Cursed (The Devil's Roses #1)

I lay back on my bed and relived the instant I pulled the soul from Peter. I imagined the freedom he felt. I imagined he flew away like a bird to discover whatever his imagination could muster. He had been a Fae man before he became a monster, and with his death, the man was truly free of the monster. I knew I had made the right choice. He had made the mistake of being with that woman and her kids. He would never have been able to control his inner beast. I knew I was justifying my actions, but I needed to. For longer than one of my slow heartbeats, I envied him and let a single tear drop from my left eye onto the bed. I looked over at the window and wondered where Shane was at that exact moment? I smiled and blew him a kiss.

No matter what, we were under the same moon.

I fell asleep with his smile in my mind.

Epilogue

The dream was the same every time. The city stunk of decay and blood. Ruin was all around me. People were crying. In a panic, they all searched for their loved ones. A disaster had hit and destroyed it all in a moment. I searched for the one I’d missed, the one who snuck through our system and had made the mess of everything.

I looked everywhere, but through all the pain and suffering, all I saw was his face.

Shane’s.

He stood near to me, breathing me in. I wanted to touch him so badly. My dad’s hands reached out to me, the same way the man on the train had done to the waitress. He was a knight in shining armor, there to save me by pulling me away from Shane. I stuck my hand out to take his hand just as I looked back at Shane. Suddenly I realized my dad was sticking his hand out to save Shane, and not me at all. I stepped closer to Shane and smiled at him. He smiled and melted all the pain and sorrow and loneliness.

A woman screamed as I stood on my tiptoes and lifted my lips to meet his. As we kissed, the world shattered into a million pieces. I felt the warmth and realness of his face close to mine.

“Aimee, you have to wake up,” the soft voice I knew so well whispered to me.

I woke startled. I felt my own embrace and the beads of sweat that soaked me. I had fallen asleep in my clothes again. I sat upright for a moment and pulled my sweater off. I felt the night air brush me. I looked around, dazed and expecting to see someone in the room with me. I had been certain a voice had woken me. I had been certain it was my mother.

Perhaps it had been her, finally trying to talk to me. Something about the dream always haunted me. I wished it would go away, but at least it allowed me to see his face, all their faces.

I rolled on my back, as I slipped off my jeans and pulled the blankets around me. The enveloping darkness was a warm comfort inside my bed.

I fell back to sleep, dreaming of him again.

The End.