Page 116 of When Bones Whisper
As Katherine invoked her true name again, Delanie screamed, her grip on Charlotte’s body slowly faltering.
Her body convulsed violently, tears spilling from her eyes as she screamed vile taunts at Nathaniel and Katherine, wrestling against the vampire’s holds.
The demon’s eyes bled shadows, tendrils of darkness ribboning from her like vipers. Charlotte readied herself, holding on until the last possible moment.
The mirror opened in a pulse, her soul almost falling through, but her translucent fingers gripped the inside of the frame.
Delanie’s screech rang around the attic as the mirror pulled Delanie’s soul from Charlotte’s body, inch by agonizing inch.
Zachariah grunted when she broke through her binds, while Irene and Alexander pushed Charlotte’s body against the floor.
Delanie’s last screams turned to gurgles as her soul detached from Charlotte’s immortal body, spearing toward the mirror in a dark cloud of smoke. The stench of sulfur wafted around them, and Charlotte let go, closing her eyes as she fell through the gaping void, propelling herself forward despite the mirror pulling her back, refusing to give into its magnetic pull. She hurtled onto the ground, spotting two shadow-figures darting through the attic, escaping alongside her.
She raced to her body before they could reach her, landing back in her body just as the mirror turned still.
A startled cry left her throat when a wave of sensations swarmed through her. The press of Nathaniel’s fingers on her cheek, the thudding of her heartbeat, the thick knot in the back of her throat, begging for her to swallow.
She was alive.
Her nail curled against the splintering boards below. She listened to the sound of the wind whistling through aged wood frames, the crackle of the candle wicks as the candles dwindled, leaving only the dim light of a gas lamp.
Rosemary, smoke, and beeswax assaulted her nostrils with such potency she could taste it.
Slowly, she blinked Nathaniel into focus. Her vision sharpened with predator acuteness, revealing everything in beautiful detail. Her gaze traced a path from the stray, dark lock of hair against his forehead, to the striking gray and silver in his eyes, framed by dark lashes and deep-set eyebrows. His pupils dilated when he looked at her, a whoosh of relief passing through his lips.
He removed his hands and pulled her into his arms, stroking her black curls. “It’s her.” Nathaniel’s tentative tone caressed her ears.
The others let go and she stretched out her limbs.
“You came back for me,” she whispered against his shoulder, a swell of emotion curling into her chest.
“I always will.”
Duke’s nose nuzzled against her cheek, and she turned her face into him, smiling against his fur. “Hello, old friend,” she said, relieved to hear her voice again.
Irene cleared her throat and stood. “Well, that was a novel experience.”
Zachariah shot her an amused glance. “I’ve never successfully completed an exorcism before.”
“Successfully?” she intoned, and he laughed, glancing at Nathaniel. “We’ll give you both a minute. Let’s go.”
Alexander was the last to leave. Before he did, he said, “I’m glad you’re back.”
“You knew it wasn’t me too,” she said, and he nodded. “You also came back for me.”
“You are family now, Miss Lovett. We will always protect each other.”
“Katherine’s gone,” she whispered.
“I will find her.”
“Don’t,” she said. A part of her also wanted to go after her, but the vengeance from earlier evaporated,for now. She was alive and with Nathaniel, and that was all she could focus on. “Let her go. She’s already lost most of her family and her brother is an arse. Leave her to her wretched fate away from us.”
“For you, I will. ” He cradled her head, planting a kiss against her temple. “I won’t touch her.”
“I heard what you said when I was in there. What Delanie said too,” she whispered, tears glossing her eyes. “You deserve love, Nathaniel. You saved me so many times, not just from this but from giving up entirely. You’re not evil,” she whispered, running her fingers over the taut muscles under his shirt.
After a few moments of heavy breathing, she slowly rolled her tongue over the sharp outline of her fangs, a deep ache throbbing in the roots.
