“I’ll go,” I offered. It was a sign of my progress that vampires talking about “food” no longer made me hyperventilate. I knew she didn’t mean blood, not if the dhampirs and I were being involved. Besides, there was no feeder around. Feeders were humans who willingly gave blood to Moroi for the high it produced. Everyone here knew better than to even joke about that around me. “There’s a good Thai carryout place a few blocks away.”

“I’ll help,” said Adrian eagerly.

“I’ll help,” said Sonya. “The last time you ran an errand, you were gone two hours.” Adrian scowled but didn’t deny the charge. “Our aura observations have been identical anyway. You can get them started on the sounds without me.”

Sonya and I took everyone’s orders and set out. I didn’t really feel like I needed help, but I supposed carrying food for five people—even for a few blocks—could get unwieldy. I soon learned she had other motives for coming along, though.

“It feels good to get outside and stretch my legs,” she said. It was early evening, with significantly less sun and heat—a condition the Moroi loved. We walked along a side street leading toward downtown, lined with cute apartments and small businesses. All around us, huge palm trees loomed, providing an interesting contrast to the eclectic urban setting. “I’ve been cooped up there all day.”

I smiled at her. “And here I thought Adrian was the only one who got cabin fever from the work you guys do.”

“He just complains the most,” she explained. “Which is kind of funny since he also probably gets out the most, between his classes and his cigarette breaks.” I’d nearly forgotten about the two art classes Adrian was taking at a local college. He usually kept his latest projects on display, but there’d been none in the living room lately. I hadn’t realized until that moment how much I missed them. I might give him a hard time, but sometimes those artistic glimpses into the way he thought were fascinating.

Sonya gave me a brief recap of her wedding plans as we walked the short distance to the Thai restaurant. Her relationship with dhampir Mikhail Tanner was kind of epic on a lot of levels, I supposed. First, dhampirs and Moroi didn’t generally get involved in serious relationships. Usually, they were just casual affairs that resulted in the reproduction of more dhampirs. In addition to the scandal of even being involved, Mikhail had actually wanted to hunt down Sonya when she was a Strigoi to free her from that twisted state. Rose had attempted the same with Dimitri, believing death was better than being a Strigoi. Mikhail had failed, but their love had remained steadfast enough through the ordeal that when she’d defied the odds and been restored, they’d immediately gotten back together. I couldn’t even begin to imagine love like that.

“We’re still deciding on flowers,” she continued. “Hydrangeas or lilies. I’m guessing I know what your vote is for.”