Page 85 of Shadow & Stars
“Strange seeing each other like this, isn’t it?” she added.
The sound of her voice made my soul weep. “Yeah. Yeah, it is.” I bit my bottom lip.
She was the healthy woman of my youth, not the one I’d watched leave this world. The grandmother who raised me with her strength, her warmth, and her keen sense of right and wrong.
Ha! What a dickhead I turned out to be despite all that. But we wouldn’t go there. I was too tired, to overwhelmed. Second by second, my adrenaline cooled down, forcing me to take in the current situation.
“I’m so sorry this is happening to you,” she said. Her eyes fell to the dagger. “It breaks my heart to see you like this. At any age.”
We reached the back garden, Darcy helping Liza into the back door.
I didn’t know what to say to her. All this time, I’d have given anything to see her face, to sit down and chat and do crosswords and look for ways to never allow her to leave me again. In reality, I was tongue tied. Even though I’d lived with this version of her, it felt so different for so many obvious reasons.
This time is over…
“Shit…”
If Teenage Me swore, she’d be taking him down a peg. But not me.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
Sweetheart…The word echoed in my head. I loved it when she called me that.
“Let’s get inside,” I said.
She nodded, going in first.
After the longest series of deep breaths, I followed her into the empty house. Well, aside from one battered sofa in the open plan living room/kitchen, along with some electric candles. Liza lowered herself into the sofa, thanking Darcy for his trouble.
Peeling brown wallpaper, exposed floorboards—everything about this place was grim. But it was also spacious, a perfect place for alone time and to practice magic. Moldy stink aside.
Darcy appeared in the doorway leading to the hall.
“What if your teenage self shows up?” I wondered.
He didn’t look happy. “They’re not here.”
My blood ran cold. “Huh?”
“Xavier and young Roman aren’t here.”
26
XAVIER
Ihit wet grass, my spine taking the brunt of the crash landing, winding me. Nothing seemed to have broken, but that didn’t make it hurt any less.
Rain pattered my face, the cold air a shock from the previously warmer temperatures. And the Lemon Drop continued to assault my senses.
I rubbed the golden haze from my eyes, looking up into a night sky smothered in rain clouds. The sounds of the city echoed around me, as did the grunts of a human.
“Roman?” I said, managing to sit up.
If it weren’t for the Lemon Drop, the pain in my back would be more tolerable.
“Bloody fucking hell.” He lifted his head, splayed on his front.
Nearby, the naked humanoid body of Tanith quivered, a series of pants coming from it. She’d shifted forms on her way here, apparently.
