“Now you know, one slipup could trigger my temper. And that temper knows your family—in their most intimate, mostvulnerablesettings.”
In a series of groans and muffled whimpers, something like an explosion of gastrointestinal fireworks disgorges across the table, mouths gaping open, pouring out streams of blood and carbonation.
Ruth and I shriek, jumping out of our seats and backing into the china cabinet. We watch them vomit violently onto their plates, dribbling down their dresses. Meridei falls to the floor as she heaves like a cat gagging up a hairball. Belinda sobs between upchucks, and Ash lies on his side behind his chair, letting the excretions flow endlessly.
A lake of blood spreads across the hardwood oak floors, forming around the legs of the table and chairs.
They’re dying.
“What did you do?” I stare at Dessin, now at my side, in astonishment.
You killed them, didn’t you?
I can’t calm my muscles, they’re vibrating like a small tent in a sandstorm. Ruth clutches my arm for dear life as she gapes wide eyed at Dessin so close to both of us.
“It’s time to go now,” he commands, holding his hand out for me to take.
Even though I can’t fathom why I still trust him, after witnessing what I’m sure is a small presentation of what he is capable of, I slip my hand into his.
But as he tries to guide us out of the house, I’m frozen in place. Ruth isn’t moving. She’s in shock, paralyzed in place.
Dessin looks over my shoulder to level with Ruth. “If I wanted to hurt you, I would have.”Thank you, Dessin. That will calm her down.I roll my eyes and nod my head at Ruth to let her know she can trust me if she’s not able to trust him.
Tears pool in her eyes as she nods back, stepping over a writhing orderly at her feet as we exit the house.
41. Soul Sister
It’s so silent I canhear my bones grinding together as we walk to the edge of the lawn.
There are no crickets or the gentle rustling of tree branches. Not even the cooing of a night bird. There is only my cadenced pulse thudding in my throat.
I keep seeing their faces… The scared, wincing faces.
I stop at the edge of the blackened paved road, running both of my hands through the soft, wholesome curls of my hair.What happened?
“Say something.” His voice is an aggressive winter night. Coarse and impatient.
I avoid his eyes. I can’t think of anything to say. There was blood. It sprayed into the air like pink misting paint. How could I have trusted him this much? I’m now responsible for their deaths. For the grief of their families.
“Did you kill them?”
I blink rapidly. The thought was certainly on the tip of my tongue, but I didn’t open my mouth to voice my concern.
Ruth.
I almost forgot she was still with us. I redirect my attention to her, then back up to Dessin, who looks just as taken aback that she addressed him at all.
“No,” he answers. “Skylenna asked me not to.”
Does my word really carry that much weight?
Ruth’s arms are wrapped around her shivering body, rubbing up and down to attempt friction heat. Dessin swiftly removes his black tuxedo coat, swinging it around her shoulders.
He glances at me with a knowing smile. “Aurick won’t miss it, right?”
“What did you do to them?” I wince as I picture them heaving, groaning, and slipping in bodily fluids.
“I gave them the satan root, just as they gave you… Only with a twist.”
