Page 41 of Blood that Burns
Her words trail off, and we’ve quickly escalated to unsafe territory. Shannon needs some time to just be Shannon. No thoughts of her new life or what she’s lost. Yet, that’s exactly the road we’re traveling down. As much as I want to steer us into safer waters, I also don’t want to pretend like it’s not a thing. I had to push my truths away for too long, and it has a way of sneaking up on you and causing damage beyond repair.
“Shan. I’m so sorry.” I grab her hand and look into her eyes. “I promise, we’ll figure out a way to make this work. You will see Susan and Bob again.”
“Can you imagine that conversation?” She hiccups a laugh. “My dad will shit his pants. He can’t even walk the trash down the driveway at night. If he knows vampires are a real thing, he’ll never leave the house again.”
I laugh, because she isn’t wrong. Bob Cline is the biggest chicken. We used to purposefully mess with him just to see him practically jump out of his skin.
“Worse, what will he do when he finds out I’m one? Will he even want me around?”
“Yes,” I say with so much conviction, Shannon’s eyes widen. “That man loves you, Shan. It doesn’t matter what’s happened; he’ll stand by you. So will your mom. That’s one thing you shouldn’t question. Ever.”
She takes a deep breath and nods. “You’re right. One day... when I know it’s safe, I’ll tell them everything.”
“I’ll be right beside you if you want.”
She pulls me into a hug. “I’m so glad you’re here, Mags. My heart literally broke when I thought you jumped. Marina... well, she wasn’t the same after. Still isn’t.”
“I have so many regrets about how that all went down. For not demanding Marcellus tell Marina the truth. But I was trying to keep everyone safe.”
“In time, it’ll all be all right. Marina will be okay. But you still didn’t answer me about the sexy vamp.” She waggles her brows and I roll my eyes.
“He’s a friend. A very frustrating one.”
“Frustrating how? As in he’s not that into you?”
“Ugh,” I groan, hating how accurate those words are. “Let’s just say we’ve had our moments, but in the end, he’s pulled away because he still sees me as the little girl he’s sworn to protect.”
She bares her teeth in a grimace that says,ouch, that hurts. I shrug, because what else is there to say?
“So, what’s next?” I ask, looking around the bare cell. “You ready for an upgrade?”
She peers around the empty space and nods. “Yeah, I think I am.”
“Come back to Julian’s with us. He’ll make sure you’re safe.”
She glances at me from the corner of her eye. “It’s not me I’m worried about, Mags. I’m ready to bust out of this prison, but I’m not sure I’m entirely ready to leave this place. There’s a lot of work to be done, and not just with me. I really think I can help.”
“If you want to help, I think we have an idea,” Marina says from behind us. She takes a seat on the other side of Shannon, filling us in on her idea of utilizing missing persons information and social media to track down the former lives of new bites to help with rehabilitation.
“Marina, that’s ingenious,” Shannon praises. “I truly think that could speed up the process immensely. Once Neil got me to look at photos and listen to recordings of my parents, and Jill’s and Andrea’s voices, things really turned around for me.”
“Do you want to lead the charge with that here?” she suggests, and Shannon nods eagerly.
The smile plastered across her face is all the assurance I need that this is truly what she wants, and my heart swells. It’s not exactly the calling that any woman would choose, but the fact that Shannon’s able to make good out of a terrible situation shows that she hasn’t changed that much. She’s still the same amazing girl Marina and I have always known.
I grab her hand and squeeze, while Marina plunges forward with all the ideas. For as scared as I was to see Shannon like this, it’s been an incredible reunion. I’ve missed this easygoing friendship we cultivated over the years in Liberty.
This new life won’t be as tough to navigate with friends at our side.