Page 63 of Little Wing
After we bound his arms and legs with whatever spare sheets and butcher twine that I could find, I finally stopped to take in the state of my home. It looked like a tornado had gone through the unit. I feltso violated. The violation of my sanctuary hurt more than the gash in my neck that still hadn’t healed completely.
“Here,” Silas whispered, bringing a damp cloth to my neck. “Let me help clean this up.”
Though I sighed at the first contact of the wet towel against my skin, I allowed his help without wanting to push away. His apologies for not moving fast enough continued to spill from his lips. Over and over, he repeated his regret for not acting smarter or getting me out right away. I felt the pain in his voice, but there wasn’t a single second where I pushed any of the blame on him.
I just needed to endure Luca a little longer. I could do a little longer if it meant it would soon be over. One way or another… it would finally be over.
As I gazed upon my unconscious brother, the reality of his presence struck me.Shit, he found me. This is happening. What do I do? What can I do?I felt my breaths thinning. It was hard to breathe. The air felt thick. My head was spinning. On the other side of the apartment, I watched Silas working on picking up my belongings off the ground—hoping to salvage what wasn’t completely shattered. It only took moments for him to notice me and rush right back to my side. Eyes wide, he wrapped his arms around me, sheltering me in the cocoon of his embrace.
“What do I do now?” My hands trembled now when Silas reached between us to hold them with one hand. My teeth chattered uncontrollably and I felt like my chest was about to cave in. Though the words were not spoken, the answer was clear, wasn’t it?
Luca was wanted and he had to be turned in.
That poor family needed the closure, but where would that leave me?
Where would that leave me as his kin?
“I… I have to call,” I sniffled.
Silas brought my hands to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss to them before resting his chin on my head. “Whatever you need to do, Lo, I will stay beside you.”
Luca groaned as he stirred back to consciousness. He helped himself up to his knees, but Silas watched him in case he had to put him down… again. “What do you think is going to happen once I tell them everything about you?” Luca sneered.
“I—”
“Remember—they can lock me up, but you’ll still be bound to me. I fucking made you. You can’t just erase me.” Luca laughed then and leaned against the wall. “Or are you ready to let this shitshow finally end?”
“We’ll find a way to break that bond, you fucking piece of shit. She’s your sister!” Silas snarled, pushing me further away from Luca who just stared past him, demanding my attention. “I will break that bond myself if I have to.”
“Right,” Luca smirked. “You do that.”
While Luca’s words stung, I allowed myself to hold on tight to the hope in Silas’s promise. Maybe one day I would finally be free of Luca’s hold on me. Maybe one day I would heal from this.
Convincing Silas to let me step away from him, I moved to stand in front of Luca once again. I did not cower in fear or tremble, or even growl. Instead, I smiled. Bright fangs, free of cracks, framed my grin as I spoke. “You might have made me, Luca, but you hold no power over me. Not anymore. Never again.”
With those words hanging between us, I stepped away while Silas moved in on Luca to ensure he wouldn’t follow. I pulled my phone out of my bag I had thrown to the ground and dialed the emergency line.
After a few rings, I listened to an operator read off her script before I requested to be transferred to the department that handled vampire affairs. While I listened, I watched Silas manage the situation on his end. Without asking, he remained by my side and handled Luca so I didn’t have to alone. In all the madness, my mind wandered to Sylvie Reverie. Had it not been for her books tipping the domino piece, would my present situation result in a different outcome? I huffed a short laugh and waited for the line to connect.
“Hello, ma’am?”
I blinked and stared at my phone, quickly pulling myself out of my trance. “Yes—hello?”
“How may I help you?”
“Um yes… I would like to report a crime.”
Keys clacked on the other line. “Okay, are you in immediate danger?”
“Not anymore,” I admitted, bringing my hand to my neck to touch the finally healing wound. “I have information on the whereabouts of Luca Everett.”
The clacking stopped and I could hear the buzzing of her microphone being adjusted on her headset. “Ma’am, are you certain? Where did you last see him?” The intensity of her questioning made my chest tighten. Clearly Luca’s name must have alerted the operator, because I could hear more chatter beginning to increase in volume around her.
Whatever would happen next… I would have to be ready.
If all I had to hold onto now were the new memories Silas and my friends gifted me, then that would have to be enough.
If the tether broke and I perished, then all this would have to have been enough.
