“Of course. But try to not get bitten by any of Astaroth’s demons again. At least not for another twenty-four hours.”
“Yeah.” Samantha said forty-eight hours. I glanced at the clock on my bedside table. It was just past 10 a.m. “Only eighteen hours now.” Assuming that she was right about how long her blood would last in my system.
He shook his head. “Add some padding. What if she undershot it? She doesn’t know how long it’ll take for you to get rid of her blood.”
“Right.” But I was still hoping it was less than that. “I’m going to hit the showers and then meet you downstairs.”
Dastien nodded. “You’ll need food. Your parents have been cooking nonstop. I’ve been helping, so I’ll get back down there. Pancakes sound good?”
“Amazing. Thanks.”
He kissed me quickly, but I dragged him down for another. I was
alive, and I wasn’t going to let him get away with just a peck. Not with everything we had going against us. Every second should count.
When he pulled away, he had a big grin on his face. The dimples were out in full-force.
I wasn’t sure what to say to him—that I loved him, needed him, couldn’t do this without him—because I felt all of those things and more. But I didn’t need to say anything. His dimples dented his cheeks and I knew he understood me perfectly.
He brushed one last kiss against my lips. “Go take your shower.”
I reluctantly stepped away from him and went into my bathroom to start the shower. It wasn’t until I pulled off my shirt that I saw my hip.
A jagged, puffy, red scar marked my skin. “Holy shit.” It took a lot to scar a werewolf, which meant I was probably more indebted to Eli than I’d thought. Which was not the plan.
But I was alive. I was going to fight again today, and I wouldn’t be ready for that if it weren’t for Eli.
So, I’d be thankful that he showed up. Tonight, we’d fight Astaroth. Whatever happened after that, I’d deal with later—including giving Eli whatever he wanted from me.
As I stepped under the hot spray, I thought to myself—I can do this—over and over.
I kept on the steady stream of affirmations as I got dressed. I pulled on yoga pants, a comfy T-shirt and fresh cozy sweater. As I sat down on my bed to pull on my favorite pair of Uggs, something on my bedside table caught my eye.
The evil blade from Luciana’s.
All the hair on my arms stood on end as I ran a fingertip lightly over the writhing bodies that covered the hilt.
It’d been in the pocket of my hoodie when shifted, and I’d totally forgotten about it.
Before I could think too hard, I went back to my bathroom and grabbed a washcloth. I rushed back to the table, wrapped the blade, and shoved it in my boot.
I knew I’d been compelled to grab the jar, and the blade was evil. I knew that too, but my gut told me if I left it behind, I’d die. It hadn’t helped me last night, but tonight could be different. I wasn’t giving up hope that this was exactly what I’d need to cut my tie to Astaroth.
I went back to the bathroom and splashed some water on my face. My eyes were a little too bright as I stared at myself in the mirror.
You can do this, Tessa. You will do this, I said to myself in the mirror. I stayed there until I believed it. If I had any doubt in my mind, I’d fail, and I couldn’t afford to fail.
By the time I got downstairs, my stomach was demanding food. Loudly.
“You’re up!” Mom said as she came to give me a hug.
“Thanks for having everyone over. Again.”
“Oh, it’s not a problem. I’m getting better at cooking in large scale. Plus, pancakes are a breeze.” She motioned to the griddle she’d placed over two of the burners. There were six medium-sized ones cooking with little bubbles on top, almost ready to flip. “I’ve got a stack of them in the oven if you’re—”
My stomach cut her off with a loud rumble. “I’ll take whatever you’ve got.”
“Help yourself.”