Dark Curse (Darkhaven Saga #5) - Danielle Rose Page 0,22

Maybe she whispers something, maybe she does not. My senses are too dulled to know for sure. She continues walking away, more hastily now, until she disappears among the vampires.

“She is pretty intense,” Will says as he walks over to me. He glances back, gaze trailing the path Amicia cleared as she left the room. The other vampires part for her without hesitation or request. I wonder what it feels like to have such a devoted following.

“A little,” I admit.

“Can I join you?” Will says. He tips his head at the vacant seat, now even cooler after Amicia left.

I nod, and Will sits down beside me. He settles in a huff, dramatically stretching out as if this were the first time he has taken a break in days. For all I know, it has been. He still has yet to provide details regarding his travels.

“Are you ever going to tell me about your trip?” I ask, not bothering to hide my annoyance.

“We did talk about it,” Will says. He glances over at me and chuckles as I roll my eyes. “You want to know about the fun stuff.”

It is not a question, so I do not respond. We sit in silence, both watching the vampires mingle. It almost feels like a party, but I am not sure even they know what they are celebrating. Normally, the vampires of the house keep their distances from the hunters. I am not sure if this is by choice or by order. I suppose no one wants to get too close to someone who is one bad battlefield move away from death.

“It is strange, isn’t it?” Will asks.

I blink away my thoughts, following his gaze. Several feet in front of us, I watch as Holland and Jeremiah laugh at something inaudible. Holland leans against Jeremiah, and the vampire opens for him, holding him closely. When he thinks no one is looking, Jeremiah softly kisses Holland’s forehead and runs his fingers through his hair. He says something, and they both laugh. My heart burns as I watch them. While I am happy for their reunion, I can’t help my jealousy.

I frown, looking at my friends more closely. “What is strange?”

“The last time I was here, they were not exactly on friendly terms, were they? I could tell something was there—the ice was beginning to thaw. But isn’t it strange how one day, one thought, one action can decisively change your life?”

“How so?” I ask, still unsure of what Will means. I can tell he is on the brink of forcing an epiphany. Usually I am not interested in his wise ways, but today is different. Seeing my friends celebrate my life, especially when I am not sure I even have good news to share, only makes me feel like I am slipping further away from everything I once knew.

“I know they used to be in a relationship,” Will says. “That was always obvious by the way they would argue. They were snippy, personally so. The way exes are.”

“And?” I ask, suddenly intrigued by where this might be going.

“And now look at them. They act like they haven’t been feuding for, what, the past several years?”

“I suppose death brings that out in people,” I say, finally understanding where Will might be taking this conversation.

Death changes you. When people find out they do not have many days left, they act differently. They love harder, they forgive easier, and they are kind to strangers. When onlookers witness death firsthand, it affects them too, even if they are not the one slipping away. Watching as I grow sicker by the day is affecting the vampires. I am just grateful one positive thing has come out of my sacrifice.

“Death has nothing to do with this, Ava,” Will counters. “You brought this out of them.”

“I guess I did.”

Will nods. “They looked at your situation and realized how precious life is, how they have been wasting the days they were granted by prolonging the inevitable—reuniting.”

“Are you saying I am wasting my life?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest.

“I think you are, yes,” Will says plainly.

“Or maybe I am taking a bullet for the team,” I counter.

“We are immortal, Ava. Let us take that bullet for you.”

When Will looks at me, his eyes are heavy. I know he is tired from his travels, but the emotion there is true—and it is for me. Will feels the very same connection that I feel when he is around. It is complicated but true.

I