The Legend of the Eight: The Twisted (Book 3)

19: Heart

NINTEEN: HEART
MAY 13
PHOEBE DOMINGO

EVERYTHING WAS SET FOR THAT night and as the day wore on, Phoebe found herself growing more and more emotional. There were countless times when she would break down in tears and there wasn't a thing anyone could do to stop it.

        She tried distracting herself from the pending memorial by getting to know Liam's oldest brother, Luke, and his mortal wife, Thea. She was beautiful and kind and seemed to be adjusting pretty well despite only learning about magic days earlier (Luke revealed this secret after sharing that Liam was dead). She appeared skeptical until Levi sampled a levitation charm for her which simultaneously confirmed the existence of magic as well as freak her out momentarily. Thea had many questions after that which Levi and Chloe were tasked with answering while Luke and Damon were out in the guesthouse working out a way to locate the still-missing King and Queen.

        Upstairs in her bedroom, Phoebe stood in front of the floor-length mirror in her closet, smoothing over imaginary creases in her black romper. She wasn't sure what the dress code was for an intimate memorial service so she improvised as best she could.

        Staring at her reflection, she reached to her upper arm where a grapefruit-sized bruise had formed after their battle with the Shadow Thieves. She remembered how terrified they were when they saw her. How the one ran away after mentioning something about the Code. How not one or two but all of them had a bright purple eye-color like her.

        She may not have known much about the Shadow Thieves and she was still uncertain of her connection to them, but she wasn't an idiot. It wasn't a coincidence that the tingling in her fingers started when the Shadow Thieves arrived at the Armory. Or that it intensified when one touched her. She remembered every detail about them perfectly and there were too many similarities.

        "Hey darling."

        She jumped, startled by a visitor in her closet. There, wearing a black button-down and trousers, was Drew and she noticed he'd styled his auburn hair out of his face. He looked handsome. She'd been so caught up in everything they'd been dealing with that she almost forgot how handsome he was.

        Drew entered the closet and stood behind her, towering over her as he met her eyes in the mirror. He put his hands on her arms, covering the bruise there, and he smiled at her.

        "You look beautiful."

        She blinked and her eyes felt wet with tears.

        "Thank you," she said though she could barely speak. "How crazy is it? We're spreading Liam's ashes today and our friend is... Our friend is dead, Drew."

        "I know, darling," he hummed, rubbing her arms gently. His touch left goosebumps. "I still can't believe he's gone. It doesn't feel real."

        "Where do we go from here?" Phoebe asked, blinking again and watching as a tear rolled down her cheek. "How do we move on without him?"

        "Honestly?" he asked and she nodded. He rested his chin on her head and let out a breath. "I wish I knew. But I don't. King and Queen D are MIA. We've downgraded from the Eight to the Five and Company. There's a group of Shadow People after us. We have no idea what Jeremiah's next attack is." He took another breath. "I don't know what we do next. Liam was always the one with the plan."

        "I love you," Phoebe blurted though she meant it no less. "So much. After everything that's happened, I just wanted to tell you that. I love you, Drew, and I don't know what I'd do without you."