Page 77 of Underworld
“He's a monster… just like me.” I looked at her and made myself continue. “It's why I'm going to reach him, because he and I are the same.”
“You’re not a monster, Lily. What would you say that?” Distress glittered in her eyes.
In the back of my mind, something lingered. Something awful and dark, something that might shatter the trust and faith my best friend had in me. “Maybe one day, I’ll tell you. But not today, Olivia. I can’t.”
“You never have to tell me if you don’t want to,” Olivia said softly, wiggling closer, then she wrapped her arms around me. “Noneof us are who we used to be. We’re not who we were a year ago, especially you. And we’re not who we were before everything started to go crazy because of Calamity, either.”
I started to shake my head but she stopped me, laying a hand on my cheek.
“Listen,” she said, staring into my eyes. “Whatever it is… I’m here for you. Okay? Whatever you need.”
Overcome with gratitude, I dropped my forehead onto her shoulder. “Okay.”
Olivia stroked a hand up and down my back. “You’re exhausted. No wonder. You’ve been through so much lately.”
Guilt pricked me but I pushed it aside. It was the truth. But we’dallbeen through a lot.
And now it was time to put Cole to the test.
Chapter 22
It was quiet in our dorm.
Maybetooquiet.
Olivia had opted to sleep with Trevor for the night at my insistence. I didn’t want her to feel the dark energy that would come off of me when I found Cole.
I didn’t want her to stop me.
I rested on my side and stared through the window at the blood-red sky, nearly black at this hour. I couldn’t sleep, even though I needed to if I was going to confront Cole.
A familiar chittering sounded at my door and I shot up.
“Uni?” I asked, having a lack of a better name for the bunny.
A silver glow formed on the door and Uni bound in a moment later, his little nose sniffing the air.
He made an adorable little screech when he spotted me, launching himself through the air and into my arms.
“Hey!” I laughed as he nudged his cheek against me, safely keeping his horn away from me.
He lifted his chin and presented a glowing silver necklace.
I gasped, taking it. “You found my Soul Artifact.”
Uni nodded, his golden horn glowing as he pressed it against the locket.
It popped open, revealing two handsome identical faces I didn’t recognize before it disintegrated. The diamond dust remnants swirled through the air before disappearing into my body.
I felt lighter and my wings lifted.
Something in me had changed.
My bunny sniffed at the lump that was Yuri still sacked out on the side of the bed. “That’s just a vampire,” I told him, although I wasn’t sure if I was doing a good job at being reassuring. “She won’t hurt you,” I added. “Probably.”
Uni gazed at me with dark, liquid eyes, gave a single blink, then snuggled his little head back down.
“Guess that means you plan on sleeping.” I stroked a hand down his back. No telling the adventure he’d had in order to return a piece of my soul to me.
