Ice Blue [ Book One ]

14 // Meanwhile

He put that bottle to his head and pulled the trigger
And finally drank away her memory
Life is short but this time it was bigger
Than the strength he had to get up off his knees
We found him with his face down in the pillow
With a note that said "I'll love her 'til I die"
And when we buried him beneath the willow
The angels sang a whiskey lullaby

• • •

meanwhile . . .

l u c k y

"I know you miss your sister, Lucky," Kay was telling me for the umpteenth time in the past two-and-a-half-months. "But you know how it is when Andy's made a decision. If you keep pushing him on it, you're going to get more than just this next time." She presses her thumb gently against the deep gash in my waist.

I breathed in sharply through my shuttering tears, the still-healing cut against my skin being a reminder of my constant begging. He had finally turned on me and lashed out, then told me to use this as a warning next time I wanted to challenge his decision.

I didn't want to challenge his decision, I just wanted my sister back.

I wanted Rivera home again. Was she even alive?

Was she even out there?

The door slammed open and my Chosen stood there with a pale look on her face. "You guys may want to come downstairs. Andy's in a rage again."

"Why?" I mumbled, sniffling and looking up at her beautiful face.

She grimaced. "Because his grandfather is here."

• • •

r i v e r a

My ears were ringing as the glass shattered around me in tiny pieces. My sensitive hearing had caught every single sound — from the first crack of glass to the explosion of shattered bits that followed.

A surprised yelp escaped Zaria as she jerked away from the bed as the window shards sliced through my skin and flew toward her. They hit the wall and fell to the carpet quietly.

I didn't bother to check my wounds as I tossed the blankets off of me and crawled across the mattress, slicing my knees in the process. "Zaria? Are you okay?"

She peeked up at me and reared back, her face coiled with shock. "Am I okay? You're cut, Rivera, everywhere!"

My head dropped and I peered at my arms and legs, then looked back at the bed and saw smeared bright red stains on the sheets. Ugh. That'll be an embarrassing story to tell Princeton later, but luckily I don't have to use the period excuse.

"I'm fine," I assured her as I got out of bed and tugged her up. Flares of stinging heat raced up my arm when I touched her, causing me to wince. "We need to—"

"What's going on?" The door slammed open to reveal Costa and Hermès, stiff and ready to attack at any given word. "Did someone break in?"

"We don't know," Zaria said, grabbing my hips and urging me toward the two. "Get her out of here and somewhere else. If it's an attack be it from one of ours, a stupid kid, or even the Gonzales, I do not want her to be here when we find out."