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I can make a car anytime I want." I wasn't sure if he was playing with me or not.

"Did you steal this car? You didn't. This is the same one. It's the same one that you drove me out East in the first time, before you knew about my mark. How'd you do that? Can you conjure up anything? Can you call people?"

He looked over at me surprised by my barrage of questions. Shaking his head he said, "There are things that you'll want to learn how to do, but this isn't one of them." His voice was stern as his gaze focused on non-existent traffic out the windshield. "You have me. I can do it for you. That's all you need."

Why wouldn't he tell me? What was the big deal? While I didn't understand his apprehension, I could sense that this topic was no longer open to discussion. It was one of the many aspects of being a Valefar that I didn't understand. Everything about being a Valefar came at a price. I wondered what the price of the car was, but I didn't ask.

We drove the rest of the way to the church in silence.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The floorboard creaked under my foot. I made sure that the little chapel was still in use before we went inside. The sign said they meet on Sunday mornings with no indication that they would be here late at night on a Thursday, so we went inside. Collin and I waded through the darkness. He insisted that we find some place that provided cover, but some place that wouldn't trap us. That ruled out the basement, so we went up to the ancient attic. The floorboards were wide old planks that were covered in dust. The room was mostly empty with a few pieces of furniture covered in dusty white cloths. The roof pitched to a steep point, leaving us walking bent over to avoid clunking our heads on rafter beams.

I pulled a sheet off a piece of furniture, and tossed the cover to the floor. It had protected a rose colored chaise with a scrolling back from a lifetime of dust. I was so tired that I thought I'd fall asleep when I sat down. Some of the springs were weird in the bottom cushion and poked into my thigh. I scooted down and leaned against the backrest. Collin walked past me and checked out the rest of the space. It had multiple points of entry, which made it harder to guard, but it also made it easier to escape. I felt the chaise shift as Collin sat on the end by my feet. He was silent so long that I finally opened my eyes and looked at him. There was something in his stance that made me uneasy, but I couldn't put my finger on why.

He finally asked, "Why won't you tell me?"

Swallowing hard, I asked, "Tell you what?" I sat up. "I'm fine. We didn't have to stop here, but I'm not sure what to do. I didn't think you knew either. I thought it was better to hole up here for a few days, rather than backtrack into Hell again." A shiver ran through me. I never wanted to go back there.

Collin's gaze was soft and questioning. It was clear that I didn't answer his question, but he didn't press. I knew exactly what he was asking me; Why wouldn't I tell him what was wrong with me. Why was I hiding it from him? The look on his face said he realized this simple truth. The bond confirmed it. I squirmed as my stomach flip-flopped, but he'd already turned away from me. He could have used the bond to press into me. If he did, he would sense the pain and weariness that plagued me. He'd realize I was losing my strength.

He'd realize I was dying.

I leaned back into the chaise intending to only close my eyes for a moment. Slow breaths of night air filled my lungs, and before I knew what happened, I was dreaming. That was the second time that Collin saw me sleep. It was the second time I was completely vulnerable in his presence. Apparently I trusted him more than I realized.

And as much as I wished it weren't true, the sapphire serum had left me severely weakened. Sleep seemed to be the only thing that repaired my body. The visions that had overcome me and pulled me into sleep before weren't