Part 13 (2/2)

Blood rushes to my cheeks. Now that I've said it out loud, I can't believe how stupid I was.

”Liora, I think you need to tell me everything. Now.”

I relay everything I can about Tristan's and Casandra's arrival. About how I felt, what Corrine had said, and how I found out about the scars.

”And Tatiana...she said you'd been somewhere with him, and you have no memory of it?” he asks, deep in thoughtful concentration.

”Yes,” I whisper. I feel so foolish...and even more horrified. Was Tatiana right? Had we really been in the mines after all and I just didn't remember it? And why in a million years would we go there?

”Liora...there's something that's been bothering me about Lucky for quite some time, but I couldn't really put my finger on it. But she seemed to be, well, for lack of a better word, less of herself lately. At first I chalked it up to Kieron being gone, but it's more than that...it's as if her strength...her essence, is slowly disappearing-”

Disappearing...that's the same word Corrine had used.

”That's how I felt, too.”

”I wonder...Tristan, you say...if he's a demon, it's possible he's an Energy feeder. Do you...have you...?” He breaks off and looks away.

”Have I what?” I prompt.

”Have you and Tristan...have you been...intimate?”

I shake my head. ”No. Of course not. We just kiss a lot.” The words fill me with guilt and shame. I was off kissing Tristan when the one I really love was being held prisoner.

”Liora, kissing is intimate,” Bones chides. ”You know how many different types of demons drain the souls of Sapies that way?”

”So you think Tristan is a demon and has been draining my soul? Why?” I ask. Now when I think of Tristan I feel sick. And angry at myself for being such a weak idiot.

Bones shakes his head. ”I have no idea. But I don't like the sound of this one bit. I always knew this could be a problem, that one day someone could really come after you in your human form. At least when Kieron was around, he could protect you when I couldn't...”

”What should I do?”

”For now, avoid him at all costs-”

”But if he was trying to hurt me, couldn't he have just done it already?”

Bones shakes his head. ”Who knows what the agenda is? Some drag it out for one reason or another...Aw, s.h.i.+t!” He shakes his head again and clenches his fists, muttering profanities to himself as he walks around.

”What is it?” I ask, alarmed.

He grabs his hair with both hands. ”I'm just realizing how important it might be that we actually rescue Kieron tonight. Before, I wasn't really that eager to, but now that I know you're in danger...I need him here to keep an eye on you. I can't very well do it, and obviously someone is after you...d.a.m.n!”

”Whatever Tristan is trying to do, I don't think he wants to hurt me,” I offer after a moment. Bones sure is s.e.xy when he's mad, with his hard set jaw and his eyes practically glowing with dark intensity.

”I'm not sure why I feel that way, but I do,” I add.

Bones gives a derisive laugh. ”Liora, if you have a demon messing with your head, then there is no way you can trust anything you think you feel.” He looks down at my body. ”But you say you're feeling better today, physically? Even though you spent the day with him and kissed him again?”

I nod. ”Yeah...It's almost like I woke up from a fog. I know there are things I don't remember yet or don't quite understand, but they're getting clearer now...like whatever hold he had on me is fading. I don't feel the attraction to him I felt before.”

Bones raises a dark eyebrow thoughtfully and the corners of his lips twitch. ”Did you feel any certain way when you woke up today? Happier, maybe?”

I shrug my shoulders. ”I don't remember. I don't think so...I think I just felt...better.”

A slow smile spreads across his mouth. ”Well, it's a start.”

”Thanks for the lift, but you don't have to hang around. I'll be fine, and Lucky's coming in a few hours. If anything bad happens, I have Tatiana.” I smile at Bones and give him a hug, pulling him close. He always smells and feels so perfect. As if he were the living form of everything I've ever desired, or ever will.

”All the same, I think I'll hang out around here until Lucky shows up. Don't worry, I'll stay outside. But just in case...”

”Okay, okay. Do what you gotta do. Bye, Bones.” I rise on my tiptoes and plant a kiss on his cheek. ”It was really good seeing you again. Thanks for talking with me.”

”Anytime, Liora. I'm always available for you...you know that.”

I give him another long hug before heading inside the cabin. I'd wanted to be home when Lucky showed up, and had made Bones promise not to say anything to her about my visit to see him. She hates me interfering in her life as much as I hate her b.u.t.ting into mine.

The door is cracked, and I peer in cautiously. ”Tat?”

No answer. I head into Tatiana's room and am relieved to see her sitting next to her cauldron. Her eyes are closed and her face is pinched. For a moment, I just stand there looking at her. She seems so tiny and frail right now.

Her eyes flutter open. ”h.e.l.lo, sweetheart.”

I smile. ”Hi, Tattie. I went to see Bones today.”

”Yes, I know.”

”You might've been right about me going to the mines that day.” I take a seat on her bed. ”I'm beginning to believe my friend Tristan isn't really my friend after all...” I want to ask her why she hadn't seen it, why she didn't know that Tristan was a demon in disguise. But I hold my tongue. Now doesn't seem the right time to drill her for info.

She closes her eyes and wobbles ever so slightly on her chair. ”Tat, you okay?”

Her eyes open again, and she cracks a wan smile. ”I'm fine, dear. Just sleepy. There is some beef and potato stew on the stove. You better eat before it gets dark.” She pauses and fixes her opaque eyes on my body, her face brightening almost imperceptibly. ”You must keep up your strength.”

”Yeah...Guess Lucky has quite the night in store for us. Did you know about Kieron?” My voice is free of accusation.

Tatiana nods. She stands up, and together we make our way into the kitchen. ”I've only known for a few days. I didn't want to tell you when you couldn't do anything about it. I didn't want to cause you any further upset.” Her kind eyes crinkle.

I scoop some of the simmering stew into a shallow bowl and carry it to the table. For so long, every evening as I fell asleep, I'd been terrified it would be my last night on Earth. Especially when Lucky was hunting the Amazea. She was basically on a suicide mission every night. And as Tatiana had said, there was nothing I could do about it.

But every morning I awoke as usual. True, some mornings I felt worse than others. But I was always alive and in one piece. Mostly.

So I try not to panic too much at the thought of Lucky waging some sort of war against a whole demon tribe in order to save Kieron. She has Bones, and he thinks they have a pretty good chance. So I'm just not going to think about it. Instead, I'm going to think about the fact that when I wake up, maybe Kieron will be in my arms again...

”Everything will be okay,” Tatiana says softly as she watches me eat.

I glance up at my beloved guardian just as the first waves of fire shoot across my skin. Our eyes meet, and I have an overwhelming urge to give her a hug. But she's across the room and there is no time. ”Tattie, thank you for everything. I love you more than you'll ever...”

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