Page 16 of Haunted Nightmares
I side eye the bear of a vampire with a grin as he gives me an annoyed look.
One that hasn’t left his face since he did in fact smack me around back at my house.
After my abrupt change in attitude upon my feathered friend’s arrival, I shared the details of Deveroux’s correspondence, laid out the rough draft of a plan that didnotinclude meeting with him, then proceeded to kick the group out the second the sun went down.
Declan didn’t leave.
No, the brute forcefully remained in my house, tried to talk some sense into me and when that didn’t work, he used other methods. We came to blows as we did before he quit and by the third or fourth round I was moving on so much adrenaline and rage that I tried once again to bite my friend, and that’s when knocking some sense into me seemed to work.
Zenlothanai quieted as soon as my fangs sank into Declan’s wrist and after two tugs on his vein, he clobbered the side of my head and dazed me back into civility.
And it pissed me off.
I am a Descendant, one of very few who remain and while Declan has always been able to keep up with me, labeled one of the only ones togive me a run for my money, it irritated the bloody hell out of me that he—and Orion, the twit—were able to best me.
So, before we touched on the topic he was literally fighting to discuss, I agreed to allow Lorna’s transfusions to continue. Butonlyuntil I’ve done what I need to do in order to honor my mate, then I shall return to wasting away and waiting for death.
Though I am reluctant to admit it, they are helping some.
My body fights the foreign blood but the healer’s salve seems to help it move through me, almost forcing it to absorb some of the beneficial properties the rich liquid holds and denial or not, I’ve noticed a change.
I’m not as weak.
It isn’t the strength I possessed before but it’s more than I’ve had the past six months, and my mind is a touch clearer.
Zenlothanai still speaks, still urges me to do things I generally can’t stop myself from doing but it is a little less frequent, and shutting them up has happened more on command instead of when I succumb or pass out.
And after placing an order with Edith, my friend gave me another transfusion because he refused to talk to me while I was being aroyal dickhead.
We then discussed how to handle Deveroux and what our next moves should be if I’m actually going to step into the ridiculous role of High Elder.
First up was a change of location.
My friend was adamant I couldn’t keep staying in that house, walking those halls, and living with rotting corpses and though none of that fazed me, I didn’t argue. Torturing myself with the memory of my beautiful mate is something I can do from anywhere, and staying at a house in the state mine is in would only end up more problematic than it already had been.
It wouldn’t have taken much for me to kill those teenage humans, especially if I hadn’t been interrupted on my hunt, and holding onto the goodness Zephyr left inside my blackened heart is becoming harder and harder to do.
Eventually I’m sure I won’t be able to do it at all.
So, leaving for now was the best option.
Declan and I boarded up my house completely, reactivated my security on the property then left that same night of myintervention.
I’ve been staying with him for the last few days, essentially living with a babysitter to make sure I keep in line, but my energy has been refocused so it’s not really needed.
Not right now but I’m sure that can change just as quickly as the direction of the wind.
“It showed up one day, shortly after you resigned and it would return periodically with shiny little gifts.” My eyes flick to my reflection and land on the raven sitting on my shoulder. “I’ve no idea where it came from or why it keeps coming back.”
“So…” Declan shifts a little as he tilts his head. “You have a pet.”
“No.”
“That’s what happens when an animal adopts you, and you do nothing to turn it away. It’s called apet.”
“Don’t be daft,” I grunt as I fasten the button of my coat and smooth it down. “I do not have a pet raven.”
“Did you name it?”
