Page 125 of Bloodlust

Leo, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I didn't believe you. I'm sorry that I ignored you for five years. I'm sorry I didn't give you enough time. Enough attention.

I swallow.

I knew you loved me. I think I always knew. I'm so sorry, Leo. You didn't deserve this. You deserved a long life. You deserved to get married and have kids and feel loved. I... I hope you're okay, Leo. I hope...wherever you are, you feel loved. Because I do love you, Leo. I never hated you... I think if anything, I loved you to the point it hurt. We both did, I think. I hope your soul... I hope it's resting easy. That you're at peace. That you're comfortable. Free even.

"Cami," Zoey whispers, and I open my eyes. She nods to my hand. "You're going to burn through the match."

"Oh," I hum, lighting the candle next to Zoey's. I flickmy wrist, putting out the match. I suck in the scent of sulfur, smiling at the humming flame. "Bye, Leo."

"Can we sit for a little bit?" Zoey asks, motioning toward the empty pews. "I just want..." She hitches a shoulder. "I just want a minute before everything changes."

And everything will change.

New city. New name. New life.

Maybe a minute is just what we need.

Sixty more seconds of everything we've ever known.

"Sure," I swallow, following Zoella down the aisle and taking a seat beside her. I steal a glance at Zoey. She hasn't cried since the cemetery. It's been seven days. No tears. Is that normal? Did I break her? Is she finally broken? "Zoey?"

"Yeah?" She faces me with no hint of fear or anger or sadness in her eyes. They're clear. Crisp. Almost bright. "What?"

"Are you... Are you okay?" I ask, shifting my weight toward her. "I mean, how are you… How are you feeling?"

"My brother's dead, Cami," she whispers, shrugging. "I'm still processing it but... I think I'm okay. I feel fine, I guess."

I narrow my speculative eyes at her. "Saying you're okay and being okay are two different things, Zoey."

She smiles at me. "I know that, Cami. Really, I feel fine." She glances around the church, her shoulders relaxing. "It's strange but I can feel him around me." She shakes her head, sighing with joy. "This past week, I've just never... I've never felt alone."

"Do you think he's here? Thathe's...with us?"

"Yeah," she says, nodding. "I think he's here. I don't think he'll be here forever though, maybe just for a few more days. He's going to have to leave us at some point, right?" She lets out a sweet giggle. "I remember when I was like five or something, I told Leo he wasn't allowed to ever die because I was scared of ghosts." She pauses, smiling at me as she asks, "Do you know what he said?"

I reply instantly as if I'm fed the answer. "I don't have to be your ghost. I can be your angel instead."

"Exactly," Zoey frowns. "How did you know that?"

"He, uh… He said that to me once," I murmur, flicking my nails as guilt washes over me. "He..."

"Cami." Zoella covers my shaking hands with hers as she meets my sunken eyes. "Stop it, okay?" She sucks in a long breath. "This wasn't your fault, okay? There's nothing you could've done. Leo made his choice. It was his to make." She nods, encouraging me to believe her. "And honestly, I think he'd do it again."

Tears well up in my eyes as I squeeze Zoey's cold hands. "I..." Licking my lips, I swallow. "Thank you, Zoey. I don't know what I did to deserve someone like you in my life."

"You're my sister, Cami," Zoey whispers. "Always have been, always will be."

My jaw locks. "I haven't been very good to you, Zoe. I haven't..."

"Yes, you have," she says, wrapping her arms around me and pulling me into a warm, long embrace. "Yes, you have." I hug her, squeezing her tiny body as I rub her back. "I'll never leave you, Cami, okay? And you? I know you'll never leave me."

"Never say never," I whisper into the crook of her neck. "But I'll try."

"We should go," Zoey says, pulling away as she glances toward the exit. She pauses, lips twisting with contemplation before she adds, "Are you going to be okay seeing him? Have you talked since..."

"No," I say, my heart suddenly heavy with sand. "I've, um... I've kind of been ignoring his calls."

"Why?" Zoey asks as we stand up. "It's over now, Cami. You guys can?—"