“Nothing,” Tucker said, tone rusted. “She’s only sleeping. Her heartbeat is as steady as ever.”
Tilda took a long pull of her cigarette, the tip of her smoke blazing along with her eyes. “So is yours, vampire.”
A sudden rush of pain threatened to paralyze Tucker, but he stabbed his teeth down into his tongue and staved it off, reminding himself there was no other choice but to leave Mary. To give her this gift of happiness. He could still hear the wonder in her voice upon seeing for the first time. “I’ve brought your daughter here as you asked,” Tucker managed around the fist in his throat. “I only ask for your promise that Hadrian’s intentions toward her are good. That he won’t…” His heart dropped to his stomach. “Won’t ever hurt her. Please promise me that.”
“Hurting her would not be acting in his own interest, would it?” Tilda snapped. “She is Hadrian’s key to power. He might be on the combative side, but he will not squander his good fortune.”
“You will remain here with her until the wedding?” He looked her hard in the eye, searching for any sign of deception. “Until the Assembly returns?”
Did her expression soften slightly out of pity? Normally he would hate that, but he was beyond feeling resentment now. He could only swing between nothingness and agony. “Yes, of course,” Tilda responded. “Where she goes, I go.”
Tucker remained in place, eyes closed as Tilda easily lifted Mary from Tucker’s backseat, her fae strength on display, transferring the sleeping fairy to her own car.
Go.
Go!
The greatest gift he could give was his absence.
He made it a mile before moisture crowded his eyes, his pitiful roar loud enough to chill every human and immortal who heard it.
Chapter 21
Mary woke up screaming.
Was that her mother shaking her? The hands were familiar and when Tilda called her name, her awful suspicion was confirmed. She was no longer at the farmhouse in Buckhannon.
It felt as though she’d closed her eyes one minute earlier in Tucker’s embrace. She could still feel the warmth of it. His mint and cigar scent clung to the palms of her hands and she stopped screaming only so that she might inhale them. Just like the vampire himself, the scent of him grounded her long enough to sit up and feel around.
A pitiful sob wracked her.
Hadrian’s manor. That’s where she was. The freezing temperature and violent energy told her so. Having her mother there was little comfort when she last thing she remembered was Tucker ordering her to sleep in that terrible voice, so unlike his deep, jovial one. Why? Why did he force her to lose consciousness? It was common knowledge that vampires could compel humans, but she was an immortal. How did he do it? Why?
“No…no, he couldn’t have,” she rasped. “He…”
“Mary, thank goodness you’ve calmed down before breaking any of the windows.” Tilda sniffed pointedly. “We have much to discuss.”
“Where is Tucker?” Mary lunged onto her knees, catching her mother’s clothing in her hands. “How did I get here?”
“Tucker called and let me know you were on the way. I met him at the gate.” Her mother laughed lightly, nervously. “Mary, I don’t understand why you’re so confused. Everything happened as planned.”
“You expected me to show up unconscious?” Mary didn’t wait for an answer. No explanation would be satisfying when she couldn’t sense Tucker anywhere nearby. He was gone.
He’d left her.
She fell sideways on to the bed and circled into a ball, drawing her knees up to her chin and holding them tightly, lest she break apart. The organ in her chest was already beating in jagged clunks, laboring to operate under the strain. One word continued to butt up against the insides of her skull. Why? Why?
They loved each other. She’d decided to stay.
And then…
Ignoring Tilda’s impatient pleas for her to sit up and have a calm discussion, Mary swiped her wrist under her nose and replayed the last conversation she’d had with Tucker.
Oh, Tucker. I could see.
The world is so much more…more than I ever imagined.
There was a sunset and the ocean a-and red. I think it’s my favorite color.
Had Tucker witnessed her joy and believed she would trade him for her eyesight?
Had he witnessed her utter astonishment over the world’s beauty and found himself unable to keep her?
Agony nearly split her down the middle. One more minute. If only he’d given her one more minute. Of course she’d wanted to share her experience with him. The