Page 58 of The Broken Aztec Princesses

“Violet, are you okay?” Chris was standing in front of the desk now.

I watched Nenetl staring at him from the back of my mind. She didn’t say anything at first, and I didn’t want to break this moment with her. Finally, she lay down closer than where she used to lie before.

I’ll try. I still get a little tired. Everything was... too much. I fought to stay because I couldn’t bear to part with you, but a part of me still thinks you’d be better off without me.

I’m not. I promise. I need you here. I’d die without you, physically, but mentally as well. You’re my best friend, Nenetl.

You have me, Violet,she said, nodding, but then let out a yawn.I need to sleep.

“Nenetl talked to me,” I finally answered Chris. I wiped the tears from my face and smiled. “She’s talking to me.”

Chris graced me with one his genuine smiles, and returned to his chair. He didn’t say anything, but there was no need for him to. His smile said it all, and I knew he understood the significance of what having your wolf speak to you meant.

Bells showed up at my room at eight thirty that evening, but instead of carrying a bottle of wine. After I opened the door for her, she walked in with two six-packs of Delphi Brew.

“I thought we were having wine?”

“I thought this would be more fun.” She shrugged.

I eyed my sister. I already suspected she needed this girls’ night as much as I did, but maybe there was more going on with her than I was aware of.

“Alright, then. Did you bring snacks?” I asked.

“Nope. I’m going back to get them momentarily. I just wanted to make sure this was okay with you.”

“It’s not like my boss will fire me if I’m late in the morning,” I joked.

“Great! Hold these, I’ll be back!”

Will you be okay with these?I asked Nenetl.

I only just convinced her to stay, I didn’t know how these would inhibit her. Delphi Brew held traces of a flower called Delphinium, which was a sister flower to Wolfsbane. It allowed our metabolism to be suppressed enough to allow us to getdrunk without causing us pain or suppressing the presence of our wolf.

They shouldn’t do anything to us other than suppress our ability to heal even more than it is in my weakened state. Just don’t plan on breaking a leg and we’re okay,she answered.

I grinned, more at the fact that she was responding than what she said.

Got it, boss.

Nenetl gave a tiny sneeze in response and curled up to nap.

Bells came back up a few minutes later with a bunch of snacks overloading her arms. I giggled, taking what I could and dumping it on the bed.

“I thought we could catch you up on Loki,” she said, grabbing the remote and signing into her Disney Plus account.

“I don’t want to watch Loki tonight, Bells. I doubt we’re going to pay much attention to it.”

“That’s true. What do you want to watch, then?” she asked, handing me the remote.

“We need something we’ve already seen, but that will entertain us once we’re drunk,” I said, flipping through the options. “How about Lilo and Stitch?”

“Goddess, no, Vi. I’ll bawl like a little bitch.” She laughed, opening the first Delphi Brew and taking a long swig of it.

“Coco?”

“Bawling, Vi,” she answered, opening a box of pecan swirls.

“Tangled? There’s some good songs in it.”

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