“You didn’t bring your sister?”
Tori walked around in front of him. “I don’t need her.”
He met her eyes. “You’ve made your choice?”
“I don’t know what to do. There has never been a choice for me.”
He held out his arms, and she sank into them. She breathed in his essence and allowed his warmth to comfort her soul.
“I love you, Victorianna. Now and forever.”
“It’s always been my job to protect my sister. Look after her. If I hadn’t failed, we wouldn’t be in this situation right now. But I can’t live knowing that there’s a sliver of a chance that she’s constantly in danger.”
“If you hadn’t failed, I wouldn’t be here to start with. I don’t consider that a failure. But I also can give you no peace of mind on her safety. No one can do that.”
“I can’t have her die in a random car accident or have a brain aneurysm.”
He stiffened and stepped away from her. “And I can’t live with you doubting me.”
It was almost too dark to see him. Tori pointed at the remains of the original fire pit and pointed her finger. Flames leapt up and illuminated the entire area.
“You’re been practicing.”
“No, I’ve accepted what I am.”
A rustle caused her to turn and find Sonhos perched on the rock next to the statue pieces.
“If you go back, does he have to go with you?”
Malik gave a quick nod. “We’re tied together in immortality. If I had the option, I would leave him behind, so he could live his life.”
“You’d be completely alone.”
He caressed her cheek. “Without you, no bird will alleviate that loneliness no matter how tightly bound we are.”
She leaned up and kissed him. Passion flared and she felt herself sinking into love.
Don’t send him back.
Take the chance.
You can have both.
“I love you, Malik. I feel all the souls since Merada, and we have all loved you. Nothing will ever change or replace that.”
They stood locked together. She could feel his confusion about what her choice would be at midnight. Her mind warred about the same thing.
At two minutes to midnight, his lips met hers again in a hard, demanding, almost punishing kiss. Her body responded in kind as they fought for control. The shattered pieces of her heart exploded as they shared their energies.
She did the one thing she’d sworn she would never do. She looked in his heart. She used the connection to read his aura.
She saw the love and passion for her. She felt the hope and promise of a life together. She saw the strand that already connected him to their child.
He knows, yet he didn’t say anything.
It’s his child. Of course he knows.
He’s lost one. Do you want to take another?
There’s no evil here. I don’t have to.
And then she saw it. Small and hidden but still present. Like an ant waiting to ruin a picnic or a mosquito searching for a feast. The small bit of black created by hatred and revenge. A drop of darkness in an ocean of light, but still present.
Her watch buzzed midnight. He deepened the kiss, but she pulled back and murmured words.
“Merada, don’t.”
He kissed her again, and she almost lost focus. She yanked her head sideways and chanted the next line.
His embrace became frantic and panicked. Her heart yearned for her mind to stop. Her psyche begged her to keep his love with her.
She kissed him one last time before she threw herself backwards. He reached for her as she raised her arms to the sky and recited the final verse.
She heard a final caw. I’m sorry, Sonhos.
The energy blast blew her backwards, and she narrowly missed hitting the rock. She lay with her face buried in the grass as she was suddenly surrounded by pitch dark.
And then it was silent.
She didn’t move. She could feel the overwhelming loneliness of what she had done. She felt the emptiness in her soul. She felt the tears come that she knew would never go away.
But they have to. For Toby’s sake. For the baby’s sake.
It was almost daylight before she had enough willpower to allow herself to leave the field. When she did, she carried the heavy gargoyle with her.
Blood White
Stephanie Ayers
Prologue
“Stop, please!” she begged as the red Toyota cruised past her.
The car’s taillights brightened as it reversed, then came to a stop beside her. Shane pressed the automatic button to lower the passenger window. He took in the girl’s unkempt appearance. She had twigs in her wavy hair, smudges of dirt on her tear-streaked face, and her once-white gown desperately needed a wash. “You need a ride?”
“My babies, please,” she sobbed.
He opened the passenger door without getting out. “Get in.”
The woman wept as she climbed into the front seat. “I’m so worried about my babies. Please hurry. I live down the road there.”
She wailed as he took his time putting his seatbelt on.
“Down that way?” he asked, scratching his head. “Ma’am, there’s nothing done there but an old, vacant house. Are you sure you live down there?”
She sobbed, and his heart broke. “Please, my babies. I have to save my babies.”
“Okay, fine,” Shane sighed. “Let’s go find your house.”
Chapter One
“No, Caleb, absolutely not. You know how I feel about you being on the road alone at night,” Jennifer shouted into her cellphone.
“Oh, come on, Ma! I’m a grown man, now, thirty-years-old. You can’t coddle me my whole life,” Caleb shouted back. “I’ll never find a wife until you back off. Seriously. I’m going to meet Duke in Texas, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”
“Oh, I can think of several things, son. None of them are legal, but that won’t stop me. I’m serious. If it was any other time of year, I wouldn’t care. You know this.”
“You going to bond me out when I get arrested for tampering with your car, or will you just stay home?”
Caleb dropped his phone to his thigh and smacked his forehead with his free hand.
“Look, Ma, it’s Duke, my best friend, and he’s in trouble. His transmission blew; he’s miles from home, and he’s broke. I have to go.”
Jennifer knew he was right, but the timing was horrible. And that bridge. He would have to go over that bridge to get out of town. Her heart fluttered. Her breathing quickened. She’d tie him to a chair for the next week if it meant keeping him safe.
“Caleb, please.” Desperation choked her, and she couldn’t finish.
“Ma...” Caleb closed his eyes. Why did his mother always make him feel like road scum on a Cadillac’s tire? “Is this about the urban legend? You really believe Mae White’s coming back, don’t you?”
“I know she is.”
Caleb squished his eyes closed and shook his head. His mother and her superstitions. “Look, Ma. I promise I won’t pick up any hitchhikers along the way. I promise I won’t even stop to ask someone on the road for directions. I won’t even stop until I have to get gas, which will be hundreds of miles from here, okay? Plus, I’m leaving in broad daylight. I’ll be long gone from Rickdale before nightfall.”