Page 53 of Addicted in Blood
“Not at all.”Her smile was warm and reminded me of Devon.“The typical response was no words at all, only stares of nonacceptance and ridicule.Or the one that said my curiosity would eventually wane.”She finished her wine and refilled both glasses.There was a slight tremor in her hand when she set the decanter down.And when she gripped her glass, her knuckles grew pale, and I cringed, waiting for the stem to snap.She released a soft breath before sipping, the crisis momentarily resolved.
“What Hamilton and I had was special.”Her eyes glistened with emotion.“We understood each other on a level no one else could begin to understand.He was the love of my life.Nothing could touch us.”She heaved a sigh.“Until the accident.”Her gaze returned to the ocean, and her posture stiffened.
“We were almost home, but I wasn’t paying attention to the drive.Hamilton and I were in the back seat, talking about the museum.Father had been off studying the book Philipe had reserved for him while we spent hours wandering through the stacks.We were laughing about something when the car swerved.
“At first, it didn’t seem a problem—Father avoiding something in the road.Then there were bright lights, the car swerved again, then…” Her voice cracked, and her eyes closed.When they opened, she appeared calmer.“It felt like something might have hit us.I can still smell the gasoline, wildflowers, burning rubber, and a cigarette.Then I was pulled out of the car.My leg was broken, maybe my arm, but it was healed shortly after so I can’t remember.Then the explosion.”Her hands shook as she covered her face.
I gave her time to recover.There wasn’t anything I could say.That I was sorry seemed so inadequate.
“I’m grateful I didn’t see him after he’d been burned to death in the car.Both my parents perished, too.Everyone but me.”
“It’s normal to feel survivor’s guilt.”
She shook her head.“That’s not something that happens with vampires.Although I’m sure what happened to me afterward doesn’t happen to anyone, either.All I could think of, the only place I wanted to be, was back with Hamilton and the dreams we shared.Where he would hold me and kiss me and tell me everything would work out.But instead of those dreams, I only have nightmares.Fire and blood.Torture and death.”She took in a shaky breath and released a nervous laugh.
“Now I’m the before once again.No.That’s not quite true.It’s impossible to be the before once the after existed.I’m something new that combines the before and the after to become the now.”She giggled.“Perhaps it’s the wine.”
I smiled and glanced at our empty glasses.I didn’t know her tolerance for alcohol, but I was already suffering the mother of all hangovers.“You’re probably not wrong.”
“But this isn’t what you came to see me about.”
I was still reeling from the bombshells she’d shared, but I couldn’t leave without discussing the issue currently facing us.“I need to find Devon.”I didn’t have time to wait.We were down to two days, and I’d slept through most of the morning.
“Decker is keeping him safe.”
“But he’s not getting better.”
She turned back to the window, her gaze unfocused.I was losing her.Then she grabbed my wrist.“He’s too dangerous while he’s in beast form.”
“Not to me.”
She shook her head, her grip on my arm tightening until I was blinking through tears.“Let me go, Lyra.You’re hurting me.”
She snapped her hand back but never turned away from the window.“I’m sorry.I’m doing everything I can to stay focused.It’s too much.”
“You need to lie down.”
She nodded, and I stood, turning her so she could lay on the couch.I placed a sofa pillow under her head and glanced around the room, spotting a blanket folded across a chair.I covered her and felt her forehead.It was cool.
“Lyra?Can you hear me?”
No response.Not a flicker on her face to acknowledge my presence.I didn’t know what was happening with the voices.Was she still half-crazed?Was this what it looked like when someone was in a construct?
I gave her a final glance before leaving.I nodded to the guard and raced down the stairs to the first floor.I had to speak to Simone about Devon, but I couldn’t get my head to stop spinning.Had I heard what I thought I did?Had she just confided to me that Hamilton had been a dreamwalker?
ChapterTwenty-Seven
Simone wasn’tat the manor.Convenient.She’d left first thing for Oasis and wouldn’t be back until the following morning.I searched for Bella, but depending on which vamp I asked, she was either on a classified assignment or was handling security at the safe house.
My frustration reached a boiling point, and I detoured to the kitchen.Cook was stirring a pot when I stormed in.
“There’s only soup for lunch,” he shouted without turning around.Based on the chaos in the kitchen, he was a busy chef.“The bread is in the warmer, bowls are out.Don’t ask for anything else.”
I stopped at the long island where, on most days, the magic happened as he concocted spice combinations and hovered over cookbooks to create his masterpiece meals.Today, it was filled with dozens of cannisters and jars of various ingredients.
“I just wanted to thank you for the scones.”
He swirled around, red sauce spattering the stove and countertops.“Ack!”He mopped up the mess with a nearby towel.“What a mess.”
