Incipient A Dark Paranormal Romance - Bianca Scardoni Page 0,107

asked her as I yanked the car door shut and turned to face her. “You look like someone just killed your cat.”

“So, funny thing happened,” she said with a tone that told me this wasn’t going to be funny at all. “I drive over to Gabriel’s place today after breakfast thinking we could catch up and shoot the shit together for a few hours, and low and behold, what do I find waiting for me there?”

Shit.

“Gabriel in full-on bloodlust. Gabriel who never drinks human blood. Gabriel who has never broken a single rule for as long as I’ve known him. Gabriel who—”

“Okay, I get it, Tess.”

“Do you? Do you really?” she snapped, her voice taking on a dangerous edge. “Because he’s a mess, Jemma.”

“I’m going to fix it. I have a plan. I just…haven’t gotten around to it yet.”

“You haven’t gotten around to it yet?” she repeated condescendingly, as though I’d uttered the stupidest words she’d ever heard. “Well, I’m glad to see how much you care about your Handler.”

Now it was my turn to glare at her. “Don’t even go there, Tessa. I care about Gabriel. That isn’t what I meant. I just thought I had more time to put a proper plan together.”

“More time? Based on what information?”

“Based on the fact that I saw him two days ago and he looked like he was doing better.”

“He’s obviously hiding it, Jemma. Anyone with eyes can see that.” The way she said it, she may as well have just come out and called me self-absorbed. Like she was one to talk.

“Well, forgive me for not being super perceptive after almost getting raped in the middle of a fucking forest,” I barked back at her, my voice several decibels higher than intended as a wave of nausea rolled through my stomach. “In case you haven’t noticed, my plate’s been a little full lately.”

I really didn’t want to bring up what had happened in the forest with Dominic that night. In fact, I barely allowed myself to think of it at all. But it had to be said. She needed to understand that I wasn’t in my right mind when I left the woods that night.

She blew out a breath of frustration and then glanced out the window as a small group of students rushed by the car, squeezing together under a single umbrella.

At least she’d simmered down some.

“Look, I know that this is my fault, and I’m going to fix it—”

“Just leave it alone, Jemma. You’ve done enough.”

My features pinched at her words. “You know what, Tessa? Fuck you. Fuck you and the high horse you rode in on. You have no idea what my life is like or what I’ve had to live through. You have no right to judge me. Not from the spot you’re constantly standing in on the sidelines.”

Her mouth opened to say something back to me, but nothing came out. Apparently, I’d stunned her silent. Pressing her lips together, she averted her gaze to the windshield again, thinking.

Tessa had always been able to take it just as well as she dished it out but watching her have zero response to what I had said was making me feel edgy and uncomfortable.

“Aren’t you going to say something nasty back to me?” I asked, hoping she would since I was feeling as though I had maybe been a little too harsh with my words.

“No.”

“But this is what we do, Tess. You say something horrible to me and I say something horrible back,” I said, practically begging her to insult me again.

“Yeah, but this time, I think you might be right,” she said as she turned and met my eyes again. “I shouldn’t have said what I said.”

Now it was my turn to be stunned. That was the closest thing to an apology I’d ever heard come out of my sister’s mouth.

“I know you didn’t mean to hurt Gabriel. I was upset and I took it out on you,” she said and then held up her hand before I got too emotional. “But I still think I should be the one to handle this. I’ll stay with him for a while and make sure he gets back on the wagon.”

“Okay…and what should I do?”

“I don’t know. Maybe just…stay away for a while?” she answered apologetically, and I knew she meant no harm by it. “It might be the best thing for him right now.”

As much as I wanted to be there to help, to undo the damage I had