Nemesis (War Angel Academy #2) - S.J. West Page 0,1
never thought I would find someone who could make me feel alive again. Lora was able to work that miracle, but I’m not sure she would welcome me back into her life after learning who I really am.
“I may not be a mind reader,” my sister says in a hoarse, weak voice, “but I would bet everything I have that you’re thinking about Lora right about now.”
I let the sheer curtain in my hand slip through my fingers. Reluctantly, I turn away from the window to look at my sister resting against a pile of pillows on her bed. Her pale skin accentuates her delicate condition and how Levi is pushing her closer and closer to death. A fine sheen of sweat dots her brow, and the tiredness in her eyes rips my heart to pieces.
“I thought you were sleeping,” I say as I stroll over to the gold embossed nightstand by her bed. I dip my hand into the bowl of cool water, grab the white washcloth, and wring out its excess water. After folding it longways in thirds, I sit on the edge of her bed and gently lay the cool rag across her forehead. She sighs in relief.
“I was.” Her lips tremble as tears stream from the corners of her eyes. “I had the most beautiful dream, Caleb. I dreamt we were back at the academy sitting in the common room while Lora tutored us in math. Cal hugged me so tightly. I swear . . .” she says as she begins to sob. “I swear I could feel his touch.”
I reach out and clasp my sister’s limp hand, hoping it brings her a small bit of strength.
“We’ll get back there, Rose. I promise you we will.” I raise her hand to my lips and kiss the back of it. She feels so cold to the touch. I fear my promise to her is an empty one. I’m not sure she’ll survive her pregnancy much less live long enough to return to Laed-i.
“I wish we could have been Beatrice and Kai Valeri forever.” She stares at me as if I can make her wish come true, but I’m not a djinn. I can’t cast a spell that will make everything wrong in our lives right again. I may not even be able to find a way to get us out of Zion before it’s too late.
“I do too,” I tell her, squeezing her hand. “But for now, we’re Caleb and Rose.”
“I don’t want to have my baby here.” Rose lifts her other hand and lays it on top of her distended belly. “I don’t want him to ever set eyes on the Void. He should be born in the land of the living, not the dead.” Rose tightens her grip on my hand. “Promise me my son won’t be born here, Caleb. If you tell me it won’t happen, maybe I can make it a little while longer.”
I know I can’t make such a promise and keep it, but Rose is hanging onto life by a very thin thread, and I refuse to be the one who breaks it.
“I’m doing everything I can to get us out of this place.” At least that part isn’t a lie. “I’m so close, Rose. I just need you to believe in that and stay with us a little while longer.”
Rose rubs her belly because she knows the “us” I’m referring to includes her unborn child.
“Have you thought of a name for him yet?” I chance a glance at her unnaturally large baby bump. We’ve only been back in the Void for a month and a half, but whatever Levi does to my sister during his bi-weekly visits has caused her to look like she’s full-term. I haven’t said anything to Rose, but I’m dreading the moment the child is born. I fear Levi’s meddling in her pregnancy may be creating a monster inside her womb.
“Not yet,” she says, continuing to lovingly rub the top of her stomach. “I want to wait until we’re with Cal again. He might have a name already picked out.”
“Rose, look at me.” Reluctantly, my sister pulls her gaze away from her belly to meet mine. “Cal may not even know he exists. Lora might . . .” I swallow hard because the full force of what I’m about to say is almost too hard for me to admit, even to myself. “She might not have survived what our mother did to her.”