my ass off, possibly letting Thallirin use our shower, and definitely flipping off Merdon repeatedly through the front window because he wouldn’t leave.
Were Thallirin and Brenna still here? And, more importantly, why wasn’t Emily shaking me awake and demanding to know how much I drank?
I hesitated, debating whether or not to get out of bed. The way the room was spinning ever so slightly and the complete mellowness I felt let me know I was still buzzing strong. It would be easy for me to curl up and pass out again. But only for the short term. Keeping the peace now would make my life easier in the long run.
Slithering from the bed, I held the wall for a moment to gain my balance then carefully made my way to the stairs.
“…angry about this. You better go before she wakes up. Are you sure you got all of it?” Emily asked.
“Yes.”
I frowned at the low answer. That didn’t sound like Thallirin. Again, I heard the faint sound of clinking.
“Thanks again for your help, Merdon.”
My mouth fell open, and I almost fell down the stairs in my hurry to get to the kitchen. The door closed before I reached the bottom. Emily was by herself.
“What is going on?” I asked, gaze flicking between her and the door. “Was that Merdon?”
“It was,” Emily said.
I was expecting her to look pissed because of the booze. The worried expression on her face was even better. Worried was easier to channel in the right direction.
“So he already tattled about my day drinking?” I asked.
She nodded.
“I only did it to piss him off because he came in here being all judgmental.”
“No you didn’t,” she said softly. “You drank because you need to drink. It stops now.”
“Yeah, I know. That’s why I left all the bottles in the cabinet.” I nodded to the one above the stove.
She shook her head slightly and looked down at her hands.
“No, you didn’t, Hannah. You hid some in your room, too.” She looked up at me, her gaze steely. “Merdon found the bottles and took those along with the ones above the cabinet. There’s nothing left in the house. He also told me he’ll spread the word so you won’t be able to pull the stunt you did today. The fey deserve better from us, Hannah. You used them.”
“Betrayal seems to be going around,” I said. Anger didn’t begin to describe what I felt at the one person I’d thought was my friend.
She gave me a sad look.
“Fuck you and your pity,” I growled.
Turning my back on her as she’d just turned hers on me, I went back upstairs. I had to know. Surely, she’d been exaggerating. She hadn’t really let Merdon search my room while I was in it, had she?
The bottle under my bed was gone, but that was fine. It’d been a decoy bottle anyway.
However, the bottles I’d hidden in the bath towels, in the closet, in the shoes, and in the damn toilet tank were gone, too. That thing inside me twisted and grew, taking up so much space I couldn’t breathe. My gaze flicked around the room as I gasped for air. There was nothing left to save me from what I knew was coming without my bottles. The memories already tugged at me, demanding their due.
My eyes started to water, and my hands shook.
“It’ll be okay, Hannah,” Emily said from behind me.
I whirled on her, my fear hardening into a furious outrage.
“Get out!”
She backpedaled into the hall before I had a chance to push her out. Robbed of the satisfaction, I slammed the door in her face instead. My anger evaporated as the painful truth of my situation crashed down on me once more. I slid to the floor as the first sob escaped me.
They’d taken the only peace I’d had.
I had nothing.
No one.
I curled around myself, the pain bleeding out through my tears and whimpers. How could Emily betray me like she had? She knew how bad things were. She heard me at night. She cared. At least, I thought she had. Just like I’d thought she’d been my friend.
Betrayed. The word wouldn’t stop echoing through my mind, not even after the tears dried up and my throat went hoarse. Did I deserve any less? No.
I just lay there, staring vacantly ahead as the sky outside my window gradually lightened.
A knock at my door broke through my numbness.
“Hannah, I made some breakfast if you’re hungry.”
My temper reignited, and I only barely managed to swallow