Hope snorted. “They were arguing on flowers at one point and what Inez would like better.”
“It was extra funny since she didn’t care at all,” Trisha teased me.
“I do care, I do, it’s just…” I sighed, gesturing to the corrupted that were headed our way. “We have other things besides the flowers. I think all flowers are pretty. We have limited options growing wild since there aren’t florists anymore. Just get whatever, simple. We’re doing lavish all over the place. I mean, how many weddings have an array of wine options from the vineyard barrels?”
“They do spoil you,” Nora agreed.
“I spoil them,” I defended. “Plus, they get this court stuff more than I do, and while I don’t care if people are petty, they get upset if people say shit about me. It leads to less chance of me shooting someone and causing trouble.”
“Plus, Kristof never thought he would do this, so he’s nervous he’ll do it wrong and make you regret it,” Maggie confessed, nodding when I gave her a shocked look.
“Idiot,” I sighed. That wasn’t like me at all. Fine, I wasn’t all that forgiving, but I would be if people earned my trust back or worked for it. Sometimes I let things go quicker than I should, but other times I didn’t, and to me, it all balanced out in the end.
If only that worked right then with Darius.
I was glad it was time to get to the shooting when everything with him filled my mind. I really and truly had no idea how to handle that situation. I didn’t. One minute, I just wanted to forgive him and have him back, and then next, I couldn’t see ever letting him near me again.
Funny how the heart could be just as confused as the rest of me at times.
Nora moved up next to me and I bit back a chuckle, the centuries-old, ridiculously elegant, and refined princess wanted to fire the grenade launcher. Her lips twitched as I didn’t poke at her for it, simply showing her how to kneel behind the tripod and to fire it.
I picked up a rifle with an extended fifty-round mag and started taking out baddies. Trisha took it from me when I was out and showed they’d brought my sniper rifle.
Now we were talking. I went over to the table it was set up on and got into place. I shot down the line, leaving dinner for corrupted and the front of the packs for them to handle.
“How did you learn to use that?” Olivia asked me as I turned to get more rounds.
“Trial and error,” I chuckled. “I had no memories and no idea if I’d ever fired a weapon before, but I learned fast. There was lots of tripping along the way, like realizing some guns didn’t have safeties and almost shooting myself because of it. Or how to handle a jam and not blow my damn face off while not getting eaten.”
She stared out at the distance. “They really come for you like this always?”
“No, it wasn’t like this before because I didn’t feed and was weak, starving half of the time. But they always found me.” I let out a shaky breath as I opened another box. “I had no idea what I was, who I was, or what the fuck it all meant, and it got bad. A lot. And I had some douche nobles stalking me for a reason I didn’t understand until later.”
“Mother said they knew you didn’t know.”
I nodded, giving her a look, but then shaking my head and focusing on the scope.
“What were you going to say?”
“Something I’ve not told your brother, so I don’t think it’s right I tell you first.”
“Will you ever tell him?”
“No, I don’t think they need to know how badly Clarence and the others terrorized me. They’d go looking for the ones that ran off.”
“What could they do worse than hunt you?”
I lifted my head and met her gaze. “Played with me like a mouse in a trap that had cats waiting at each end. They weren’t just hunting me, they were tenderizing the meat and making sure I was broken. They could have caught me more times than I can count, Olivia.”
Her eyes flashed shock. “They were waiting for you to surrender and give up like the reptile that bites with poison and waits for them to die.”
“Yeah, five years of that, and let’s just say that sometimes my overblowing situations and bouts of paranoia are pretty damn valid.” I let out a shaky breath. “Once, they all came into a building I was hiding in and just went to sleep.” I glanced at her. “They knew I was there. I figured that before I knew about the whole vampire thing. They fucked with me to that extent.”
“Why not shoot them?”
“I was out of ammo. I assume they knew that too. I couldn’t bash in one head without waking the others. Same with knives or swords. Believe me, I considered it all and I didn’t know how fast they were. They fucked with me like that just to let me get away and a head start.”
“I had no idea it was anything remotely like that,” Trisha said from behind me. “No one does.”
I shrugged. “I’ll show you all my scars if you show me yours, Trisha. It’s always about me and I hate that. We’ve all suffered. I just want to try and keep us from suffering anymore.”
“You do a fucking damn good job of that, kid,” she said gently, leaning in and kissing my hair. “Olivia, you want a turn on the grenade launcher?” She gave her a look to not even bother correcting her and a miracle happened.
Olivia didn’t, instead accepting the offer.
“This
