Undead and Unreturnable Read Online Free PDF

like that. Betsy, can I talk to you in private? Maybe in your room?"
     
    "Our room," Sinclair corrected, and smiled when the blood rushed to Jon's face.
     
    "Oh, so you've finally gotten around to moving your stuff in? You've only had two months."
     
    That
took care of the smile, I was happy to see, and sure, maybe I shouldn't have said it, but I couldn't stand to see them picking on a kid. It was the fifth grade all over again.
     
    "The queen has many duties," Tina added, her legs scissoring in her lap as she crossed them and looked smug. "I don't think there's time to—"
     
    "Butt out, Tina. And Eric—knock it off. Hello, guest in our happy home?"
     
    "Uninvited guest," Sinclair muttered.
     
    "You wanna go?" Jon challenged. "Because we'll go, partner. Anytime."
     
    "As a matter of fact, I
do
want to go," Sinclair said, straightening up from the counter in a movement so abrupt, even I couldn't see it.
     
    "No,
no
. You guys! Jeez." I turned to Jon, who had a hand out of sight under his jacket. "Don't you dare pull a gun in my kitchen. I'm the only one who can pull a gun in my kitchen. Let's go up." Men! Like rats fighting over a hamburger, I swear to God. "Tell me all about… whatever it is. We all wondered where you went after you left."
     
    He was young enough that he didn't feel silly sticking his tongue out at them—but boy, he sure looked silly. Tina rolled her eyes, but Sinclair just stared at him like a snake at an egg. I bit my own tongue, figuring Jon had taken enough shit for one day.
     
     
     
Chapter 8
     
     
    I let him go ahead of me on the stairs, speaking of juvenile actions. I couldn't help it; he had the nicest butt. He favored faded blue jeans and big belts, shitkicker boots, and T-shirts. He looked like an ad for Wheaties .
     
    We had barely gotten to the first landing when he whirled, grabbed my shoulders, and burst out, "Betsy, you can't!"
     
    Startled, I grabbed his wrists. "What?"
     
    "You can't marry
him
."
     
    "That's why you're here?" I mean, liking me was something, but for heaven's sakes.
     
    "You can't do it, Betsy." I was gently trying to loosen his fingers from my shoulders, but he clung like plastic wrap. "I know you, and it'll never work. You're good, and he's
not
. He's totally not. You can't marry him."
     
    "Jon…" My God, was I going to have to break his fingers? "Personal bubble, Jon."
     
    He let go. Whew. "Sorry."
     
    "Jon, listen. I know Sinclair has done his share of—"
     
    "Murderous disgusting blood-sucking deeds?"
     
    "—uh—questionable errands, but he's not really that bad. I mean, Nostro was bad. Monique was bad. He's just trying to get along."
     
    "Betsy, that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard.
He is a bad man
. If this was a western, he'd be the one wearing the black hat."
     
    "Jon, you have no idea what bad really is," I said, as nicely as I could. "If you did, you'd know Sinclair wasn't it. The vampire world, like our world, isn't black and white… there's tons of gray areas. Sometimes you have to make a bad choice to do a good thing. He's done everything for me—he's been killed for me, and he's saved my life. I think he's saved my life. I mean, assuming I could even—never mind, we're getting off the subject."
     
    "Betsy." Jon stuck his hands in his front pockets, past the wrist, and looked away. "Sometimes a guy will do things for a—for a pretty girl. I'm not saying I don't think he, uh, likes you."
     
    "You're saying I'm too good for him."
     
    "Well…"
     
    "That's really nice." I meant it. It was the compliment of the month. It was the thing I would take out and reminisce about when I was an old lady. "But I know what I'm doing. And I love him. I bet that's the last thing you want to hear, but it's true. And how could I
not
get married to the guy I love?"
     
    He winced and still wouldn't meet my eyes. "Maybe it's a trick."
     
    "Like a vampire mojo thing? I only think I love him? I really only love his teeth and his