"Jesus Christ, Beverly. What have I done to you?"The words tore from Diro's throat as he held her against his chest. Her body was so cold it felt like holding death itself. Her lips were blue, her skin see-through like paper, and for one scary moment he couldn't find her pulse.Then - there. Weak as a butterfly's wing, but there.He took the stairs three at a time, his bare feet hitting the marble, his heart beating so hard he thought it might explode. Beverly's head fell against his shoulder, and he could smell the copper scent of dried blood mixed with her fading perfume.God, she's so light. When did she get so damn light?As he burst through their bedroom door, his mind betrayed him, dragging him back twenty years to another night, another time he'd carried her broken body to safety.She was thirteen then, all wide eyes and trust, following him everywhere like a shadow. His shadow. His responsibility."Promise me something, boy," Grandfather had said, those steel-gray eyes boring
Last Updated : 2025-09-25 Read more