Mark of Betrayal (Dark Secrets #3)(127)
Author: A.M. Hudson

I couldn’t watch him get hit again. “Fine. I have a headache from Mike forcing me to zap things today, anyway. I need to go rest.”

“Okay.” Eric nodded and smiled, keeping his eyes on the fight as I wandered away. “Oh, and Ara?”

“Yeah?”

He held his arm out; I folded into his embrace, frowning while he hugged me tightly.

“What was that for?” I asked, stepping back.

He shrugged. “Just because.”

“O…kay,” I said, and walked away again. As I made it to the doors, the knights’ roar of disgust barely masked the sound of something wet splashing across the floor. I walked faster. I didn’t want to know who or what just split open, and I so was not petting either of them up afterward.

Chapter Sixteen

Morgaine stroked the brush through my hair. Tingles of pleasure trickled through the long waves, like static fingers, kissing my nerves. I closed my eyes.

“How’s the headache now, Your Majesty?”

“It’s fading.” I looked down at my hands. “It seems like every time I get stronger, the headaches get more severe. I shot Falcon back ten feet today with my spark, and Eric said he felt his heart start when he got hit—like David, at the lake.”

“I wonder what it would do to a vampire if their heart actually started?”

“I don’t know. Maybe they’d turn back into a human?”

“If only it were so easy.” Morg laughed.

“Knock, knock.” Mike tapped lightly on the door.

“What?” I said, with more than a little hostility.

“Ur, can I come in?”

I looked at Morgaine through the mirror, and she put the brush down, walking over to push Mike out. “Her Majesty isn’t talking to you, Mike.”

“Ar, come on,” he whined. “I’m sorry, okay. Maybe it was a bit mean to go up against him that way, but he asked for it.”

“How?” I stood up; Morg stepped back. “By doing everything he can to help us out.”

“Help us out?” he scoffed. “How’s he helping?”

“By being a friend. By…I don’t know. He’s on our side. I thought that counted for something.”

Mike sighed and wandered into my room. “I don’t trust him, Ara. I never will.”

I sat down on the blanket box. “But you were unfair today. You…if you did that to any of your knights, you’d be dishonourably discharged, Mike. That was flat-out abuse, and you know it.”

He looked at Morg; she shrugged and slinked backward, closing my bedroom door behind her.

“Okay. Maybe you’re right. But—” He huffed and sat down beside me. “Can you blame me, really?”

I folded my arms and turned my body to face away from him. “I thought you had more honour than that.”

In the reflection of my dresser mirror, I saw him rock back, sitting a little taller, my statement clearly hitting him in the heart. “Look, I didn’t come up here to argue this Jason thing, I—”

“Where is he?” I asked. “Did you leave him unconscious in the training room, or did you at least have him moved?”

“He’s in the Medic room.”

My heart shattered. “Medic room! What did you do to him?”

“He’ll be okay. He just…He hasn’t regained consciousness yet.”

“Oh, my God!” I stood up. “Mike!”

“He’ll be fine, look—” He stood up and grabbed my forearm. “I came up here to tell you something.”

“No. I have to go see him.” I went to walk away, but his fingers tightened on my arm.

“Baby, Eric’s leaving.”

“What?” I screeched. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, he’s leaving. He’s got his bag and he’s outside, right now, waiting for a taxi.”

“Why?”

Mike shrugged and opened my door.

“When was he going to tell me this?”

“He wasn’t. He was just gonna leave.”

“Why? Why would he do that?”

“He hates goodbyes, Ara. He didn’t want to upset you—or more to the point, have to see you upset.”

“No! If he’s leaving, he can damn well say goodbye.” I stormed out of the room.

“Eric!” I leaped past the last set of stairs and sprung up on the front doorstep. “What are you doing?”

“Ara?” He looked up at Mike as he came out behind me. “Thanks, Mike. So much for a clean getaway.”

“A clean getaway?” I said. “Eric, you don’t make clean getaways from your friends.”

“I’m sorry, Ara. I just didn’t wanna do the goodbyes.”

“But what about me? What if I wanted to?” I turned away so he wouldn’t see me cry.

“Aw, kiddo.” I heard a car pull up on the gravel as Eric’s hand came down on my shoulder. “I’m sorry, but my band just got signed. This a great opportu—”

“What?” I spun around.

“I—” He toed the ground. “We got a contract with a really huge record label, and—”

I cut his words off with my arms around his neck. “Eric, that’s amazing!”

“Yeah.” He laughed, patting my back. “I know. So, please don’t be upset. I never wanted to leave you, but…this isn’t really my thing.” He motioned around the manor. “I kinda got dragged into all this, and, I mean, I’ll always be a friend, but…”

“You have a life to live.” I nodded.

“Yeah.” His lip twitched on one corner.

“Then go.” I patted his shoulder and nodded to the taxi. “This is why I disbanded the Sets, Eric. I want nothing more than for you to have your freedom.”

“See, that’s exactly why I didn’t wanna tell you I was leaving.”

“Why?”

“Because, you’re such a great girl, Amara, and I…I owe you—”

“You owe me? Eric, I think I—”

“No, seriously.” He stopped me. “Look at it from my point of view; I’ve spent my entire vampire existence dying for a way to escape this prison—watching people rise to fame—Biebers and other pop-music douchebags, when I’ve got a sound that could rock the world. You’ve given me the freedom to live that dream, Ara. I owe you, and I really didn’t wanna make you unhappy by leaving.”

“Well, Eric, it’ll make me happy to know that you’re living. Okay? So, go—” I gave him an affectionate shove. “Go rock the world.”