“Don’t! Don’t you dare apologize!” I yelled, eyes glowing through the darkness. “Adam’s death will destroy my sister. I told you we couldn’t trust Blake, that if you wanted to learn how to fight, I would’ve shown you! But you didn’t listen. And you’ve brought the DOD into your life, Kat! Who knows what they know now?”
“I didn’t tell him anything!” Her voice broke again. “I never told him you healed me.”
My eyes narrowed. “Do you think he didn’t guess?”
She winced and whispered, “I’m sorry.”
I flinched, because sorry…sorry changed nothing. “And those times you were covered in bruises? That was him, wasn’t it? He was hurting you during training, wasn’t he? And never once did you think there may be something wrong with him? Goddammit, Kat! You’ve lied to me. You didn’t trust me!”
“I do trust—”
“Bullshit!” I shot forward, in her face. “Don’t say you trust me when it’s apparent you never did!”
Kat said nothing, because there wasn’t anything to say. I was right.
A burst of energy left me, slamming into an oak tree. It cracked with a loud snapping sound and then folded into a tree beside it. Kat jumped, gasping for air.
“All of this could’ve been prevented. Why couldn’t you trust me?” My voice cracked, and a fresh wave of tears coursed down her cheeks. I started forward, but stopped. Our eyes met. “I would’ve kept you safe.”
Pain flared in her eyes. She lifted her hand, reaching for me, but I stepped back. I turned and I left her there, in the barren coldness that had invaded my chest.
Chapter 27
Dee was awake when I returned to the house. She was on her knees, her cheek pressed to Adam’s still chest. Her entire body shook with the force of her sobs. Seeing her so broken killed me.
I walked over to her and knelt down, placing my hands on her shoulders. She didn’t seem aware of me. Ash was in Andrew’s arms on the other side of Adam. Matthew stood above them, and I could barely look at him.
It was Adam my gaze settled on and stayed there for a while. Adam hadn’t deserved this. God, none of us deserved this. Not even Kat.
“Come on.” My voice was gruff as I tugged Dee away from Adam. Her blotchy red face crumpled a second before she wrapped her arms around my neck. “Shh,” I whispered as I picked her up. “It’s going to be okay. It’s going to be all right.”
Her tears were already soaking my shirt.
I looked at Matthew. “I’m going to take her next door, and then I’ll take care of everything outside.”
He nodded without looking at me. “I’ll…I’ll take care of this.”
“Can you stay with Dee first?” I didn’t want her alone.
Dragging his gaze from Adam, he looked dazed. “Yes.” Matthew followed me next door. I kept Dee’s face pinned to my chest so she didn’t see Vaughn’s body. Warm air rushed at us as I walked into my house. I gently placed Dee on the couch. She immediately rolled onto her side, away from me.
I pressed my forehead to her cheek, my hands shaking. “I’m sorry, Dee. I’m so damn sorry.”
Dee cried louder.
Matthew sat by her legs, his head hanging. “God…”
Pushing away from the couch, I knocked the hair off my forehead and pivoted around. Energy rippled through me. I wanted to destroy something, but shit, there was already a mess outside.
“Where is he?” Matthew asked, his voice hoarse. “Blake?”
“Gone,” I answered after a moment. “He’s gone. He won’t be back.”
“You let him go?” Surprise filled his tone.
I closed my eyes. “We’ll talk when I get back, okay?”
None of this needed to be said in front of Dee.
I walked back outside. Ash was standing near the body of Vaughn. She didn’t look up as I went to her side. “Andrew is taking Adam back…back to the house.” Her voice was shaky, fragile. “I…don’t know what to do.”
“I’m sorry,” I said again, the words nowhere near adequate.
“I thought it would be you.” Her teary gaze met mine. “I thought she would get you killed, but it was my brother.”
Despite what I knew and what I didn’t know yet, I defended Kat. “She didn’t want this to happen. If anything…” I sighed, weary as my gaze fell to Vaughn. “If anything, she was trying to avoid this.”
“But it did happen, didn’t—” Her voice broke off.
The next thing I knew, white light swallowed Vaughn’s body. The Source was coming from Ash. I didn’t stop her. Nothing but ash remained where Vaughn once lay. “I want to kill them all,” she gritted out. “All of them.”
Ash brushed past me, and I turned halfway, watching her head into my house. I knew what she was feeling. I’d gone through it before, and there would be nothing that I could say that would make it okay.
I took care of Vaughn’s Expedition and Blake’s truck, moving them both farther down the road before I tapped into the Source and lit them up. I fed the fire that engulfed them, the flames turning white. After several minutes, there was nothing left of them, not even a burned-out shell.