The Heart's Ashes
Page 12
I looked up at him. “Where is he now—David?”
“Gone.”
“Gone where?”
“Defected.” While all hope slithered out of my smile, Eric ran his fingers slowly over the side of my face and under my chin, then lifted it until our eyes met. “The rumours were true. I should’ve realised when I saw you in the restaurant.” His voice softened and he sat lower on his knees—his breath touching my face. “You are the prettiest little human I’ve ever seen. I can see why he did what he did.”
“Who?”
“Jason.”
“Oh, my God!” I pulled away from him. “There is no justification for what he did to me.”
“No, Amara, I didn’t mean for hurting you. I meant that he left you alive.”
“He left me to become a vampire—which I’m pretty sure is illegal under your laws, if unapproved by the Council.”
“There’s no proof that he tried to change you.”
“What? You have to be able to prove it?”
“That’s the way it is.” Eric laughed then. “Jason was really clever, actually, taking revenge the way he did. There was nothing even a high councillor like David could do have him reprimanded.”
I stared ahead then, running everything over in my mind.
“Ah, you see now, don’t you?” Eric asked.
“But, that’s not fair.”
“Neither is what David did to Rochelle. But at least Jason left you alive.”
“David didn’t mean to kill Rochelle—he didn’t know she was pregnant.”
Eric looked at me with a smug raise to his brows. “Didn’t he?”
“Eric that’s horrible.” I pushed him away and stood up. “David wouldn’t do that, and I know he regrets her death.”
“Regret? David doesn’t do regret. He doesn’t even do compassion. When his brother brought the case of Rochelle against him in the High Court, David, being a man of the law, had the case thrown out before Jason even opened his mouth.”
“You make him sound so nasty.”
A short, sharp laugh drew in through Eric’s nose, and he shook his head. “You didn’t spend much time with him, did you?”
“Enough to know I love him.”
“But not enough to know exactly what you were loving.”
“I knew he was a vampire.”
“That wasn’t what I meant.”
“Then what did you mean?”
“I meant his ultra ass-holiness.”
“He was not an asshole. He was always nice to me.”
“And he was good at that—at playing human—until you become his dinner.”
“He never planned to eat me.”
Eric raised a brow. “Didn’t he?”
“No! He planned to change me—be with me forever.”
“Yeah, well, you can’t be a vampire, so you won’t see him again now, will you? Some true love that is.”
“Thanks.” I looked away. “I feel so much better now.”
“Well, you didn’t really think he’d come back, did you?” Eric lifted my face and looked deep into my eyes with his chocolate stare. “Even if I knew where he was, Amara, he’s done with you. Don’t you understand that?”
I shook my face from his touch and bit my teeth together.
“Get out.” Eric and I looked up when we heard a door slam down the hall. “Just go—it’s over!” Emily yelled.
“What the hell?”
Eric stood as Spence walked out. “Spence? Everything okay, man?” And suddenly, Eric became human again.
Spencer shook his head.
“What happened?” I asked.
Spencer’s jaw set stiff; he looked at Eric. “She found out about Rebecca.”
“Oops.”
“Rebecca?” I asked, the words rolling off my curled lip.
Spencer sighed. “Um. A few weeks ago—”
“Uh! No. I don’t want to hear it.” I held both hands up. “You’re an asshole, Spence.” I stopped walking before I reached the kitchen and turned back around. “Eric, I’m sorry. I have to go see Em. You wanna catch up again sometime?”
He grinned and flipped his chin. “Yeah, I’ll be around.”
Oh, my heart flutters. He’s too sexy. “Spence?” I issued him a death-glare. “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”
“It’s not my fault, Ara.”
I held a breath of scoff and made myself walk down to Emily’s room instead of turning around to smack him. The front door slammed shut as I tapped on Emily’s door. “Em...can I come in?”
Only a sob answered.
“Oh, Em.” My heart melted as I walked in and saw her broken, a thousand pieces on the bed—curled up into a little ball. I sat down and pulled her hands away from her face. “Em, it’s okay.”
“How—how could...he...do this, Ara?”
Tucking her safe in my arms, I wiped away her tears and stroked her hair. “I’m so sorry, Em.”
“I loved him. I loved him. Why do I let myself fall in love? What’s wrong with me?” She looked at me then, and her caramel eyes sparkled; they reminded me of Mike’s so much that it pained me to look at them—to see them reflect the sadness that was in Mike’s eyes the last time I saw him.
“It’s not you, Em. You have a good heart. It’s just all the wrong guys.”
“Why are there so many of the wrong guys?”
“Well—” I chuckled. “Because there’s only one right guy.”
“What if that was Spence?”
“Don’t think like that, Em. The right one would never do anything like that to hurt you.”
She looked at me sympathetically. “Then David wasn’t the one for you, was he? Since he left.”
I held her head against the hollow of my shoulder. “You’ll find the right one—just don’t lose hope.”
“Why not? You did.”
“No, Em, I didn’t. I just know what I want, even if I can never have it.”
She stopped crying for a second and stared at me, then it burst out of her lips at a hundred miles an hour. “I was going to sleep with him tonight, I...I feel so stupid.”
