last time you was here."
"Not everyone knows that," Alena said.
"Yeah, they do. Plus, the nuns is all prayin' for Zoey, and it don't seem right at all to use a prayin' nun in your lie."
"Fine. I'll go down to the tunnel and check it out if it makes you feel better." Alena couldn't believe Kramisha was making such an issue out of telling a little white lie for her that she was costing her time—time away from Rephaim when Goddess only knew how hurt he was from that disgusting white bull. She remembered the agony she'd felt when Darkness had fed from her and knew it had been doubly bad for Rephaim.
This time she was gonna have to figure out more to do than just bandaging him and feeding him to make him better.
How badly had he been hurt? In her mind's eye, she could still see that creature looming over him, tongue red with his blood while––
With a jolt, Alena realized Kramisha had just been standing there, staring at her without saying anything.
Alena mentally shook herself .
"Tell me the truth 'bout what you up to."
"I'm gonna go see the guy, and I don't want anyone to know about it!" Alena blurted.
Kramisha cocked her head to the side. "That's more like it. He ain't a fledgling or a vamp, is he?"
"No," Alena said with absolute honesty. "He's someone no one would like."
"He ain't abusing you, is he? 'Cause that's some wrong shit, and I know some females who been caught up in it and can't get their way out."
"Kramisha, no guy would ever hit me. Ever."
"So that means he a human and he married."
"He's not married," Alena evaded.
"Huh," Kramisha snorted through her nose. "Is he an asshole?"
"I don't think he is."
"Love sucks."
"Yep," Alena said. "But I'm not in love with him," she added hastily.
"He's messin' with your head, and you do not need that right now." Kramisha pursed her lips up, thinking. "Okay, how 'bout this: I get one of the nuns to take me back to the House of Night, and when everbody stresses 'bout you bein' out here all alone, I just tell them you needed to visit a human, so you ain't technically alone—and I ain't lying, either."
Alena thought about it. "Are you telling them it's a human guy?"
"I'll just say human and say they need to mind they own business. I'll only say guy if someone asks me specifically."
"Deal," Alena said.
"You know you gonna have to come clean about him sooner or later. And if he ain't married, there's really no issue. You can have a human mate."
It was Alena's turn to snort. "And you think Montoya will be okay with that?"
"He will be if he wants to be with you. All vampyres know that."
"Well, Montoya isn't a vampyre yet, so it might be a little much to ask of him. I know it'll hurt his feelings, and I don't want to do that."
Kramisha nodded. "I can tell you don't, but I think you makin' too much of this. Montoya will have to learn to deal. What you need to figure out is if this human guy is worth it."
"I know that. I'll see you at the House of Night in a little while." Alena started to walk quickly toward the car
"Hey!" Kramisha called after her. "He ain't black, is he?"
Thinking of Rephaim's night-colored wings Alena paused and looked over her shoulder at Kramisha.
"Why?"
"It make a lot of difference if you're ashamed of him," she shot back.
"No. He's not black. And, no, I wouldn't be ashamed of him if he was."
"Just checkin'."
"Crazy," Alena muttered as she turned back to the parking lot.
"I heard that," Kramisha said.
"Good!" Alena yelled.
She got into the car and headed toward the Gilcrease Museum.
