AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It’s my angel,” she says. “Can’t you see my angel?”
“Sure,” I say, my throat so tight I think I might die.
“My angel says I’m safe now. My angel says you’ll never hurt me.”
Thank sweet fucking Jesus for that. “Come on,” I say, pushing myself to my feet. I hold out a hand, and there’s another little miracle, because she stands beside me.
“Where are we going?”
“You’re going to bed now.”
“And you?”
“I’ve got some work to do,” I say. “But I’ll be here in the morning, when you wake up.”
“With my angel!” she says. “We’ll both be here with my angel. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about her before. I didn’t think you’d like her. I didn’t think you’d want her to stay. But that was wrong, wasn’t it? I was being silly.”
Silly. Like a goddamn helpless child.
“Everything’ll be okay now.”
“Because you like my angel, right? Because she can stay with us forever and ever?”
“Forever and ever,” I say, because the lie makes her walk up the stairs with me. It takes her into our bedroom. It lies down beside her in the bed.
I wait until she’s asleep before I toss the fucking guest room. And when I find the bag of Crash, I imagine it’s Leo Key’s neck, squeezed to death between my fists.
35
ALIX
* * *
Angel?
I can’t hear you, Angel.
Please, don’t leave me. I need you. You’re the only reason I survived Herzog. Survived his brothers.
It took me so long to find you again. Don’t go away now. Don’t leave me behind.
Angel?
* * *
My skin is hot enough to set the sheets on fire.
I’m drenched in sweat, but my heart and lungs are frozen.
I’m shivering so hard my bones are starting to crumble.
My fingernails ache. My teeth ache. My hair aches, all of it so bad I want to cry forever.
But my eyes are too dry for tears.
My mouth is parched.
I’m going to dry up and turn to dust and blow away forever.
