Silver Moon (Colors of the Moon #3)

Chapter 27

My heart felt like it was going to burst through my chest by the time I finally opened my eyes. I was barely able to contain the gasp before it could squeeze its way through my throat and alert Theo. The said guy was still sleeping on his side, his warm breath tickling my skin.

I used the steady rhythm of his breaths to help ground me back to the semi-dark bedroom. While the nightmares were nothing new for me, something had changed this night. For the first time in five years, the image changed. My mother still stuffed me inside the big closet and used the freezing spell on me. This time, however, she had stopped before she closed the door. Her forest green eyes had melted into mine, and she'd whispered something. Words I couldn't remember, but that still felt real.

"I love you, Gabriela," she had said. "No matter what happens don't put the blame on yourself. It was my choice."

The words rang over and over again inside my mind and prevented me from falling back asleep.

At the same time, I wanted to give Theo some more time to rest. This is why, with a little squirming, I managed to get out of his hold and land silently on the floor. I reached for my phone on the nightstand and winced at how early it was. Not even eight in the morning. This called for an immediate dose of caffeine.

As quietly as possible I made my way downstairs. I was sure I was the only one already awake. After all, who in their right mind would be out of bed before eight o'clock? This is why I didn't bother to change out of the oversized shirt and the pair of purple panties I was wearing.

The scent of freshly brewed coffee tingled my nostrils, which caused me to slow down just in front of the kitchen. I wasn't the only one awake, after all.

My eyes snapped down to my state of undress, but after a second I shrugged it off. This was still my house, so it shouldn't matter what I was wearing. All thoughts of the brown liquid worth more than gold, however, vanished the moment I entered the kitchen.

Leaning against one of the counters was Vivian and molded against her front was Kasey. Her hand was resting on Vivian's hip, with a few fingers hiding underneath a white shirt. One of Vivian's hands, on the other hand, was curled in Kasey's hair. Their lips were moving in a gentle rhythm, perfectly in sync.

Something between a cough and a shriek squeezed through my throat. My brain was unable to comprehend what exactly I was seeing.

The two jumped apart as if they had just been scorched by a Fire witch. They spun to face me with equally wide eyes.

We stared at each other for a few silent heartbeats.

"I..." I felt a heat rise up my cheeks, so I began to back away. "I'll just be..." I let my words trail off and pointed with my thumb to the door behind me. Then without a second to spare, I fled back upstairs.

"Gabriela!" Vivian reached me just as I was one door away from the safety of my bedroom.

I did my best to reach the door in time, however, her strong grip on my forearm forced me to stop.

"I'm sorry." She stared at me with big pleading eyes. "You were never meant to see that. I didn't want you to find out this way."

I glanced at the closed door for a second and then allowed my shoulders to sink. This wasn't something we could avoid until it disappeared.

"I know I shouldn't have hidden the truth from you for so long, but... I didn't know how to tell you. It was never the right time... Are you... Are you disappointed... in me being... you know..."

"No, of course not!" Only then did I realize what my reaction must have looked like. "I don't care who you like. Men or women... I just... I still thought of you as my twelve-year-old half sister."