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“She knew,” I snapped. “We might not have known what you were, but we’d been told our entire lives we were crazy because your kind kept showing up.”
I might not admit it out loud, but what he did for Maggie was a gift. He confirmed for her that she wasn’t crazy.Weweren’t crazy. There’s a sense of peace that comes in knowing Maggie died with that knowledge.
“That’s what she said,” he says. “She wanted to know everything. So I explained our race and how vampires stay hidden, drinking from the willing mostly. At least the decent vampires.”
“How did she take the news?”
He looks at me like I’m dense. “Like you said, she already knew. But she was relieved to have the validation. She was the curious type,” he says, smiling. “Always had a million questions, and I was happy to answer every one.” He looks to me, and the sadness I see gives me pause. “She was... incredible, Marina. We were close.”
Rage eclipsed any sort of sorrow I felt for Law. At the end of the day, he knew her for a blip. I was literally her other half. We shared a womb and a propensity for seeing vampires. It hurts knowing that this whole time she knew for sure that what we saw was real.
“She never thought to tell me this?” A tear falls down my cheek as the emotion consumes me. “I was convinced that something was wrong with us, Law. How could she have kept this from me?”
His hand lands on my knee and I want to brush it off but don’t.
“I told her the less you knew, the safer you were. She was doing her best to keep you protected and at the time, you were good. You weren’t even having to see Dr. Tilney.”
“I wasn’t close to being okay,” I cry. “I’ve carried so much guilt because I lied. I pretended that vampires didn’t exist when they did—do.”
“She wanted it that way, Marina. As long as you had everyone believing you were over the hallucinations, you were safe. Maggie was happy.”
“So, if everything was so good, what changed, Law? Why did she jump?”
He grabs the sides of his head, anguish sweeping across his features as though someone had killed Maggie right in front of his face. “Danger came,” he grates through his teeth. “Someone from the Council had been tailing me, and discovered I had an abnormal fascination with a human girl.” He moans, pulling his hair at the roots. “I brought the danger to you. It was my fault, Marina.”
His piercing eyes never waver from mine. I know he wants me to say it isn’t his fault, but I can’t. I’m hurt. I’m angry.You’re being a child.
I take several deep breaths trying to calm down and also giving Law a few moments to pull himself together. Questions continue to pile up and I decide to move forward with the hopes of having some of them answered.
“Why was the Council following you?”
He finally breaks my gaze, shrugging. “That wasn’t typical for me? It’s my best guess. I’ve always had a habit of jumping from one willing donor to the next,” he explains, a look of regret crossing his handsome face. “Add to that she had a twin, and the Council didn’t know what to make of it. They’d caught wind of the legend and it made them nervous.”
“But why? Julian is their Crown. You’re royalty. Wouldn’t the legend coming true only make the vampire race stronger?”
“Power. This isn’t a democracy, Marina. We’re royalty by birth because my brothers and I were the first known Borns. If another vampire came along and challenged that rule, we could be overthrown. Especially with one of our own actively trying to help the opposition.”
“If the three of you came into your full potential as told by the legends, you’d be unstoppable,” I muse.
“Exactly. If the legends are true, no vampire would be able to take the crown from the Bellamy line.”
“You truly believe that’s why she jumped?” I ask, and he nods.
“She was scared and I wasn’t there. I don’t know what actually happened, Marina, but I know she had to have been backed into a corner. She wouldn’t have jumped unless it was the only way.”
A tear slides down my cheek as I think about my sister’s final moments. I was there.
“I saw her jump,” I whisper. “There was no one else there besides us.”
Law grabs my hands in his. “There had to be. I’m telling you, Marina. She wouldn’t have put you through this without a very good reason. She wouldn’t have done this to me either.”
My mind is going a mile a minute. Was someone else there and I missed them? Could Law be wrong, and she just chose to jump? So many questions still unanswered and I can hardly take it. There is one person who could fill in the blanks and she’s dead.
“Law, can Madam Shante summon the dead?”
Chapter Three
Three days have passed and there hasn’t been a single word from Julian. Law has assured me he’s been held up in Seattle, dealing with some crisis with the new bites, but I can’t help but feel a bit deserted. My friend died. I passed out and got a concussion and yet, he hasn’t so much as called to check on me.
