Page 39
"You didn't kill her, Menolly. You saved her from death—at least the kind of death humans don't usually get up and walk away from. "
"I just don't know what's happening to me. " I stared at the little calico girl curled in my arms and chucked her under the chin, kissing her softly on the nose before I set her back in her playpen.
Iris frowned. "Sometimes people come into our lives for a reason, and when that reason is done—they leave. Rest your worries for now. Don't force yourself to make decisions you aren't ready to make. "
I thought about Nerissa. Her skin had been tender, her touch healing. And Jareth—long ago, he'd loved a vampire. I'd given him a taste of that memory to cling to even as he gifted me his blood.
"Once Camille asked me if vampires dream. I gave her a simple answer to a complex question. Now I have a question. Can vampires love? Can I love? Have relationships like my sisters?" I waited, but no answer appeared, not even a whisper, to guide me.
"Menolly, you're not the same girl who stood in this kitchen last week. " Iris pushed herself off the stool and started arranging cookies on a plate. "You've been through so much. How can you expect to know who you are or what you're capable of until the dust settles?"
"I guess I can't. " I shook my head. "Dredge made me fear ever loving anybody again—from the beginning he tried to use me to destroy my family. "
"And now he's gone. And you're still here," she said, her eyes glittering.
"Yes, he's gone. And I'm here. But what does that mean?" I asked softly.
Iris dusted her hands on her apron. "The world could end tonight, my girl. Deal with your fears one at a time, if and when they arise. "
And then everything was okay again, and I laughed, feeling lighter than I had since the day of my death. "First light's coming, sweet friend. I'll see you tonight. "
"Be at peace in your dreams. " Iris waved as I slipped through the passage to my lair.
As I undressed for bed, I glanced down at the scars lacing my body. Dredge had marked me forever, but he was gone. Dust and ashes. My sisters and friends were safe. Like it or not, I had sired a daughter. And I'd received the greatest gift in the world—I was free, my nightmare shattered.
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