Page 47 of Night Wedding
“You won’t take him anywhere, you cruel creature,” Sebastian said. “You’ve tricked him, but I won’t let you get away with it.”
I turned to Sebastian and pushed his chest. “What’s your problem, man? First, you follow me, and then, you accuse my fiancée of this bullshit. It’s not cool.”
“Listen to yourself, Diego.” He shot a withering glare at Diana. “You know parts of it don’t make sense. Why do you think you’re living with Lucas and me? It’s because she dumped you, and you moved to Salem—without her.”
“More lies.” Diana snarled at him. “Stop pestering us with your nonsense, you pungent mutt.”
Sebastian ignored her and kept his stare fixed on me. “You didn’t see Diana for years, not until the Halloween ball last fall—which you went to with Nova. Nova is Margaret’s niece. She inherited the house last year after Margaret was killed last fall. Do you remember that? You and Nova then fell in love.”
Something jolted in my head, but I couldn’t grasp it. It remained out of reach. Cloudy. I raised my hands to my temples, searching for it. Something was tugging at me but was blocked. I pulled at loose, wispy threads in my brain and tried to follow it, but then a sharp pain slammed into me. I fell forward, falling on my knees in the sand, and clutched my head.
“Look what you’ve done to him,” Diana shouted.
“Diego, what’s wrong?” Sebastian asked. “Let me help.”
The stabbing in my skull throbbed.
“Leave us alone before you make it worse,” Diana spat.
She leaned closer to my ear and whispered. “You need to feed.”
Blood. The thirst for it intensified. A surge of need raged in my veins, and my fangs pierced my gums.
“Yes,” I rasped through clenched teeth. “Now.”
Nova
Pandora, Cassandra, Zoe, and Lucas returned to the library, jolting me out of my increasing worries that circled around a drain of despair. My knees were pulled up to my chest. I’d rocked on the cushion below me, while trying to believe Gianna’s assurances that everything would be okay.
Was it?
Judging by the expressions on the faces before me, ranging from sympathy to worry, it was a struggle to find hope.
I pulled myself up to my feet and crossed one arm in front of my chest. “What is it?”It’s bad news, isn’t it?
Gianna rose at my side, her presence comforting. No matter what happened, she’d be there to help pull me through.
Pandora stepped forward and raised her chin an inch. “We’ve talked to others in the Network and scoured our resources for the optimal course of action to help Diego.” She exhaled. “We found something thatmightwork.”
“Oh, what a relief.” My trembling fingers cruised over the amethyst heart pendant Diego had given me.
Gianna brought her hands together. “That’s marvelous news.”
Pandora’s lips tightened into a hard line. “Unfortunately, the spell required that can break through what’s afflicted him is advanced and extremely complicated.”
My breath collided with my lungs. What did this mean? My lips parted, but the question remained stuck on my tongue.
“It’s not easy to perform,” Cassandra added, stepping deeper into the library. “The number and measurements of ingredients are so precise that even if it’s slightly off, it could be catastrophic.”
My heart leapfrogged into my throat. I swallowed and forced myself to ask, “How catastrophic?”
Zoe and Lucas remained near the entrance of the library. I made eye contact with Lucas. After a few uncomfortable moments, he turned away, glancing at the rug. That didn’t bode well.
“It could inflict even more damage on his mind,” Pandora uttered that somber declaration.
I stepped backward, stopping once my back pressed against a bookshelf. That was something heavy to consider. But what was the alternative—letting Diego be controlled by some type of curse?
My thoughts zigzagged as I raced over options. The one that forced itself forward, making the most sense was to give him a fighting chance to break free from this hold on his mind.
