A Shade of Doubt (A Shade of Vampire #12)(23)

When I didn’t respond, she shot to her feet and began to pace impatiently around the room.

“The Micah who took Rose wasn’t Micah. I swear. My sister is practically best friends with the guy. He never would have done this.”

I ran a hand through my hair. “I’m not sure what you want me to say.”

Kailyn let out a soft growl as she walked up to my seat and towered over me. “Say that you trust us.”

“I do trust you. But then I also trust our vampires. Of the two groups who could have carried out this attack, I’m inclined to believe that the werewolves are behind this. I’ve known the vampires on this island far too long to suspect them.”

Her blue eyes bored into mine for several moments before she slumped back into her chair.

I felt guilty that I couldn’t give her the straightforward answer she wanted. But I was being honest. “You shouldn’t be too worried though,” I said. “As long as we need Mona, you will always have a place on this island. We may just have to put some extra precautions in place… some strong boundaries to keep you wolves separate from the rest of us…”

Now it was Kailyn’s turn to heave a sigh.

There was no point discussing this now. We’d been back and forth all day in the Dome trying to come up with a solution, a compromise that would keep all parties satisfied. I was sick of this topic now. I stood up and walked over to the kitchen. Since she was still in her human form, I figured I should offer her a refreshment.

“Do you want something to drink?”

“What do you have?”

I opened my cupboard and scanned the shelves. I smiled bitterly at the homemade chamomile tea bags that Adelle used to love when she visited me. I hadn’t touched the chamomile since I’d last seen her, and I guessed that it would be a while before I could bear to make it again.

“How does herbal tea sound? Elderberry, nettle, mint…”

“I’ll try elderberry.”

I set about preparing the tea. Kailyn walked over to me as I did. Leaning against the kitchen counter as the kettle boiled, she cast her eyes around my apartment.

“So you live in this big place all by yourself, huh?” She threw me a sideways glance.

“Yes.”

A silence fell between us as I busied myself preparing the tea. I set a cup down for her and we sat opposite each other. I watched her sip it cautiously. She reached for the honey in the center of the table and added a dollop. Her freckled face lit up as she tasted the drink.

She looked up, and our eyes met. Her expression was serious.

“You know, I lost my partner too.”

“Oh,” I said, taken aback. “I… I’m sorry to hear that.”

She breathed in deeply, and a flicker of pain crossed her face. This was hardly turning out to be the light-hearted conversation I’d hoped to lead us toward, but somehow I was touched that she would choose to share something like this with me.

“My mate,” she continued, tracing the rim of her cup with her index finger as she stared down at her tea, “he was killed back in the supernatural realm. During an attack by ogres—relatives of Brett’s, actually. My mate was the one leading everyone to charge. He went first. Got speared through the heart.”

I guessed that this must have happened long ago, because she spoke calmly, as though she was just reflecting on a memory. Though her jaw still clenched. It reminded me of how I thought of Camilla now… as a distant memory. Except for when my daughter spoke of her—somehow that always sliced open the wounds afresh and it took a while to stem the bleeding.

I reached for Kailyn’s hand across the table and squeezed it. She locked eyes with me and smiled.

“Don’t worry,” she said. “I won’t break down on you. This happened many years ago.”

I was about to respond when there was a rapping at the door. I couldn’t imagine who it might be. I doubted it would be Derek or Sofia—they had both looked ready to flop into bed after the exhaustion of the day.

I peered through the spy hole and swung open the door. I found myself face to face with Eli. His expression was serious, his eyes intense as he looked at me.

“Eli? What brings you here?”

“May I come in?”

“Of course,” I stepped aside to allow him entrance. His eyes fell on Kailyn sitting at the table before he turned round to look at me.

His brows were furrowed, his face agitated. I had no idea what could have caused such a disturbance in him. He normally avoided conflict at all costs.

“How come you weren’t at the meeting today? Are you all right?”

Eli scoffed, then began pacing up and down the room.

I exchanged glances with Kailyn. She looked just as confused as I felt. When he still failed to respond to me, I reached out and gripped his shoulder.

“Eli, what’s—?”

His hand shot out, knocking my hand away from him. “Don’t touch me,” he snarled.

I was so stunned by his behavior, I staggered back, barely believing what I was seeing.

His breathing became louder and more uneven by the second. He took a step closer to me, and finally spoke what was on his mind. “I saw you with Adelle down by the lake last night.”

His words knocked the breath right out of me. My face contorted with confusion. “What?”