Page 63 of Soulbound Shadows: Part 1

“No,” they said. “Don’t try to take the fucking blame for this. I know you’ve got your own shit, Gabe, but I truly don’t have the energy to talk you out of a spiral about this. Yeah, maybe you could’ve changed it, maybe not. The only people to blame here are the ones who tried to fucking kill us.” They drank the last of their makeshift cocktail in a few long gulps, then slammed the mug down, wiping the back of their hand across their mouth. “I’m going to bed. It’s been a long fucking day.”

Theo stormed out, and I heard a door slam in the distance.

Evangeline raised her eyebrows. “Wow. That was, uh…”

I nodded glumly. “In Theo’s defense, I was definitely going to spiral about it,” I admitted.

Evangeline bumped her shoulder against mine, and I leaned into the contact. “Yeah, I kind of figured.”

“Vampires,” I said. “They were attacked by vampires. I’ve been desperate to figure out who’s been taking my people, and all this time it’s been one of us.”

“We really can’t catch a break,” Evangeline said.

We sat in silence for a moment, drinking, still leaning against each other.

“You were incredible today,” I said eventually. “Going back to Nanny Murk’s hut, healing me, helping Lissa… Absolutely incredible.”

“I was just doing what I had to do,” Evangeline said, but I shook my head.

“It’s incredible that you managed to do it. I have to admit that I am… embarrassed by how badly I underestimated you at first. You’re a remarkable woman, Evangeline.”

“You’re not gonna let me avoid taking a compliment, are you?” Evangeline asked.

“Absolutely not.”

“And after I was so nice to you, healing your leg and everything,” she said, shaking her head. “Honestly, I didn’t know some of the stuff today was going to work. Punching a hole in the side of that hut could easily have killed us.”

“What?”

“Yeah, it was, uhm… pretty risky. I actually got the idea from you.”

“I gave you the idea to do something that could have killed us?”

“Your bag,” she clarified. “The one you brought on the camping trip that could have exploded? It’s a pretty similar kind of magic to the one that goes into making a place bigger on the inside. If she’d used a certain kind of spell to do it, it could’ve just, you know…” She mimed an explosion with her hands.

“Ah.” I blinked a few times, then took a long pull of my drink. “Well, there’s always next time.”

Evangeline sputtered out a startled laugh.

“I’d very much like to destroy Nanny Murk’s collection.” I couldn’t help but think of the partial tapestry I’d seen—the one of Evangeline flattened out and fragmented into blocks of thread. I put a hand on her arm over the jagged scar, and she brushed her fingers over mine.

“Yeah,” she said. “Yeah, I’d like that, too. The arson was a pretty good start, probably.”

“Probably,” I agreed solemnly.

“I don’t think I could have gone back there without you,” Evangeline admitted. I squeezed her arm gently. “I owe you one.”

“You saved my friend. I think we’re even.”

“God, I know we’re on a ticking clock here, but I could really use a day to just rest,” Evangeline said, fighting back a yawn. She stretched, popping her back and then leaning back against my side.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I pulled it out with a frown.

Reminder: Clan Alinejad Masquerade. Tomorrow night. Set an alert for travel time?

“Hm.”

“What?” Evangeline asked.

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