Page 89 of Thicker than Water

“I…I thought I lost you,” I whisper. A lump forms in my throat. “I’m so, so sorry, Celine. I never meant to deceive you or your family. Ihatedhaving tospy on you. I was only doing it for my coven. But I know that’s no excuse…”

She shakes her head. “Don’t apologize. I know what it’s like, to have to do things you don’t want to do because of your loyalties.”

“But still…I never wanted to hurt you. The more I got to know you…the more I fell for you. All of those moments between us were real. I meant what I said, Celine. I love you.”

She holds me on her lap, looking down at me with such love in her eyes I could explode.

“I love you too, Amara. More than I ever thought was possible. I would do anything for you.”

Then I remember something, and I sit up suddenly.

“Wait! Your brother…Cedric…he’s at the hotel! Your chance to get revenge…”

She sighs. “It’s all right. That doesn’t matter, not if I have you.”

Her words make my weakened heart leap.

But…the blood flowing through my veins gives me new resolve.

And I don’t just have a love worth fighting for.

She comes with a family, too.

UNTIL I'M TURNED TO DUST

Celine

I stare at Amara incredulously. “You’vegotto be kidding me.”

“I swear on the moon,” she says, hand over heart. “It’ll fly, trust me.”

“You swear on themoon? How did I never realize you’re a witch?”

“My excellent spying abilities?” she says with a shrug. The motion seems to surprise her. “Wow, I can’t believe I feel so…amazing!”

I nod. “Vampire blood. The older it is, the more powerful its healing effects. But are you sure you’re well enough to fly? I could carry you.”

She flashes me a smile, holding the tattered old broomstick up. She found it in a hall closet in Lazarus’s mansion. “No way! I’ve beenitchingto use my magic, and now I’ve got all sorts of vampiric energy in my veins too.”

I start to protest, but I’m interrupted by a shuffling noise from the basement. Amara peers down the corridor anxiously.

“Let’s go,” she says, taking my hand and pulling me back into the empty hallway. “I knocked out some vampire guards earlier tonight. They must have stayed behind with Lazarus. They won’t be happy when they find his body.”

Her hand in mine calms me. Then she lets go, mounting her secondhand broom. She takes off quickly, soaring through the shattered glass window into the snowy sky. I follow her, surprised at how skillful her flying is.

Although the circumstances are dire, it feels amazing to be flyingbeside her. Not many vampires can fly, so I don’t have many partners. And she isclearlyin her element. The bright moon illuminates the pure joy on her face as she cruises easily through the air. She doesn’t seem bothered by the cold, or the whipping wind. She puts her face up to the sky, eyes closed.

As we head toward the hotel, she opens them again. When she catches me looking at her, she startles slightly.

“Sorry,” she says, self-consciously. “I just missed this so much. But I know we’ve got to focus. Your revenge on Cedric…”

“It’s nothing,” I reply, surprising myself. But I know the words I’m speaking are true. “Cedric doesn’t matter to me now. Maybe everyone was right. I was holding onto a grudge because it was all I had. But that isn’t true anymore.”

She smiles sheepishly. “What are you going to do? Tudor will be furious when he finds out about me…”

“I’m done with Tudor,” I reply. “I told him as much.”

Her eyes widen. “Really?”