Jaci stared at the mirror once more.
“Seriously, Meech. Where in theliteralhell are you?”
The mirror cracked, a bright, jagged scar splitting the glass right down the middle.
Jaci laughed. “Add another seven years of bad luck to the epic shitshow of my life. Why not?”
Abandoning the bathroom, she headed for the kitchen and made some vanilla almond tea, trying to recalibrate.
The good news? She was still breathing, and she still had tea. As long as those two things held true, Jaci could figure out how to navigate the rest.
Unfortunately, “the rest” was a list long enough to fill a book.
For one thing, Viansa was topside, and it was only a matter of time before she unleashed her brand of hell on some poor, unsuspecting humans—not to mention the rest of the Redthornes. After she’d had her fill with all that, she’d undoubtedly come back for Jaci herself, the ultimate prize.
For another thing, Meech was MIA, very possibly dead. No, Jaci didn’t want to believe it, but she didn’t want to delude herself either. Viansa was incapable of mercy—Jaci knew that better than anyone. If she’d truly gotten her hands on Meech, it had likely ended badly.
Then there was the matter of her father. With Viansa in town, Jaci couldn’t risk another visit to the hospital—not even a phone call to check on his status. Anything that might alert Viansa to the fact that Zachary Colburn was physically alive was officially off the table. She couldn’t eventhinkabout the man again until Viansa was gone.
Jaci poured a splash of rum into the tea, then brought the mug to her lips, closing her eyes and inhaling the sweet, nutty scents. She took a sip and tried to steady her heartbeat, tried to ease the knots in her shoulders, tried to calm the burn in her stomach.
Nothing worked.
Because even with all the things threatening her very existence, with all the scenarios she’d played out, with all the fear and disappointments she’d already felt in the last few hours, Jaci knew the worst pain was yet to come.
Gabriel…
The dark wave of despair she’d been dutifully dodging all morning finally crashed over her in earnest, stealing her breath. She pressed a hand to her chest, suddenly feeling like the whole thing had just caved in on itself.
She’d fallen in love with a vampire prince. Her captor. Her savior. Her first kiss.
Sevenhells, he’d changed her life with that kiss. Upended her entire world.
And then she’d upended his, every one of her lies and omissions suddenly forced to the surface. Every one of them slicing through him like a hot blade.
She’d seen it in his eyes long before he’d said the words, but it was the words themselves—the ice behind them—that haunted her now.
I will tolerate your presence as long as the task of eliminating your sister binds us. But the day I make a deal with a demon is the day you’ll taste the last of my bitter ashes…
And it was all Jaci’s fault. She never should’ve kept him in the dark. Never should’ve hidden her true nature.
Never should’ve let herself fall so hard, so deep for a man she might’ve just as easily—in another timeline, another life—murdered.
What the hell did she think would happen?
Let it go, girl. He’s not coming back. Be grateful he left you instead of slaughtering your ass…
Footsteps outside the door startled her from her thoughts, making her drop the tea. The mug shattered at her feet. With no other weapon at hand, she grabbed the bottle of rum and headed out to face the intruder.
The door opened slowly, silently, keeping the person behind it in shadows.
But all the shadows in the world couldn’t hide him from her heart.
Gabriel’s wintergreen scent assaulted her senses, and she gasped, unshed tears blurring her vision. He finally stepped inside, stopping just over the threshold, letting the door close behind him with asnick.
A wave of emotion rose high in her throat, scraping her insides raw. Seeing him there, all rumple-haired and glassy-eyed, his shirt dark with old blood, his mouth set in a grim line…
Jaci ached to touch him. To feel the solid press of his body against hers, steadying her in the storm. Claiming her. Protecting her.
