Page 111 of Speak of the Demon
There was a reason why those arrows could kill a high demon without needing to be poisoned. I was going to find out why. And then I’d break this bond. Even if it killed me.
Epilogue
Danica
Istood on the pavement, soaking in the sun on my skin. After Samael’s fae had healed me, it had taken me another day before I could get out of bed and make my escape. I’d rested for another couple of days, and this was the first time I’d left my apartment.
I’d gone to Harriette’s, but she’d already left town again. She knew something about my mom’s murder, and shedefinitelyknew something about who my father was. I was going to find her and discover what she knew.
But first, I needed to talk to my sister.
The memory of sitting in the circle of witches flashed through my mind. One of my final thoughts had been of Evie. The regret had ripped through me, and it was one hell of a wakeup call.
This thing between me and Samael could only end badly. I lifted my hand, examining the gold bond as it glimmered in the sun. One of us was going to end up dead, and it was likely to be me. If the worst happened, I wanted to go without regrets.
And I just plain missed my sister.
Nausea swept through me. The last time I’d seen Evie, I’d scared the hell out of her. All I could hope was that she’d give me a chance to explain.
I hated visiting this house. All I could see when I thought of it was the day I’d been dragged away.
“Why would you do this?” I begged my mom. “I’ll never forgive you for this.”
Her lips had thinned, and she’d looked away, focused on the road in front of us. “Listen to me very carefully,” she’d said. “If you want to keep Evie safe, you need to stay away from her.”
“Why?”
She’d refused to respond.
I’d been hesitating here for too long. I had no doubt that there were eyes on me. I forced myself into motion, stalked up the steps and knocked on Evie’s door. I refused to think of this house as the coven’s home. This was where my sister lived and that was all that mattered.
Evie opened the door a moment later. She’d obviously seen me standing like an idiot on the side of the road.
“Danica.”
She no longer called me Dani. I tried not to care.
“Hi.” I blew out a nervous breath, shifting on my feet. Evie watched me silently. “Listen, I’m sorry about what happened the other day.”
“What exactly happened? That power was… different. I don’t remember…”
She didn’t remember me having it as a kid, but she obviously didn’t want to bring up our childhood. As far as she was concerned, we probably weren’t even related.
“I can explain all of that. It’s complicated though…” Evie’s gaze shuttered and I shifted on my feet. Something like sympathy shone in her eyes for an instant, followed by a brief flicker of humor. My sister had always enjoyed watching me squirm.
I let out a breath. “Look,” I said honestly. “I miss having a sister. I missyou.I nearly died a few days ago,” I admitted, Evie’s eyes went wide. “One of my last thoughts was that I regretted everything that happened between us. I’m not asking you to forget it, but maybe we could… grab a drink or something sometime?”
“You nearly died?”
I probably shouldn’t have mentioned that. “Yeah.”
Her face was as pale and cold as it had been the day I told her our mom had died. But now I recognized it for what it was. Pure, unrelenting terror. Evie wasn’t uncaring. She was just attempting to protect herself.
Oh, Evie.
“I’d like that.”
I blinked at her and a ghost of a smile played around her mouth. “A drink,” she said. “I’d like that.”
A bead of sweat had dripped down my back. Behind her, the house was silent. I had no doubt the witches were listening in.
I smiled for the first time since I’d woken up in Samael’s bed. “I’d like that too.”
The End.
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