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ButwhenIglance down at my fingers,Ido a double take.
Thinribbons of blood streak through the clear whites.
Idon’t know much about interpreting limpia, butIdo know two things.One, an egg breaking is bad.Two, blood in the egg is even worse.
Zak’seyes go pitch black as they follow the crimson streaking down my face.
“Dree?”Ibreathe.
Thetwins move at the same time:Zaklurches for me, andAdrianleaps to snatch him away withShannonsurging forward.
Iback all the way up against the table, hiding behind uplifted arms.
“Zak,no,”Adrianbarks.
WhenIrealize he hasn’t grabbed me,IfindAdrianpulling him out of the room entirely.Beadsclatter behind them.
Shannonis by my side with paper towels. “Here.”
Iexhale heavily and dab egg off my head with him.Atleast he’s smart enough not to ask ifI’mokay.
Afterrinsing off my face,Ifind him with his eyes closed, his face pointed toward the ceiling.AnACvent blows right above him.
“We’renever gonna sign with another label, are we?”Shannonasks. “Maybehave to call it quits.”
Ipick at the skin around my nails. “Whatwould that mean for me?”
“Idunno.Technically, you upheld your end of the deal—think it’d be on us if things didn’t continue.Butdeals tend to have hidden strings attached that evenI’mnot aware of.”
Fearstrikes me so hard thatIlean against a wall beforeIfaint.
AdrianandZakbicker in the shop.Thebell at the front door rings, announcing a customer, and the twins flip a switch, speaking in immaculate customer serviceSpanglish.
Iwet my bottom lip with a swipe of my tongue. “Let’slook through contracts today, butZakstays here.Maybehe has to go toMassevery day instead of once a week.”
Shannon’sbrows furrow. “Whatd’you mean?”
Glancingat the beaded curtain,Iexplain, “AtMassonSunday, he had theEucharistand was normal afterward.Like… like he had just fed on real blood.”
Incredulitycrosses his features. “You’refucking kidding me.”WhenIshake my head, he scoffs, uncrossing his arms and shuffling his weight around. “Becauseof course, right?”
“Ha, yeah.”Myexpression falls. “Wehave a chance,Shan.Ifhe’s feeding regularly, he could be fine around me.And…”Itake a deep breath. “I’llwork on being okay around him.Ifmy life depends onTimelessmaking it, then we’re gonna make shit work.”
Beadsclatter andAdrianemerges through the doorway.Hepoints at the backdoor beside me. “Let’sgo through here.”
Shannonheads out, butIwait, watchingAdrianas he pauses in front of me and searches my face. “Thinkyou’ll be okay?”
“Ihave to be,”Irespond simply. “Thanksfor grabbing him.”
Henods once before making a move for the door.Igrab his hand to stop him.
“Why’dyou drag me here for this?”Idemand.
Hewaits a moment before asking, “Haveyou noticed anything weird beyond that owl?”
Ignaw on my lip. “RightafterIgot sick the first time,Ifound a black candle and some dirt at the backdoor.Andthe night before that, a man tried breaking into the house.”
Adrianhits the wall with a fist, andIjolt as he shoves away toward the shop. “Chinga,Zak!”
