Page 23 of Night Fury
“It isnotokay,” he growled, grabbing hold of her arm and pulling her close to him.
She let him, but she didn’t warm to his embrace or the nearness of his body like she had before. Instead she looked into his eyes, and he was chilled by the coldness in hers.
“It’s okay for right now, then. I need to know what happened to me. I need those answers and I don’t have time to react to them.” Her gaze flickered and just a small bit of something warmer came through. Johanna whispered, soft enough so that even he could barely hear, “If you still want me after all of this, protect me then. But I need this now.”
She pulled away from him and approached the island. “Please tell me everything you know, Daniella.”
* * *
Johanna took a seat at the island. Her abilities as a mind witch allowed her to turn on and off different portions of her body, and to survive this she shut off her emotional epicenter: her heart. She could deal with her emotions later, but they had no place here.
Daniella, Greg, and Mya stood as a unit, carrying a pain that didn’t belong to them. It belonged to Johanna and her alone. Seeing them like this was yet another reminder of why she couldn’t stand to feel right now. They had one another to lean on, and it was evident that they loved each other dearly. She was the outcast here and this situation was all her own. No matter how welcoming they were, that was the truth. They could remember their pasts. They had not blocked out months of time and were not forcing themselves to play catch up. Not even twenty-four hours had passed since Johanna discovered how drastically her life had changed, and yet again she was forced to learn something so intimate, so horribly tragic and personal from a stranger.
Life had taught Johanna that respect was given to those who appeared to be strong and dependable, not weak and vulnerable. The world ate those souls up for breakfast. She believed more of the people in this room, even hoped one day she might be able to trust them with the pieces of her that she buried, but right now, in this very moment? No, now was not the time.
Johanna closed the last fissure of her heart just as Luke came up behind her, his warmth radiating into her skin. With one arm he leaned onto the counter, grasping the edge of it in his hand while he cupped her waist with the other. Even with her heart closed off, her body eased against his. Johanna squeezed his hand at her waist gently, a silent message of thanks before she focused back on Daniella.
“I heard everything you said to Luke,” Johanna began, her voice unwavering. “Were you able to see anything else? Anything about my loved ones?”
Daniella sat up straighter at her tone. Her eyes were still red and watery, but not a single tear fell down her cheeks. “Not your immediate family, no. But I did see your grandmother.” She took a deep breath as Johanna waited for her to continue. “He killed her in front of you.”
Gasps and curses echoed around the room. Luke’s hand clasped the countertop so tight Johanna thought she heard it crack.
Johanna gave a curt nod, and when she spoke again her voice was robotic, even to her. “Thank you for telling me. Did you see anything else?”
Daniella watched her for a moment, a question in her eyes, but then she shook her head. “No, that was all.”
“Would you mind if we spoke alone?” Johanna said to Daniella.
Luke stiffened at her back, and she turned to look up at him. “It’ll just be for a moment.”
“I don’t want to leave you,” he said.
The look he gave her did something to her psyche. One of the bolts opened, the chain slipped out, and Johanna had to swallow hard as she was hit by a tidal wave of emotions. She breathed, squeezed his wrist, and said, “I’m fine.”
His eyes narrowed at her words.
“I’ll be fine.Please.”
“Luke, let’s give them a second, alright? It’s been a long day, and they both have some things they need to get off their chests,” Greg said.
Mya nodded and made her way out of the room, but Luke looked like he wanted to argue and Johanna knew he had so much more left to say. He stared into her eyes, and something there must have gotten through to him because he finally took a step away from her, and then another, and another.
As Luke left, he took something of hers. Her safety. Luke was the only semblance of comfort she had and without it, withouthim, there was something missing. Now she was left with this woman, someone who had seen so much more of her than she had ever wanted to show someone. It was terrifying.
Daniella’s hands tentatively touched Johanna’s, and she drew back at once, shock etched onto her face. Her chest felt tight and the air in the room seemed too thin. Daniella reached forward again, and this time Johanna had nowhere to go except to let Daniella touch her.
Daniella’s fingers were soft and soothing on Johanna’s own, and at the center of her palms Johanna’s muscles began to relax. Slowly the feeling moved up her skin. With a gasp, Johanna realized that for the second time Daniella was doing something to help her, even when Johanna already owed her so much.
“T-Thank you,” Johanna said.
Daniella gave her a small smile, then nodded to her side. “Why don’t you come sit over here so we can talk privately. Vampires can hear ridiculously well, and I’m sure they’re probably listening right now!”
There was scurrying in the background that would have made Johanna laugh in any other circumstance. She moved to sit beside Daniella, and they turned to face one another, knees touching while their elbows rested on the island.
Once they’d settled, Daniella spoke. “‘I’m sorry’ doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel for you, but I am. I am so incredibly sorry for what you went through.”
“And I’m sorry you saw it,” Johanna said softly.
