Page 48 of Endless Terrors
“Fortuna!”
The goblin, the alley, and Gil’s psyche rushed away. And then I was on my back, in my own bed, waking up with a gasp.
I already knew it would be Finn leaning over me, so as my eyes cleared and focused on his face, I didn’t fight his hold on my shoulders. Instead, I used him to remain upright, my nails biting into the solid warmth of his forearms.
“We have to go,” I said.
Finn nodded, his eyes preternaturally bright. I got out of bed and went to the closet, dressing quickly. When I emerged from my room, the werewolf was waiting by the door, keys in his hand. His other held out my coat. I pulled it on, my thoughts consumed by Gil. We went down the stairwell and outside.
Finn got into the driver’s side of the car—he was probably worried my connection to Gil might overtake me again. If I was behind the wheel when that happened, I could drive us right off the road. I settled into the passenger seat, secured the seatbelt, and closed my eyes. As Finn drove, I put all my concentration into our bond. Where are you, Gil?
We reached town a few minutes later. It was the middle of the night, the bars closed and shuttered, so the streets were completely empty.
“Turn here,” I said, following an instinct. I pointed at the closest street sign, which glowed bright green from our headlights. Finn put on the blinker, and as the silence resettled, I studied him. Soon, after Savannah performed Goody’s spell, he would be able to tell for himself where our packmate was. I wondered if I’d really made him understand that. Something I’ll have to worry about later, I thought faintly, looking away.
Because we’d found Gil.
The scene looked like an eerie, grisly painting. He was kneeling in the center of an alley, a streetlight shining down on him.
The light made it easy to see all the blood.
There was so much of it, I doubted the person it belonged to could still be alive. Wherever she was. I did a swift scan of the area, confirming we were the only ones there. Had Gil disposed of her, then come back here to clean up the rest?
Finn pulled up next to the curb, and I got out of the car calmly, resisting the urge to rush up to Gil. He’d never hurt me, I knew that, but part of me feared he’d attack Finn or bolt if he was startled. I knelt as close to him as I could get without putting my knee in the mess. The vampire didn’t look up.
“Did you know,” he said, “that when we drink from them, we get some of their memories? Not the insignificant ones, or the boring ones. We see the moments that impacted their soul. The moments that stay with them for eternity. Which is how I know that I just killed a woman with three children. I saw them in her blood. Cute little fuckers.”
This last part was faint. Broken.
“Oh, Gil,” I whispered. I raised my gaze to Finn, who had gotten out of the car and was standing closer than he normally would. Ready to intercept at the slightest provocation from the vampire. “Will you call Adam?”
Finn nodded and pulled his phone out. I stayed with Gil while the werewolf moved away, speaking to Adam quietly. Finn came back in less than twenty seconds. When I saw his grim expression, my stomach sank.
“The vampire is out of town.”
Damn it, I thought. My phone call must’ve spooked Dracula. I would bet the contents of my entire checking account that he was putting precautions in place, shifting players around on the board in case Lucifer gained a foothold in our world.
It meant that we were on our own.
“Gil,” I said evenly, “we can’t stay here. Glamour won’t hide all this.”
He still didn’t lift his head. His pale hands rested palm-up on his legs, and they were covered in rust-colored stains. If he hadn’t been wearing all black, those stains would have been visible on his clothing, too, no doubt.
I wanted to take his guilt, his struggle. But some battles could only be fought alone. That didn’t mean I couldn’t send a little encouragement, though. I closed my eyes and imagined the threads between us. Gently, I sent my love into our bond.
But it had the opposite effect that I’d intended.
Moving with the speed of a newborn vampire, Gil gripped my shoulders in a sudden frenzy. Finn snarled.
“Don’t make me stop,” Gil pleaded, ignoring the werewolf. “Please don’t make me. The blood isn’t … I can’t …”
Pain curled in my chest. I stared at my crumbling friend, thinking that if he hadn’t left Adam to go into hiding with me, this wouldn’t be happening. He would’ve learned control. The monster inside wouldn’t be eating him alive, and we wouldn’t be in this cold alley with gore gleaming on the dark concrete.
As Gil waited, I pasted on a calm expression, knowing he needed my strength right now. There was no time to fall apart. I cupped his face, and his hands moved to my wrists. It felt like part of me was dying.
“We can’t take that risk. Not when someone else’s life is at stake,” I told him gently. Gil stared at me, wide-eyed with shock and guilt.
I swallowed, wishing I could give in to the voice crying out inside me. The one saying we should just go home, pretend this hadn’t happened, and continue on as we had been. It was fine, everything was fine.
