“How?” he asked quietly.
Plunging my hands back through my hair, I yanked on the strands. “I felt like I was missing out, you know? You were here training and hanging with ghosts every day, and I just wanted to…I don’t know. Still feel a part of that, so I kept like, asking spirits to appear and shit. I guess I got what I wanted.”
Sky scowled. “Can I come sit by you? Would that be okay?”
I took a minute to think about it, but there was no sign of imminent danger on my end. I was aware of his heartbeat, King’s too, but they were so overshadowed by the calming sound of Scotty’s blood rushing through his veins that it didn’t pull any form of hunger at all. The rage I’d woken with this evening—with Scotty gone—was also gone.
“Sure.”
He moved slowly, like he didn’t want to scare me, which was laughable since I was the monster. Sitting at the other end of the couch, he said, “You didn’t get what you wanted, nor did you get what you deserved. Shit’s been unfair to you, but none of this—not now, not in the past—has ever been your fault.”
The tears started slowly. I didn’t even realize they were there. In all of my anger and sadness since I’d been turned, I hadn’t cried once. I hadn’t even been sure I could still produce tears, but they leaked steadily out of my eyes and down my cheeks now.
“Oh, Ego,” Sky said, opening his arms to me.
I fell into them and sobbed. My life—my very existence—had been so unfair, and I felt like such a baby feeling that way. But Skylar—my cousin, my longest and dearest friend—he’d been here for it all. He knew all my truths. And if he said it wasn’t my fault, then, like I’d done so many times before, maybe I’d try and believe him.
“Hello, I’m here,”my cousin sing-songed from the entryway as he entered my house.
I’d heard his car pull up, and the beat of his heart increased as he came to the door, but I knew it wasn’t Scotty. After the long, cleansing talk my cousin and I had last night, I was happyfor him to be here again. But Scotty had snuck out with Lysandro last night, and King and Sky had stayed, so I never got a chance to talk to him alone.
Although, I wasn’t surprised that those two had left. I was pretty sure they’d been able to hear my crying throughout the cavernous walls of this place. At the very least, Lysandro had been able to.
Sky stopped short and tilted his head. “Have you left that spot since last night?”
“Of course. I slept in my bed,” I said absently, wondering where Scotty was and what he was doing tonight.
Did that mean Sky was taking his place, and he wouldn’t be coming over anymore?
“Oh, okay. So…” He moved farther into the room. “You’ve just been going from your bed to that spot then?”
Aggravation stirred in my belly like hot coals. “And if I have?”
He came and sat at the other end of the couch, pulling his legs up under him. “Well, that’s boring.”
I shrugged. “It’s fine, Sky.”
“It would?—”
“It’s fine,” I growled, unable to control my temper. “Did Lysandro send you with my…dinner?”
When he didn’t answer, I glanced up at him and found him glaring daggers at me. “Don’t get sassy with me, cuz.”
“I’m not.” Running a hand down my face, I said, “I’m sorry. I wake up hungry.” Which was true, but also, I woke up pissed off again. And now that Sky was sitting in front of me again, I felt a resentment toward him that I’d never felt before well up. He wanted to be here for me. To commiserate and say he understood what I was going through. But he didn’t.
Not at all.
Not even a little bit.
Sure, being a witch and tether was all new to him, too, but he had Kingston to walk this path with. I was alone. My human status had shifted, and with it, my body and everything I knew about life.
He was excited about all of the things they were doing, and I dreaded growing further into my new nature.
He wanted to dreamwalk. I had no desire to drink blood from a human body—willing or not. I still hadn’t purposely let my nails come out or looked at the hideous teeth that sometimes descended without my permission.
No. He might be able to empathize, but he didn’t understand at all.
“When does Lysandro usually come?” he asked.
