Page 82 of Bound by Vengeance
Elmo didn’t look at all contrite as his gazeran over Brian. When Brian scowled at him, Elmo laughed. Brianlooked as if Elmo had tried to tickle him before he grinned at thekid.
“What is this place?” Brian asked.
“A place for lost children to find shelterand love,” Sister replied.
“How long have you known about this?” Abbyasked Vicky.
“A couple of years.”
“A couple of…?” Abby’s voice trailedoff.
The distress in her twin’s eyes caused asmall twinge to Vicky’s heart. “I know everyone thinks I have a bigmouth, but I can keep some secrets. Don’t be mad at me.”
“I’m not mad. I’m… stunned.”
Abby smiled at her and rested her hand onVicky’s arm. Abby released her and made her way further into theroom to greet the children. Sister and Duncan walked with her,explaining some of their history as they went.
Brian came to stand at Vicky’s side. “She’snever believed you were the ditzy, selfish, party girl you portray.Idid,” he said in a low voice.
Vicky snorted. “Thanks for sugarcoating it,”she whispered.
“You wouldn’t appreciate it if I did.”
“Maybe if you offered me a cookie, Iwould.”
“Sorry, fresh out of those. So why keep thisfrom Abby? Why always act likeyouare what the worldrevolves around?”
Vicky winced. “I could have takenthatwith a grain of sugar.”
As Abby moved around the room, Vicky’s heartfilled with love and sorrow for her twin. Her eventual descent intomadness and death over losing her mate would break the hearts ofher whole family, but it would be especially difficult on Abby.
They’d been as thick as thieves their wholelives, even though they hadn’t sharedeverysingle detail oftheir lives. Like Vicky hadn’t known Abby believed Brian to be hermate since she first saw him at fifteen. And Vicky hadn’t revealedto Abby that, at some point in her life, she’d begun to suspect hermate would be the end of her.
Abby would have been sympathetic, but shewould have tried to convince Vicky she was wrong. And no matter howoften Abby told her she was wrong, she would also secretly worry,and all Vicky wanted for her sister, and the rest of her family,was happiness.
“Why did you keep this from her?” Brianasked again.
“Because sometimes you justknowlifeisn’t going to go your way. And because sometimes the best thingyou can do is not burden others with that knowledge. I’ve suspectedfor years my mate would be the end of me,” she whispered, admittingit to someone else for the first time.
“Nathan,” he stated.
“I didn’t know it was going to be him backthen, but I know now. Imagine if there hadn’t been a truce betweenhunters and vampires? He would have staked me the first chance hegot. Now, he’s the leader of people who will never accept me as hiswife, and he’s going to be engaged to another soon.”
Never had she imaginedBrianwould bethe one she revealed this to. Unless he was with Abby, he couldsometimes make ice look warm, but out of everyone, Brian somehowmade the most sense. He would make sure Abby got through this thebest she could once Vicky was gone.
“So you faked all of it?” Brian asked.
“Not all of it. I faked some of it, and indoing so, I gave Abby and my family twenty-one years of an upbeat,party girl, flitting happily from one thing to another. And I didhave a lot of fun too. I regret being with Duke, and I’ll alwaysfeel guilty about killing that woman while in captivity, but I’mnot ashamed of most of the things I’ve done.”
“You couldn’t have seen that coming withDuke, and none of us have known starvation like what you endured. Isaw you, and the other purebreds who came out of that warehousewith you; all of you were severely malnourished.”
“I know, but I’ll live with the stain ofthat woman’s blood on my soul for the rest of my life.” Vickyrubbed the scar on her wrist while she spoke. “I’ll also continueto play my role with my family until the day the charade breaks andit becomes easier to end my existence. Until then, I won’t haveAbby, or my family, worrying about me.”
“How far into the mating bond did you getwith Nathan?” he asked.
“Not far enough to break me tomorrow, butfar enough that I care for him.”
Brian sucked in a breath as April opened oneof her books and pointed at the pictures she’d colored within.Abby’s face lit up; her laughter filled the room when one of theother children said something to her.
