My twins were dead.
The two men I could count on the most, even if they had trouble accepting my vampire side. They still hadn’t abandoned me.
They were there the night I watched Elex die at Dorian’s hands. They comforted and soothed me.
They were trouble, and they were angels. They could make me smile even in the darkest moments. Nothing felt as good as being wrapped in their arms.
No one had ever made me feel as welcome as they did until Aiko.
I wanted my druid men back.
But they’d been killed. Murdered. Crushed under rocks that were meant only to destroy. In a war that was not ours. But their hearts were so good, so big. They didn’t care. Saving the lives of those vampires, the families and lovers and friends that existed in that stronghold, because it was the good and right thing to do.
They were gone.
They were…
The sob escaped me. I slid slowly down the wall I was leaning on and curled in on myself.
Rilen and Roran were dead.
The last time I could touch them had gone.
The last kiss, the final intimate moments. The last cuddle, the last hug, the last tender moments All gone.
Gone.
Gods, how could I survive this? My heart was shattering over and over in my chest, and I couldn’t breathe.
No amount of revenge would bring them back.
None.
There was a gentle hand on my shoulder.
“Are you all right,querida?”
My eyes found a little old woman there, with white-white hair topped with a wide-brimmed black hat and gnarled hands. She wore a soft wool shawl in a pale brown and a colorful skirt. Her skin was darkened with age and sun and wrinkled from weathering. But her eyes…
Deep, dark black eyes, which should have been void of expression, were filled with sympathy, kindness, and genuine concern. They watched my every move, every flash of my expression, searching for clues about my state and what I was feeling.
“The ground is freezing, young one. You should not huddle there. You’ll catch cold.”
I sobbed. Would a cold kill me? That might be kinder than me trying to get beyond this death.
Instead of forcing me to my feet, the little aged woman rustled her skirts and sat down next to me.
“What are you doing?”
“You need company. I am in no rush here today. My grandson is playing with friends at the corner three blocks ahead, and I am just here to watch him and get him home.”
“Why would you sit with a weeping stranger?”
“Your heart is breaking. I hope that I can catch some of the pieces and help you put it back together, even if it isn’t quite the way it was before.” She patted my knee. “These are not the tears of a mother, I can tell. Who did you lose,querida? A friend? A lover?”
“Lovers.”
A little smile creased her already wrinkled face. “Ah, lovers. A fortunate woman you are to have two men. You loved them?”
