Page 114 of Land of Shadow

“Well, maybe not fine. I would say she’s better than your friend. What was his name again?”

“I’m sorry,” Juno whispers. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

“Shh! The grownups are talking,” Theo snaps. He yanks me up with ease, then spins me away from Juno and shoves me forward.

I careen across the room and land hard on the floor. A rug cushions my fall slightly, but when I reach down to push myself up, I feel wetness. That’s when I smell the iron tang of blood over the scent of decay.

Something rolls along the floor beside me. A fluffy toy or something.

“What?” I reach for it, the fluff soft under my fingers. “What is this?” I turn it, realizing what it is at the same time I spin it to face me.

I can’t scream. I’m frozen. Hot urine trickles down my thigh as I stare at Aang’s face, his skin mottled blue and white, his eyes still wide open.

“So, when you say you ‘needed’ him, you didn’t like ‘need’ need him, right?” Theo laughs. “I certainly hope not. You only have what, a week left before you disappoint Gregor?”

Juno whispers a litany of ‘I’m sorry’ from her corner of this room of horrors. Tears obscure my vision, and I crawl backwards. I have to get out of here.

“Allow me.” Theo jerks me to my feet, my head swimming as I search for Juno in the dark.

“Juno,” I call, but all I hear is ‘I’m sorry’ as if it’s coming from everywhere, the sound like a pounding headache.

“Now that you’ve found your friend, I assume your business here is complete?” Theo is jovial as he pulls me from the room and into the hallway. Vince stands a few paces away, his haunted eyes meeting mine. “Going to shoot me again, old man? It was fun the first time. But I daresay you ruined my suit,” the vampire taunts him.

Theo, whistling a tune, pulls me past Vince and toward the door where I came in. He stops before he reaches it, just a few feet shy of the sunlight streaming in through the windows. “It’s been a pleasure, Dr. Clark. Please do come back and visit soon.” He lets go and whistles his way back down the hall.

When I turn to look, Vince isn’t there. No one is.

I walk back to the hotel in a daze. Some of the soldiers stare, and one asks me if I’m okay. I don’t speak to them, just walk straight to the elevator. Once I’m in my apartment, I turn on the shower and stand under it, Aang’s blood rushing down the white tile as I let the cold water pour over me.

Time passes. I don’t know how much. I’m not here. I’m nowhere.

“Georgia?”

I’m sitting under the spray when I hear my name.

“Georgia, is that you?”

I know the voice. It’s Evie. Evie’s alive. At least, she was. Aang isn’t. Aang was ripped apart. I saw his head. Touched it.

“Oh, god, Georgia!”

Someone turns off the water.

“You’re freezing!”

The water starts again, but this time it’s warm.

“Your lips are blue. Shit, Georgia. What happened?” Evie is in front of me, crouching down and getting wet.

I stare at her. She’s so pretty. Her brown eyes and blonde hair. Gorgeous, really. She’ll still be pretty when Theo tears her head off just like Aang’s.

She snaps her fingers in front of my face. “You’re scaring me.”

Am I? How can I when I’m not even here?

“Georgia, please. Snap out of it.” She presses her palms to my cheeks. “What happened? Where’s Aang?”

That’s a good question. Where is Aang?

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