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Then we were out in the parking lot, the sun shining on our faces.
“Let’s go find Sophia. No more bullshit.” Stellan was still holding my hand as we walked toward the car.
I pulled away, my mind racing.
I hadn’t been that surprised to see him with a needle in his hand. But Stellan defending me, protecting me?
That was shocking.
Chapter10
Stellan
Aurora's white-blonde hair reflected the sunshine, giving her a glow as if she were an angel. She was still striking, but I missed something about the way she was beautiful when we were kids, with her dark hair and striking violet-blue eyes and her pensive sweetness.
Back then, I hadn't known how strong she really was. I hadn't known what was going on in her life. And the person that I was now didn't have a lot of empathy. If I was going to feel sorry for anyone, it was my sister.
But sometimes I saw the girl that Aurora used to be. And those times I caught flickers of the boy I used to be too. When I was still capable of giving a damn about anyone else, when I wasn't jaded.
If Sophia could see us now… I wasn’t sure if she’d love either of us the way she once had.
“That was unexpected.” Aurora threw me a look over the top of the car that I couldn't quite read.
“We'd better get going. I don't want to deal with any more of your fans.”
“I wasn't talking about them being jerks.” She swung an arm toward the restaurant. “I'm not surprised by that. I assume most people are jerks. I was surprised by you, not being a jerk.”
“Let's not talk about it,” I said.
“Worried I'm going to start to like you?” she teased with a magnetic smile slipping across her red lips.
She ducked into the passenger side then, so she couldn't see my face. That was a relief.
She was right that I'd been a jerk. And she'd been nothing but kind to everyone she ran across, at least, until they gave her a good reason for violence. She deserved better than the way she was treated by the world. And the worst part was, I'd been part of that world. I didn't think she'd hurt Sophia, at least not on purpose. Maybe the Demon had caught Sophia the night that she went to try to rescue Aurora. Maybe the fact that Aurora and Sophia had known each other had caused Sophia's death at the hands of a serial killer. When I pictured it, grief stabbed my chest.
But I wasn't going to blame Aurora for what the Demon had done. She was still strong and caring and good despite being surrounded by a world that wasn't any of those things. But everyone had to have their breaking point. I didn't want to be Aurora’s.
I climbed into the driver’s seat. She was so much better than I was, better than anyone. And I wanted to protect that flame of decency.
Of course, memories were buried in her head that would lead us to Sophia's path. We could find out once and for all if my sister was killed by the Demon. And if we were lucky, maybe we would be able to find her.
I used to hope I’d find my sister alive. Slowly, we’d started to just hope for a body.
Once, I'd woken up in the middle of the night and gone to make tea for my mother. She'd been up all night, keening the way she did. At night she could never bear not knowing where Sophia was. She was always afraid that she was cold and hurt and lonely and desperate somewhere. She stayed up all night like she was keeping a vigil. She’d clung to my shirt and told me, “I don't want tea. I just want my little girl home. Why can't you do that for me, Stellan?”
I cleared my throat. That memory always felt raw, those words ringing in my head all these years.
“Are you all right?” Aurora asked gently.
“I should be asking you that. You’re the one they attacked.”
“They didn’t hurt me.” She shook her head. She was still looking at me in a way I couldn’t make sense of, as if she were curious. “Words aren’t going to hurt me. I’m tough.”
“No, you’re not tough,” I disagreed. “Most people would be tough after what you’ve been through, but you’re just…strong.”
She was incredible.
“I don’t feel that way,” she said with an embarrassed smile.
