Alek floods in, too, the last moments running from him and the demon. Is he okay? Did he get back out again and if he did, was he alone?
“You really want to go back there?” asks Finn, looking up sharply.
“That’s where I live, isn’t it?” He doesn’t respond. “Do you know where Alek is now?”
“No. Did you see him when you were there?”
“There? Where was I?”
Finn wrinkles his nose. “In the waiting area?”
I laugh at the obviousness of the answer. “Of course, because everybody has to wait their turn…”
“It could’ve been worse.”
“I’m perfectly aware of that. Will you take me home so I can wait for Alek, or not?”
“Fine.”
“Good.” I wave him away. “Let me get dressed.”
“I’ll talk to the doctor.” Finn’s tall figure slips through the curtains.
I shuffle into my leggings and dress then locate my shoes. I have my rabbit hole, but it’s not the one I wanted.
Chapter 30
ROSE
We travel in Finn’s car from the hospital back to the house, a hollow emptiness accompanying me. The conversation we had by the roadside isn’t mentioned, and the cold fog around Finn has returned.
“How do you feel?” Finn asks, not looking away from the road.
“Tired.” Since leaving the hospital, all I’ve wanted to do is crawl into bed and rest.
“Too weak to be around me,” he says quietly.
“Probably.”
The silence re-enters the car and remains for the rest of the journey. The ordinary, terraced house with its weird secrets appears as the car climbs the hill.
“Did Lizzie ever come back?” I ask Finn
“No idea, I didn’t ask about her. Maybe speak to Tom? I think Alek spoke to him. I…kept away.”
“Do you think Alek will come back?” I ask as I unlock the front door.
Finn shoves his hands in his pocket. “If he knows you’re here, yes.”
I step through the front door, and someone careers into me and I’m knocked sideways. I land heavily on the floor and a surprised-looking Finn catches hold of a girl as she charges at the front door.
She drags herself from his grasp and hits the invisible barrier, which once trapped me. “What the fuck?” she yells. The small girl with bobbed black hair and too much eye make-up streaked across her face from crying stares at us. “Where’s the other one?”
“What other one?”
“The dark-haired dude in the leather jacket who was here. Likes kidnapping people.”
“Do you mean Alek?” I ask, picking myself of the floor.
Finn closes the door and rests against it. “She’s a Shade,” he says to me.
“Oh yeah, you going to tell me I’m dead now like the other guy did?” she snaps at him. “And why can’t I get out of the house?”
“She’s a Shade who’s filled with energy. Alek’s, I presume.” He side-glances me. “You could take some.”
“What?” the girl steps backwards. “Don’t you come near me.”
Finn cocks a brow. “If I wanted to hurt you, you wouldn’t be standing there right now. Rose?”
The fear this girl tries to hide reminds me of my own, as does her confusion. “If she’s no danger to me, I don’t want to. I’ll wait.”
“For Alek?” asks Finn.
“The last time I was created, I didn’t need to feed for weeks, did I?”
A squeak comes from the girl in the corner. “Feed? Jesus fucking Christ, are you a vampire?” She points at Finn. “What are you?”
“Where did Alek go?” I ask.
“Dunno. He vanished. He did this weird thing...” She holds her hand against her chest to indicate. “Then he was gone. Is he coming back? Can he let me out?”
“And you feel what now?” asks Finn.
“Normal. Like I want to go home, if someone can explain why I can’t get out of the door. Because I really want to leave before anything else freakish happens.”
My legs ache so I cross to the sofa and sit. “Alek didn’t tell you?”
“Alek said a lot of things.”
“Like you’re dead?”
“I am not dead! Look!” The girl stomps over to the light and switches it on and off. “And this.” She picks up a cushion from the sofa and throws it on the floor. “Or are you saying I’m a poltergeist?”
“I’m too tired for this, Finn. I need to rest. Am I safe to sleep?”
Finn nods. “Fine. Your human body is tired, but your soul’s energy is fine; I’ll keep her away from you.”
The girl snorts. “No need to worry there, I don’t want to be near any of you.” She walks over to my bag and I stare in disbelief as she rummages around and pulls out my phone. “Can I use this?”
I open my mouth to respond before Finn says, “Yes. But it won’t work.”
“Of course not,” she says sarcastically and turns the screen to him. “Look, a battery life and a signal.”