Page 39 of Killer of the Bells
I whistled softly. Gareth really was being lenient with Echo. Normally, he’d defend his beloved schedule with his last breath. If I had anyone I’d call a friend, it would probably be Gareth because he was the only person I knew who took my thoughts and feelings into consideration on occasion.
“Go with Love, Echo. She’ll guide you off the property and get you a ride home.”
Vix had made a driverless car in an attempt to gain more personal autonomy since he couldn’t be trusted to pay attention to the road enough to be safe, but he and Paris were up each other’s asses so much, it rarely got used. Love would know to send Echo home in it.
“I’ll see you soon,” I said, and I wondered if I should kiss Echo goodbye. I decided that it didn’t matter whether I should or not. I wanted to, so I would.
I leaned down, and Echo’s expression turned to horror. He covered his mouth, face bright red as he pointed to the floor where he’d vomited.
Right. Kissing could happen later. For now, there was killing to be done.
I watched Echo get back into the elevator, unhappy about being parted from him, but knowing I’d see him soon.
Chapter
Eleven
ECHO
Ididn’t know what to do with myself after I was dropped off in front of my apartment by a driverless car that flirted with me the entire ride. Love was a total sweetheart and spoke so much during the trip that she gave me plenty to work with conversation-wise.
I wasn’t certain if she was sentient or just a very well-programmed AI, but whatever the case, I’d grown attached immediately.
If Vale didn’t kill me, hopefully, he’d let me visit her occasionally.
He would probably kill me, though. I was at least fifty percent certain of it. Even if he wasn’t a vampire, it was obvious he enjoyed drinking my blood, and I could work with that.
Since I didn’t know what to do with myself, I decided to go with the schedule I’d told Vale about and began immediately over-analyzing every moment of our interactions.
I got lost for quite a while as I ran through the best parts. The way my heart sped up when he got that ghost smile I was beginning to lust over, the way Vale had worshiped my body with his hands, and the way my body had molded to his cock so perfectly…
Oh yeah, that was some good stuff right there, folks.
I found it difficult to remember the cringy moments because they were flooded with countless exhilarating ones. There were fun ones and scary ones, too. I’d done more living in the past day and a half than I’d done in years.
I didn’t manage to fall asleep again, so I got an early start on my day. I pulled on a clean outfit but couldn’t bring myself to leave Vale’s sweater behind, so I threw it on over my button-up.
I went to get in my car and realized it was still parked on a residential street near the church.
Goddamnit.
I swore and grumbled as I ordered an Uber to come pick me up. I could have walked to get it since it was still early, but it was two miles away, freezing, and it was beginning to snow.
Normally, I’d be happy to do it in the hopes of contracting an incurable illness, but I wasn’t feeling it at the moment. Instead, I went back inside, grabbed a coat to throw on over my Vale sweater, and went back outside to wait for my ride.
The snow sparkled in the early morning sun as it fell. It drifted slowly to the ground, covering it evenly. Instead of pulling out my phone to distract myself from the monotony of existence, I found myself drawn to the peace of the morning and the graceful dance of snowflakes as they made their way to their final destination.
How had I forgotten how nice it was to watch it snow?
The simple peace of watching the world slowly transform into a wonderland was magical, especially when the snow was covering twinkling Christmas lights.
When was the last time I’d done that?
Oh.
Right.
The last time I’d seen such a thing had been while sitting with Evan and Rob on the floor next to the destroyed remainsof our Christmas tree. Their bodies were cold where they lay amidst the mutilated boxes and brightly colored wrapping paper scattered about the floor. I’d barely noticed the cold as I sat by the broken window watching the snow blow through.
