Vampire Mine - Kerrelyn Sparks [77]
She blinked away the tears. She didn’t want Connor to see her falling apart. Ever since their return to the cabin, he had paced about like a caged animal. A few times, she glanced his way and discovered him looking at her. He always turned away, but not quickly enough that she didn’t catch the glint of pain in his eyes. His pacing continued until he retrieved his claymore from the closet and went outside.
After a while, she wandered over to the window to look outside. The nearly full moon shone down on the clearing in front of the cabin. Connor had erected make-believe enemies out of logs and bales of hay, and he was practicing with his sword.
No, he was more than practicing. He was slaughtering his pretend enemies. The force of his blows was frightening. The rage in his shouts pierced her heart.
“Connor,” she whispered, pressing a hand against the window. “I don’t belong here. I’m sorry.”
As soon as the women arrived, he teleported away.
“He looks so sad,” Marta murmured as she brought Marielle a plate of food.
“Of course he’s sad.” Brynley grabbed a beer from the refrigerator and popped the can open. “He got dumped.”
“Brynley told us about the pink fingernails.” Vanda sat on the couch close to Marielle and gave her a worried look. “I hear he was really pissed.”
“Yes.” Marielle set her plate of food on the coffee table. “But it wasn’t so much the polish. It was the way I rejected him and his word.” The tears she had held back for hours escaped and ran down her cheeks. “I didn’t want to hurt him.”
“He hurt himself when he fell for you.” Brynley walked over to the kitchen table.
“Shh,” Vanda hushed her. “He’s not the only one hurting.”
“Don’t make me out to be the bad guy,” Brynley grumbled as she sprawled onto a kitchen chair. “We all know she had to dump him. I’m sorry that it hurt, Marielle, but it would have hurt a lot worse if you had gotten more involved with him.”
Marielle sighed. “I suppose you’re right.”
Marta handed her a box of tissues, then sat across from her in the rocking chair. “You’re not eating. You need to keep your strength up.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“Are you in love with him?” Vanda asked quietly.
“Yes.” She wiped her face with a tissue. “A part of me wonders how it could have happened so quickly. But then I see him, and my heart feels like it will burst, and I think how could I possibly not love him?”
Vanda’s eyes narrowed. “How much do you love him? What’s it worth to you?”
She set the tissue box on the coffee table. “All love that comes from the Father is deemed worthy.”
“This is Earth,” Vanda said. “Everything we do here has a price. Even love.”
“I would never seek love for financial or personal benefit.”
“I’m not talking about money.” Vanda gave her a stern look. “How much are you willing to sacrifice for your love?”
Marielle swallowed hard as she finally understood Vanda’s question. How much did she love Connor?
To Marielle’s dismay, Connor continued to remain cold and distant on their fourth night together. He set up the clock, then yelled different times from the front porch. Three o’clock. Seven o’clock. She was supposed to react by knocking down only the log that corresponded to his order. Sometimes she succeeded, sometimes not. With a frown, he announced she wasn’t ready yet.
A small voice inside her celebrated, and it occurred to her that if she was slow with her training, she would have more time with Connor. But then she chastised herself for being selfish. The Malcontents were feeding and killing every night. They needed to be stopped.
When she sensed a number of deaths in Colorado, Connor linked minds with her for a few seconds to go there. The last reported location of the Malcontents had been in Kansas, so it was close enough that he wanted to check it out.
But the deaths were the result of a collapsed mine shaft, and the area was swarming with media.