Page 52 of A Love So Deadly
I head to the bedroom door, right as Elliot comes out. There are fucking tears on her cheeks.
With a breath, I go in. Nell is propped up, her face tight with pain as she carefully moves her head.
“I like her, Lucian,” she whispers. “She might be good for you.”
“I’m done with humans.” I pain in my chest is a real, live thing. “Forever.”
To my surprise she laughs. It must hurt, or maybe she’s not feeling the full brunt of the pain anymore. Maybe there’s that mercy.
“You couldn’t have wasted your heart on someone like me.”
“There’s no one like you, Nell.”
“You like her more than you’ll admit. I can see that.” She shifts and groans. “Listen to me… I told her she’s stronger than me. And tough decisions sometimes need to be made.” She pauses. “Do you know what happened to her friend?”
“Fucking Monty…” I shake my head. “Someone probably got too enthusiastic and drank too much. I’m going to look into it. Now, let me help you.”
“You promised.” I’m not sure I can take the betrayal in her eyes.
I swallow hard. “I didn’t.”
“With your eyes. I know you, Lucian. You’re hard as nails except when it comes to your heart. Let her in. Help her. I…I…told her…told you… this…is what I…want. To die…on…my…terms.”
Fuck. She’s having trouble speaking.
“Okay.” I can’t believe I’m agreeing to this, but there’s too much sorrow burrowing into me to deny her this one request. As much as I don’t want to. She wasn’t able to live a normal life because of me. Because of my selfishness. Vittoria’s right.
I…I need to let her go.
So, I kiss her cheek. “Goodbye, Nell.”
“Thank you…Lucian.” Her eyes close for the final time.
With a bloody tear cascading down my cheek, I drop my fangs and lean in.
I’m in the street in front of the VMR building, standing in the light of the glowing company sign with the light rain sprinkling over my face. Elliot’s beside me, silent. She hasn’t said a word to me since her moment with Nell. Not even during the drive back, and I’m actually kind of relieved. I’m not in the mood to talk to anyone right now.
A few more tense moments go by. My clothes are starting to cling and soak down to the skin. Elliot has to be cold and wet. Those kinds of details don’t bother me as much as it does humans, so I’m about to tell her to go home when she says, “You look good.”
It confuses me so much, I just turn to her.
“Human,” she clarifies, gazing drifting back to the VMR building again. “Not so…pale.”
“Nell’s dead.” The words stab at me when I say them out loud.
Another beat of uneasy stillness.
“She…she said some things to me,” she says.
I growl. I know my annoyance, my anger is misplaced, but I can’t help it. “What do you want me to say?”
She flinches. “Did you…?”
How human… To fucking search for assurance for something she already knows.
I tilt my head up to the cloudy skies. “I drained her lifeblood from her, yes.”
“You killed her.”
