Healing sleep or not, however, he felt like hed fought a few hundred bruisers and lost. Unfortunate, since he had stuff to do. He couldnt snuggle up and go for round two of the mattress blackouts.
He threw his legs over the side of the bed. He would have stood, but Victoria placed a chilled hand on his shoulder and pressed. A puny move, but effective all the same. And necessary. With that one little movement of his, hed set off a chain reaction of pain. And more pain.
If I went into a healing sleep, why do I feel like crap?
Because the new tissue is untried. Dont worry, though. Once you get up and stretch out, youll feel better.
No room for doubt with such a confident tone. How often have you had to endure this?
A shrug of her elegant shoulder. I lost count a long time ago.
He didnt like that. At all. Want to go into details?
Not particularly.
I can have anyone you like punished. Another mistake on his part. Hed meant the words as a joke, something to make her laugh, but she didnt laugh, and he realized hed told the truth. Anyone who hurt her, he wanted to hurt in turn.
Time to switch subjects before he started issuing demands and upsetting her.
Now would be the perfect opportunity to tell her what hed seen. Her mom, Edina, trying to run away with her, her dad catching her, blaming her, whipping her. Would she be embarrassed? Probably. She shouldnt be, but yeah, it would still kill her that he knew.
After all, he would have been embarrassed if the situation were reversed. He never wanted this girl to see him weak, at his worst. Like now. He could barely stand that she was seeing him bruised and swollen. And he had to be bruised and swollen, despite that healing sleep. Aches and pains were not exactly liars. But if he felt that way, she would, too. Vampires seemed to carry a thousand pounds more pride than their human counterparts. So. Okay. Yeah. Maybe this was one of those things he just needed to take to the grave. Knowing helped him understand her, and understanding caused him to toss a heap load of respect her way. No reason to ruin that bywhat?upsetting her.
Was that cowardly of him? His rationale to get him out of an uncomfortable situation? Maybe some would say so, but he honestly didnt think so. Sometimes full disclosure was cruel and silence kind.
He was running with that.
Have you had any visions of my past? he asked, counteracting his decision in a snap. Hed just opened the door for her to ask if he had. And if she asked, he couldnt lie.
No. Lets talk about that later, though. Okay? Yes? You need to see something.
See what?
This. She turned, some kind of black remote outstretched in her hand. After pressing a few buttons, the wood panel over her dresser parted, revealing a large television screen. Colors flickered together, then images formed. She scrolled through the channels quickly, stopping when she reached a news station. Listen.
A somber-faced reporter stared out at him, an umbrella overhead, a light drizzle of rain falling. been dubbed the Red Robe Massacre of Tulsa, she was saying. Ten women, all brutally slain. Police are working diligently to find clues as to who could have committed such a heinous crime.
Tragic, he said, but why did I need to know it?
Victoria hit Mute and fell onto the mattress beside him. Females wearing red robes. In Tulsa. Where Riley is. Where Mary Ann is. Theyre witches, Aden, and they must have been the ones chasing the pair. They were stabbed repeatedly, which means the fairies, vampires and wolves werent responsible.
He jumped on the topic with the finesse of a freight train. Are Riley and Mary Ann okay?
Her hands wrung together, and when that wasnt enough, she twisted the fabric of her robe, leaving wrinkles in her wake. I dont know. He hasnt contacted me in a while.
Elijah?
I dont know, the soul said.
Okay. So the soul hadnt seen anything bad. That beat the crap out of the alternative. How can you be sure the creatures you named arent responsible?
Fairies would not have caused bloodshed. Vampires would have, but they would have licked up every drop of that blood. And the wolves would have left claw marks, not knife slashes.
Hmm, blood
The moment the thought registered, he sank into a dark pit of humiliation. People had died. Violently, painfully, and he craved a snack?
Aden, Victoria prompted.
Right. He needed to comment. See Aden discuss murder as casually as the weather. Who does that leave?
Wait, wait, wait, Caleb suddenly said. Go back. I was just waking up and had to have misheard. Did she just say a coven of witches wasmurdered?
