Page 18 of The Reign of Blood

I roll my eyes even though she can’t see. “I don’t have time to live a little.” Or, more specifically, every time Ido,something goes drastically wrong. Like last night, for example, or my birthday, for another. Nothing good comes from veering off track.

“Video chat with me, Addi. I’m bored and I miss your face.”

Dammit.

How does she have such an ability to wedge me between a rock and a hard place?

If I decline, she’ll only push and know something is wrong. If she notes a single ounce of uncertainty on my face, she’ll grill me until she pulls the truth from my lips. If it’s going to go wrong, it’s out of my hands, so I opt for the latter. If she does see right through me, at least we took the shortest journey to get to my demise.

Clicking the video chat button, I wait a few seconds until her face appears on my screen. My heart warms at the sight of her. I can’t describe how much I miss her. Everything I do is always for her, even being here, but the distance between us makes it harder. If she were here, I wouldn’t be dealing with all of this mess. I’d probably be dealing with more.

“Where’s Dad?” I ask when I notice she’s sitting in his brown leather armchair.

A look flashes in her eyes before she answers. “In the barn, fixing up my wheels.”

Panic strikes through me and my eyes widen. “Why? What happened?” I rush, and she rolls her eyes at me.

“Quit worrying. It just broke on the way back from the market. See? I’m fine.” She aims the cell phone farther away so I can see more than just her face.

Her feet are settled on the carpet, a blanket over her lap, and she’s wearing one of my hoodies. She’s such a menace. I don’t call her out on it, though. I like that there’s a piece of me there with her.

Despite the happiness I feel when I see her in one piece, as she promised, my heart still aches.

I know it’s because of me that she couldn’t be healed. I’m the reason she looks perfectly kept together, but her legs aredeceiving. Her wheels, as she likes to call them, are the only way she can get around. It’s because of me my sister is confined to a wheelchair.

I didn’t know at the time. I was so small and scared that I didn’t realize what I was doing, but the knowledge remains inside of me, and it will do so forever.

“I know that look on your face,” she states, and I gulp, trying to widen my eyes and smile.

“What look?”

“You know exactly what look,” she retorts with a cock of her eyebrow.

“I love you, Nora.”

She shakes her head. “Yep, definitely that look that is always followed by those heartfelt words.”

“What?” I’m terrible at faking innocence with her, and she knows it.

“Don’twhatme. You’re just jealous that I get carted around like an extra special princess and you don’t.” We both have knowing looks. Just as she points out mine, I can see hers. She loves to make light of the situation like this. She’s forever my savior, the good in this world, and it only makes me love her harder.

“You’re wicked,” I state, and she chuckles.

“And you love it.”

“I do,” I admit with a nod.

“Any guys we should be excited about?” she asks, veering away to lighter conversation. In her opinion, at least. In mine, it’s a loaded topic.

“Definitely not,” I grumble.

“You’re boring, Addi.” If only she knew.

“Maybe, but that’s my life goal. One of us has to be boring so the other can bask in all of the epicness,” I state, making her grin grow wider.

“And you can’t have any of my epicness. I’m not good at sharing,” she retorts, and I shake my head at her.

“I have permanent bruise marks to confirm that statement.”

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