“Who?”
“The twins. Dorian. All of West S’Kir.”
“Then I will be there for you, and we will find our way in the world.”
That didn’t help me at all. I started crying harder.
Aiko raised an eyebrow. “Is this the breakdown you were talking about? The part where you freak out?”
“Yes!” I screamed. “My very existence is impossible! I didn’t want to be anything more than a teacher. He just had to be mad. He just had to force his blood on me. He couldn’t just take my head off and be done. He had to sire me and destroy me.” I was shaking violently, trembling against Aiko. “He destroyed my mother, Odom, your sister… me. And now I’m lost. I’m afraid. I’m so damned afraid.”
Aiko just held me as I broke down. I wept and shivered and shook and trembled. I didn’t know what to do, how to stop my mind from running out of control with these thoughts.
Who could deal with me now?
Aiko was bound to me, and that was unfair.
The twins might well reject me.
Dorian would probably hate me.
I didn’t want to fight vampires. I didn’t want to kill people. I didn’t want to drag the druids into some insane war.
I didn’t want to have to take blood for the rest of my life.
All I had ever wanted was a simple, happy life.
Not this fucked up mess of a disaster.
I cried myself to sleep.
I had no idea how long I slept, but I woke when the sail snapped in the wind. I forced my eyes open and looked around.
It was dark, and I had a blanket over me and a pillow under my head. Aiko was asleep on the deck next to me. I sniffled and sat up, careful not to step on him.
He had dropped the anchor at some point, and we were safely moored just a few dozen strides off the coast. In the distance to the west, I could see the lights of North Landing.
I had been asleep for hours, a good part of the day, and probably most of the night.
Walking into the cabin, I made use of the head, ignoring the burning in my stomach. It would get worse, and I would have to deal with the fact that I had to have blood.
“Feeling anymore centered?” Aiko was leaning in the door, and I jumped and clutched my chest.
“Damn it. Don’t do that.”
He smirked.
“How long was I asleep?”
“Eighteen hours or so. It’s about an hour until dawn.”
“Did you sail us this close?”
“And dropped anchor at sunset, yes.” He gave me a grin. “I have been paying attention. I may not love the ocean, but I do want to survive this trip. It was a little more difficult without you, but I made it.”
“You could have awakened me.”
He flipped his hand nonchalantly. “You were fine there once I gave you the pillow and blanket. It didn’t look like rain.” Hopping down the stairs, he pulled out the bag of fruit we’d brought and tossed me an apple. “That will help for a while. But not for too long.”