Victoria was talking, too, but Aden heard only Caleb, the souls upset giving him volume. Yes, he replied. Im so sorry.
No. Shes wrong, she has to be wrong.
Caleb
No! Elijah. Tell him shes wrong. Tell him!
Im sorry, too, Elijah said sadly.
No! A plaintive cry. A cry that must have opened a dam of heartache, because Caleb began sobbing.
The soul had liked the witches from day one, and had thought he was somehow connected to them, that hed known them in his other life. The one before Aden.
You have to go back in time, Aden. You have to save them from this.
His reply was instant. No. I cant.
You mean you wont.
Too many things could go wrong. You know that. It was the same answer hed given Victoria, when shed asked. The same answer he would give anyone, everyone, who asked. When you weighed the risks against the rewards, the risks always tipped the scale.
There was no reason good enough to tip the scale in the other direction.
Please, Aden! Please.
No. Im sorry.
While Elijah and Julian attempted to comfort their friend, Aden met Victorias curious gaze. The news has destroyed disturbed Caleb.
Im sorry.
Me, too. And he was, even though Aden had never liked the witches himself. How could he? Theyd cast the death spell over Riley, Mary Ann and Victoria, and nearly ruined the life hed built for himself. But he hated for one of his souls to suffer, and he would have spared the witches for that alone.
The best thing we can do for him is figure out what happened and make sure it doesnt happen again, he said.
I agree. You asked me who could be responsible. I dont think the goblins or zombies are smart enough, so that leaveshumans.
All the commotion woke Junior. The beast stretched inside his head, making little mewling noises. Aden tensed. Exactly what he needed. Another fight. Then he recalled what Elijah said, that Junior responded to emotion. If he remained calm, the beast wouldnt fight him.
Yeah, he could do that. Maybe.
How could a few humans defeat a coven of witches? he asked. Good. Right track. Weve seen the power of their spells firsthand. And humans, well, theyre uneducated when it comes to magic. Anyone who so much as approached the witches would have been defenseless.
I dont know.
Maybe one of the races you named wanted humans to be blamed and framed them.
Its possible. But why do so? To send a message?
A we-know-what-you-are-and-were-coming-after-your-kind sort of thing?
Yes. No. Maybe. I dont know. Nothing like this has ever happened before. We clean up our battles. All of us. We rarely leave evidence for humans to find. Thats how were trained from birth. Thats how we survive.
Times change.
Yes, she said flatly. They do.
What did that mean? Hed changed, and she no longer liked him?
Junior belted out a hungry roar.
With a sigh, Aden fell back on the mattress, winced and draped his arm over his forehead. Im not thinking straight. Lets talk about the murders after we eat, okay?
Her hesitant Okay gave him pause.
Did you already eat? For that matter, Where did you sleep last night? Hed taken her room, and she had not been here. And he could have kicked his own butt for simply falling asleep on her, making her feel as if she didnt belong in her own digs. He knew how important having personal space could be, having been denied his own for most of his life.
Before, Victoria would have felt comfortable enough to snuggle up to him. After the way hed treated her lately, she probably hadnt known if he would welcome her or reject her.
I stayed in Rileys room, she said, her hand going back in her pocket to play with the wrapper or whatever it was.
A growl rose up in his throat before he even realized he was having an emotional reaction to those words. Calm down.
He recalled the first time hed seen Victoria outside one of Elijahs visions. Shed been standing in a forest clearing just beyond the D and M ranch, Riley towering behind her, protecting her. Aden had wondered what they were to each otherand even when hed learned they were just friends, thrums of jealousy had refused to leave him.
Closeness was closeness, no matter how you sliced it.
You could have slept here, he told her.
Well, did you, the king of heaven and earth, mention that a single time since coming here?
No, she hadnt known. Im mentioning it now.
Crinkle, crinkle. She wasnt done. Thats great. Wonderful. Considering youve done nothing but push me away for days.
Annnnd there was the crux of the problem. Im sorry for that. I really am. But Im improving. Right? I mean, youve changed, too. Great. Now he was throwing blame, something she didnt deserve.
