“I love you,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry.”
And before he could stop himself, Vinny sank his teeth into her wrist.
I wanted magic.
I wanted light.
I wanted her to gasp and sit up like a princess in a story.
But, nothing happened.
Vinny pulled back slowly, blood staining his lips.
“Violet, come back,” he whispered.
He pressed his forehead to her wrist, shoulders shaking.
“Please don’t leave me.”
That’s what broke me.
A wet inhale forced Violet’s chest upward.
Vinny’s head snapped up, hope flaring so violently it hurt to look at.
“Violet?” he breathed.
No answer.
The bond between Vinny and me had shifted, expanded even, but there was still nothing from her.
Vinny gathered her closer, rocking, whispering apologies into her hair.
And I sat there on the cold tile, watching the space between her shallow breaths grow longer.
And, as footsteps broke the unyielding silence, I couldn’t tell if we’d saved her, or if we’d risked our lives just to find out we were too late.
Chapter 29
Skye
Normally, I loved to sleep. I’d always have, even before getting pregnant. Back when I didn’t have a pack, my schedule was as follows.
Wake up, eat breakfast, go for a run, nap. Wake up, go to work, nap, go to the gym, have dinner, go to sleep. And now that I didn’t have to work? I slept even more, and it wasfantastic.
Part of me thought Violet was an idiot for wanting to go back to school and get a job when she could just stay home and let our pack care for her. But, that was the problem.
For the past two weeks, all I’d thought aboutwasViolet. I’d never realized how much she’d burned incense until she was taken. I didn’t realize how much I didn’t mind her waking me up for sex, or even staring at me in the middle of the night like the creepy little victorian ghost she was.
Everything just felt sterile and boring. Which, again, were perfect sleeping conditions.
But, I felt so guilty about her getting kidnapped that sleeping, even at night, felt impossible.
So instead, I kept my hands busy.
The yarn was soft between my fingers, pale pink. I only had fourteen-ish weeks until our daughter was here, and while her crib was built, and I’d crocheted her a few stuffed animals, it felt like there was still so much to do.
I looped the yarn over my thumb, then my palm, then pulled it through again. Over and under. Over and under.
