Blood and Snow 12: Vampire Ever After? Read Online Free Page A

brushed a piece of hair from my face. “I didn’t love you for the right reasons.”
    That surprised me. “What do you mean?”
    Gabe stepped back. “The two years you were gone allowed me to see that my love was driven by my hate for my father. The desire I had to go against everything he was. All he stood for.” He blew out a breath. “It was immature. I’m an idiot. And I’m sorry if I hurt you.”
    I swallowed. What he said made sense. I loved hi m and always would. It had been a crush. Sweet. Innocent, but it wasn’t long lasting.
    What about Christopher, I thought.
    I didn’t have an answer.
    And Dorian?
    At his name, my heart clenched in pain.
    Dorian.
    I swallowed down the agony, so it wouldn’t squash me. “I get it. And you didn’t hurt me. I’m glad you’re with Cindy. She loves you.”
    He nodded. A fragment of a smile curled over his lips. “She’s a pain in the ass, but I love her too.” His eyes caught and held mine. “I really do.”
    I nodded. “You better.”
    He chuckled. “Life is weird, isn’t it?”
    “That’s an understatement,” I responded. Then shaking the lighter in front of us as a reminder of why I came down, I said, “Well, I’d better get my bath.”
    “Oh, right,” he said, slightly embarrassed. “See ya later.”
    “Yep, see ya.”
    He moved out of my way, leaning his back against the island. I smiled and walked by. Without thinking, I reached out and hugged him. Hard. As of way of acknowledging him for all he was, all he’d done for me. “Thanks, Gabe.”
    “For what?” he asked, wrapping his arms around me.
    “For everything. Being a great friend, an amazing boyfriend, and, well…” I pulled back so I could see his face. “Thanks for being you.”
    He blinked in surprise. “You’ re welcome, Snowflake.”

Chapter 6
     
    I closed the door, and kneeled in the middle of the star. Then I lit the candles the old fashioned way. With a lighter. When I was finished, I tossed the lighter outside the circle, and sat.
    It occurred to me that I was breaking my promise to Christopher. He’d asked me not to leave without telling him, but this couldn’t be helped. I wouldn’t put him or anyone else in jeopardy.
    Plus, my idea might not even work. I had no clue how to get into or leave Sharra. In the past, it just sort of happened. But I needed to try. It hadn’t gone unnoticed that there were seven points to the star, and there were seven magics. That meant something. It had too.
    Closing my eyes, I concentrated on the realm of Sharra. The castle. The bedroom where I kissed Christopher. The bathroom where I saw and spoke to Zenny in the mirror. His flamboyant clothes. Focused on the smells of Sharra—magic and rosemary.
    And blood.
    I don’t know how long I sat like that. Visualizing everything I remembered about the castle, but after a time my mind started to wander. I started thinking about the little cottage near the edge of the forest. The trees and foliage. The bush where hundreds of pixilettes rested. I recalled the smells, the babbling brook, the way the ground was soft with moss.
    I realized I was no longer in my room.
    Cautiously, I opened my eyes. I was in front of a cottage. The place Christopher brought me when I’d been poisoned. My heart lurched with joy.
    I did it. I was in Sharra.
    Standing, I went over to the hut, and climbed the steps. Dirt covered the window, and I used a hand to wipe it away. Then I peered in.
    It was small, but looked homey.
    A small kitchen, with a stove, a sink, and a tiny wooden island. Copper pots hung above it. The floor was wood. To the right of the kitchen was a little living area. A wooden rocking chair stood next to a rock hearth. Beneath it was a furry carpet, in the shape of a bear. Another window was along the wall on the side of the house. A table rested against the wall, under the window. In the center was a vase. Inside were two dead flowers. They could’ve been daisies. But it was hard to tell. Most of