Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 112287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 561(@200wpm)___ 449(@250wpm)___ 374(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112287 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 561(@200wpm)___ 449(@250wpm)___ 374(@300wpm)
Elena’s throat hurt. She hadn’t met this Beth before, this older, more mature version of her flighty and soft younger sister. “Bethie,” she said, her voice a rasp. “You’re not supposed to grow up.”
Instead of laughing, Beth said, “Grow old, you mean?” A tenderness to her expression, the fingers of her free hand affectionate on Elena’s cheek. “I get that, too, Ellie. The fear you must have inside you—because I see it in my husband’s eyes each night when we say good night. He lies awake for hours. I know that because sometimes I wake and he’s just there looking at me.”
“I told you when you first met that Harry guy that he was creepy,” Elena muttered.
“Oh, hush.” Beth broke their handclasp to pour them both tea. “You like him now that you’ve seen how he is as a husband and father.”
“Upgraded from zero stars to three. Best I can do as your big sister.” It was easier to make jokes than to confront the truth Beth had laid out in front of her.
But her suddenly tough sister wasn’t letting go. Not today. “He’s so afraid, Ellie. Of the day I go. Of the day our children go.”
Elena had always blamed Harrison for his own pain; he was the one who hadn’t waited for Beth’s test results to come back before he’d chosen to be Made. Only to discover that Beth was incompatible with the toxin that Made vampires. Now, however . . .
“I tell myself that most mortals have a single lifetime with their loved ones,” Elena said past a too-tight throat, “that there are a ton of messed-up immortals who’ve had eons to get a relationship right and never managed it because there’s always more time. That it’s quality, not quantity, that counts . . . but, Beth, the idea of you not being here one day . . .”
Tears burned her irises. She fought back the flood with clenched teeth and another hard swallow.
“I know.” Beth’s smile was that of her somewhat scatterbrained sister again, bright and cheerful. “Imagine how I felt when you were flying into battle against angels who were throwing literal thunderbolts of power.” A nudge with her elbow. “I’m always going to be your first baby sister. No matter what happens or how many years pass, I’ll always be that part of you. No one can ever take my place.”
Elena looked at her. “You sound so smug,” she said with a shaky laugh.
“I am.” Beth made an even more smug face before taking a sip of her tea. “Also, I expect a monument to your love for me after I’m gone. A giant statue.”
“Birds poop on statues.”
Beth snorted tea out her nose, and then they were both laughing so hard their stomachs hurt. They didn’t even notice that Eve and Amy had arrived until their two half sisters walked through the back gate.
“No one answered the door,” Eve said when they looked up; she wore camo-green pants paired with a long-sleeve black tee, over which she’d strapped on the forearm sheaths Elena had gifted her on her graduation from Guild Academy.
“Evie!” Beth beamed. “Amy!” She hugged each one in turn.
Because this was Beth, Elena thought. She might be smug about always being Ellie’s “first” little sister, but she had enough love in her heart not to mind that Elena now had two other little sisters.
Elena hugged Eve, too, squeezing her much shorter sibling tight. Eve hugged her back as hard. Their relationship was different from the one Elena had with Beth, but it was as fierce. Not only was Eve so much younger, her bond with Elena was built on what it was to be driven by the need to hunt.
When it came time to greet Amy, Elena waited for her to take the lead, still not certain where they were in their relationship. Amy, dressed in a stylish navy pantsuit paired with a lacy camisole, black heels on her feet and her hair sleek and straight, came in for a hug. She didn’t hold it as long as Eve, but neither was it surface gloss. Elena found herself gently patting Amy’s back as they parted.
Amy’s smile was lopsided. “It’s funny, you know,” she murmured, while Beth was chatting to Eve about the cake she’d made—because taut, toned, and in-hunter-shape Eve still loved cake as much as she had as a child.
“I hunt so I can eat cake,” she’d said more than once, while scooping up bites of cake with a golden cake fork. Because Eve also loved her cake forks, the fancier the better. Elena had gifted her a vintage enameled set for her last birthday.
“What’s funny?” she said to Amy. “Eve’s desire to taste every cake in the world?”
Amy’s shoulders shook. “She’s adorable, isn’t she?” A smile thrown at the most petite member of the family. “No, how you did that patting thing. I do that with Eve. I’ve always thought of myself as the big sister.”