“Now that I think about it, Ihaveseen Father’s eyes glow before, but if you’d asked me this morning, I’d have sworn against it. Everything in my past feels weird. Contradictory. I don’t understand.”
Surprise widened Gia’s eyes, and the silence stretched, strained between the siblings.
Aurora spoke up hesitantly. “If Franco hypnotized you, now that he’s dead, his hold will fade and reveal the truth. Your past might seem muddled if he covered up more than his vampirism.”
Marc seemed to deflate. “Fuck. Okay. Do you think… Could he havemademe follow him all this time? I remember believing him and wanting to be his heir, but it feels strange now. Like a dream.”
Gia’s expression crumpled. “He could have forced you. Oh my god, Marc. I never thought. Not even after I realized what he’d done to me.”
Aurora hoped Marc had been under a thrall. There was a huge difference between Marc willingly following his father and being kept under a vampire’s spell. “If you hurry and check now, a vampire might still detect the fading mind alterations. Then we’ll know for sure.”
Even if it was too late to see the evidence, Marc would know as his true memories surfaced. But Aurora had a feeling Gia would need solid proof to ever trust her brother again, and she wouldn’t mind the confirmation herself.
Marc only seemed more lost than ever. “I’m sorry, Gia. About Ma.” His voice broke, and his eyes turned glassy.
She regarded him with increased sadness. “Me too.”
“That’s what feels the most strange. I swear, I’d never…” He choked on a sob.
Gia’s voice was thick with emotion. “I hope that’s true. We’ll ask Viv to look at your memory. Okay?” She turned and walked away, like she couldn’t bear to face him a moment longer.
Aurora followed, leaving Marc behind. She caught Viv’s eye, where she hovered near Sam and the other Lockwoods, and pointed at Marc.
With Viv’s enhanced hearing, she’d likely heard their conversation, and sure enough, the vampire smirked and sauntered over to Marc without question.
“Do you think hypnosis is really the reason Marc stood by Franco?” Gia asked. “Do you think he forced Marc to stay at his side? To not care he’d killed our mother?”
“It’s possible. And unless Marc is an excellent actor who actually knows everything about vampires, I’d say he’s behaving exactly like someone coming out of hypnosis.” He seemed like a completely different man than the one who’d accosted Gia on the street earlier.
“God, I hope you’re right.” A tear traced the curve of Gia’s cheek. “Then at least one person in my life wasn’t totally awful.”
Aurora wrapped an arm around Gia. “Viv will sort him out and let us know. But I think we should head home.”
Gia slumped against her. “You’re coming with me?”
“Of course.” That had never been in question. “If there’s one thing we need right now, it’s each other.”
Aurora stirred,waking from a deep sleep, her body loose and rested. Damnation, it was good to sleep again.
Her stomach twisted with hunger. Yesterday, they’dreturned to the condo, showered, and crawled into bed. Aurora couldn’t have looked at food if she’d tried, but now, she was painfully aware of how long it had been since she’d eaten.
She rolled over in bed, finding Gia already awake and watching her with one hand tucked under her cheek. It was light outside, so she assumed they’d slept all night. The first of the sun’s rays shone in, bringing out the gold highlights in Gia’s dark hair.
“Hey.” Aurora’s voice came out thick with sleep. “How are you doing?”
“Not bad. Sorry if I woke you.”
“I’m not. I slept like a rock.”
Gia smiled. “You obviously needed it.”
“And you?” Gia seemed tired. How long had she been lying awake?
Her smile faded. “I had too many dreams. My mind’s overloaded, and I’d say I’m worried about getting a migraine, except they were never real.”
“The pain was real.”
“Yeah, but it’s still strange to wake up and remember everything I used to know was a lie.” Gia scooted closer. “How are you doing?”