Meaning Im more human? Crinkle, crinkle.
What was that? Meaning, nothing bad, I swear. Butyes, you have been more human. And again, thats not a bad thing.
Yes, it is. Youre saying I wasnt good enough as I was.
No! Thats not what Im saying at all.
Still she wasnt done. The fact that youre improving is great. Wonderful.
He was going to hate what came next, he just knew it.
But Ive decided to hold a grudge, she finished.
Yep. Hated. Are you serious?
Am I known for my delightful sense of humor?
When she gave in to the new human side of her, she really gave in. Why are you holding a grudge?
Because I feel like it.
And how did you argue with that kind of logic? Fine.
Fine.
I still need to eat.
Flames lit up the blue in her eyes. Do you want me to fetch you a slave?
No. Yes. No. Only one name was etched into his menu of choice, and it was still hers. But hed had Sorins blood. And, hey, why wasnt he seeing the world through Sorins eyes? He asked Victoria.
The blood only works that way for a limited amount of time, and since youve spent an entire day dead to the world, your connection to Sorin, and his to you, has passed.
Now, she added. Why dont you want a slave?
Ill find someone to chomp on in a minute. He would force himself. I need to clean up first.
Crinkle, crinkle.
Whats in your pocket? he asked
Her checks flashed bright red. Nothing. Now go. Clean up.
O-kay. He lumbered from the bed and hobbled to the bathroom, certain he resembled an old man with a walker, and yes, he hated that Victoria was seeing him like this.
Oh, and Aden? Thank you for not killing my brother, she said just before he shut the door.
Youre welcome.
He brushed his teeth, showered quickly, noticed Victoria had already stacked fresh clothes in the corner, and dressed in the plain gray T-shirt, jeans and his own boots. Everything was pressed and a perfect fit.
As Juniors roars came more frequently and Calebs choking sobs finally faded, Aden studied himself in the mirror. It was still a jolt to see himself with blond hair. Hed been dying the mop for years. His eyes jolted him, too. Last time hed seen them, they were gold. Now, they were a kaleidoscope of colors.
What stunned him most was his lack of bruises, swelling and punctures. He looked one hundred percent racer ready. His insides clearly had some catching up to do. Even after that steamy shower, he hurt. Considering hed expected his lips to resemble something out of a horror flick and the fact that hed lost a toothwhich, three cheers, had regrown during his healing sleephe wasnt going to complain.
Could you please shut that beast up, Ad? Julian asked, pulling him from his thoughts. All that roaring on top of everything else is annoying, and Im not sure how much longer I can deal.
If we want to quiet Junior at least for a little while weve got to eat.
Pick a blood-slave, like Victoria suggested. Please.
The term blood-slave was really starting to bother him. Yeah, that could have been his fate, and could still be his fate since he was jonesing so badly for the princess and only the princess.
His ears twitched. Footsteps in Victorias room. Frowning, he threw open the bathroom door. Before he saw who had entered, he smelled who had entered. Rileys brothers. Maxwell and Nathan. They reeked of the outdoors and fear.
Nathan was pale from head to toe. Pale hair, pale blue eyes, pale skin. Maxwell was gold. Both were handsomehe guessedbut both were cursed by witches. (Who wasnt, nowadays?) Anyone the pair desired would see a mask of ugliness when looking at them. Anyone they did not desire would see their true faces, their beauty.
Aden, of course, saw their true faces.
Both were scowling and taut with their worry and trying to comfort a crying Victoria.
Whats going on? he demanded, stalking over, ready to grind them both into powder if theyd hurt her.
He was just about ready to throw a punch, anyway, when she held out a goblet to him. Here. Drink this.
He smelled the sweetness before he saw the blood. Junior went wild, his roars more of a yes, yes, yessssss. Or maybe give me was more accurate. Adens mouth watered uncontrollably, his gums doing a little dance of anticipation. He knew without asking exactly whose vein the blood had been tapped from. Victorias.
His arm was lifting, the cup at his mouth, his throat gulping back the contents a second later, and only when hed consumed every drop did he even realize hed moved.