Vengeance (Burning Beliefs #2)

Chapter Thirty-One *edited*

GRACIE'S POV

I was trapped in a life where every day was a constant routine of emptiness, of greyscale, of an endless hunt with a pointless ending. I was reunited with my family, the memories I'd tried for so long to bury resurfaced, and finally, I met Demitri. All of the sudden, everything I didn't have to feel anymore was whisked away by open arms and a messy apartment. Nights were spent dancing to Journey's classic rock, days were spent dreaming about the rest of my life. How could I think for one second that fantasy would've lasted?

And now he's here, in front of me. His eyes are fluttering, his breathing is quick. I wonder what he's thinking of. Maybe it's me in his dreams, giving him something I could never give. Maybe it's my father, casting a spell with his foreign magic D.C. thought only existed in fairytales.

His eyes open. He sits forward on the couch, blinking in the bright white lights of the refurnished living room. He turns to me, a quizzical expression painted on his face, about to ask a question he doesn't need to ask.

"Hey," I say gently. "You've been out for a while."

"What happened?" he shakes his head. "The power went out while we were having dessert, and —"

"It was just a power outage," I force a smile. "You kind of passed out when the TV started going crazy. It's just, way out here, the electricity is kind of sketchy... some things tend to seem a little —"

"Supernatural?" he grins, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah."

"That's a little embarassing," he chuckles.

"Don't worry, you weren't used to it," I say.

"What time is it?" he asks.

"Almost ten."

"Then I should probably get back."

"No!" I protest a little to quickly. "No. Just stay the night here, it's a lot easier. I mean, would you rather have a warm, comfy couch, or the giggles of high teenagers keeping you up all night?"

He gives me a look. "Here it is, then."

I smile in relief.

"Just make yourself comfortable," I say. "I'll be right back."

The urge to say so much more is overwhelming. I want to explain all of it to him, to stop lying to him, stop faking it to someone I thought I could trust with everything, but it seems I've ruined another life.

Instead, I show him the pillows and the blankets, tell him we'll share the red couch tonight, and slip outside into the cold, unlit hallway.

There, Sam, Dean, and my father wait for me. The rest of them are in the computer room, working on that army base of my sister's they can't seem to locate.

"What did you tell him?" Dad asks.

"I said he passed out," I sigh. "That power outages are common in the Nebraska backwoods, and that he was a little freaked out by the unsettling electricity faults."

"You hurt his ego, but you saved his life," Dean stares at the ground. "Good enough."

"When is he leaving?" Dad asks me.

"I told him he could stay the night," I cross my arms. "For safety, in case the Elite try and go after him."

"How are we supposed to get anything done while he's here?" Dean hisses.

"It's fine," Sam supresses a sigh. "We'll deal with it."

"How are Zephira, Zach, and Serena doing with that army base?" I say, leaning aginst the wall.