Missy’s eyes moved behind her eyelids. Her fingers tapped rhythmlessly on the hospital blanket. Her mouth moved as if she were saying a silent prayer.
But her eyes stayed closed.
And her father took the library book from LM and read the next page.
***
It felt good to not breathe.
No headache.
No struggle.
No pain.
Stillness.
Serenity.
But then Isellta exhaled.
The pain returned.
His head ached and throbbed. His mouth opened wide in a breathless gasp. His body convulsed, jerking any breath out of him. His hands flailed. His lungs burned for air. Red spots flashed before his eyes.
His body slumped and he inhaled.
It felt so good to not breathe.
****
The nae bi sha smiled in the dark. “I could eat you now, little fey. You can’t fight back now.” He ran a finger along Isellta’s jawline. “You can’t run away from me anymore. But I will wait until the end. You killed my mated one. I want you to suffer, little fey. If I kill you now, that’s the end of your suffering and where is the fun in that?” He kissed Isellta hard on the mouth.
Isellta’s arms flailed out as he went into another convulsion
The nae bi sha whispered in his ear. “I will devour you, little fey, as you take your last breath.”
***
Jay woke to Maelin wrapped up in his embrace. He kissed the flat bridge of her nose. “Thank you.”
She opened her eyes.
“Thank you for pulling me out of that room. Thank you for pushing me in here and—” He smiled. “—for everything that happened after that.”
“You needed it.”
He shook his head. “I needed you. I needed us.”
“You needed to step away from all of that despair and grief. Yes, we have to go back in there. We have to face it. We must face what is coming.”
He released her and sat up. “I don’t want to think about it.”
She sat up as well. “Neither do I.” She traced the lines of his shoulder blades with her fingertip. “But it must be faced. We can’t avoid it.”
“I know. We can’t let the kid die alone. Mae? Will he even know that I am there?”
“Maybe.”
He curled his hands into fists. “Can’t we stay in here a little longer? Just a few more minutes. Just a little. Just. Just…”
Her finger went still. “I wish I could say yes. But you know we can’t.”
“I know. He needs us.”
Maelin hugged him. “He needs you.”
“I need you. Mae, I need you.”
She pressed her forehead against his bare back. “I know. Give me the command and I’ll stay.”
He got out of bed and pulled on his underwear.
“Jay?”
“You know I won’t. I can’t take control over you like that.” He pulled on his slacks and zipped up the fly.
She got out of bed. “If you did—”
He looked back at her. “I won’t and that’s that.”
“If you ever change your mind—”
“I won’t. I will never force you to stay.”
***
Mark Caten smirked at the monitor as Maelin moved in to hug and kiss Jay again.
“She’s such a low calorie air-puffed rice cake, especially when compared to a decadently sinful cupcake like Preyuna. I really don’t see Maelin’s appeal. I really don’t.”
He shrugged. “But then again, I don’t see his appeal either. His looks are so plain and boring, especially when compared to my godly perfection. But, of course, who isn’t plain and boring compared to me? Hahahahahahaha! That is a rhetorical question. No one can top my excellent good form and devastating good looks. I pity the poor soul willing to give it a try. Hahahahahahahahaha!”
***
Preyuna left the kitchen in a bad mood.
I told them to buy me more ice cream bars.
Why didn’t they obey me? If this were my kingdom, my servants would have hastened to obey me.
But not here.
This isn’t my kingdom.
Here, I am not a queen.
Preyuna barged into Jay’s room without even taking the time to knock. She headed straight to Isellta’s side of the bed.
Her bad mood neutralized at the sight of him.
His color was gone. His skin looked painfully dry. Every breath was a struggle. Convulsions shook his thin, narrow frame.
“Isellta.'” She brushed the back of her hand along the side of his face. “I never meant for this to happen. I just wanted you to want me. Is that really too much to ask for? Why couldn’t you just want me? Why did you have to want that hideous vampire instead? Why not me?”
ambroseandelsie 