CHAPTER FOURTEEN
~ Gwynnore ~
Recoleta Cemetery, Buenos Aries, Argentina
Atlantic Coast
THE BREAKER LOOKED like a damned wreck as she gazed at me with large, sad, doe eyes. I moved forward through the cemetery she had hidden in and casually circled her, evaluating her from head to toe, the morning light casting shadows under her eyes. She was a woman drowning in her own despair, her unique scent even reeking of it.
I crossed my arms and stopped in front of her. “At least you’re all in one piece. I can’t say the same for the trail of dead bodies you left in your wake.” I cocked one eyebrow up. “Did you have fun on your path to vengeance?”
“They’re dead,” Kimber stated, her tone just as bleak as her words. “I couldn’t stop it.”
“Just like you couldn’t stop yourself from killing?” I asked bluntly.
Her nod was small.
I hummed gently and continued to peer down at her. “You are young, Kimber. You will make mistakes. Life will shit on you. It will shit on you some more. Then one day, you’ll wake up and realize there’s always been an umbrella to protect you. Do you know what that umbrella is?”
Kimber chuckled quietly. “A piss poor analogy?”
“No, wise ass. That umbrella is the people around you. The rare and precious people you surround yourself with. When someone older and wiser tells you to listen and learn, you do it the first time. They’re saying it for a reason. Have you ever wondered why older people are quieter? Well, it’s because they know foolish people don’t listen, so it’s just a waste of time to open their mouths. Some people simply have to learn from their own mistakes, so take it as a compliment that someone my age is even giving you advice.”
She grumbled, “I am not in the mood for this lecture.”
I continued, “But if you make a mistake, it’s okay to ask for help. And it sure as shit does not mean you go off into a foreign land by yourself. Because guess what? You find yourself in even more shit than you started with.”
She tossed a glare up at me. “I’m powerful.”
“Power doesn’t mean anything without intelligence behind it. You’ll end up getting yourself killed if you don’t learn anything from your mistakes.” I shook my head in aggravation as she stared at the ground again. “Areyou even listening to me right now?”
“Yes, unfortunately, I am.” Her head tipped back to hold my gaze steadily. “You would have made an awful teacher.”
I chuckled quietly. “That is very true. I won’t argue with you on that point.” My head tilted to the side, and I switched tactics, asking gently, “Are you all right now?”
She ran her fingers through her hair and tugged it back from her face. Her cheeks puffed out as she exhaled hard. “I’m getting there.”
“Losing someone you love is hard. And I am sorry that you lost two fine men in your life. I know the words don’t help, and I’m sorry for that, too. If I could take your pain away, I would.”
She stared at the tombstone across from her, blinking sluggishly. “This is agony unlike anything I’ve ever felt before.”
My lips pinched. I did know her pain.
It wasn’t anything I wished to go through again.
I tapped my fingers on the sides of my legs, and I coaxed softly, “There’s a Starbucks a few blocks down. Have you ever had a pumpkin spice latte?” That might cheer her up…or, at least, bring a little color to her cheeks. “I’ll buy.”
“I’ve never had it.”
“Then now is the perfect time to try it. Get your ass up.”
Kimber bellyached but reluctantly got to her feet.
“There you go.” I linked my arm with hers and got us moving at a fast clip. “It’s seven blocks away. And I really want my fix. That drink isamazing.”
Kimber didn’t speak as we walked. That bothered me.
“King Belshazzar, Dorian, and Aiko are out searching for you, too. Hopefully, they don’t find us before we get our treat.” I jiggled her arm in mine, and then I snickered with a thought. “Although I wouldn’t mind seeing Dorian try a pumpkin spice latte.”
