When The Grave Calls (The Veil Diaries #9) - B.L. Brunnemer Page 0,72
hear. “Are you alright?”
I nodded quickly, hoping that would be the end of it while hating it at the same time. I liked her, but I knew no one would understand.
“‘Cause you haven’t looked at me since the field,” she whispered. “Did I do something wrong?”
The hurt in her voice lifted my head. “It’s not you.”
“I thought …”
Panic clawed at my throat as I glanced at her, then away just as quickly. How could I explain this to her?
“I like you, Tara,” she said, her voice soft and full of a vulnerability I almost envied. “I thought … you might like me too.”
I could only manage to look back down at my hands as everything rushed through my head.
I had to face it. I wasn’t like everyone else, and no matter how much I wanted to be, I just couldn’t. Weariness washed through me. I was so tired of struggling. All my life, I redirected myself. Fought myself. See a pretty girl, make a point to see the cute boy she’s with and focus on what makes him handsome. The girl didn’t matter, it didn’t matter if I was more attracted to her than him. It didn’t matter that I liked her more than him. All that mattered was that I fit in. That I did like him, that I did find him attractive. Keep up the façade and lie through my teeth to my friends. My friends. I’d lose half of them if I ever told them the truth.
“Tara?”
But was it worth it? Was it worth living a lie to stay popular? To be … something I wasn’t? I wrung my fingers as Lexie popped into my mind. She didn’t care about fitting in. She didn’t care what people thought. And she was happy. I wanted that. Wanted it so badly that I couldn’t seem to stop myself from resenting her. To be free. To just say it. I swallowed hard and gathered my nerve as I met those pretty eyes. “I’m so tired of trying to be something I’m not.”
Her brow knit for a moment before understanding and warmth dawned over her expression. “Oh, Tara … pretending to be something you’re not will just make you miserable.”
Relief filled me in a rush. I soaked up her words and took them into my heart. She was right. My eyes burned as I rested my head on her shoulder.
She slipped her arm around me and held me close.
“I don’t want to fight myself anymore.”
“Then don’t,” she whispered.
For the first time, I let go of the idea of fitting in. Of the fear. Of the pressure. I was simply me, being held by the girl I liked. And it was safe.
Lexie
The shifters were getting the injured out of the house and to a safe location. Hades had arrived sometime in the last hour, helping to load the injured into the cars. Uma and Miles organized an escape plan by setting up a gauntlet of explosive potions down the long main hallway, just in case. Her idea was, if we could draw them in, we could take them out on our way out of the mansion. It was a good plan, just one I was hoping we wouldn’t need. Personally, I was banking on being gone by the time they arrived and letting the gargoyles handle it all.
The early evening sun was up over the mountains when a loud screech echoed through the house. Everyone covered their ears until it stopped.
Uma ran into the med ward. “That’s the warning from the north wards. They’re coming.”
Heart pounding, everyone ran to load up the last of the cars. Uma, Hades, and Brody met with me in the long hallway.
“How far away are they?” Brody demanded.
“Half a mile out,” Uma answered.
“How long is it going to take to get everyone else out?” Hades asked.
Brody shook his head. “Too long. And most of our able bodies are going to have to drive the cars.”
Brody cursed. “There are too many to move.”
“We need to buy time for the wounded to finish being evacuated,” Uma stated.
I lifted my head and looked at each of them. Possessed witches were coming, coming to kill not just them but all of us. The injured, the loves of my life … everyone. That hard, solid feeling of will filled my chest. I met Hades’ eyes. “We might be able to give you eight minutes.”
He squared his shoulders, his understanding clear. “We could, if you let me go for the kill.”