When The Grave Calls (The Veil Diaries #9) - B.L. Brunnemer Page 0,33
stepped closer and poked me in the chest hard. “Knock that off. You’re all the family I have and I’m not about to abandon you.”
I couldn’t help the small smile that was tugging at my lips. This wasn’t the scared little girl she had been shaped into by a father that abandoned her and a boyfriend that abused her. I was seeing my little firecracker of a sister for the first time in I don’t know how long. I was just grateful to see that stubborn set of her shoulders, even with her heart pounding, the scent of fear coming off her in waves. She held her chin high and the light was back in her eyes. She would still stand by me even if it terrified her. It was humbling.
Her eyes narrowed. “Don’t laugh at me.”
“I’m not. I’m just seeing the person you’re becoming and”—I shook my head— “I’m in awe.”
“There’s nothing good about who I became over the last couple of years.” Her cheeks tinted as she looked down at the floor.
“What do you mean?” I asked softly.
“I did some messed up things. Said so many cruel things.”
I reached out and took her hand. “Do you regret them?”
Still looking at the floor, she nodded.
“Then you can apologize for them.”
She peeked up at me through a curtain of blonde hair, the confidence slipping as fear seeped back into her eyes. “I don’t think I can.”
I huffed. “You can do anything, Jess. If you want to.”
Tears brimmed her lashes. “Apologizing won’t erase everything. It won’t unsay the things I said.”
“But it’s a start,” I countered. “And sometimes starting is the hardest part.”
Her head hung slightly as her shoulders curled forward. “I don’t think I can.”
I stepped closer. “You can.”
“Why do you think that? What makes you so sure that I could be anything but a waste of space?”
I pulled my little sister into my arms and held her tight. She buried her face in my chest and clung to my shirt.
I ran my hand up and down her back as her shoulders shook. “You’re not a waste of space. You’re my beautiful, talented sister.” I squeezed her gently. “You just got off course for a while.”
“I lost myself, Ash.” She sniffed. “I’m so confused.”
“I’ve got you. I know who you are, even if you don’t.” I held her even tighter. “You’re a stubborn, outgoing girl who can be fierce when needed. You love Hello Kitty. You love fashion. And you are smarter than you let anyone know.”
My shirt grew wet against my skin as she took a deep, shuddering breath.
“You’re scared of spiders,” I whispered. “And you’re terrified that you will never be good enough.”
“How do you know that?” She sniffed against my chest.
“Because I was too,” I said softly, still running my hand up and down her back. “I thought I had to be what Dad wanted. That it was the only way I’d get approval or be valued.”
“But it’s bullshit, Jess,” I continued. “I have value because I’m me, just like you have value because you are you. No one else in this world is like you.”
I continued to hold her as she pulled herself back together.
Eventually, she pulled back and wiped her face. “I’m still not leaving you here.”
“Jess. I’m not asking,” I stated firmly.
She looked up at me with bloodshot eyes.
“You are going to leave with Rory and Maria,” I told her. “I need you safe, and this is the only way. I can’t keep you safe here. I can’t protect you. We can’t protect you. Even Sylvie took a vacation and left the state.”
Her eyes rounded in surprise. “Sylvie left?”
“Last week,” I said. “Zeke let her know what was going on.”
It was several heartbeats before she nodded.
“Pack your things and take your laptop,” I said before leaving the kitchen.
Lexie
As I left Rory’s, I was walking back to my Blazer when I found Hades leaning against my truck.
I slowed my step as my shoulders tightened. Mixed emotions ran through me. Anger, indignation, but underneath all of them was a thick layer of sadness. I didn’t like how things were with Hades. In fact, I hated them.
“Hi,” he said, his posture rigid. “Can we talk?”
I nodded. “In the truck.”
He moved to the other side while I climbed into the driver’s seat and shut the door.
The Blazer rocked as he shut his door.
The silence stretched.
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I don’t want you to kill people.”