I sniffed, feeling my stomach quiver trying to suck in a breath. “Yeah, I think you’re right Gretch.”
“Why don’t we get out of here? School will be waiting for us tomorrow, and the next day, and the next. Let’s get you cleaned up.” She wet a paper towel, wiping the mascara that was running down my face, and fluffed the bottom part of my hair that wasn’t hidden underneath my slouch beanie.
“Thanks, Gretch. I’ll tell you everything once we’re away from this place, and away from Davin.”
She smiled. “I know, honey. Whatever is going on though, I love you, and will take care of you the best that I can.” She hugged me. She truly was my best friend, especially since my other one was dead at the morgue.
The drive to Brando’s was a quiet one in Gretchen’s little white beetle, with neither of us saying anything. I stared out the window at the dark and dreary landscape passing by us. The woods in the distance were concealed in fog with some of it creeping across the wet streets, and everything else was speckled here and there with snow patches.
Brando’s wasn’t exactly hopping at this time of day; so, besides us there were not even a handful of people inside. I grabbed my Irish crème latte, taking a seat next to Gretchen on a big fluffy Orange couch by the fireplace in one of the corners. The blazing heat from the fire felt good against my skin.
“Okay, so start talking. What’s going on, Adde?”
My grip tightened around my cup. “Xander showed up last night when we were at the club, but the Loup Garou had already gotten to him long before. He tricked me into coming to his rescue, making me believe he was still human. That’s why I ran out like that. I thought I could save him.”
“Holy shit, Adde! Is he ok?”
I shook my head blinking back tears. “He’s dead. He’s dead because of me; because that animal wanted my blood and used Xander as a pawn.”
Her bewildered expression changed to one of remorse.
“Sully and I almost didn’t make it either. Actually, Sully died, and the curse that I have in my blood saved him…I brought him back to life, and it healed me as well; but by doing that I lost Davin.”
“But why?”
“Because apparently the forces are against us. I don’t know, some stupid vampire law they have to follow. If I share my blood willingly with a vampire, I bind us together forever and lose the one I truly love. I had no other choice though, Gretch; I couldn’t let someone die for my own selfish reasons. He deserved to live, especially when he gave his life trying to protect me. He was there through all of it, Davin wasn’t.”
“Oh, my gosh! I’m so sorry, Adde. Well, I guess it’s a good thing we didn’t work out or you would’ve stolen my boyfriend.” She said laughing.
I gave her a clearly unamused look.
“I’m sorry Adelay, I was just kidding around.”
“And here’s the best part, Eli told me I have to move away with them to God knows where at the end of the school year. They said too much has happened, and if we stay here it risks exposing them.”
“Geesh, this just keeps getting worse and worse.
You can’t go Adelay. We’ve been through too much together for you to just leave me behind. You’re my best friend. Besides, who else do I know that is actually harboring angel's blood and can resurrect vampires?”
I felt the same disheartening sensation I had when I was forced to leave Xander and Kat, and now I would never see Xander again. I never truly got to say goodbye to one of the people I loved the most.
Rosalinda Babic told me this fight might have been won, but the war isn’t over. Was that a warning that other things would be coming for me in the future? If I did leave Gretchen behind, would I possibly be responsible for another death of a friend? If it was a possibility, I had to make sure she was protected. I couldn’t handle going through it again if anyone tried to hurt her. Now if it were Bernadette Harris on the other hand, then I wouldn’t think twice to throw her to the wolves myself.
Sully’s black Mustang was waiting in my driveway when I got home. He opened my passenger door, climbing inside as soon as I killed the ignition, letting in a cold gust of winter wind when he did. I shivered when it reached me.
“I’ve been worried about you all day. When you left the cafeteria, I should have come after you, but I thought you might need some time alone.”
I flung my head back against the headrest exhaling loudly. “I keep telling myself I can do this, and that each day it’s going to get better; but then something always appears to prove me wrong. I know we are done, it’s been written in the books. But Bernadette Harris? Really?”
He leaned back into his headrest too, looking at the roof for a second. No expression was visible on his handsome picture-perfect face to give away what might be riding on his thoughts right now.
He turned sideways to face me. “You know princess, I’ve had so much heartache through the past couple centuries, I’ve come to realize that it’s inevitable. There are no fairytale endings, no true love conquering all, no knight in shining armor. There’s happiness, misery, and somewhere in-between. Most of your life you experience happiness briefly, live somewhere in-between mostly, and almost always misery has entangled itself through all of it. If you stop any person off the street and ask if they have had more good luck or bad luck in their lives, nine times out of ten it’s the latter. It’s
