Authors: Kristi Cook

Mirage (33 page)

BOOK: Mirage

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“Don’t, Aidan,” I pleaded, reaching up to grip his wrists. “Please, you can’t do this.”

“I have to, don’t you see? How can I look at you, touch you, without remembering what I’ve done? You deserve better. Remember, you’re a
Sâbbat
. Find your
Megvéd
. You’re meant to be with him, not me.”

With a start, I turned toward Matthew. He was leaning against the cab now, watching us intently.

Aidan’s gaze followed mine. A split second later I saw a flicker of understanding in his eyes. “Ah, I see you’ve found him already.”

I felt it then—his pain. Exquisite pain, radiating from inside him in rippling waves of utter devastation and hopelessness. With a gasp, I blocked my mind, unable to bear it.

When he raised his gaze to meet mine, his eyes were shuttered, his expression wiped clean. “It’s okay, love. You need to go. Whitney’s all alone, and you’ve got a lot to explain to her.”

I nodded, choking back a sob.

He glanced back at Matthew, his expression grave. “Dr. Byrne?” he said, taking a step away from the curb. Away from
me
. “Take care of her, okay?”

Matthew nodded. “Of course.”

Aidan turned back toward me. He raised a hand to his lips and kissed his fingers, then pressed them against my chest.
I’ll always be yours,
came his voice in my head.
Heart and soul.

And then he simply turned and walked away, falling into step beside Trevors.

Matthew reached for me, steadying me. Wordlessly, he helped me into the cab. As soon as the door shut, he called out my address to the cabbie. I had no idea how he knew it; I didn’t care.

The car lurched forward, and I twisted in the seat, looking out the rear window, hoping for one last glimpse of Aidan—just one.

But he and Trevors had vanished, swallowed up into the night.

“It’ll be okay, Violet,” Matthew murmured beside me. “It has to be this way; deep in your heart, you know it. There’s no other way.”

Oh, but there is.

Straightening my spine, I turned to face forward, my jaw set with determination. There
was
another way, and I was going to find it. If they thought I was going to sit by idly and let them take Aidan, let them torture him or whatever else the Tribunal did to their prisoners, they were wrong.
Dead
wrong.

I wasn’t sure what my next move was, but I knew I needed to find Mrs. Girard, and fast. I needed to talk to her. If she wasn’t still at Winterhaven, Cece could help me track her down. In the meantime, I’d get Matthew to help me replay the vision that I believed showed the sabotage. There must be some small clue that I’d missed, not realizing its importance. Some identifying mark on the hands I’d seen, maybe. A blemish. A watch.
Something.

I glanced up, the city lights reduced to a colorful blur outside the cab’s window. My resolve strengthened with every block, my certainty increasing.

Mrs. Girard would listen to me. After all, Aidan was her greatest creation, her crown jewel. She needed him for
something
, and whatever it was, it was important to her. She didn’t realize that I knew about his royal lineage or that I’d told Aidan about it. I would use that to my advantage, somehow.

And Aidan, well … at some point he’d have to forgive himself. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but maybe proof that someone had sabotaged his work would make it more so.

At least, I hoped it would.

“Right over here, at the end of the block,” Matthew called out. As the cab slid in front of Patsy’s building, he gently touched my hand. “Hey, you okay?”

I took a deep breath, and then looked him in the eye, my
Megvéd
. “I’m going to be,” I said with a nod. We were
all
going to be okay—even Aidan. I would make sure of it.

Because despite it all, I still loved him. I
knew
him, recognized the kindred heart that beat inside his immortal body, desperate to be set free.

I
was going to set him free.

There was at least one part of the
Sâbbat
/vampire legend that was correct: He was meant for me, and I for him.

Just not quite the way it was intended.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I’m always amazed when I realize how many people play a role in turning an idea into a real, actual book. What seems at first glance a solitary effort is really a collaboration, and I have so many people to thank.

First, my wonderful critique partners and beta readers. Carey Corp, I couldn’t have done this one without you! Your notes, ideas, and brainstorming sessions—all priceless. Thank you! An equally enthusiastic thank-you to Cindy Thomas and Amalie Howard. I owe you all some
serious
chocolate!

Thanks also to my supersupportive writer peeps—the ones who listen to me whine and help keep me sane on a daily basis: Ann Christopher, Lori Devoti, Laura Drewry, Caroline Linden, Sally MacKenzie, and Eve Silver. You all are the bestest.

As always, a giant thank-you to my amazing agent, Marcy Posner, and equally fab editor, Jennifer Klonsky. I’m so lucky to work with the awesome team at Simon Pulse—Michael Strother, Lydia Finn, Carolyn Swerdloff, Dawn Ryan, and so many others. Cupcakes one day. I promise.

Thank you to the readers and bloggers who embraced
Haven
and who dedicate so much time and effort to the YA community. Special thanks to the lovely ladies at Good Choice Reading: Damaris, Wanda, and Maria. You rock!

And last, a huge, sloppy thank-you to my wonderful family—Dan, Vivian, and Eleanor. Love you guys!