Burning Emerald by Jaime Reed

Author:Jaime Reed
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corp.
Published: 2012-04-18T16:00:00+00:00

15

There was no way to downplay or diminish the temperament of my internal roommate.

Lilith was straight-up pissed. I’d expected as much—no one wanted to be used as a bargaining chip in a hostage situation. But it had gotten Tobias off my back for the next three days, so mission accomplished. Seeing as Lilith couldn’t talk, she didn’t voice her displeasure aloud, but boy, was it obvious. She made her disapproval known by doling out another bout of insomnia.

I’d endured sleepless nights before, but images of Tobias lengthened the hours between midnight and sunrise. I knew for a fact that I wasn’t in love with him. I was more than certain I hated him, but that didn’t prevent the explicit images from flashing before my eyes. My personal adult video library and we were the lead actors in every scene.

I’d pinch my eyes shut and count to ten to rinse away my filthy mind, but an ocean of water couldn’t remove that stain. Only one thing could supplant the immediate need, only one body could replace another. Just thinking about him made me sick with guilt.

Caleb.

What would he think about me drooling over his potential killer, a jilted demon lover on the rebound? I imagined Caleb’s bright eyes peering down at me in contempt, though at this point, I’d do anything just to see those eyes open. I missed having someone to confide in; I missed his goofy style and our verbal spars. Heaven help me, I missed his hands—large, strong hands that promised safety and comfort.

I kept my promise and stayed away from Caleb’s room, technically. With help from one of the orderlies I caught in the parking lot, a few drops of oil protected the door of room 278. I hated using my abilities like that, but I needed to cover my bases.

Though I kept my end of the bargain, I called Haden every few hours for updates. Caleb remained unconscious, but seemed responsive to voices. I explained that I had too much makeup work for school to visit, and the brothers agreed to hold down the fort until I could think of a better lie.

After ending the final call of the night, I stayed awake, but fell into a trance of deep introspection. What a difference a few weeks could make. Or maybe I was the one who had changed? I used to have fun, joke around, and laugh until it hurt. Now, I was a good razor cut away from turning emo. I’d never needed to lie to everyone I cared about, but now lies followed each sentence like punctuation.

Pride demanded that I blame Lilith for flipping my world upside down, but what good would that do? There’s no escape from one’s self. No matter where I went, there she was: 24-7-52. She felt what I felt and likewise with me. No matter how much it annoyed me, Lilith was now my responsibility, and it was my job to sate her appetite.

That soon became a problem when I nearly passed out in government class the next day.

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