Page 8 of Barely Breathing

“I’m sure the multitude of prostitutes he engages will bring him some comfort,” I grumble. “The only thing I broke of Chester’s is his pride, and that will quickly recover.”

Mabel Freemont carries a constant look of disdain, conveying a perpetual sense of superiority and ignorance. At the same time, Francis Freemont dominates conversations with loud, self-important bluster, recounting his wealth and business exploits that are only of interest to him. They made it clear they were doing me a favor by allowing me to marry their son. They announced it before the contracts were finalized.

“Though,” I continue, “I probably did break Uncle Mortimer’s heart. He had his sights set on the arranged marriage panning out.”

Uncle Mortimer has been pushing me toward Chester since I was a teenager.

Anthony laughs. “The look on Mortimer’s face when he heard you were with Costin was priceless. I doubt we see him at family dinner for a while. He’ll be too busy pouting about a master vampire dating a member of the elite Devine family. Oh, how the gossips have enjoyed spreading this one around.”

Anthony laughs harder.

I’m almost scared to ask. “What gossips?”

“You really have been chained in a basement. The supernatural underground is buzzing. Everyone is talking about how you helped him defeat Draakmar?—”

“Helped?” I interrupt, annoyed. Of course everyone thinks I couldn’t do it on my own.

“—and now, with the alliance between Lord Constantine and our family, they speculate what this will mean for supernatural hierarchies. Astrid has been receiving visitors all week trying to get into her good graces in case this alliance becomes permanent.”

Permanent? For fuck’s sake, we just started dating. And I’m not sure I would call him a boyfriend right now.

“Elf bookies have laid odds on when Costin will turn you. Want to give me a heads up before I place?—”

I hit his arm. Hard. He suppresses a laugh and pretends like it hurts. “I’ll never agree to that. Lay odds on never in a million years.”

“Ow! You’re broody today. Care to share what’s going on in that head of yours? I was teasing. You’re not seriously considering a sunlight allergy, are you?” He reaches to push my hair out of the way to look at my neck for bites.

I swat him away.

“If that is the immortality you want, I’ll supportyou,” Anthony says. I see his serious eyes behind his fallen smile.

He looks like he wants to say more but doesn’t. Long ago, he’d promised me he would figure out a way to cure my mortality. It was a sweet gesture to make his little sister feel better at the time, but I think that promise has grown to mean something deeper. Conrad is dead. There are only the two of us Devine siblings left. Anthony doesn’t want to be left alone in our family for an eternity, and he knows I have an expiration date.

The expectations of Anthony as the oldest son and the only one to inherit the family magic must weigh upon him like an anchor pulling him deep into the abyss.

I know. I swim in that abyss.

I hesitate, my thoughts a tangled mess of Paul’s memory, Costin’s cryptic promises, and my spiraling doubts. “No. I don’t want to be a vampire.”

The idea of drinking blood for an eternity repulses me. Or at least it should. I tell myself it does.

He bumps my shoulder lightly. “Come on, Tam-tam. Give me something. You’ve got that ‘end of the world’ look again. What’s going on? Please tell me we don’t have to fight another dragon. I’m still a little stiff from the last battle.”

I touch my amulet. I sense Draakmar is resting.The even fall of his breathing calms me and makes me feel safe. It’s a strange sensation being tied to the ancient beast, and knowing any magic I have is not my own.

I let out a breath, trying to keep my voice steady. “It’s just... everything. The Freemonts, Costin, Draakmar and the prophecy, Conrad and the fire?—”

Anthony holds up a hand. “All the ingredients for a migraine. Got it.”

I feel the pressure closing in and imagine being back in the car with Paul, driving across the country, watching the hypnotic lines on the road. It had been easy to fall into a human routine and pretend this world didn’t exist.

“Let’s take a breath.” Anthony squeezes my arm in comfort. “Freemonts can kiss our asses. I, for one, am happy our families aren’t connected. The prophecy has been defeated. Thanks to you, Draakmar is again asleep, and the world is safe. No apocalypse. Conrad is dead, and after what he did, it’s normal to have mixed feelings about our brother. I loved him, too, but he tried to kill us and our parents. The important thing is that his angry spirit won’t hurt anyone ever again. You saw Leviathan intervene. The necromancer will keep our brother locked up tight. You need to put the past out of your head, or it will drive you insane. We have to focus on the present.”

I still feel the lingering fear of Conrad’s ghost watching me. That’s the thing about ghosts—you don’t always know when they’re around.

“You’re right,” I say. “It doesn’t matter. I’m just having a mortality moment. We’ve been through a lot, you know?”

He studies me. “You don’t have to carry all this alone. I know you’re used to being treated like the delicate human in the family, and you think we don’t listen to your problems, but you’re still my sister. And you’re stuck with me, whether you like it or not. If there is a new problem, we’ll figure it out together. I know I haven’t always been there for you, but I’m here. Nothing is insolvable.”

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