Not wanting to be pushed out of the seat, Nyaira moved out of Alex’s way.
	“You can take a man out of the city, but you can’t take the city out of the man.” She smirked, refusing to admit defeat. “You can’t deny who and what you are, Alex.” She walked beside him as he headed to the door, her voice soft and alluring as she brushed her shoulder against his. “I think you know that, [i]mon ami.[/i]” She walked slightly ahead of him and draped her hand on his arm, trying to force him into a slower pace.

[center]*	*	*[/center]
	Though she doubted it would take Alex more than a few seconds to catch up to her, Victoria ran as fast as her legs would go, paying her direction no attention. She bit her lip, hard, trying to keep back tears and bile. How had she not seen it? All those years. All those [i]lies.[/i] And it was right in front of her face the entire time. Him being a vampire explained so much. The friendship she had valued for so long, built on false belief.  How many times had she almost told him her greatest secret?
	[i]Does he already know?[/i] Victoria shook her head. She did not want to think. To feel the betrayal that made its way through her like a poison. She choked back a sob and lowered her head as she emerged from the side street she had absently turned down.
	The sound of voices and cars brought her to a grinding halt. She narrowly missed running into a man dressed in a business suit.
	He cast her a dirty look and snorted. Before Victoria could look away, his head flickered into one similar to an ox.
	Victoria whimpered and pressed herself against the wall of the nearest building and quickly shifted her attention to the town square before her.
	The streets were congested with people and cars from the lunchtime rush.
	Her heart beat faster at the amount of people, her breathing refusing to even out.
	[i]Scents.[/i] The thought momentarily brightened her opinion of the crowd. [i]Maybe he’ll lose my scent.[/i] She glanced down the alleyway, half expecting to see Alex or his ‘friend,’ then darted through the square. She wove between the people, carefully avoiding looking at those around her.
	A car honked at her as she ran across the street. She drove herself into an alley that looked deserted. Her legs and lungs protesting her poor excuse of military avoidance tactics, she found a little niche between a dumpster and a fire escape, and leaned against the wall.
	She placed her shaking hands over her mouth as she slid down the wall, her chest heaving from exhaustion, fear, and quiet sobs.