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“The precise moment,” Rainey promises.
With a heavy sigh, I turn from the window and head down the hall. Looking back will only lead to me refusing the shower and nap I agreed to, so I keep my focus trained forward and force myself to leave her clinic, each step making my legs feel as though they are lead.
I’m just pushing through into the living room when Winnie steps out, carrying a basket full of laundry. “How is she?”
“Breathing,” I reply. “But still the same.”
The older woman’s face crumples, and she closes her eyes momentarily, only to open them and blink away tears. “She’s had so much pain. I just—” She trails off and lets out a heavy sigh. “I just want her to get to enjoy the happiness of life. The joy of love.”
“Same.”
She smiles softly at me, pity written all over her pained face. “You headed upstairs?”
“I promised Rainey I’d get some rest. And a shower.”
“Good. I will bring up a plate of food. You need to eat.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“You need to eat,” she repeats, her tone harsher than it was moments ago. “I will not have my girl wake up and find you emaciated. I’ll even bring you some blood from the clinic if that’s what you need?”
I shake my head. “Normal food will do just fine.”
She beams at me. “Good. I think there is still some stew left over from last night. That seems to be one of Rainey’s favorites, and since the girl eats nothing but Skittles, I feel it’s necessary to get her actual sustenance.”
“Good luck with that. I think it may be too late for her.”
“Never too late.” Winnie winks and heads for the kitchen, basket still in hand. “I’ll be sure to knock before I bring in the tray, no need to see you in the buff.” With that, she disappears through the door, leaving me smiling after her.
After another deep breath, I head upstairs and into Bronywyn’s room. The delicate scent of lavender fills my lungs, and I want to yell in anger.
Slam my fist into a wall.
Do something—anything—to make me feel something other than this bone-deep terror that my life is over. And not just because if something happens to Bronywyn, the bond will kill me, but because, without her, there is no life worth living.
Her room looks exactly the same as it did the last time I was here. Right down to the perfectly made bed and the half-read romance novel on the nightstand. The normalcy of it pisses me off.
Stripping out of clothes I never want to see again, I toss them to the corner and head into the shower. I don’t even bother to pre-heat the water, just crank it up and stand beneath the freezing cold spray.
We’d barely had a moment of joy, a breath of happiness, and it had been ripped away. Centuries of longing, of waiting, spoiled by a single sadistic bastard.
Dropping my head, I let the spray—warmer now—fall down my neck and to the tile floor. It washes away the dirt, the blood, the sweat…if only it could erase the entire fucking night.
