“Not here, it’s not, but if it’s in the human world, it could stir up a lot of shit.”
Della couldn’t deny it. It would make national news. She could see CNN covering it now. They’d probably blame it on one of the political parties. That, or stem cell research. “And you really can’t control it?”
“I wish.”
Her heart, already broken in a hundred different ways, still hurt for the guy. “Then go and learn how to control yourself and come back. Miranda is bonkers about you, I’m sure she’ll wait.”
“She shouldn’t.”
“What?” Della asked. “Oh, crap! Please tell me you aren’t breaking up with her.”
“Not breaking up, just taking a break.”
“It still has the word ‘break’ in it, idiot. You can’t do that to her!”
“You and Steve did it.”
Della’s mouth dropped open. “No. Steve and I weren’t together. You can’t break up when you’re not made up.” It was another lie, emotionally—they had made up and made out, but she ignored that point, ignored the sting of pain connected to the lie. Right now, she just felt for Miranda.
“Why the hell are you doing this?” Della seethed.
His blue eyes tightened. “She needs to figure out what she wants.”
“Duh, she already has! She wants you.” And that’s when a thought hit. And that thought shot to her gut, burned, and completely pissed her off. Being pissed off took the edge off her exhaustion.
“Is this about sex?” she asked. “Because if this is about sex, I’m gonna open up a huge can of whoop ass on your butt.”
Her question seemed to shock him. “It’s not … I mean…”
“Boys!” she seethed. She moved in and poked the shape-shifter in his chest. “Listen to me, you little horny twerp! Nobody should be forced to do something they’re not comfortable doing. Especially when it involves getting naked.”
“It’s not … You don’t understand.”
“Oh, I understand all right.” She gave Perry another poke. “Guys are jerkoffs who think if they can’t get what they want from a girl, they’ll just move on and get it from someone else.”
“Stop,” he ordered, his tone deep and vibrating with frustration. “You don’t understand.”
His eyes grew a bright red. He was about to shift into something big and mean, but in the mood Della was in, she’d be happy to take him on. That can of whoop ass was begging to be opened. But before he started shifting, the coward turned and walked away.
“That’s right,” she called after him. “You’d better tuck your tail and run.” Then it hit her. “By the way, you were able to control yourself right then! You don’t need to go to Paris. Stay with Miranda.”
He didn’t answer. Just kept walking. Angry, she started running back to her cabin, ready to find a crying Miranda. Much to her surprise, only silence met her when she entered the door.
Silence and a cold chill.
She stopped and looked around, waiting for ice pebbles to start dropping. But then the cold evaporated. Telling herself she’d imagined it, she started toward her bedroom, but spotted the note waiting on the kitchen table. Edging closer, almost afraid it was left by the ghost, she relaxed when she saw it was written in Kylie’s handwriting.
Della, we didn’t know when you’d be back. Miranda went to a witch meeting and I’m with Lucas. But if you need us, call, and we’ll both be back in a snap. I’ll listen to both you and Miranda whine.
Best buds forever!
Della sighed. “You two are the best.” She almost pulled her phone out, but she didn’t want to come off as needy. She’d see them when they got home. Walking into her bedroom, her gaze zeroed in on the bed.
Instantly, all she wanted to do was crawl in and lose herself to slumber. She didn’t want to think. Didn’t want to cry. Sleep and forget. An hour, maybe two. Since she’d been Reborn, that was all she really needed to refresh her.
She fell back on the bed, her eyes shut by the time her body hit and bounced on the mattress. Sleep lingered seconds away, so close she could touch it, but her phone, still tucked in her pocket, dinged with a text.
Don’t look at it, a voice whispered inside her head. She moaned, then, unable to stop herself, she yanked her cell from her pocket and rolled over onto her stomach. She had to concentrate to get her eyes open.
The second she saw the number, she dropped her head, facedown, on the pillow. And the pain she’d been pushing back rose up in her chest.
Lifting up again, she read the message.
Hey … I think it would be easier to just say good-bye this way. I’ll miss you. Bye, Steve.
He’d inserted an unhappy face. As if the unhappy face would make her feel better. She dropped her face back into the pillow and cried herself to sleep.
* * *
Two hours later, Della awakened to someone walking up the cabin steps. She lifted her heavy lids and took in a noseful of air to see if she could identify the visitor. The door to the cabin opened and Della recognized the fresh, herby smell that belonged to a certain witch. Remembering her brief encounter with Perry, Della’s heart instantly went to aching for the girl.
Miranda inched open her door and stuck her head in. “You awake?”
Della sat up. “Yeah. But no hugs, okay?” The words were out of her mouth before she saw the look in the girl’s puffy eyes.
Della hadn’t been the only one crying tonight. Right then, she wished she’d kicked Perry’s ass.
Miranda didn’t deserve this.
And Miranda deserved better than Della. The witch deserved Kylie. Kylie knew how to deal with heartbreaks. Della always said the wrong thing. Even when she tried really hard.
“Are you okay?” Miranda asked her.
The witch was hurting, breaking inside, Della could almost hear it, and yet the sincerity in Miranda’s voice said the girl was worried about her.
“You know me, nothing fazes me.” Her heart did tumbles at that huge lie.
“What did Steve want?” Miranda asked.
“To end it,” Della said, biting back any sound of weakness.
“I wish I was more like you,” Miranda said.
No you don’t. “How are you?” Della asked, because it seemed the right thing to say, but she really didn’t have to ask. Miranda’s pain hung in the air like a cloud.