Page 14 of Pieces of Halves

“She wanted the vampire kingdom, but Victor beat her to it.” The witch laughs hysterically.

Bile rises in my throat. She left for power. My jaw twitches, and my chest hurts. There was a reason for my father’s lies. He knew why she left, and he never said a bad thing about her. My father was too good for that woman.

My body is numb. Without another word, I leave the witch where she is. I got what I wanted. Now more than ever, I want to be next to Izzy. Her simple nature grounds me. The way she smiles and laughs always brings out the sunshine. Then there are her strange antics that remind me how imperfect life is.

There are flowers scattered around the room, and blue and pink butterflies flutter behind her. Tengu did good. He may look terrifying – and he is— but for his princess, as he called her, he will become whoever she needs. Izzy needed a magician, it seems.

Tengu sees me, a knowing and wicked gleam in his eyes. My gaze moves to Izzy; her eyes are still puffy, but she seems to have relaxed a little. Her eyes land on mine as if she is reading my emotions, dissecting me with her stare. With a small curve of her lips, she attempts a smile. Whether it is for my comfort or her own, I am not sure.

“We should go,” I say, nudging her lightly out of the foyer.

Tengu walks past me in the direction of Teresa, his body morphing into a large form of himself. Izzy follows him with her eyes and asks, her voice soft, “What about Tengu?”

“He will be right behind us.” I offer her a small smile.

She does not need to know that Tengu will be eating the witches until there is nothing left of them. He will start with the dead one, Rosa, letting the living one watch. Then, he will eatTerasa, starting with her feet. She will scream and beg for mercy, but he will keep her alive. After her legs, it will be her arms. Only then will he consume her organs, finally letting her pass. It is a gruesome way to go, and it brings me satisfaction.

Vengeance for my sweet Izzy.

We found a hotel that is one day away from the ports. As promised, I still intend to help her escape. I am almost tempted to forget about my mother and follow Izzy. Unfortunately, I’m running low on time. These headaches used to happen once a year, but this last one came six months early.

My right hand burns as I pump and shake it to get rid of the sensation. Confused by the new sensation, I look down at it. There is nothing abnormal about it, but it feels as if it is on fire. With an annoyed grunt, I dismiss it and turn my attention back to Izzy.

I’m still alive. Everything is fine.The heat in my fingers won’t let me forget about it so easily.

She is curled up on the bed, her knees tucked into her chest as she stares at the wall across. I watch her from the corner chair, keeping my distance, and wonder how I can make it better for her. The only thing I can think of is holding her, but she’s been through a lot. I don’t want to overstep any boundaries that have been so cruelly violated.

“Talk to her,”Tengu says from the mind-link.

“Last time you said to let her be,”I retort.

“She is ready,”he says, and I can feel him vanish out of my mind.

Ready for what? To talk? For me to hold her? To heal? For the first time in my life, I am afraid. What if I hurt her more than help her?

Not Broken.

Chapter Six

ISABELLA

o one said a word since the encounter with the witches. It is late, and we are settled in a hotel room. The memories came back, and I didn’t know what to do with them. It was so sudden and so quick that I spilled everything to Jacob, and now I regret it. I didn’t want him to know such disgusting parts of me.

As I stare at the brown wall in front of me, I push away the gnawing feeling in my chest. A whole year has gone by, but it feels like it happened yesterday. Curled up, I try to make myself as small as possible to hide how filthy I am.

Jacob usually keeps close with friendly banter, but right now, he is sitting on the other side of the room. Before he knew about my past, he slept on the same bed and held me, but now, he wants nothing to do with me.

Used and dirty. That’s why. Swallowing the pain of his rejection, I bite my cheeks to stop the tears, allowing the sting of my teeth to distract me. It helps, but only a little.

Soft footsteps get my attention. He kneels next to me, his arms resting on the bed and his chin on his forearms. I stare at him. He said tomorrow evening, I will be on a ship. I should be glad, but my heart aches. I don’t want to leave him.

“I don’t know how to help you, and that scares me,” he whispers, his eyes searching for something in mine. “I want to hold you until it all goes away, but I am afraid of hurting you.”

He wants to hold me.My heart jumps and soars.He doesn’t find me dirty. With relief washing over me, I scramble off the bed, jump on him, and throw my arms around his neck. He tumbles back a little but keeps me steady and close. Shamelessly, I straddle him when he leans against the wall and rest my head on his chest. With his arms around my waist, warmth surrounds me like a healing salve.

My heart hammering in my ribcage from the bold move, but I don’t let go. If he wants me close, I will accept his affection.

“I’m not broken,” I tell him, keeping my arms around his neck.

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