Page 130 of The World Undone

Busted.

Squinting, I turned around to find Mer leaning against the frame, her eyes sparkling with equal parts amusement and anger.

“I’m famously bad at apology tours, I fear,” I said, trying to keep my tone light, teasing. That was always familiar ground for me, but it felt flat this time.

She grunted, disgust lining the set of her mouth. “Clearly. Didn’t think you were going to actually knock, so figured I’d save you the trouble.” She lifted her eyebrows. “Now that I have, give me one reason why I shouldn’t kill you for nearly killing my best friend.”

“You’re human,” I supplied automatically. “You wouldn’t be able to.”

Mer was tough, but she had nothing on a vampire. I winced at the look on her face, knowing as soon as the words left my mouth that they were the wrong ones to say.

“I’m sure it wouldn’t be difficult for me to convince Tex to hold you down while I carved your heart out of your chest.” She grunted. “Come to think of it, it’d probably be more difficult for me to convince him to keep you alive than to help me kill you.”

I nodded, knowing I deserved it.

I ran my hand over my face, massaging the throbbing ache in my temple.

When I woke up, my memories of returning from our trip came back, but only fragments and hard-to-decipher blurs.

One that stood out—nearly killing Charlie.

“What do you want, Darius?”

“Is she okay?”

Mer took a step closer to me, shutting the door behind me. “Her husband—and the father of her soon-to-be-born baby just died. What do you think?”

I nodded. “Right.”

Bishop wasn’t my favorite person in the world, but I knew that Charlie loved him—and over the last few weeks, I’d even found myself not entirely despising my time spent in his company.

“I went by her apartment?—”

“She didn’t want to stay there.” Mer dropped her eyes, some of her animosity towards me draining. “Can’t say I blame her. Every inch of that place reminds her of him.” Her eyes met mine. “She’s staying with me, for as long as she wants.”

“Makes sense. You’re a good friend.”

A heavy silence fell between us.

I felt Mer’s eyes on me, but I couldn’t bring myself to meet her gaze. Shame hung like a heavy boulder in my throat, and it took me a few minutes to work my voice around it.

“Max healed her though, right. She’s—” Clearing my throat, I glanced at her briefly before setting my focus back down on the weather-worn basketball that sat on her small porch. “She’s okay? Alive, I mean?”

“She’ll survive, yes. No lasting effects.” She grunted, “physically, I mean. I imagine that being attacked by someone you considered a friend takes a toll on your mental and emotional wellbeing.”

“Right.” I swallowed. “I’m glad she’s alive. Thanks.”

I turned around and took a few steps away from her, my heart thumping loud and heavy in my chest.

I could have killed her.

I could have killed Max?—

Panic clouded my vision as the memory of their blood mingled on my tongue, a ghost of the almost-massacre.

My fists clenched at my side, and I fought with all of my willpower not to claw my heart out myself, save Mer the trouble. The power existed inside of me, infecting me—a darkness that could take over in the blink of an eye.

It had happened before, but I hadn’t cared as much when I’d finally returned to myself. I hadn’t had people that I cared about then, people I loved.

---