Chapter Thirty-One

When I woke, I was in my own bedroom, lying on top of the covers. I was sticky with blood. Granny’s blood. My shirt was coated with it.

For a brief second, I thought it was just a terrible dream. But then Vaughn entered the room, and I could tell by his face that everything I remembered was true.

“Granny,” I said. That was all I could say. I couldn’t ask the question.

“Tansy, you’re awake,” Vaughn said.

“Where’s my grandmother?” It hurt to talk. My face felt hot, the skin tight.

“She’s okay,” he replied. “What do you remember?”

“He tried to burn me,” I said. “Jure tried to…” I put a hand to my cheek. It felt smooth, except for a ridged spot near my jawline. If I hadn’t turned my face, the ball of flame would have hit me straight on. “He told Travis to aim for my face. Where’s Granny?” I didn’t care about how I looked right now. I needed to see my grandmother.

“When you fainted, I called Edna and Evelyn. They’re in with Granny now.”

“Help me up,” I said. “I need to see her.”

“Tansy, maybe you should wait,” Vaughn said. “You’re still healing.”

It must be bad if he didn’t want me to see her.

“Please,” I begged him. “Please.”

“What do you remember?” he asked.

“I…I sent out lightning bolts. They hit Jure and Vanessa—”

“They survived,” he admitted. “Jure and Vanessa and Travis—they’re still out there. But we managed to get Skyler out safe. She’s here.”

I couldn’t think about that right now. “I want to see my grandmother.” I threw back the covers and stood, but dizziness hit me, and I fell back on the bed.

“Later,” Vaughn said. “You need to rest. So does your granny. She’s lost a lot of blood.”

“Will she be okay?” I tried again, closing my eyes against what I might hear.

“She’s resting,” he said.

Resting—not dead. It took a minute for the news to sink in. The crushing weight on my chest lifted. She was alive.

Granny was alive.

“Please, Vaughn. I need to see her,” I said.

He must have heard the conviction in my voice, because he said, “In her room.”

I started to get out of bed, but Vaughn scooped me up.

“I’ll carry you,” he said gruffly.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he took me to my grandmother’s room. She was in bed, covers to her chin, her eyes closed. Edna and Evelyn were watching over her.

“Granny,” I said softly, but she didn’t move. “How is she?” I asked, but I already knew.

“She’ll live,” Edna said. “I’m not sure, but I think your mother held back.”

“Maybe,” I said doubtfully.

Evelyn nodded. “I think so.”

“If I kill Jure, we’ll all be free,” I said.

Her lips set in a thin line. “About your mother…”

“I don’t want to talk about her right now,” I said. “I might never want to talk about her.”

I would kill Vanessa, too, I knew, for what she’d done to my grandmother.

Edna gave a short nod. “I understand.” She stood and then said, “I’m going to see if I can rustle up something for your grandmother to eat. She’ll probably be hungry when she wakes.”

I paced for an hour, only stopping to check on my grandmother.

“It’s not working,” I said. “She doesn’t seem any better.”

Vaughn smoothed a hand over my hair. “Give it a little more time.”

…

Granny woke up with a groan.

“Can I get you anything?” I asked.

Edna came into the room, carrying soup. “She needs to eat.”

“I’m not hungry,” Granny said.

“It’s your favorite,” Edna coaxed. “Homemade chicken noodle.”

“It smells good,” she said. “I guess I could eat.”

That had to be a good sign.

“You need your rest,” I said. “We’ll come back later.”

Edna fed my grandmother because she was too weak and my hands were still shaking. Evelyn went to open the curtains and let in some natural light. I saw Granny looking intently at my face.

I immediately tried to hide it from her sight. She didn’t need another thing to worry about right now.

“Don’t,” she said, her voice scratchy. “Tansy, you’re beautiful to your very soul.”

I couldn’t answer because my eyes were leaking tears. “I haven’t looked in the mirror yet.”

I wasn’t the vainest person in the world, but I was nervous to see what damage had been done.

I thought about Jure’s face and what I’d done to it, and then I felt a little better.

Edna handed me a heavy antique hand mirror. “Tansy, it will fade.”

“That sentence isn’t reassuring me,” I replied. I took a deep breath and then looked.

The scar was ugly and deep—melted-looking in some places, raised and angry in others. I sucked in a breath. There were worse things than a scar, but right now, I couldn’t name them.

“Edna tells me she’s working on a skin cream,” Granny said. “But wounds caused by vampire fire are tricky.”

I nodded before her friends started shooing me out of the room.

“She needs her rest,” Edna said. “And so do you.” She herded me back to my room and tucked me in.

There was a new charm necklace by my bed. She helped me put it on, and then I slid into sleep.

…

When I woke up, the house was quiet. The shades were drawn in my bedroom, and it made me wonder if I’d be stuck inside until dark—alone. Most vampires couldn’t walk during daylight hours, and Vaughn hadn’t been turned. Would I be forever banished to the night while he led a normal life? And how would I manage my senior year?

When I turned over, Granny Mariotti was sitting in a chair by my bed.

“You didn’t eat dinner,” she said.

“I’m not hungry.” There was an acid pit in my stomach, so there was no room for food. “I want to be alone, Granny.” I turned on my side and kept my eyes closed.

Sometime later, Skyler tiptoed into the room.

“What were you and Opal Ann trying to accomplish?” I demanded. “Did you suddenly develop superhuman strength when I wasn’t looking?”

She didn’t say anything.

“No? Super hearing, then? The ability to compel someone to do what you want them to do? Vampire fire?”

“We were trying to stop a predator,” she finally said. “We failed.”

“Opal Ann is dead, and this is your fault,” I said, the words vicious and unfair, but I couldn’t stop them.

Skyler went still. “You’re right.”

“Opal Ann wouldn’t have died if it weren’t for you,” I continued. “If you hadn’t gone back to Travis.”

“I wanted to help you,” she said. “I wanted to make up for getting you involved in all this.”

“You could have told me the truth,” I said. “But you didn’t. Again. Instead, you snuck off on your own, and now people are dead, and it’s your fault.”

Skyler looked like I’d put a stake through her heart, but then she nodded once and left the room.

I stayed in my bed a long time, thinking about the mistakes I’d made. I was pretty sure I’d just lost my best friend, too.

I didn’t know how they explained Opal Ann’s death in a way that anyone would believe, but the news story didn’t mention vampires once. I felt like it was a secret I should be shouting at the top of my lungs. Vampires exist! Run!

Those good-looking guys with fangs? In reality, they’re vicious predators who kill for something to do on a slow Saturday night.

Jure wasn’t the real problem. Silence was the real enemy. Indifference was the real enemy. But that didn’t mean I didn’t have to kill him.