Page 19 of Blood that Burns
There it is. Always reminding me of my weakness. My humanity.
“Marina’s just as likely to end me for all the secrets.”
He chuckles. “She’ll eventually get over it. She’s going to be so relieved that you’re alive. That will trump all the other feelings. You lied for noble reasons. She’ll see that one day.”
I grunt. “You don’t know Marina. She’s stubborn as hell.”
His head tilts to the side as he considers my description. “She is quite the ballbuster.”
“Ballbuster? That’s... an interesting way to describe her.”
Marina and I were sheltered our entire life. We had a tight-knit group of friends, but Marina kept everyone at arm’s length. Where I flourished when I got the chance to mingle with others, she was awkward and reserved. She doesn’t trust easily, which made it impossible for anyone to get close to her. Our friend Shannon was the only person aside from me who broke down her walls, but even she was kept at a distance.
“Your sister has changed a lot since you last saw her.” Law’s voice softens and it makes me wonder just how different I’ll find my sister.
“That’s good. The last time I saw her, she was a broken girl, repressing her truths.”
He shakes his head. “That’s... definitely not Marina of today. I think you’ll like that change.”
I nod, thinking back on my life and all the hardships. At some point, those thoughts drift to Law and all the times we spent just like this.
“I missed you.” The admission slips through my lips before I can shove it back down. Not that I want to. Because it’s the truth. I missed Law. Missed my friend and confidant.
His back is ramrod straight, and for several tense seconds, he stares out the windshield. Finally, his head turns to me and he offers a contrived smile. “Me too, sunshine. Me too.”
We don’t say another word, driving the rest of the way in companionable silence, each lost to our own thoughts. The closer we get to Julian’s estate, the more nervous I am to see Marina.
Betrayal isn’t something I want to see in her eyes when we’re reunited. But how could she not feel that way? I lied for years, keeping her in the dark about Law and the information he shared with me. It might’ve been for noble reasons—like Law said—but Marina thought she knew everything, and the whole time I was hiding the biggest secret.
The monsters were real. And I had fallen for one.