Page 108 of Veil of Blood and Bone

“It’s going to snow,” she adds.

“The weather said nothing about snow. Unless it’s another one of Kari’s giant trolls ready to bring us a blizzard. It’s too early in the season.”

“It’s never too early. And Kendrick Grisham from Channel 7 News is a liar.”

As if to echo her words, the weather makes a fool of me. A snowflake floats in from the window and lands on Audra’s cheek, melting instantly.

But it gets a smile out of her. “See?”

My sister’s profile stands in stark relief, trapped between dim outside light and the flickering fluorescent bulbs inside.

“Kid.” Her nickname comes out in a whisper. “Aren’t you scared?”

She won’t look at me. Some base part of me is terrified in a way I can’t name. I don’t want to.

Dreams of excitement and adventure used to lull me to sleep. Love, maybe. If I were extra lucky.

Or at the bare minimum, some toe-tingling, off the charts sexual chemistry.

I’m not sure I want the reality of any of it. Not right now when the bleak sky is more of a constant than my hammering emotions.

“I should be scared.” Audra’s voice goes as low as mine. “Shouldn’t I?”

The apartment hasn’t been the same since the men took off. Odd, how things change when you least expect them to. I thought the space was claustrophobic, closed in and shrinking when the three of them stood shoulder to shoulder.

Now, without them, a distinctive something is missing.

Audra retrieves her hand and stares at her palms, at the grooves left along her life and heart lines from the seizure. “Being scared is smart. It means your nervous system is working to keep you alive. But I think I stopped being scared a long time ago.

“There’s no point to it anymore. You know?”

I lock my jaw tight, because I do know. I've thought about it more times than I can count over the last twenty-four hours while I waited for county-wide fallout from two attacks and got zilch.

“Maybe it’s time to take a nap. Snowy Sundays are perfect for napping.”

She scoffs. “I’ve been asleep for ages.”

“You were knocked unconscious and fed blood from a vampire. I’d say that begs for a nap.”

She only smiles, resting her head against the back of the couch. “Isn’t it cool?”

Sure, that's one word for it. Not the one I’d use. Horrifying is another. Her face, pale and blood-coated, stretches across my mind. I glance at the phone again and wait for the screen to light with something from Barnes asking about the bookstore damage.

So far, nothing.

“How about brownies, then? If not a nap, then nothing screams comfort like some ooey gooey chocolate snacks.” I rise to my feet, and three steps take me to the kitchen.

Scouring the off-kilter shelves of our “pantry” yields no brownie mix, but how hard is it to slap together some cocoa powder, sugar, and flour together?”

“Hey, Hel?”

I’ve spent most of my life caring for her, focusing my awareness on the needs of others. Now Wren, Forest, and Nicolas occupy an annoyingly large part of my thoughts, and they refuse to budge with typical male arrogance.

Each one begs for attention in my head.

Wren’s sharp retorts and easy rebuttals, Nic’s brooding silence and controlled chaos. Forrest’s kindness and the way he couples golden retriever with rabid Viking.

“Brownies, brownies. Where are you?” My foot taps along with the syllables.