AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Her eyes soften, and I see our long, shared sisterhood of brokenness being raised in the house of Vlad Dracul. “We both know you’ll have to go back eventually. It was only a matter of time before his minions tracked me down.”
I shake my head vehemently. “He never found my parents.”
“But unlike them, I don’t plan on hiding in some hole and keeping my head down for the rest of time.” She grasps my hands. “I’m a mage. One of the most powerful of my age. I’m meant to do important work. I can’t do that if I’m always afraid the ripples of magic I make in the world will be detected by him. Better a long leash than to live my life in a hole.”
Her hands squeeze mine. “Come with me? We’re always better together.”
My whole chest seizes so tight I’m not sure I can breathe.
“Who the hell is Vlad?” Layden’s powerful voice suddenly startles us apart, reminding me that he’s standing right behind me. “Is he your grandfather? He sounds like a real asshole.”
My eyes fall shut for a long moment, our closeness and what I almost let happen between us before Sabra showed up flashing through my eyes. I breathe out and open my eyes as Sabra asks, “Again, who the hell is this?”
“No one,” I say at the same time he says, “Someone who’s good at dealing with assholes.”
A laugh barks out of me at that as I turn to him. “Not this one. Look, we knew we’d both have to go back to our real lives at some point. Well, my real life just showed up on the doorstep. This is where I leave you.”
“What?” He immediately looks alarmed. “You saved my life. And it sounds dangerous wherever you’re going back to. I can’t let you—”
“You don’t let me do anything,” I hiss. “This isn’t where you’re from, and I assure you, chivalry is long dead.”
“I’m hungry,” Sabra suddenly says. “Is anybody else hungry?” She bypasses me to the kitchen, where she starts pulling open covers.
Layden’s eyes narrow on me. “Then what about your debt to me?”
“What?” I ask, bewildered.
“You drag me out of the forest where I was perfectly happy to molder, forgotten forever, and bring me back to life, for what? To bring back humanity’s most ancient nightmare?” He gestures to Sabra. I watch as her eyes light up as she reaches for the end of a loaf of bread, but as soon as her fingers touch it, it turns black and moldy in her hands. She drops it and steps back.
“Whoa. Weird. Did you guys see that?”
“You should’ve left me alone in the forest if you were just going to leave me the second I got accustomed to company again. I’m a curse upon this earth.” He points to the bread.
My mouth has dropped open, both at seeing his particular power in effect and at the logic of what he’s saying. Dammit, I never thought about—
“What about your brothers?”
He barks out a bitter laugh. “The ones who buried me alive?”
I wince.
“You did that?” Sabra asks from the kitchen counter, nudging at the bread with a knife. It turns to dust in front of her eyes. “Whoa.”
Layden looks at her. “I apologize. I am cursed. You should get away from me quickly.”
“Whoa,” she repeats.
I breathe out hard again, my chest tight. “Look, I didn’t mean—”
“What?” Layden turns on me. “For any of this to happen? You were just trying to be a Good Samaritan? Well, next time, keep your charity.” He starts to head toward the door, and my hand lifts to stop him, but I force myself to hold it down. He’s right. I’m no good to him. I’m no good to anyone. Even in this, the one good thing I’ve tried to do, I’ve completely fucked it up.
“Wait,” Sabra calls when he’s almost reached the door.
My heart leaps even though I don’t know what she’s going to say, but because he stops and turns around. I look to Sabra with a wild hope she’ll say something that stops him in spite of the fact that I know better. He should go. I should let him go and not screw up his complex existence more than I already have. More than anybody, I know there are no happy endings in this life.
“What?” Layden asks, voice low, hand on the doorknob.
Sabra steps forward until she’s standing right beside me. “I’m a powerful mage. Maybe we can fix you.”
