[i]’I’ll show you just how [/i]pleasant[i] I can be,’[/i] Mila thought irritably to herself, her lip twitching in response to Lisette’s snide “compliment.” She stiffened as the younger vampire moved to sit next to her at such close, suffocating proximity. Still, she refused to flinch or move away in the slightest – despite the fact that she had always hated giving in to Lisette’s petty power plays. Mila had an excuse not to meet her eyes right away as she spoke to Booker, but now she made it a point not to deign a glance in her direction as she listened to her speak. The older vampire inspected her own nails instead as if she were already bored with the two of them. The tightness in her jaw said otherwise. 

[i]“What have you been doing lately? It's just been so long and you never kept in touch like you promised. Pity."[/i]

Mila could feel Lisette’s eyes pouring over her features, probably sneering at the telltale signs of her hunger. It was very difficult not to turn and glare at her. 

“I’m sure you both found plenty to keep yourselves occupied in the meantime,” she replied with another brief smile, faintly imitating Lisette’s falsely sweet tone. “I’ve been…roaming…for a while now. Nothing too noteworthy.” 

[i]“You seem like you could use a good meal.”[/i]

Mila’s eyes flashed and now she did slowly turn to give her a withering look. “…Do I?” she asked in a soft, dangerous voice. The aching desire to quench her thirst was making her feel impulsive and quarrelsome. Lisette was really testing her now, and she must have known it. [i]‘But what does she care?’[/i] Mila thought to herself in annoyance, [i]’She has all the power, and she knows it, the little wench,’[/i] And Lisette had Booker by her side, who had put his hand on the back of Mila’s chair the second she had turned her head. His other hand rested warningly on the table in front of her. They were both too close to her now. It was stifling. 

[i]"Oh!"[/i]

Mila nearly flinched as Lisette suddenly grabbed ahold of her arm. She had to hold back a wince as the other vampire squeezed it painfully hard on purpose, knowing the lack of food made her a little weaker. She masked her grimace behind the unamused look on her face.

[i]"Booker and I, we were planning on going hunting. Why don't you join us? For old times sake."[/i]

A hunt. Some instinct deep inside leapt with excitement at the idea. But she stared back at Lisette’s pleading eyes with a steely gaze. 

[i]“Please, say yes. C'mon Booker, make her say yes!"[/i]

Booker chuckled softly and flexed the hand on the table. “I won’t have to. She wants to come with us, don’t you Mila?” He leaned down a little closer, his slow southern accent suddenly more pronounced. She could smell the blood on his breath and despised the way it made her lips part. “Don’t you, darlin’?” he repeated.

Mila glanced from one vampire to the other and realized with a horrible sinking feeling that she was not really in a position to refuse their request. Worse still, some part of her very much wanted to hunt with them. They were good. She was good. Between the three of them, there was no chance they’d go empty handed tonight. She’d be able to drink her fill. And maybe… maybe a good chase was exactly what she needed to get herself back into her old habits.

She looked away from both of them, pretending to deliberate a little more. 

[i] "You know you want to."[/i]

“…Fine. Let’s see if you two have gotten lazy since I left,” she said finally, sitting a little straighter.

“That’s my girl,” Booker drawled, clapping his hands together. He made a show of offering his arm, which Mila ignored. She did take the opportunity to stand up and place herself at a comfortable distance away from them. 

“Come on. If it gets too late, there won’t be anyone out for us to catch anyway.”