Vindication: League of Vampires by Brewer Rye

Author:Brewer, Rye
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-01-24T05:00:00+00:00

18

Philippa

“Vance?” I breathed, jogging out to the living room. There he was, staring at me with wide, hopeful eyes I wished I could gouge out.

Stop thinking that way. He’ll see right through you. This is Vance. You love Vance. You just got him back. You’re thrilled that he’s returned.

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered, throwing myself into his open arms. “I don’t want to fight with you. We’ve lost so much time already.” Vance, I know you’re in there, somewhere. I love you. We’ll get you out.

When I looked up into his eyes, I wished there was a way to get through to the real Vance, to let him know I knew what was happening. To assure him it would all be over soon.

I hoped it would, at any rate.

“I don’t want to lose you again,” he whispered, running his fingers over my cheek, stroking it with his thumb before cupping my chin and pulling me in for a kiss.

It was sheer force of will that got me through it without screaming as his mouth moved over mine. I was right. His kiss wasn’t the same at all. How could I have been so determined to believe him?

Because I loved Vance and wanted the lies to be true.

“You’ll never lose me.” I forced a laugh when the kiss ended, and we stood in each other’s arms, foreheads touching. I closed my eyes and allowed myself to pretend I was talking to the real, true Vance. “You know how we are. We fight, we snipe at each other, but we always find a way back to what matters.”

“I love you.”

My skin crawled, but I focused every bit of concentration I possessed on pretending. “I love you, too, Vance. I always have.”

It was a relief to pull away, to end the moment. I wasn’t sure how long I could pretend his touch didn’t nauseate me. “And you know what else?” I asked.

“What?” He was still so tender, so gentle.

Vance had to know what was going on, didn’t he? What was he going through? Anything like what I was suffering?

I forced a smile. “I was wrong to be so stubborn. There’s nothing wrong with you knowing where the body is; it makes perfect sense. I’m sorry I started a fight. You don’t deserve that.”

If he sensed something was off, he didn’t show it. “You’re sure? I don’t want you to feel like I’m pushing you.”

It was almost enough to make me laugh, the whole charade. Did he feel the same way? I would’ve bet it was all beneath him, having to pretend this way, debasing himself when he was the most powerful and fearsome of the Ancients.

“I’m sure. I don’t want anything standing between us now. Let’s start off with a clean slate, and this is the perfect way to do that.”

“All right. If you want to.”

Was Vance looking through his own eyes, or had Valerius pushed him back into some dark corner of his own mind? I searched those familiar eyes for some hint, some trace of him, and found nothing.

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