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Chapter 17
Declan:
He gasped and his eyes snapped open. Sitting bolt upright in bed, Declan reached out, searching, trying to connect with her, but his mind touched only emptiness. “No,” he whispered.
His throat burned, and his head threatened to split open. It wasn’t dark yet, but he forced himself to stay awake. As soon as the sun set, he planned on going back to the Montgomery estate – he had to make sure she was really dead, and then he had to tell Edward that he failed.
Slowly, he got up from the bed and went to his bathroom. The warm water helped to ease his painful muscles and aching head a little. When he was done, he wrapped a towel around his waist, wiped steam from the mirror and stared at his reflection. His eyes were swollen and red, skin pale-blue, lips tinged grey. It was a consequence of making a vampire. Once the sun set and he fed, he’d look more alive than dead.
Thinking about Aster hurt. It surprised him. He didn’t think he c
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Declan: He heard her bones cracking and shifting back into place. It felt like the healing process took hours, but in reality, it took no more than thirty minutes. He winced and hissed softly when she dug her nails deeply into his forearm, but like a husband holding his wife’s hand during childbirth, he didn’t say a word. She was worse off than he thought she’d be – maybe because she was sick before he made her. When he saw her there on the ground, her body bent in all directions, the weird angle of her neck, the silent screams of utter despair, he felt his heart break into a million pieces, and for a moment, he wished he could take it all back. Declan was glad now that he decided to heal her before they attempted it, she wouldn’t have survived the process if he hadn’t. Breathing hard and sweating profusely, she relaxed against him. She was still crying softly, but her tears were drying up. He let her get it out of her system, the tra
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Declan: He could kick himself. He knew the moment they approached her room that Aster was unsettled, yet he pushed her anyway. It wasn’t until she started to freak out completely that he realised his mistake…he’d have to learn to listen the new instincts that awakened when she was reborn. Declan found two suitcases in the back of Aster’s vast closet and pulled them out. The cases clearly hadn’t been used in some time, but they looked to still be in good condition. While he gathered her clothes, his phone buzzed. Without looking at the caller I.D., he answered, “Yeah?” Holding the phone between his shoulder and ear, he kept going. “How are things there?” Rowan asked without a greeting. “It’s fine. She’s doing well.” “No brain damage or anything like that?” “No. Emotional though.” “That’s to be expected. Edward will be there in half an hour.” “Oh God,” Declan plopped on the unmade bed. The room really did
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Aster: Edward sat on his knees, slumped over, shoulders shaking, his head buried in his arms. At first Aster didn’t move … she had seen her father cry only once before – at her mother’s funeral, and that was so long ago now, that she could barely remember it. For some reason this display of emotion disgusted and angered her. Declan walked up to her, put his hand on her hip, bent low and whispered, “I don’t know why you feel the way you feel, but you need to talk to him.” His voice was barely audible. Her father didn’t even notice, but she heard him clear as bell. Aster nodded, and on shaky legs walked over to her father. For some reason, he repulsed her, and touching him made her skin crawl. Why? She wondered. She glanced at Declan. He gave her an encouraging nod. “Daddy,” she said. “Don’t cry. Look at me,” she lifted his head and the revulsion of seeing his face, wet with snot and tears made her gag softly, “I’m fine now.”
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Declan: Aster bristled with anger – it sparkled in the air like electricity. Declan stood closer, getting ready to stop her in case she lost her temper. Anger was the strongest of vampire emotions, and took the longest to get under control. It took him nearly a century to learn how to control his rage. He was angry with Edward too – if it were anyone else, Declan would have helped Aster to kill him, but the guilt would have eaten her alive. The second Aster lunged towards her father he came up behind her. He almost grabbed her, but at the last minute pulled back. He wanted Edward to learn a lesson – it would cut the argument about whether or not Aster had to stay down to one minute instead of an hour. Edward let out a yelp of surprise, then squealed as Aster sunk her fangs into his neck. She missed his vein by only a fraction, and very little blood pumped from the wound. He fought against her, trying to push her off him, screaming her name, b
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Aster: The weight of the world lifted from her shoulders. The more distance she put between her and her father, the better she felt. Maybe one day she’d be able to come back to this mansion, but right now she had no nostalgia about it at all. Her childhood was mostly lonely and sad. Her teen years were punctuated by a boyfriend or three that were only interested in her money, and the few friends she had were rich kids like her, and they all disappeared when it became too difficult to be her friend. Yes, Aster was happy to close the front door of Montgomery house behind her. A young man, maybe in his early twenties, sat on the balustrade encircling the veranda. He jumped up when he saw them, beaming at her. “Aster. It’s so nice to meet you. I’m Joel, Declan's brother.” Before she could say a single word, he hugged her. “Oh," she said, a little taken aback by the unknown man's friendliness. "It’s nice to meet you too.” “How are
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Declan: Aster stood on the lawn, looking up at their manor, her mouth hanging open. Declan grinned at her. She hardly grew up poor, but Edward’s wealth, vast as it may have been, wasn’t a fraction of the wealth Declan’s family had built up over the centuries. “Wow,” she said, “just…wow. I thought we were rich.” “You are, it’s just that we’re…richer.” “How do you find your way around this place?” “It’s insane, right? Declan used to draw me maps,” Joel chuckled. “But you’ll get used to it.” “Wanna go inside?” Declan asked Aster. “Sure,” she said, still amazed and a little breathless. But before they could, Samuel and Matthew came flying out of the house. “Dammit,” Declan swore under his breath. He had no desire to see Matthew tonight – or any other night in the foreseeable future. “Aster,” the brothers exclaimed in unison, and went right for her. Declan took her hand in his, and she gave him a gra
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