That calculating gleam was back in the Dean’s eyes. “You seem pretty confident.”
Carter smiled. “I’m persuasive. She’s gullible. It’ll work out.”
Unless her subconscious was listening in on this conversation. God, he hoped she couldn’t hear what he was saying. Not only would she kick his ass, but she’d never trust him again.
Basically, he just prayed she didn’t wake up while the Dean was still here. He had no idea how her skills as an abductura would be affected by the tranq dart. Would they be deadened or heightened? If it was the latter, he’d have to get her out of here fast.
Finally the Dean turned back to Sebastian. “It seems to me that if this Green is more delicious than any of the others, then she should be worth more.”
Sebastian narrowed his eyes. “Our bargain is made.”
As if on cue, Lily stirred. She groaned and rolled toward her sister.
The Dean and Sebastian both pivoted toward Lily. Mel shot Carter a look that seemed to be begging him to do something.
So he did the only thing he could think of. He dropped to his knees in front of Lily. Her head was tipped back against the sofa, her dark hair tumbled over her shoulders. Groggy as she was, her face looked softer. The natural suspicion was gone from her eyes.
He swallowed the lump in his throat before reaching out to cup her face in his palm. He stroked her hair and said, “Hey, honey, you’re waking up.”
She blinked blearily at him, confusion heavy in her eyes.
“How do you feel, sweetheart?”
The endearment felt clumsy on his tongue. Lily wasn’t a sweet girl. She was so much more complex than that. She was strong and feisty. She was brave and smart. Every once in a while she was disarmingly vulnerable. But she wasn’t sweet.
A glance over his shoulder told him Sebastian was watching him with an expression of wary amusement. The Dean with obvious interest.
He brushed a strand of hair off her forehead. His fingers snagged in her hair and instead of pulling his hand away, he threaded them through the thick strands. God, her hair was soft. And faintly smelled of something fruity. The scent was fresh and clean and so unexpected he felt the punch of it deep in his gut.
She frowned for a second, looking at him like she wasn’t sure she knew him, and his breath caught. If she didn’t recognize him, they could be screwed. If she did recognize him and remembered he’d just shot her, they could be screwed for different reasons.
But slowly, the frown turned into a wobbly smile. “Carter?” she asked weakly. “Where’d you go during fourth? I thought we’d lost you.”
He blew out a breath of relief. “I’m here now.”
Something about the sentence made it stick in his throat. He’d been gone from her life so long, but he was here now. And he wasn’t leaving.
Then she frowned again. “Wait . . . didn’t—”
Before she could finish the sentence, Mel interrupted her. “Lil-lee?”
The fog in Lily’s gaze evaporated and she sat up. Too quickly, apparently, because she winced and pressed a palm to her forehead. More slowly, she turned to Mel. “Are you okay?”
Mel bobbed in place. “Ladybird, ladybird, fly away home.”
Carter nearly chuckled in relief. Yes, they needed to get out of there.
Lily rubbed at her forehead. “I don’t . . . know that one. Jesus, for once can’t you just tell me what you want?”
Mel looked pointedly at the Dean and her face crumpled into a frown. “Go,” she said simply.
Lily followed Mel’s gaze. Seeing the Dean, Lily frowned also. Oddly, she didn’t even glance at Sebastian, but she seemed to recoil from the Dean. “Who are you?” she asked, the tranquilizer making her sound somewhat stupid.
The Dean leered at her. “I’m the Dean.”
She gave a shudder of disgust. “You’re awful. You should go away.”
Carter sucked in a breath. He glanced at Sebastian to see if he’d caught it. The vampire’s gaze had sharpened with interest.
Mel flapped her hands a few more times. “Ladybird, ladybird, fly away home.”
Lily glared at the Dean. “Go away.”
Hardly daring to hope, Carter watched the Dean, gauging the man’s reaction. The Dean looked back and forth from Mel to Lily. Revulsion flickered across his expression as he looked at Mel. Yeah, he was that kind of person. After a second, he smirked at Sebastian.
“If this is the kind of food you’ve been reduced to, then maybe I should leave you to it,” the Dean said.
Satisfaction surged through Carter. It was all he could do not to pump his fist.
The Dean chuckled as he walked out, seemingly convinced he’d decided to leave all on his own. “And Roberto thinks you’re a threat. . . .”
