Crimson Born - Amy Patrick Page 0,51
Now we’re involved in something that’s so big and so ancient, there’s no fighting it or hiding from it. You don’t see it tucked away in the Bastion, removed from the outside world, but when we go out and do our patrols, I see the signs increasing every day.”
He stopped walking and picked up a stone from the lake’s bank, rubbing it with his thumb before putting it in his pocket.
Staring out over the water’s smooth, dark surface, he continued.
“There’s a war coming. And there won’t be any surrender or terms of peace in this one. One side will win, and one will lose. I’ve got to make sure we’re on the winning side. If there is such a thing as destiny, that’s mine—keeping yo—”
He stopped himself and started again. “... all of our people alive and safe.”
“Even if it means being at Imogen’s beck and call? Surely you wouldn’t be happy with an arrangement like that? Not when you could have a mate of your own.”
Slowly, Reece bent to collect another rock. “We’re not going to talk about that,” he said to the ground.
“Why not?”
Straightening, he drew his arm back. “We’re not...”
The stone flew, landing with a splash and turning the water’s glassy stillness into a broken mirror. “...going to talk about it. Come on.”
He turned and resumed the homeward trek. His pace was so fast I nearly had to jog to keep up with him.
“What if there’s another way?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, what if there is no war? What if it could be prevented? We learned about the Crimson Accord in class at the Bastion. Sadie Aldritch believes peace between the species is the only way, that the Accord can still work.”
“Sadie Aldritch is a dreamer.”
“Is that what Imogen told you? When she came to see you at the clinic?”
His lips pressed into a straight, unyielding line of silence.
“You know they’re sisters, right?” I asked.
“Yeah. I heard that. So?”
“So, sisters disagree sometimes. I had two of them myself. We loved each other, but sometimes we fought like a couple of barn cats. Usually neither one of us was right. I think Sadie might be though. About peace.”
“You think so, do you?” A bitter laugh preceded a snarl. “How peaceful were the humans you encountered after turning?”
I thought back on my first couple of days as a vampire. My father had not been welcoming, but I could understand his perspective—he was in shock at the sight of me and afraid for my mother and my siblings.
The people at the hospital had been kind though. Maybe they hadn’t recognized me for what I was.
Other than them, I hadn’t interacted with any other humans before Kannon had brought me here.
Clearly Reece had encountered some—and it hadn’t been pleasant.
“What happened to you out there Reece? You’ve never told me.”
“And I never will. Believe me, you don’t want to know.”
Reece was so stubborn. Even when we’d spent hours talking at the clinic, he drew the line at talking about those lost weeks in between his human existence and his time at the Bastion.
When would he ever open up to me and return to being that open-hearted, playful guy he’d been at the bonfire? I refused to believe that wonderful person was gone forever.
He picked up his pace again, glaring up at the clouds overhead. “The bottom’s about to drop out. We need to hurry.”
No sooner had the last word left his mouth than the skies opened, and freezing cold rain pelted us. We were still in the foothills, and there was as much rock underfoot as soil and grass. After a minute of torrential rain, it became slippery.
“Watch your step,” Reece warned, shouting to be heard over the wind and the downpour.
I was trying to watch it, but it was impossible to see more than a few inches in front of me. About thirty seconds after his warning, my left foot slid across a wet rock, then both feet flew out from under me.
I went down, sustaining a painful blow to my tailbone.
Reece, who was a few paces ahead of me, stopped and turned around then rushed to my side. He crouched beside me, sliding an arm around my back to help me up.
“You okay?”
I nodded, wincing over my sore backside—and my bruised ego.
“Yeah. I think so. Maybe let me... could we just rest here a minute? I don’t think I can walk yet.”
He looked around. “Sure. But let me get you out of the rain. Come on. Over here.”
Leaning on his