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“Distraction would be nice. Yeah, if Jo is down for it, I’ll help.”
We didn’t see Erik at the Midnight that night. I half expected him to come in and check to see if there was any progress, but I knew better. Despite the vampire’s fussing that the years and the holidays all blended together and didn’t matter anymore, I knew he was lying. The days slowed when you missed someone. They didn’t blend together, and a person who had experienced the joy that winter could bring didn’t spend another without missing said happiness.
“Looking for someone, little one?” The sucker took me by surprise, and I yelped a bit. Few things scared me nowadays but, somehow, he managed to pull it off.
“Yes. You. Let’s go in the back.” I told Onyx that I was going to talk to Erik. She nodded and looked at my mates who were already aware of what I was doing. They always were.
“I talked to Diana,” I said when we had come out of the blaring bass.
“Did you? She answered you? What did she say? Tell me everything.” Erik usually had a cool demeanor, but his eyes shone with excitement.
“She answered me. She told me some things about her death. Things I’m guessing you didn’t know. I’m hoping they will help you know who her killer was.”
“Tell me everything.”
We sat at that little round table, and I started. “Diana said that the killer was a female and of your kind. She was drained dry by a vampire, Erik.”
If possible, the vampire went paler. “My own kind did this to her? How? We vampires don’t have many laws, but one of them is that we don’t kill each other’s mates. Mates are untouchable. Who would do this?”
Gods, he really didn’t know.
“She also said that it was a vampire she had met once. Maybe you introduced her to one you knew? I got the feeling Diana didn’t like this person.”
Erik sucked in a breath. “All this time. All this time. I never thought…I know who killed her. The thought had crossed my mind but I didn’t…it’s our one unbreakable law, Valentina.”
I blew out a breath. At least we knew who it was now. He hadn’t told me a name, but he knew. Diana knew. “Well, she broke it.”
“Her name is Sela. She is my sire from centuries ago. I never thought she would betray me, but now I know.”
“What are you going to do?” I asked. “Now that you have the information.”
“I’m going to find her, and she will pay for ending my mate’s life. I’ve always been fond of an eye for an eye.”
“Are you sure?” I asked, reaching over to pat his hand. “It won’t bring her back. It won’t return Diana to you.”
“I’m sure. She took my world from me.”
Chapter Twenty
Raven
It was was incredible to be home after our time in Asher’s folks’ place. Even before my parents showed up, it was too reminiscent of the life that I’d lived before my disowning. And I was happy to be helping Erik. It gave me something to think about besides my parents turning out to be one step above Dean. They didn’t murder anyone, but they had no problem turning on their own daughter like she—like I was dirt beneath their feet. And my snobby society mom? Had she really thrown cocktail sauce on me? I had fought getting that dress, but now that it was ruined? The slimy stuff dripping from my cleavage down the front of it had stained it indelibly. Now that it was ruined, I mourned it.
Me? Grieving over a dress? Although I’d never have admitted it, I’d felt prettier and sexier in it than anything I’d ever owned. And I saw that reflected in my mates’ eyes. I wanted to keep that dress forever. Onyx was going to take it to the cleaners, but I had strong doubts that they would have any success. I’d have to get over it and realize I’d never look that good again.
Laughing at myself, I dressed in sweats and a hoodie and headed for the kitchen to make coffee. The sun would not be up for an hour or two, so I had the whole place to myself while Asher and Onyx dozed on. We had celebrated Yule, but today was a very special day when we would turn our attention to a holiday that Valentina and, to a lesser degree, Onyx grew up celebrating. The very human Christmas Day. I’d actually had to do a little research to find out the traditions and wondered if V had to do that for Yule. Or if Onyx had.
From what I could determine, Onyx’s father had found little to celebrate with his brood of future assassins. I couldn’t picture them all gathered around the Christmas or Yule tree singing sweet carols and hugging one another.
Valentina’s sister, to all accounts, had picked up the reins of family traditions after their parents died. I was grateful for my bestie having that. And also grateful to be spending this day with our friends. All holidays had something special about them and going forward, I intended to celebrate everything I could. My family had been very sure that their ways were the only ways, and, of course, growing up, I’d been sucked right into that. Oh, I’d rebelled in small ways, but until I went away to the academy, I had no comparison. And even then, most of the other students were wolves from packs we associated with and our traditions and customs were similar.
It was time to broaden my horizons, starting this morning with baking Christmas cookies. I had searched recipes online and wanted the Christmasiest of them all. Narrowing it down to two, I’d asked Onyx which would be the best choice, and she’d chosen gingerbread. “Once, when I was very small, Dean came home with gingerbread cookies for all of us.” Her voice held a winsomeness I’d never heard before. “Someone gave them to him, but it didn’t matter. Mine was a little girl with a pink dress and matching bows in her hair, and I carried her around for three days, not wanting to break her. She was the prettiest thing I’d ever seen.”
“Did you ever eat it?” I asked, imagining it going stale and having to be thrown away. How sad would that be?
“I woke up one morning and reached for her where I’d left her beside the bed. I had her in a plastic bag so she wouldn’t get dusty or anything, and the bag was still there.”
I hadn’t had to ask her what happened. Her brothers were assholes even then.
