“Your work?”
“More or less.”
I heard Imalda’s voice yell from outside the dining room window. “Rosalia, supper!”
“Shall we?” Draven said, holding out an arm for me. I placed my hand on his sleeve, then pulled it back, looking at how dirty my hands were. He chuckled, then took my hand and placed it back on the sleeve of his suit jacket. I found comfort in the luxe texture.
Draven escorted me into the house, pausing at the threshold of the dining room. He peered inside, his gaze assessing the sparse table setting with a hint of amusement.
“Imalda must not have thought I would be home this early.” I looked and saw only one meal at the table. “No matter,” he added with a reassuring smile. “I will eat later.”
“You can share mine,” I offered, almost too eagerly.
“Rosalia, as much as I long to converse with you, I must go and freshen up. Perhaps you might consider doing the same before eating.”
I blinked up at him. “Have I done something wrong?”
“No, why would you say that?”
“It feels as though you have been avoiding me. If my presence is no longer welcome, I can leave by sunrise.”
“It is unwise to leave Thornwood before sunrise,” he said, his tone brooking no argument. “You know well what dangers the night holds beyond these walls.”
“I am aware,” I said sternly.
“Good,” he said. “And for your part, I would prefer it if you stayed.”
“If you are certain.”
“I am. I will see you later,” he said, and before I could answer him, Draven walked toward the stairs and gracefully ran up them.
I was left alone in the foyer.
FIFTEEN
January 2, 2010
The atmosphere inside the car weighed heavily with grief. Vail’s tear-streaked face revealed her anguish as she drove, black smudges of mascara tracing the path of her tears. Her lips, red from biting them, quivered with suppressed emotions. I placed my hand on her thigh; Vail squeezed my hand while keeping her eyes fixed ahead.
We trailed Connor’s van, and the clouds overhead parted, tightening a knot in my stomach. The van came to a halt at the end of a desolate back road. Vail pulled over, and I held my breath, hoping we were far enough away from Sam and Donovan that they wouldn’t spot us. They went out, opened the back doors, and pulled out George’s body. Sam carried his arms, and Donovan took his legs as they trekked through the open field next to the road and unceremoniously discarded his lifeless body in its centre.
“Do you want to do anything?” I asked, noting the anger in Vail’s eyes.
“He’s dead,” she choked out.
The van pulled away, leaving us in a heavy silence. “I can’t leave him like this.” Vail reached for the door handle and opened it, but as she stepped out, golden rays of sunlight broke through the clouds, illuminating the road ahead.
“Vail, the sun!” I said, reaching out to grab her arm. She recoiled, retreating into the car and crawling into the backseat as the warm rays began to heat my own skin through the windows.
Vail lay down and wrapped herself in a blanket, shrouding herself in darkness from the sun.
“Don’t tell me what’s happening,” Vail pleaded through her tears, her voice muffled under the blanket. “I don’t want to know.”
I touched my necklace and watched as the sun reached George’s body, and it became engulfed in orange and yellow flames. The fire consumed him slowly, burning through his clothes before transforming the rest of his form into dancing embers. I couldn’t tear my eyes away, as painful as it was to watch. I had to do this for Vail. I reached back, sliding my hand under the blanket, finding Vail’s delicate hand as I watched for both of us.
After a while, George’s body was nothing but ashes. A gust scattered his ashes into the wind; I wasn’t sure if it was nature or Vail’s magic doing it. I shimmied over to the driver’s seat, started the engine, and turned the car around, driving silently back into town.
The clouds returned, and heavy rain started. The raindrops, large and relentless, pounded a mournful rhythm on the windshield. The windshield wipers worked overtime as I drove through the large puddles flooding the streets. Vail emerged from under the blankets, drawn to the loud sounds of rain pellets hammering on the car’s roof. She sat up in the back seat, her gaze fixed on the water trailing down the windows.
