Page 51 of Barely Breathing

I try to fight against reliving this moment, but the vampire’s blood magic won’t let me escape. The conversation continues exactly as it happened. I tryto scream at Costin to stop, but I can’t overwrite the past. I feel tears on my cheek.

“And if you’re out of the way, who gets all that Devine power and money?” Paul’s tone softens at my tears. “Who is there now making all the decisions regarding the estate? Who is dealing with the lawyers? I know you don’t want to see it because you’ve lost so much, but I say this because I care. Often, the simplest answer is the right answer.”

Hot tears slide down my cheeks as the truth I didn’t want to see becomes clear. Even now, with Conrad dead and the timeline reset, this moment cuts deep. I want Costin to stop this. I don’t want to feel it. I don’t want to remember how much I trusted my brother, how blind I was to his darkness.

The memory of what happened later—of Conrad’s death when he stole my amulet—tries to surface, but the blood magic keeps me locked in this moment. Costin wants to understand, to see how Paul broke through my defenses when no one else could.

“Tamara, I’m sorry,” Paul continues. His voice sounds distant through the haze of that past and present, “but I think Conrad is trying to kill you.”

No, no, no, no, no…

The memory shatters like glass fragments. They cut deep as Costin yanks his bloody hand away. Reality crashes back with a brutal force. His grip is almost painful, and I can feel him trembling. We stand in the bedroom as if no time has passed.

“Did you get what you wanted?” I whisper, my emotions raw. The taste of his blood lingers on my tongue. “Paul figured it out before anyone else. He saw the truth about Conrad when I was blind. He protected me. He risked everything to help me. And now he and his daughter’s in danger because of it.”

“He loved you.” Costin’s words come out like an accusation.

“Yes.” I don’t deny it. The amulet hums against my chest. Draakmar’s presence is returning now that Costin’s blood magic has released me.

“And you love him.” It’s not a question.

“Costin, don’t...” I whisper, pressing my palm against the amulet to steady myself. “There is no point in talking about that past. It’s all been erased. None of this changes that the werewolves took him. They need him because he died and came back when the timeline reset. His mortality is touched by death magic.”

“It’s not erased for you and him.” Costin’s voice is laced with bitter understanding. “He remembers. You remember.”

I nod. There is no point in denying it. Draakmar stirs, sensing the growing tension.

Costin releases me so suddenly that I nearly fall. “Get out.”

“What? Why? This is my room.” The taste of his blood remains as a reminder of the intimacy he forced between us.

“Get. Out.” His eyes blaze crimson, and I see the monster he tries so hard to contain. “Before I do something we’ll both regret.”

Chapter

Fourteen

Asshole!

I make it halfway to the door before Costin says, “Wait.”

The word pisses me off more. What the ever-living hell is wrong with this guy?

Get out. Wait. Get out…

Fuck him and his supernatural authority. I don’t care if he’s a master vampire king or ruler of every paranormal creature on the planet. He’s being a jerk. I may be just a lowly human but I’m not a child, and I’m not going to obey like one. Every second we stand here arguing is time wasted. Paul and Diana need me.

I reach for the doorknob, my hand shaking with anger and the leftover effects of his blood magic. Iknow he has the physical power to stop me from leaving, and I half expect him to do so.

“If you leave now, you’ll do something rash.”

“For fuck’s sake, I’m not an idiot!” I cry.

“Tell me you don’t plan to confront Thane.”

I hate it when he sounds all calm and reasonable, like I’m the irrational one for yelling.

“You’ll most likely start a war with the werewolves,” he insists. The amulet pulses as if Draakmar agrees with the vampire’s warning.

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