Page 27 of Till Death Do Us Part

“Veterinary science?” Jenna sounded amused. “Don’t tell me you married a woman you met yesterday and adopted a cat together.”

“Just… bring supplies. I’ll see you at the manor.” I sighed, shutting off the radio and dropping it into the glove compartment, looking at Elaine. “Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be. Who was that?”

“Jenna. Blackbird physician. She’s saved my ass a few times.” I locked the car, started it up, and slumped my head against the headrest. “Can’t believe how much the Whitecliffs are all over us… I have no idea how they got this much advance intel on us.”

She turned to me with that intense, studying expression, and after a long quiet, she said, “I’m okay, Vera.”

“What?”

“You’re blaming yourself for Yulia catching me, aren’t you?”

I snorted, looking away. How the hell did she do that? Wasn’t used to people… figuring out what I was thinking.

Wasn’t used to people paying attention.

“Just annoyed,” I said brusquely. “Don’t like feeling… one step behind the opposition.”

“I’m alive because of you.” She put a hand on my arm. “So, thank you.”

Something clenched tight inside of my chest. This wasn’t what I needed right now. Having to be around high places already threw me back to that place… to the severity of my father’s expression.

To the little girl who just wanted him to love her.

I still had to kill Elaine. I couldn’t get attached to her. I’d gone this long without getting attached. I was going to keep it that way.

“Buckle in,” I said. “I don’t want to see what happens if we stick around.”

“Okay…” She looked down, a tinge of disappointment in her eyes. I couldn’t afford to feel bad for her, for having let her down.

That road led to caring.

And caring led to hurt.

We pushed the speed limit while we drove to the coast, and the sun was getting low on the horizon when we arrived at the old church on the cliffs.

A forgotten stone building that rose out of the rocks, it stood nestled between dense trees, at the end of a rough road, and orange sunset light caught on stained-glass windows. I parked in the gravel out front, and I led Elaine inside, watching for any sign of Whitecliffs around us as we went.

The wooden door creaked open as I pushed inside, gun out in front of me, sweeping from side to side. No sign of anybody. Just shafts of dusty light streaming in through windows, cobwebbed tables and pews.

“Stay on the lookout,” I said. Elaine spoke quietly behind me.

“You seem so tense… are you okay?”

Of course I wasn’t. I’d almost let the assassins get to her, almost failed my mission. I wasn’t allowed to fail. Even coming as close as I did was unacceptable.

And the thought of the cliffs ahead… I couldn’t stop picturing the ground giving way. Hearing my mother scream as she went.

“Just ready for this to be done,” I said. “I’m going to need about three solid days and nights with a woman to come down from this.”

“Well, way to get a woman excited for her wedding night.”

I snorted. “Don’t tempt me, Elaine.”

“Oh, you’re talking about cheating on me on our wedding night. You can’t stay faithful for one day?”

I laughed, a little bit of the tension dissolving as we made it through the musty air of the church, to the catacomb door. “I’m not good to take up with. There’s a reason other women aren’t clamoring to marry me as it is.”