Testimony of Children (Alice Gray Book 2)

25

Morning was approaching by the time that the vampires had reached this point in the story.

Emily and Stephen would soon discover that I'd deceived them. The time to come clean was fast approaching. Dread filled me when I thought of their disappointment. Ironic, considering that they had been responsible for a five-year-long deception on me. But for some unfathomable reason, I still regretted the loss of their trust.

"Alice, love, we must retire for the day," James said, dismounting from his bar stool with a surprisingly spritely movement.

I turned to Thomas, hoping for a gesture. Some sign that we would be ok after all the revelations and disappointments. It was more than he was willing to give.

"Never mind, love. This is not a pleasant remembrance for either of us. He'll be back to himself after a rest."

And then they were gone.

The room was cold and empty. I stumbled against the tall stool as I made an ungraceful dismount. My head was spinning, from the bump, or the whiskey, or both. The dress irritated me, and the heeled boots put me off balance. My skin was clammy yet feverish.

I wished more than anything that I was back in my family home in Sheffield with Anne. I missed it more than I thought possible after only four weeks, ghosts and all.

Limping my way over to the exit, I fumbled in my purse for my phone. No missed texts or calls. At least Stephen and Emily didn't know about my misadventure.

Yet.

Sagging with exhaustion, my body was just about done. My mind spun between thankfulness that I hadn't been found out, and despair at my lack of results. I needed something more than the vamps' history lesson.

I was sorry for them both, but I hadn't learnt anything to help me control my power. Worse than that, I'd nearly hypnotised a bar full of humans. Witches weren't supposed to be able to influence humans like that.

What was wrong with me?

I unbolted the door of the Spaniards Inn clumsily, phone wedged between my shoulder and my ear. It dropped to the floor before I could order a taxi. A blue Prius was parked several spaces down on the empty street.

Stephen's car.

Crap.

Glancing in the other direction, I considered bolting. Anything rather than face Stephen, grimy in his mother's clothes, and if I'm being honest, totally drunk.

It was too late. In that moment of hesitation the passenger door opened and the engine started idling. I moved carefully towards the car, a solemn procession to mourn the unlikely friendship that had started to blossom between myself and the members of my security team.

To my surprise, only Emily waited for me in the driver's seat.

"You've got to be kidding!" she squeaked with a mixture of incredulity and irritation.

Incapable of forming a coherent excuse, I leaned back against the headrest and closed my eyes.

"That's not going to cut it, Alice. We've got to get those things off you and back where they belong before he's up. What the hell were you thinking?"

It suddenly occurred to me that I didn't know why Emily was here.

Slow?

Yep.

But a head injury, not enough sleep and too much whiskey will do that.

Had she followed me from Granville Square and been waiting out here all night? Stakeouts were part of the job. I was an idiot to think I'd been acting alone.

I snuck a sideways glance. Emily was looking at something in the rear view mirror. She gave a curt nod and an almost imperceptible smile.

I twisted in my seat to see a flash of strawberry blond curls at one of the Inn's upstairs windows. The heavy curtain fell back into place, and the Inn was silent in the gloom of the early winter morning.

Turning back to Emily, I was met with her usual detached expression. She raised her eyebrows until I fastened my seatbelt, and then she faced forward and drove in silence.

After a few minutes, my curiosity got the better of me. "You know that girl, Lizzie?"

I got a curt nod in response.

"You're friends with one of them, a vampire? After what they did to you?"

The car skidded to a halt in the middle of the street. Emily turned to me, one arm draped over the back of her seat, the other braced against the steering wheel.

"I don't think you should be the one asking questions, do you?" Emily's body was relaxed, but there was a steely note to her tone, and a cold look in her eye that went beyond her usual stoicism.

I looked away, unable to bear the weight of responsibility for my own actions. Her friendship had become the one thing that I could rely upon. And now she'd withdrawn from me. I'd fucked it up.

I shook my head in response to her question, keeping my eyes down and my hands folded in my lap. I really was the child that Emily had thought me when we'd first met. Spoilt and selfish and I had ruined my relationship with her for nothing more than half a history that had told me nothing to help myself or Mary.

We drove the rest of the way to Granville Square in silence. Emily parked in front of the house. When she didn't exit straight away, I turned, hoping for a chance to apologise, to explain my actions.

Emily raised a hand to silence me. She wouldn't look me in the face. After a few moments she spoke. "Straight upstairs. Get changed. Put the clothes in the bottom of the wardrobe. I'll take them out later to get them laundered. If we're lucky he'll never know."

When Emily looked at me an unexpected glimmer of humour shone there. "You're not the only one who likes them old and cold."

I barked a laugh in response, but Emily was already out of the car and unlocking the door to the house.

I thought we'd made it, but just as I started up the second staircase, a hand grabbed me from behind. I turned awkwardly to find Mary so close that her warm breath brushed my face.

"You killed them. I saw it in my dream. You killed them for their life-blood."

Eek! That doesn't sound good for Alice. Thanks for reading.