Vampire Mine - Kerrelyn Sparks [74]
She stepped closer, then gasped. There on her pillow was the angel sun catcher she’d admired earlier in a shop window. Connor must have gone back to get it. That sweet, adorable man.
She picked it up and ran her fingers over the smooth golden glass of the angel’s body and the carved facets of the angel’s crystal wings.
How she missed her wings! Tears filled her eyes, and she sat on the edge of the bed. She held the angel in her lap and skimmed her fingers over its wings. A tear fell onto the angel, and she used the edge of her bathrobe to dry it. She’d lost her wings. And the longer she stayed here on Earth, the more human she would become.
She’d lost her wings. But she’d found Connor.
With a sob, she pressed the angel to her chest. There was no point in denying the truth that was in her heart.
She was falling in love with him.
It was late afternoon when she awoke. She showered and dressed, then peeked out the bedroom door. She preferred to know exactly where Brynley was so she wouldn’t accidentally bump into her.
A delicious smell wafted toward her. Brynley must have cooked something, but she was no longer in the kitchen.
“Hello?” Marielle stepped into the main room.
“In here,” Brynley called from the walk-in closet.
Marielle gasped. What on earth was Brynley doing in there? She rushed to the open door and gasped again.
Brynley had removed Connor’s shoes and knee socks, and she was busy painting his toenails hot pink.
“Good heavens!” Marielle watched in horror. “What are you doing?”
“What does it look like?” Brynley smirked, then motioned toward his kilt. “Hey, should we lift it up and take a peek?”
“No!” Marielle’s face flushed with heat. She didn’t want to admit she’d already seen his private parts. Twice.
“You just proved my point.” Brynley went back to painting the toenails on his right foot. “You don’t have a mean bone in your body.”
“What do my bones have to do with you painting his toenails? It’s going to make him very angry.”
“I’m counting on it.” Brynley started on his left foot. “I was thinking about it all day, and I don’t think you’ll be able to dump him. You’re too nice. So, the only option left is to piss him off and chase him away.”
Marielle grimaced. “Chase him away?” She glanced at his handsome face. Could she really do that?
Brynley looked up at her. “If you try to reason with him, he’ll just argue with you until you cave in. So the best strategy is to make him so angry, he wants to leave.”
Marielle swallowed hard.
“Listen carefully,” Brynley continued. “When he comes after you, furious and demanding why you did this to him, you tell him, ‘I felt like it. And if you don’t like it, you can leave and never come back.’ ”
“That sounds terrible.”
“Yeah, but it works.” Brynley’s mouth twisted. “I should know.” She started on Connor’s fingernails.
“Oh no!” Marielle protested. “Not those, too.”
Brynley gave her a stern look. “It’s your only hope. Now let me hear you say it.”
Marielle winced, then quietly said, “I felt like it. And if you don’t like it, you can leave and never come back.”
“Again. With more strength. He has to believe you mean it.”
She repeated it, although each word felt like it was being wrenched from her soul.
She trudged outside and sat in a rocking chair on the front porch. How had she come to this in just a few days?
A while later, Brynley came out with a plate of food and a glass of water. She set them on the small wooden table next to Marielle. “You must be hungry. And you need to keep your strength up.”
“Thank you.” She ate a little, but her appetite worsened as she watched the sun descend in the sky. Could she do it? Could she chase Connor away?
As the sun hovered over the horizon, the temperature dropped. She shivered and took her dishes into the cabin.
Brynley had turned on the lights. “Almost time.” She picked up the shotgun. “I’m ready for him.”
Marielle dropped her plate with a clatter into the kitchen sink. “How angry do