Page 78 of Cruelly Fated
“The Voltaire's ball is tonight. I wasn’t planning on going, but…turns out I have to. And now I need a date. Stat.”
I pulled the phone away from my ear and stared at it. Surely, I hadn’t heard him right.
“Allie?”
“Oh, here. Did you just say aVoltaireball? I have nothing to wear,” I said.
“You’re the same size as my sister. She has closets—I meanclosets—full of that stuff. I’ll have a few selections ready when you arrive.” Valor’s voice became muffled as he spoke to somebody nearby. “Allie, I have to go. I’ll see you soon.”
“But—”
He hung up.
I hadn’t even given him an answer. I couldn’t go with him…could I? Attending the ball meant running into Kyon. And running into Kyon was a bad idea. When my traitorous heart wanted to run to him, when my foolish lips still craved his kiss, and my body… I sighed.
I owed Valor. That much was true.
I raked my fingers through my hair. Maybe I could slip out early, once the vampire no longer needed me.
My gaze dropped to Mom’s last letter still resting on the bed. I tucked it into my pocket, grabbed the car key, and stepped out into the sunlight.
Thirty-Four
ALLIE
“You look…different,” I said, pinching my lips. Grandpa had grown out his facial hair into a beard worthy of a warlock and was now sporting a red bandanna tied around his head. On the upside, he looked healthier—happier, even. Still, I had serious reservations about him joining a prison gang, even if it seemed to be working out for him.
He cracked a smile. “Ifeeldifferent too. One of the brothers shared some mushrooms earlier today—”
“You’re joking!” My pulse skyrocketed. “You’d better be joking, Grandpa…”
“I am, I am…” He laughed. “Just trying to get a rise out of you. Lately, you’ve been all doom and gloom. You’re too young to give up on life. Look at me—I found my second calling, and I’m practically ancient. It’s never too late to start over.”
I snorted. “I’m glad you’ve found—” I circled the air with my hand. “—whatever this is. As long as it makes you happy.”
“I am happy. I hadn’t realized how unhappy I was, going through the motions. I think I fell into a depression after the love of my life, your grandma, died. I didn’t recognize it until now.” A rare sparkle lit his eyes. Could it be true?
“But what about you now, my sweet child?” he asked.
“What about me?”
“Have you found peace?”
I inhaled sharply. Peace? Such an elusive concept. “I used to think leaving the district would give me that. But now I think what I was missing was closure.”
“About?”
I fished out Mom’s letter. “I’ve read her notes, well, letters she intended to send to my father. But I’m guessing he didn’t leave an address when he disappeared?”
Grandpa’s face fell. He gave a slow shake of his head.
I unfolded the paper, smoothing the creases. “In her last letter, she wrote:Cyrus, the healer says Allie’s gift is becoming too strong for his spells to suppress. I have a feeling her powers will awaken on her eighteenth birthday—just like yours did. Youand she have so much in common. Not a day goes by that I don’t see something of you in her… It’s time she met you and claimed her legacy. She’s unprotected in Avari, and someone with such a powerful gift in our district is a rare commodity. They will come for her. I’ve taken a high-paying job to fund our travel. It’s risky, but the pay is too good to pass up. We’ll see you soon.”
After I finished reading, I peered at Grandpa. His face turned ashen.
“I didn’t know,” he whispered. “Your mother kept more secrets close to her heart than any creature I’ve ever known.”
True.
