Page 22 of Nearly Dead

“Call it work release then,” he answers.

Apparently, even in death, he still isn’t done trying to ruin my life.

“I heard what you did to Leviathan’s goblins.”Is that pride in his voice?Amusement?“I wish I could have seen their faces when they found you among all the entrails.”

I don’t ask him whose faces he’s referring to.“I didn’t want to kill anything.I don’t.”

He laughs.“But you did, want to, didn’t you?”

A knock at the door makes me jump in surprise.The shadows instantly return to normal, and Conrad vanishes like smoke.

“Come in,” I whisper, my voice shaky.

Costin enters, looking exhausted.Vampires don’t get physically tired, but the weight of the meeting seems to have worn on him.

“Feeling better?”he asks, noting the empty food tray.

“Sure.Yeah.”I don’t mention Conrad.I don’t know what I saw or heard, and the last thing I need is Costin knowing I’m hallucinating my dead homicidal brother on top of everything else.

I cross back to the bed, the chains rattling with each step to remind me of my situation.

He sits at the edge of the bed, careful to keep space between us.“The council wants to meet you.”

“Meet me or execute me?”I mutter.

“It’s not like that.”

I can see he’s sugarcoating the truth.

“Let me guess, they want to blame me for your sister’s ritual, since I was there, and they tried to use Draakmar’s magic through me.Clearly, that makes it my fault.”I sound grumpy but I don’t care.

He sighs.“They’re curious about you.A hybrid has never survived this long before.They want to understand what you are.”

“They want to lock the monster in a dungeon,” I counter, crossing my arms over my chest.I’m tired of being treated like a science experiment gone wrong.

“You’re not a monster, Tamara.”

“Tell that to the new goblin painting in your hallway.”

His expression darkens.“That wasn’t entirely you.The attack was provoked.”

I arch a brow.It sure as hell felt like me.I remember the feel of bones breaking under my hands and the sick satisfaction I got from each crack.

“Goblins don’t come into the home of a master vampire on their own.It’s too bold and it goes against their need for self-preservation.The fact that they were here says someone sent them.”

“Like when I was a baby,” I say.

Costin frowns and walks toward the corner where I’d seen Conrad’s ghost.He runs his hand through the air and turns to me with a frown.“Who was here?”

A chill runs through me.I don’t want to answer.

“Tamara?”he insists.

I say nothing.I don’t want it to be true.

“I smell necromancy magic,” he insists.

“Is that what that is?”I whisper, not meeting his gaze.

---