Katie's Hope

She'd be better off without you.He'd wanted to continue denying the words of his brothers. Gazing at his dismembered mother, he couldn't help thinking they were right. Everyone who had ever been close to him died horribly. His chest grew tight at the thought of Katie's fate if she stayed with him. Now, there was something else to consider. His gaze went to the statue of him. "There's nothing here," Kiki said with a frown. "C'mon."

* * *

And still Darkyn pursued her in her nightmares. Katie jerked awake from the latest one where she and Toby were running from the unseen demon down a sandy beach. The first light of day filtered in through the small square window above her bed. The creaky bed protested as she sat, and she tried hard not to make more noise and wake Toby. She slid her feet into plain sandals provided by the convent along with her plain sweats and T-shirt. The Caribbean air was heavy, the ocean chill warmer than the weather at the castle. She wasn't hungry but walked toward the cafeteria so she wouldn't be alone with her thoughts.

A breakfast buffet lined one end of the cafeteria, with brown-robed women moving in between the food and the kitchen. Two Immortal mates were already eating, and she looked over the food with disinterest. The makeshift bar in the corner, however, drew her attention.

"Excuse me."

She turned to see Helga, the woman who had greeted them when they arrived.

"We had an Immortal wash up on our shores last night. He's alive but a frightful mess, and we haven't been able to identify him. I thought I'd ask before you sat down for breakfast."

"I doubt I'll be much help," she said. "I'm rather new to this world."

"The ladies eating didn't know him either. I have to keep checking though," the woman said with a level of determination that made Katie smile.

"Yes. Our healer did what we could. We think he might be an Ancient, but he's so weak and his face has been so damaged, we can't tell."

Katie stopped in place, her chest growing tight. Helga turned to look at her curiously, and she forced herself forward.

"You don't normally allow Ancients inside the walls," she said. "You made an exception?" "He was mostly dead when we fished him out of the bay. When he's strong enough, we can send him outside the walls."