“Rion?” Jasper echoed.
I felt the pounding of my heartbeat in my ears reverberating until I thought I might scream. “I cannot do this,” I barked, shaking my tense shoulders before checking my watch. It was two hours till 10:00 PM, which meant we had more than enough time. However, I was done with the conversation. “Not right now. Go get the car and meet me outside. We have a witch to meet.”
I pushed into the house with shaking hands, stumbled across a small bathroom outside the kitchen. As I turned the faucet, the pipes groaned, splashing frigid water across my face. My chest drew tight as I took a deep breath, forcing myself to bring my gaze to the mirror.
My pupils were dilated, with only the faintest hint of silver visible around the ring. My gums ached as my fangs began their descent, nicking the bottom of my lip with their blade-like point. I was not sure if I had ever looked so horrific.
Even though the physical attributes were typical of my kind, the hopelessness drawn across my features gave me pause.
“She would have been better off,”that wicked voice whispered. “You killed her. You killed her. You killed her.”
Every time I looked at myself, I felt disgusted. I wanted to eviscerate that image.
The mirror shattered as my fist landed its first blow, and my jagged reflection stared back at me. The second, third, and fourth had not registered until I felt the wall give way beneath me. Blood dripped down my arm, spattering the sink with crimson before the water washed it down the drain as though it had never been there.
Breathe.
In and out.
Breathe.
As I looked up, I was thankful I could no longer stare into the eyes of the monster I had become.
CHAPTER SEVEN
It had been a silent journey on the way to Dymphna Chapel. I kept a white-knuckle grip on the steering wheel as I navigated the winding roads, only glancing occasionally at Jasper. He kept his gaze trained out the passenger window, staring at the blood moon as it cast its eerie glow over us.
The homes we passed were quiet as their occupants slept silently in their beds. The chapel was on the outskirts of the city proper. By decree of the council, no one was allowed to build anything in a five mile radius due to the immense power that guarded the building.
Massive, gilded gates opened as I pulled into the driveway and began the final leg of our journey along an old cobblestone road. The manicured lawn was well-watered, the vibrant green standing out even in darkness. The chapel sat amongst a copse of trees, backing up to a small nature reserve where, according to Kallistos legends, the monsters of old still roamed the grounds.
I did not consider myself one who put stock into old stories. Still, I also was not the idiot who would test that particular tale.
As I stopped along the circular driveway, we sat idle for only a moment. It was twenty minutes till ten. A constant stream ofadrenaline coursed through my veins, and I tapped my fingers along the steering wheel, unable to contain it.
I hated the secrets—that Jasper had not informed me about who we were meeting. I trusted him, obviously, but that did nothing to quell my anxieties. Given their outright distrust of our kind, I was unsure how he had been able to form some type of amicable relationship with a witch.
“I feel like I need to warn you,” Jasper began slowly. The leather of his seat groaned as he turned to face me.
My heart dropped.This is what I had been afraid of. “Warn me aboutwhat?” I gritted out, tightening my grip on the wheel beneath my hands.
He scratched the back of his neck, at least having the sense to appear apologetic. “My contact can be a bit…abrasiveat times.”
“And what is that supposed to mean?”
He shrugged and opened the door. “You’ll see.”
I followed suit, fastening my suit jacket. “That was some warning,” I grumbled, earning a small laugh and clap on the shoulder from Jasper.
The air crackled as we stepped through protective wards into the darkened chapel. It felt like it had been ages since I had been here, but it was hard to believe it had been just over a month. So much had changed in such a short amount of time—it was just the blink of an eye to one of my kind.
Being back here was suffocating, forcing me to recall the events of our wedding. I remembered the screams and the sound of guns firing all around. Even then, someone had wanted to stop our union enough that they were willing to take out a building full of innocents to do it.
Now, there was no sign of the events that had occurred. All the bullet holes had been mended, and the blood scrubbed away, leaving me to almost wonder if it had ever happened at all.
The faint moonlight cast shadows through the stained-glass windows, illuminating the aisle toward the altar where I could make out the outline of a figure standing atop the steps.
“You’re late.”
