Taken by the Others (39 page)

Things between Chaz and I are settling down. He’s distant with me now in a way he’s never been before. I wish I knew how to fix it and make things right between us. Somehow I get the feeling I broke what we had into too many pieces to put our relationship back together again. Still, I’m trying. The dinner we had a few nights ago was like it used to be, a pleasant escape where we talked about what was going on in our lives, not about Max Carlyle, Alec Royce, or anything related to me fighting with or being bound to vampires. It’s better, if not exactly the same.

Royce hasn’t made any attempt to call or see me since the day I freaked out and ran off. All he did was send a package to my office a few days after I left. He’d sent my clothes, weapons, and boots, along with a little note. It took a few days for me to screw up enough courage to open the plain white envelope it was sealed in and read what it said.

I’m sorry for the pain you had to endure while you were with me. I know those words are inadequate, but please believe they are sincere. If you need help, or a friend, don’t hesitate to call on me.

–Alec

So that’s my story of how I (kind of) became a White Hat, and (temporarily) became blood-bonded by Royce, and (no, really) learned that he wasn’t such a bad guy after all.