The Consort's Fate

Chapter 15

Kelly

A hurried wind presses against our safe house. The wooden beams creak with distress in its wake. I stand and stretch, and I swear if my bones and muscles could make the same complaint, they would.

"Anything?"

It's the same damn question he's been asking for the last two hours.

"No, Douglas," I mutter under my breath. "No sighting of Bogdan or Finn yet."

In return, I ask him the same question I've been asking the last two hours.

"How's Tegan?"

He sidles up beside me and crosses his arms over his chest, leaning against the wooden beam for support. A rough stubble lines his jaw, and the skin beneath his eyes are puffy from fatigue. I wouldn't expect a trained Secondary guard to complain, but his perseverance is admirable.

"She's starting to heal," he answers in a sigh. He glances up at the sky, and his dark eyes scan the vast expanse. "But the process is slow. Way too slow."

My brows pinch in confusion. "She's a Secondary - half human, half vampire. She'll be healed in no time."

Douglas purses his lips together and slides his gaze to me, a droll look if I ever saw one. "She needs human blood, man. Fresh, human blood. She'd heal five times faster. You know it, I know it."

My frown of confusion morphs into a scowl. "Well, you've got two wrists and plenty of veins. Have at it."

Even as the words fall from my lips, that ugly green monster tugs at my insides, making me feel queasy in its aftermath. Douglas lets out a dry laugh and shakes his head.

"I'd be honored to offer up my blood to her," Douglas says with a shrug. "But I'm coming to you first and asking if you'd prefer to be the one to do it - out of respect."

"Why the hell would I care?" I snap, but it comes off more defensive than it should.

Douglas shifts his gaze back to the sky. Despite the outwardly calm demeaner, his stance is tense, and his muscles are taut with angst. The two of us are wound tighter than a spool of thread. Our group is separated, and our two strongest members are attempting to take over The Force while the rest of us are doing our best to keep our heads on straight, silently holding our breaths for their return.

"I hated Bogdan at first, you know," I say, cutting the anxious silence. "It was a different time back then. Hell, I was a completely different person then, too."

I think back through the memories - playing guitar with Finn on sunny afternoons, dreading college exams, and planning out weekend adventures with Fiona. Even thinking her name makes a dull ache bloom across my chest, an ache which still reeks of heartbreak and betrayal. It was a lifetime ago. The Kelly from back then was carefree and full of love and light. I'm barely a shadow of that man now.

"It all happened so fast," I whisper, shaking my head. "I lost everything and everyone from my past life - even myself. The only person I had left was Finn. At first, Bogdan was just the male who I shared a common interest with - keeping Finn alive. We banded together for him. Now..."

My voice trails off. The time it took to heal after Bogdan and I escaped the Secondary fortress nearly killed me. Throughout my healing process, Bogdan never left my side. It was a promise he made to Finn. It was also a promise he said aloud, a subtle reminder to himself on the days I drove him bat shit crazy. But over the years, that promise faded, and something new bloomed in its place. Friendship.

"I'd trust him with my life," I say. "And I can confidently say he'd put his life on the line for me. If Bogdan's willing to do that for me, believe me when I say he would move heaven and earth to keep Finn safe too."