When The Grave Calls (The Veil Diaries #9) - B.L. Brunnemer Page 0,81

I met dark eyes. Dark skin, chiseled jaw. Something about it was familiar. “Zahur?”

He gave me an understanding smile. “Yeah. Are you alright?”

I shook my head. Evelyn just slit Eric’s throat in front of me. No, I wasn’t alright.

His eyes narrowed as he lifted my chin and examined me. “You look like you’re in a bit of shock.”

“I can’t imagine why.”

“I don’t want you driving in this condition.” He got to his feet and pulled me to mine. “You were at the hospital, yes?”

I nodded, still a little shaky.

He lifted his fingers, poised as if to snap. “Close your eyes.”

I didn’t even bother asking, I simply obeyed the request.

He snapped.

I waited three heartbeats before I said, “Was something supposed to happen?”

He didn’t answer.

Peeking beneath my lashes, I was stunned to find myself standing outside the emergency room under an awning, rain pounding the pavement beside me. I took several shaky breaths before I stepped out into the storm. I scrubbed my hands in the rain, washing the blood from them, though a part of me was sure it would never come off. Raw and completely emotionally spent I shuffled my way back to the waiting room. Ethan was sitting in the row closest to the entry.

Cold to the bone, I sat down beside him in silence.

He didn’t take his gaze off the emergency room door as his hand moved to take mine. “Is it over?”

I squeezed his fingers tightly. “It’s over.”

Epilogue

I had only seen Jake once after that day in the basement. Zahur had popped me through the ether again to stand outside the bars of his cell. Jake’s eyes were red-rimmed, his hair everywhere, his face pale. It was clear he was torturing himself. Instead of feeling pity or sympathy I could only look at him, numb.

He lifted his head and met my eyes. “I’m so sorry, Lexie.”

I scoffed. “You were going to let him kill me, Jake.”

He buried his face in his hands. “I was going to go back in, I swear.”

“You spied on us for him,” I stated. “You knew where our families were. At least what direction they were going.”

Looking a little green, he nodded. “I thought it was just information Eric needed.”

I clenched my fist, the urge to pound his face in shaking me to my core. “He passed that information on to Jadis. You almost got them killed.”

He dropped his hands, sniffed, and met my gaze. “I’m sorry. I know it’s not enough to say it, but I can’t do anything else.”

“I trusted you,” I bit out. “And you almost got me killed. Almost got all of us killed.”

“I swear I didn’t know that Eric was planning that.” He got to his feet and moved to the bars. “He said blood.”

“And you didn’t ask questions?”

He hung his head. “No, no I didn’t.”

“You knew. Deep down, you knew what Eric was capable of,” I surmised.

He nodded. “He’d always been a little weird when we were kids. I thought his talk of magic was bullshit.”

“Until you needed something.”

He met my gaze. “Yeah.”

“Were you ever my friend?” I asked, desperate to know. The question had been turning inside me for days, keeping me up at night.

His eyes grew wide. “Yes, Lexie. I love you. You’re one of my best friends.”

I scoffed. “That you left to die.”

“Can you say you’d have done differently? To save the guys?” he hollered.

Without ever flinching or taking my eyes off him, I said, “I did. Didn’t anyone tell you? When I took out Jadis, I killed the guys too.”

His mouth hung open as he took a few staggered steps back. “What?”

“I killed the men I love. To save the world,” I bit out between my teeth. “And I had the same choice you did. Doom the world or save the people I love.” I shook my head. “I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t kill billions to save a few.”

His eyes narrowed on mine with a mad light in them. “Then maybe you truly aren’t able to love deeply.”

“No, I do. I love completely, hopelessly, I’m just not selfish enough to do what you did,” I said. “I heard about your sentence. Living on probation in the gargoyle village for the rest of your life sounds about right for what you did. At least, the parts you say you knew about.”

“I never meant for any of it,” he whispered. “I shouldn’t have left. I should have gone back in for you.”

I looked at him. Really looked at him. The light that was Jake