Holly offered a smile she hoped looked reassuring. “I’ll be fine. Go hit the books.”
Johnny and Loch left the dungeon, leaving Holly alone with Keller.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX—HOLLY
Hours passed, yet Holly hadn’t moved. She hadn’t even uttered a word.
What was she supposed to say to a man who had tried to strangle her? A man she loved. A man she thought loved her.
It was easy to defend Keller to Johnny and Loch. She didn’t have to justify her emotions, just the facts. They shouldn’t punish Keller because his mind no longer belonged to him.
Simple.
Yet, for Holly, not so simple.
Keller’s mind didn’t belong to him anymore, but he had the same face. The same eyes. The same hands. Hands that had once made her feel safe and secure, nearly choked the life out of her. It was hard to stand in front of him and not see the damage he could deal if he had the mind to.
“Holly?” Lucien’s voice nearly made her heart explode. “My apologies!” he said quickly. “I tried to make noise as I came down the stairs, but I’m naturally light-footed.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Holly brushed him off. “I was so wrapped up in myself. I wouldn’t have noticed if you screamed at me.”
“Has he responded at all to your voice?” Lucien asked.
“That’s the thing.” She bit her lip. “I haven’t said anything.”
“You’ve been down here for hours.”
“I know.” She ran a hand roughly through her hair. Her fingers snagged on knots and pulled at her scalp. “I just don’t know what to say to him. I’m so torn.”
“You can’t bring yourself to say anything comforting to the man who nearly killed you.” Lucien nodded.
Holly released a relieved sigh. “Exactly! Thank you.”
“It’s not such a strange concept,” Lucien said. “The question is, what are you going to do about it?”
“I don’t know.” Holly folded her arms across her chest and began to pace. “Care to share more nuggets of wisdom?”
“I prefer to call them gems.” He chuckled. “Normally, I’d advise you to say what’s in your heart, but that might not be the most productive course at the moment.”
“If I break his heart, who knows what will happen to his mind.” She nodded.
“Do you want to break his heart?”
“Not permanently.” Holly shrugged. “A small part of me, the small mean part that no one admits they have but everyone does, wants to hurt him as much as he hurt me. I know it’s not fair. I know it wasn’t him.”
“I have a small mean part of me,” Lucien said. “It whispers to me every night.”
“What does it say?”
“It tells me that Celeste left me, that I shouldn’t look for her because she doesn’t want to be found.”
“Do you believe it?”
“Not for a second.” He smiled. “Just because those thoughts creep up doesn’t mean I can’t move forward in my search. Just because you want to hurt Keller doesn’t mean you can’t help him.”
“Can I hire you to follow me around and say smart shit?” Holly laughed. “You should start charging people for your advice.”
“I’m happy to share my lessons,” he replied. “I learned the hard way. I’d like to stop others from learning the hard way if I can. Besides, I don’t need the money. My bank account has been open for over a century. I make thousands in interest every week.”
“Damn. No wonder you dress like that.”
“Everything is certified vintage. What’s the point of being a vampire if you can’t look like something out of a gothic novel?”
Holly laughed and shook her head. “Hard to look gothic when I can see the light of your smartphone in your pocket.”
“I do love my modern conveniences.”
Holly let her gaze wander back to Keller, who hadn’t so much as blinked in the time she’d been down there.
“Should we squirt water in his eyes?” she wondered aloud. “That can’t be comfortable.”
“I doubt he can feel it. Pain receptors are in the brain. They aren’t functioning right now.”
“Can he even hear my voice?” Holly frowned.
“Not in the traditional sense, I imagine. That’s why you need to speak to his heart.”
“That sounds like some fairytale bullshit.”
“I’m a vampire with a smartphone. Suspend your belief a little, will you?” He laughed. “Wind healed your throat. You met a man with wings. Someone stole your boyfriend’s mind. You can indulge in some fairytale bullshit.”
“You make a compelling argument,” Holly admitted. “Fine, I’ll give it a try.”
“Would you like me to leave?”
“No,” Holly said too quickly. “Please, stay. In case whatever controls his brain decides it wants to kill me again.”
“Will do.”
Lucien moved to the other side of the room and took a seat on the stairs. If it weren’t for his white hair and pale skin, he would’ve melted into the shadows completely.
Holly turned her attention back to Keller. She moved so that she stood in front of him but didn’t get any closer.
“Hey,” she said softly.
His eyes didn’t move. No part of him reacted.
“I’m not sure if you can hear me,” she said, “but I’m going to talk to you anyway. It’s of the popular opinion that I might be able to speak to your heart. I don’t know if that’s true, but it’s worth a shot. Right?”
She knelt down a safe distance away. Even if his eyes weren’t seeing anything in front of him, she felt eye contact was important.
“I made a mistake,” she said. “Not just once, either. I’ve made the same mistake over and over again ever since I arrived. I assumed you were fine.” Her throat grew tight with unexpected tears. It felt too much like being strangled.
“All of the others talked to me,” she said. “They told me when they were stressed, worried, or just plain
