Chapter 18
Alex paced around the perimeters of the room in which her sister lay, chewing her already worn and ragged nails. Kieran had been gone for over two hours, presumably feeding or sleeping, and still she could not rest. She'd mulled over her options countless times, and still she did not know what she was going to do. Her heart reminded her of how she had idolized her elder sister, how much she had missed Kala when she had disappeared. How wonderful it would be to take Kala home and simply pretend that the last 6 months had never happened, that Kala had never gone away, and that they were still one big, happy family.
But that'd never happen, the sensible part of her brain scorned. Nothing will ever be all right again.
She paused mid-step and looked over at her sister, still peacefully sleeping. Their parents had always compared all of their children, Kala and Alex especially. Tall, willowy, and graceful, Kala was the happy-go- lucky, carefree child, her head buried in a book when it wasn't up in the clouds daydreaming. Alex was psychologically the older sister, always looking after Kala, making sure she didn't get herself in too deep; she knew what she wanted and how to get it, and was stubborn enough not to let go of something once she sank her teeth into it. Alex was short, stocky, and pale where Kala was elegant, dark, and beautiful.
Two parents could not have produced a more unlikely pair of offspring.
Alex sat down at the black ebony desk that faced the window, staring out into the gray dawn of the coming morning. She tapped her fingers on the top in a constant rhythm, one foot jiggling in time to the beat her fingers were drumming out. As weary as she was physically, her mind would allow no sleep, no rest, and soon she was shaking with suppressed energy. Launching herself out of her chair, she started pacing around the room again. Her gaze skimmed over the room, as if looking for a way out, and landed on the door.
Kieran had expressly forbidden her to exit the room, on the threat of becoming a meal for one of his guests.
But now that she had the power to disappear and reappear somewhere else, she could easily get herself out of trouble in the off chance that she might even encounter any.
Well, she thought as she strode toward the door, I always have been a sucker for breaking rules.
Alex paced around the perimeters of the room in which her sister lay, chewing her already worn and ragged nails. Kieran had been gone for over two hours, presumably feeding or sleeping, and still she could not rest. She'd mulled over her options countless times, and still she did not know what she was going to do. Her heart reminded her of how she had idolized her elder sister, how much she had missed Kala when she had disappeared. How wonderful it would be to take Kala home and simply pretend that the last 6 months had never happened, that Kala had never gone away, and that they were still one big, happy family.
But that'd never happen, the sensible part of her brain scorned. Nothing will ever be all right again.
She paused mid-step and looked over at her sister, still peacefully sleeping. Their parents had always compared all of their children, Kala and Alex especially. Tall, willowy, and graceful, Kala was the happy-go- lucky, carefree child, her head buried in a book when it wasn't up in the clouds daydreaming. Alex was psychologically the older sister, always looking after Kala, making sure she didn't get herself in too deep; she knew what she wanted and how to get it, and was stubborn enough not to let go of something once she sank her teeth into it. Alex was short, stocky, and pale where Kala was elegant, dark, and beautiful.
Two parents could not have produced a more unlikely pair of offspring.
Alex sat down at the black ebony desk that faced the window, staring out into the gray dawn of the coming morning. She tapped her fingers on the top in a constant rhythm, one foot jiggling in time to the beat her fingers were drumming out. As weary as she was physically, her mind would allow no sleep, no rest, and soon she was shaking with suppressed energy. Launching herself out of her chair, she started pacing around the room again. Her gaze skimmed over the room, as if looking for a way out, and landed on the door.
Kieran had expressly forbidden her to exit the room, on the threat of becoming a meal for one of his guests.
But now that she had the power to disappear and reappear somewhere else, she could easily get herself out of trouble in the off chance that she might even encounter any.
Well, she thought as she strode toward the door, I always have been a sucker for breaking rules.