Any Way the Wind Blows (Simon Snow, #3)(93)
“I mean, vampires have laid siege to an entire American city…”
“Baz, the whole world is a mess. Have you watched the news lately?” He swings the stick again, like he’s testing its heft.
“I’d think you’d be all over this, Snow. Clearing out a vampire infestation?”
He looks at me like my head is on upside down. “I’m literally sleeping with a vampire.”
“Yeah, but we’re talking about proper vampires,” I protest. “They drink blood.”
He shrugs. “They don’t seem to kill anyone…”
“They assault people.”
“Again, have you watched the news lately? I don’t even think having a vampire city is America’s biggest problem…” He swings his stick in a circle. “How much of any of this are we responsible for?”
“I don’t know.” We’re still holding hands; I hold my other hand up in front of my face, so he doesn’t accidentally hit me. “Some of it.”
Simon looks apologetic and rests the stick over his shoulder. “Maybe if it were happening here…”
“In the UK?”
“In the World of Mages.”
“Pfft. Are you still our guardian, Snow?”
“No,” he says quickly, “but … Oh, I don’t know.” He swings the stick again like he can’t help himself. “I hope your friend Lamb levels San Diego.
Let’s not turn him in until he’s done annihilating those bastards.”
When I don’t say anything, Simon looks over at my face. Whatever he sees there makes him frown. “You know that you aren’t more responsible for vampires just because you are a vampire…”
“Aren’t I? They’re my kind.”
“Baz, you’re their victim. ”
“All vampires are victims.”
“Seems like those NowNext vampires were volunteering for the job.”
I roll my eyes. “All right, then— most vampires are victims.”
“Maybe they start out that way, but then they choose to victimize other people. Whether it’s murdering people or Turning them, or just tapping people in alleys and stealing a pint.” He’s gesturing with his makeshift sword again. I let go of his hand to smack the stick away from me. “That’s a choice they’re making,” he says. “To keep it going. The cycle of abuse.”
“Maybe they don’t know a different way to survive.”
“You figured it out, and you were just a kid!”
I put my hands in my pockets and walk a bit faster. “I’m not special.”
Simon takes hold of my shoulder. “You literally are!” He gets in front of me, so that we both have to stop. “You get credit for not being a murderous asshole, you know, especially when being a murderous asshole would make your life way easier.”
“Well … I’m still young.”
“Baz. I don’t think you’re going to start draining strangers on the Underground.” He takes my other shoulder. He must have dropped his stick.
“You won’t even drink my blood, and I’m offering it.”
“Sto-o-o-op.” I roll my whole face up and away from him. “Simon, we agreed.”
“What did we agree?”
“That you’re not going to talk about this!”
“Fine, but we did not agree that you won’t ever drink my blood.”
I jerk my head down to look at him. “I’m telling you right now that I won’t! And I won’t have you bringing it up again.”
Snow’s jaw is square and there’s a line between his eyebrows. “All right.
I won’t bring it up again … unless there’s an emergency.”
“Hell and horrors.” My voice breaks. “There won’t be an emergency that requires—”
“What if we’re trapped underground?”
“We’d die of actual thirst before I’d need blood.”
“All right,” he says, “what if we’re trapped underground with water and food, and—”
“Why would we be in this situation?”
“We’re being held captive.”
I shove him. “You’ll break us out.”
“I don’t have magic, remember?”
“Then I’ll break us out.”
He steps closer to me, wrapping his arms loosely around my neck. “You can’t, you’re too weak—you need blood.”
“Snow, I’ve been in many extreme scenarios, and this has never transpired…”
“It could!”
I cover my eyes and press my fingertips into my forehead. “Why are you doing this? Why are you making me imagine a terrible situation where I lose my humanity and have to do the very worst thing to the person I care about most?”
“Because…” he whines. “Because it’s kinda hot. ”
“For fuck’s sake, Snow!” I shout it so loud, some birds go squawking out of the trees. I duck out of his arms.
“Come on. It’s sexy. Admit it.”
I’m walking away from him. “Cannibalism isn’t sexy.”