“Gone.”
“Gone where?”
“Defected.” While all hope slithered out of my smile, Eric ran his fingers slowly over the side of my face and under my chin, then lifted it until our eyes met. “The rumours were true. I should’ve realised when I saw you in the restaurant.” His voice softened and he sat lower on his knees—his breath touching my face. “You are the prettiest little human I’ve ever seen. I can see why he did what he did.”
“Who?”
“Jason.”
“Oh, my God!” I pulled away from him. “There is no justification for what he did to me.”
“No, Amara, I didn’t mean for hurting you. I meant that he left you alive.”
“He left me to become a vampire—which I’m pretty sure is illegal under your laws, if unapproved by the Council.”
“There’s no proof that he tried to change you.”
“What? You have to be able to prove it?”
“That’s the way it is.” Eric laughed then. “Jason was really clever, actually, taking revenge the way he did. There was nothing even a high councillor like David could do have him reprimanded.”
I stared ahead then, running everything over in my mind.
“Ah, you see now, don’t you?” Eric asked.
“But, that’s not fair.”
“Neither is what David did to Rochelle. But at least Jason left you alive.”
“David didn’t mean to kill Rochelle—he didn’t know she was pregnant.”
Eric looked at me with a smug raise to his brows. “Didn’t he?”
“Eric that’s horrible.” I pushed him away and stood up. “David wouldn’t do that, and I know he regrets her death.”
“Regret? David doesn’t do regret. He doesn’t even do compassion. When his brother brought the case of Rochelle against him in the High Court, David, being a man of the law, had the case thrown out before Jason even opened his mouth.”
“You make him sound so nasty.”
A short, sharp laugh drew in through Eric’s nose, and he shook his head. “You didn’t spend much time with him, did you?”
“Enough to know I love him.”
“But not enough to know exactly what you were loving.”
“I knew he was a vampire.”
“That wasn’t what I meant.”
“Then what did you mean?”
“I meant his ultra ass-holiness.”
“He was not an asshole. He was always nice to me.”
“And he was good at that—at playing human—until you become his dinner.”
“He never planned to eat me.”
Eric raised a brow. “Didn’t he?”
“No! He planned to change me—be with me forever.”
“Yeah, well, you can’t be a vampire, so you won’t see him again now, will you? Some true love that is.”
“Thanks.” I looked away. “I feel so much better now.”
“Well, you didn’t really think he’d come back, did you?” Eric lifted my face and looked deep into my eyes with his chocolate stare. “Even if I knew where he was, Amara, he’s done with you. Don’t you understand that?”
I shook my face from his touch and bit my teeth together.
“Get out.” Eric and I looked up when we heard a door slam down the hall. “Just go—it’s over!” Emily yelled.
“What the hell?”
Eric stood as Spence walked out. “Spence? Everything okay, man?” And suddenly, Eric became human again.
Spencer shook his head.
“What happened?” I asked.
Spencer’s jaw set stiff; he looked at Eric. “She found out about Rebecca.”
“Oops.”
“Rebecca?” I asked, the words rolling off my curled lip.
Spencer sighed. “Um. A few weeks ago—”
“Uh! No. I don’t want to hear it.” I held both hands up. “You’re an asshole, Spence.” I stopped walking before I reached the kitchen and turned back around. “Eric, I’m sorry. I have to go see Em. You wanna catch up again sometime?”
He grinned and flipped his chin. “Yeah, I’ll be around.”
Oh, my heart flutters. He’s too sexy. “Spence?” I issued him a death-glare. “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”
“It’s not my fault, Ara.”
I held a breath of scoff and made myself walk down to Emily’s room instead of turning around to smack him. The front door slammed shut as I tapped on Emily’s door. “Em...can I come in?”
Only a sob answered.
“Oh, Em.” My heart melted as I walked in and saw her broken, a thousand pieces on the bed—curled up into a little ball. I sat down and pulled her hands away from her face. “Em, it’s okay.”
“How—how could...he...do this, Ara?”
Tucking her safe in my arms, I wiped away her tears and stroked her hair. “I’m so sorry, Em.”
“I loved him. I loved him. Why do I let myself fall in love? What’s wrong with me?” She looked at me then, and her caramel eyes sparkled; they reminded me of Mike’s so much that it pained me to look at them—to see them reflect the sadness that was in Mike’s eyes the last time I saw him.
“It’s not you, Em. You have a good heart. It’s just all the wrong guys.”
“Why are there so many of the wrong guys?”
“Well—” I chuckled. “Because there’s only one right guy.”
“What if that was Spence?”
“Don’t think like that, Em. The right one would never do anything like that to hurt you.”
She looked at me sympathetically. “Then David wasn’t the one for you, was he? Since he left.”
I held her head against the hollow of my shoulder. “You’ll find the right one—just don’t lose hope.”
“Why not? You did.”
“No, Em, I didn’t. I just know what I want, even if I can never have it.”
She stopped crying for a second and stared at me, then it burst out of her lips at a hundred miles an hour. “I was going to sleep with him tonight, I...I feel so stupid.”
