Page 45 of The Vampire's Lament
Rolling my shoulders, I fought to strengthen my focus. I needed to rest and let my healing work through me properly. If Iallowed myself a good hour of sitting, I’d be okay, ready to crack on with the bullshit ride.
Heal up, survive the night.
Easy, right?
Gingerly, I crept into the house, braced for Aidan. He wasn’t in the living room, his rotting smell pretty much gone. I closed the door behind me, the storm beating against it in a sudden surge of aggression.
Yikes.
Taking a breath, I checked upstairs, finding no deities there.
I was alone.
Thank Ai?—
Thank theuniversefor throwing me a bone.
I went back downstairs, searching through the kitchen cupboards for some painkillers to take the edge off while the wolfy healing did its thing.
There weren’t any.
So, I made a cup of tea instead, watching my reflection in the kitchen window, the world beyond the glass pitch black.
What if Aidan came back, armed with spells via Hal or something? Would he bind me? Turn me into a rat and lock me in a cage?
Man, the possibilities were endless.
Erm, no. I wasn’t doing this. Spiraling didn’t help the situation, getting out of it did.
Executioners who used their smarts as well as their brawn were winners. Pearl used say that for encouragement, bestowing her confidence upon me. It always made me feel better, especially on difficult days.
I made my tea and sat down on the sofa, angling myself to face the door.
Pearl’s words would do me a world of good right now. I needed her more than ever, her strength greater than mine.
Can’t you come back to me, sis?
I wrapped my hands around the mug, trembling. Not being strong, allowing myself to sink into the damn pit of sorrow. Too tired to fight back.
Come on. You’re better than this.
I saw my sister smile, felt her warmth like the summer sun. My twin, my bestie, my everything. Time didn’t make things easier, only worse. The longer I lived in a world without her, the wider the gulf grew between us.
“I just want you back,” I whimpered, tears running free.
Ugh. More crying. Really?
If she were here, she’d slap me upside the head and demand I buck up. Obviously, she’d also bollock me for shagging a vampire, but that would yank me out of the mire. She had the gift of pep talks, of chasing the shadows away. I saw her as my protector, the better half of us, and the one who shouldn’t have died.
I slammed on the brakes, my tears drying up suddenly.
“You idiot,” I hissed, kicking my left shin with the heel of my right foot.
I didn’t dothatsort of thinking. Yeah, she’d been murdered, taken before her time. But she’d be furious at the suggestion of us swapping places. Sure, I’d lay down my life for her, but not like this. This kind of thinking shit on her memory and wouldn’t make her proud.
I wanted to make her proud, to show her I would change the world with everything I had. Even a little bit.
Aidan wasn’t winning this. His lies had to be exposed, his rot to be bleached from the world.
