“Why did you come here, Dom?” Brennan asked, and even to his own ears he sounded exhausted.
“Haven’t you heard the good news?” Dom deadpanned. “Evelyn’s disappearance is no longer under investigation. Like it never even happened! Isn’t that great?” She let out a dry, humorless laugh.
Brennan’s hands curled into fists at his sides. “Isn’t that what you wanted?”
Dom gave a cruel, wry smile. “Wow. I almost forgot what a complete bag of dicks you are.”
“What do you want me to say? Congrats on getting away with murder and thanks for stopping by?”
“My sister died, you heartless fuck. She was the only good thing in my life and she’s gone. Even hermemoryis gone.” She stood abruptly, swaying drunkenly into Brennan’s space as she lilted toward the window rather than the door. “I don’t know why I came here. Stupid idea.”
“Wait,” Brennan said, stepping in front of her and scrubbing a hand over his face. “I’m sorry. Just—say what you came here to say.”
Dom frowned, thoughtful, pale, and gaunt. She looked, for all intents and purposes, like a vampire.
“I don’t know if I can keep pretending,” she said. “Playing at human when I’m not.”
“Okay,” Brennan said, low. “Talk to Nellie. You can transfer or something. I’m sure there’s a pamphlet about it.”
“No, listen. You’re holding on so hard to the things that make you human, but for me—that was Evelyn. And if Evelyn’s gone, so am I. My old life doesn’t matter. The shitty job, the shitty parents, the shitty apartment.” She seemed to be realizing it as she was saying it, and laughed, childishly incredulous. “I can do whatever I want now.”
Something dark swirled in Brennan’s stomach. “And what is it you want?”
“I don’t know. But I know what I don’t want. I don’t want to ever feel powerless again.”
The dark thing in the pit of Brennan’s stomach turned cold and solid. This time, when Dom moved to leave, Brennan let her.
“Dom.” Brennan’s fingers shook, squeezing around the blood packet.
Dom turned her head to look at him over her shoulder, the moonlit window lighting up her profile, an icy expression on her shadowed face.
Brennan swallowed hard. “Don’t come back here,” he said.
Dom’s face shuttered, hard and stony, mouth set in a line. She huffed a cold scoff and turned back toward the window.
“Keep pretending, if you want. I’ll do what I have to do to get by. Like I always have.”
She was disappointed, he realized. She had wanted him to understand. Maybe even expected him to.
She ducked through the window, sliding it shut behind her. She moved so quietly, with hunter-light footsteps, that Brennan could barely hear her exit.
14CREATURES OF THE NIGHT
BRENNAN’S PHONE
Missed calls from Nellie [6]
Missed calls from Sunny [2]
Instagram
KeepItSunnymessaged you.
Call Nellie right the fuck now.
Nellie
Hey don’t freak out but something may have happened!
