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“I’m not crazy, Caitlin. I can see the fear written all over your face. The game has changed, and I’ve just decided that I’m not w
illing to be a silent participant. Casualties are unavoidable. I’d just prefer the casualties to be on the other side.”
She sank into an armchair next to the couch, looking exhausted. She waved her hand towards Simon.
“He woke up for a few seconds before, but he wasn’t coherent. I would say he needed to go to the hospital, but I’m not sure that’s a good idea. We should stay hidden. Honestly, I almost left him behind. He’s one of them and can’t be trusted. But he’s strong. And we need as much strength as possible when it comes to fighting your father.”
I crouched next to Simon, gently stroking his cheek scratchy with stubble. “Simon,” I said softly, then I spoke louder. “Simon, wake up. You need to wake up.”
My heart squeezed when his eyes fluttered open, their blue depths looking confused. He was still for a few moments, then his head turned towards me and the confusion vanished as he sat up abruptly. He made a sound of pain at the sudden movement, but that didn’t stop him from jumping up from the couch. He proceeded to push me behind him as he looked around wildly.
His gaze settled on Marie, his stance becoming combative, but she just stared up at him warily.
“Wait!” I put my hand on Simon’s shoulder, trying to calm him down before he attacked Marie. “Marie saved us.”
Simon turned to me, looking doubtful, as he made sure to keep Marie in his sights. “This is a trap.” His voice was rough from disuse, but he looked completely alert.
Marie stood up and Simon tensed, his body tight as if he were ready to pounce. Marie didn’t move any closer as she watched him.
“I didn’t have to save you. I could have left you in that car for whatever fate had in store for you. But I rescued you because we need as much of an advantage as possible. Nothing makes sense anymore, everything’s been turned upside down. If being able to kill Caitlin’s father means the help of another vardoger, so be it.”
Simon’s body didn’t relax, so I quickly tried to explain what had happened. When I was done, Simon didn’t look any less wary. He glared at Marie.
“If this is a trap, don’t think I won’t hunt you down.” Simon’s mouth twisted. “You know what I’m capable of.”
Marie’s face tightened in anger. “That’s not gratitude I hear. I’m taking a huge chance in even entertaining the thought of working with you. Lenore was always worried that you were developing real feelings for Caitlin, but I thought that was impossible. After all, you’re not even a person. You’re a thing—a shadow. How the hell can you side with humans when you’re not even one of us!”
The look on Simon’s face chilled me, and he made a move towards Marie. I pushed myself between them, looking at both of them before speaking.
“This isn’t the time to get into a pissing contest. Right now, my father is looking for us. We have no time to waste.”
“We need to keep moving,” Simon said grimly.
“And where exactly are you planning to go?” Marie asked with a smirk on her face. She seemed completely different from the person I had initially met at my aunt’s house but I wasn’t surprised. Her sister had been brutally murdered. That was enough to change a person. My heart twisted as I suddenly thought of something.
“What if he goes after Sarah?” I asked in horror before Simon could answer Marie’s question. “We have to go back to Maxwell. Both she and Grant were planning on coming back to school from Thanksgiving break yesterday. We have to protect her.”
“That’s what he’s hoping for,” Marie said flatly, her look disapproving. “He knows she’s your weakness. He’ll be waiting for you, watching her, knowing that you’ll show up to protect her. You’ll be walking right into a trap.”
I looked at Simon instead of Marie. “What do you think?” I asked, although I was afraid of his answer. I didn’t know what I would do if he agreed with Marie.
“She’s right.” Simon gazed at me, studying my face. “Does that matter to you?”
I shook my head, my determination mixing with anger and fear. “Even if it’s a trap, we have to go back. If I don’t show up, who knows what my father will do to her.”
“You’re letting your emotions control you,” Marie interjected. “This isn’t about saving one person. This is about stopping your father from taking over every human. You have no idea the small army he’s been building.” Marie’s gaze swung to address Simon. “You were being pushed out, only you didn’t realize it. He has vardogers that are totally loyal to him, not you.”
Simon was watching me with an enigmatic expression when he responded to her. “It’s Caitlin’s decision.”
“We have to go back,” I whispered. I took a deep breath, facing what I had always known. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Sarah. She was the one that forced me to see that my life was worth living when the only thing I wanted to do was disappear. She saved me. She deserves nothing less.”
Marie made a sound of disgust, but Simon just pulled me into an embrace. For the first time since I had woken up in this dark, dank apartment, I felt the tension lessen. I was still trying to come to grips with everything Simon had told me. I couldn’t fully wrap my mind around the fact that he was a vardoger. A part of me couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t process it. But his arms around me were real. The love I felt in his embrace was real. And that’s all that mattered right now.
“We’ll go to Rochester,” he said softly. “If nothing else, we’ll try.”
“Go ahead and commit suicide. I’m not going with you.” Marie crossed her arms against her chest, her expression steely.
I pulled away from Simon so I could face her. “I’m not asking you to come with us. But there is one thing I need you to do. I need you to try to put me under hypnosis. Maybe I can see something that’ll help us.”
