“It wouldn’t hurt.” Gia settled on the couch, looking at the ceiling.
Aurora floated above her, hovering flat on her stomach in a mirror of Gia’s position.
Gia smiled at last. “Thanks. Now I don’t even have to turn my head.”
Aurora echoed her smile. “No problem. Feel free to close your eyes.”
Gia did, lines creasing her forehead and betraying how far from relaxed she really was. “I can’t deal with this right now.”
“You mean a headache?”
“A migraine. If I black out and Salvator returns, we’re screwed.”
Fuck, they really should have run somewhere else, but returning here had been reflexive. Aurora hadn’t questioned it at the time.
“I was bound to get a migraine when I couldn’t afford it. That’s the other reason I stayed. I believed I couldn’t cope on my own.”
Aurora’s brow furrowed. “People get migraines all the time. I’m not trying to minimize your experience, but it seems like a manageable condition.”
“You’d think. But what happens to me is different. No one can explain it.”
Which was why Gia had asked if it could be magic.
The temperature in the room seemed to drop, and a sense of foreboding snuck up on Aurora. No, Gia couldn’t be cursed. Lilly had checked. Gia’s father was a mobster, not a witch. A rare medical condition wasn’t out of the realm of possibility, but Aurora’s regret over not making it to the apothecary doubled.
“How long until the pills take effect?” she asked.
Gia shrugged, eyes still closed. “Depends. They don’t always work.”
“Did the stress of today trigger it? Should I stop talking?”
Gia cracked an eye open. “You can talk. Stress isn’t always a trigger. I didn’t get a headache the night I ran away, even though I was stressed. Sam drove for days without stopping.” She paused. “Was she using magic?”
“I don’t know Sam personally, but not needing much sleep is a vampire thing.”
Gia hummed thoughtfully. “Weird. Sam didn’t fry in the sun… I think it’s getting worse.”
She must mean the headache, which had to be terrible if even discussing vampires was on the back burner. Aurora would explain the realities versus myths later. “What can I do? Should we call Lilly?”
A sharp tapping sounded on the door, and they both froze.
Aurora drifted over and checked through the peephole. “It’s the neighbor.” A flare of annoyance sparked in her chest.
Gia groaned. “Pretend noone’s home.”
Viv knocked again, but after a minute, she gave up and disappeared. Aurora returned to the couch.
“How are you feeling?”
“Not great.” Gia sat up, a determined set to her jaw. “But we should move while I’m functional. Get out of here and hide from Salvator. My family used my condition to trap me, but they were wrong. I can find a way deal with this.”
Aurora floated closer. “We’ll get through it, I promise.”
Gia gave her a thin smile. “Let’s try the apothecary.”
Aurora nodded. “Can you book a ride? Lilly could meet us there, and we can figure out where to go next.”
Gia stood. “I don’t have a credit card, so I can’t use any rideshare apps. I suppose I could call a taxi and pay cash.”