Sebastian gave a self-deprecating smirk. “I never pretended to be a threat. I’m like everyone else, just trying to survive in this new world Roberto has created.” He wrapped a hand around the Dean’s arm and guided him to the door. “Can I assume you’re amenable to my choice in Greens?”
The Dean shrugged. “As long as you work your magic on the computer, I don’t care. I’m going now.”
“Fly away home,” Mel said again.
After sending another slightly repulsed look at Mel, the Dean left.
As soon as the door closed, Lily said, “I’m glad he left. I didn’t like him.” Her voice still had that dreamy, drugged sound to it.
Carter and Sebastian both blew out a sigh of relief. Sebastian locked the door. Carter moved to the corner behind the desk where he’d stashed his backpack before going out to search for Mel and Lily. He patted his pockets until he found his penlight and took it out.
“Did you see that?” he asked Sebastian.
“I did. I could barely keep myself from leaving,” he said dryly.
“So you agree I’m right?”
“Let’s just say I have renewed faith in your judgment.”
Carter found the penlight and straightened. Lily was looking at Sebastian, frowning.
“Who are you?” she asked.
Carter knelt before her. “He’s a friend. He’s the guy I told you about from the school I attended. The one with all the military training.” He tipped her chin up so she was looking right at him. “Can you focus on my left ear for a second?”
As soon as she did, he turned on the light and looked at her pupils. They contracted normally, and she jerked away. “Hey, what you’re doing?”
“Just checking to see if the tranq is wearing off.”
She looked at him, blinking. Wariness settled onto her face as her memories returned. “That’s right. You shot me.”
He held up his hands in surrender. “Only with a light tranquilizer and only so I could get you back to safety.”
“You shot me in the back and dragged me to the Dean’s office,” she accused.
“Technically, only to the admin building.”
“You lying, betraying sack of—”
Sebastian interrupted her. “I’d love nothing more than to listen to this witty repartee all night, but I have work to do or I’ll never break into the computer system and clean out the records. And you should get her out of here. Before the Dean changes his mind and comes back for her.”
“Should I cut out their chips before we go?” Carter asked.
“What?” Lily sounded horrified.
Sebastian ignored her. “I think not. If the program I’m about to install does what it’s supposed to, they’ll blank out at dawn when we leave. Besides, if the Dean decides to track them, I want him to think the girls are exactly where they’re supposed to be.”
“What do you mean when we leave at dawn?” Lily stood on wobbly legs and gave Carter’s shoulder a weak shove. Mel followed her sister’s cue and stood as well, but she didn’t so much as glance at him. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
Sebastian rolled his eyes in exaggerated boredom. “Carter, take her away and explain this to her. We can’t have her fighting you the whole way out. You have until dawn or we’ll tranq her again.”
“If you think—” Lily started to say, but then she took a step forward and her legs gave out.
Carter caught her and wrapped an arm around her waist. “Understood.” He nodded to Mel. “Come on, let’s go.”
“No,” Sebastian said offhandedly as he rounded the desk and sat back down. “Leave the other sister here.”
“But—”
“You seem barely able to control one sister, let alone both. Besides, this way Lily will be motivated to return.”
Carter studied Sebastian, taking in the vampire’s pale skin and humorless eyes. He looked about as human as could be expected. “Back then with the Dean, how close were you to losing it? Because I’m not going to leave her here if you’re on edge.”
“Please.” Sebastian waved dismissively. “I was putting on a show.”
“When was the last time you fed?”
“I’m fine.”
Carter gritted his teeth and debated. Lily would hate this. She might be woozy and light-headed now, but as soon as they left the building the cold night air would probably knock the last of the tranquilizer out of her system. Then she’d be friggin’ pissed.
Still, Sebastian had a point. It would be easier for the two of them to move across campus without being caught. And keeping Lily away from the Dean had to be the top priority. Finally Carter nodded. “Okay.” He turned to Mel. “Stay here, okay? Sebastian will take care of you until it’s time to leave. And he has more gum.”
To his surprise, Mel just looked at Sebastian, her head cocked to one side. Then she sat back down, flapping her hands a few times. She started humming to herself. A classical tune that he didn’t recognize, but that made Sebastian’s mouth curve into something that almost looked like a smile.
Carter looked around the room one more time, at Mel humming in her spot on the sofa and then at Sebastian pulling up some file on the laptop. With a shrug, he led Lily to the door.