Page 31 of Shattered Magic

“My continued health is an affront to the community. I can’t continue to have health and wealth away from the community. It takes away from them somehow.”

He nodded. “Or the average community members brought attention to them, which made them vulnerable.”

“Yes, well, this is a tradition that my family has asked me to uphold, and I said yes.”

“Why?” His stroking fingers moved up the inside of her arm, caressing her between elbow and wrist.

Vega looked at him. “You know why.”

He looked at her seriously and continued to stroke her skin. “Because of me.”

She nodded. “Yeah. You were driving me crazy. Literally. When they offered me the chance to die, I agreed to take it.”

He looked at her in shock. “You didn’t give any indication of being despondent.”

“I couldn’t. You immediately took over, and we went out to do something fun.” She shrugged. “Anytime I went quiet, you took over. I was exhausted.”

“I looked for a new body.”

“I know. But five years of my life were gone. Five years where I could have found someone or even just figured out dating. The only thing that made it bearable was that my friends were with me. Now that Livia is free and Hari is with the governor, it is just me and Eon, and she can have a guy whenever she wants. You got a new body, and now I am on my own.” She smiled sadly. “Don’t get a swelled head, but I feel hollow.”

He held her hand tightly. “Anything I can say will sound lewd.”

She chuckled. “I know. Anyway, the sacrifice is soon, and I have everything arranged. You even have a starter fund set up on the off chance we could find you a body. Don’t worry. I wasn’t counting on you getting the form of a forest god.”

He blinked. “You put aside provisions for me?”

“Sure. My family has enough. My friends are taken care of. I may as well make sure you are set up for whatever you are doing next.” She smiled. “Eon has luck; I have money.”

“When are you doing the ritual?”

“What day is today?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know.”

She blinked. “Get a nurse?”

He reached out and pushed a button next to her shoulder. A nurse came in with a flush to her cheeks, and she said, “Yes?”

Vega smiled slightly. “What day is today, please?”

“Wednesday the sixth. How are you feeling?”

“Like I have been paved, and my bones have been replaced with ribbons. I am also rather thirsty.”

The nurse smirked. “Didn’t you get enough to drink last night?”

Vega blinked and tried not to tear up. “I had two drugged shots. Two drinks in five fucking years.”

The nurse grabbed the chart off the bed, blinked, and said, “I’ll get you something to drink.”

Vega blinked and thumbed away her tears with her unencumbered hand. “So, everybody thinks that I just got alcohol poisoning last night?”

Arkus shook his head. “No. She must have just come on shift.”

He stood up, walked around, and joined her on the bed, cuddling around her. Vega started crying when she felt how good it was to be held. Wednesday. It was Wednesday. Tomorrow, she was going to do what her community demanded. Tomorrow, she was going to jump into the earth.

They were curled together when a different person came in with a jug and a cup with a straw. “Here you go, miss. I don’t know why it wasn’t here to start with.”

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