Melissa Darnell - Covet

I cursed loudly. Emily didn’t even flinch.

“You know, you could get out sooner.”

That got my attention. “How?”

“Just tell Mom what she wants to hear. Tell her you’re sorry, and you were wrong, and you still want to become the next Clann leader.”

“And that I’ll never see Savannah again?” I didn’t bother to keep the sneer out of my tone.

One blond eyebrow arched in her trademark well, duh look.

I returned to staring at the ceiling. “Not gonna happen. I meant what I said out there. They can’t make me stay in the Clann. And if I’m no longer a member, their rules don’t apply to me anymore.”

“Maybe the Clann rules wouldn’t. But our parents’ rules would.”

I clenched my teeth and focused on not breaking anything.

Emily huffed out a long and noisy sigh. “Lord, you’re hardheaded. I know you like Savannah and all, but honestly, she can’t possibly be worth all of this.”

“She is. And I don’t just like her. I love her. I’ve never felt like this for anyone. Ever. I’m not giving her up just because our parents are a bunch of bigots.”

“So you’re going to stay grounded for the rest of your life?”

“They can’t keep me in here forever. Eventually they’ve got to let me out for school.”

“Not if they sign you up for homeschooling.”

I raised up on one elbow. “They wouldn’t do that.”

She shrugged. “They might if you push them far enough.” When I kept staring at her, she glared at me. “Do you really not know our parents at all? They’re going to do whatever it takes to get it through that thick skull of yours that she’s off-limits! Just let her go, Tristan.”

“Never. Not as long as we love each other. Besides, our parents can only control me till I turn eighteen. Then I’m out of here and they won’t be able to do anything about it.”

“Oh, I see. Planning on falling back on that trust fund.”

“Yep.”

“Except who do you think holds the strings to that, too?”

Mentally I cursed. I hadn’t thought of that, but I should have. This was why Emily was the brains behind most of the trouble we used to get into as kids. “Fine. Then I’ll get a job.”

“Doing what, genius? Folding burritos at a fast-food place? You think you’re going to be able to support the both of you on that? Because I can guarantee you her parents aren’t going to become your biggest fans anytime soon. Her dad looked ready to kill you in the Circle. And now that you two basically went and caused the death of her grandma, I can’t see her mother liking you much, either. The only way she’ll be with you is if she runs away from home.”

“The Clann caused Mrs. Evans’s heart to fail, not Sav and me.”

A long silence. “Savannah didn’t seem to see it that way.”

I’m so sorry, Nanna, Savannah had whispered over and over while holding her grandmother’s body.

As if Savannah blamed herself for Mrs. Evans’s death. “I’ll make her understand it was the Clann’s fault.”

“Good luck with that when you’re grounded to your room till you turn eighteen.”

Mom had taken my cell phone, house phone and computer, too. My left foot started to jiggle. “Let me borrow your phone.”

“No way! Then Mom would take it away, too. And before you ask, you can’t borrow my laptop, either. I’m not losing my social life just because you’ve gone nuts over one of the few girls on the entire planet that you can’t have.” She hopped to her feet. “Face it, little brother. You’ve had your fun, but your fling with Savannah is over. The sooner you move on and find someone else, the better it’ll be. For the both of you.”

She walked out the door then hesitated. “Oh yeah. And Mom sent you this.” She used a foot to push a wicker and wood tray with a can of soda and a sandwich on a plate across the threshold into my room. “PB and strawberry jelly. Your favorite.”

Like I would eat that. Mom had probably laced it with more spells to make me forget about Savannah or something. “I’m not eating till they let me out of here.”

A slow grin spread across her face. “Stupid, but admirable. I’ll sneak you in something to eat.”

Could I trust whatever she brought?

Her grin turned into a laugh. “It’ll be safe. Pinky swear.”

“Thanks, sis.”

Now if she could just find me a spell strong enough to bust out of this joint.

SAVANNAH

As I stumbled out of bed the next morning, I felt like one of my glass ballerinas, cold and brittle and way too breakable. My eyes were scratchy and so puffy I could barely open them at first.

I desperately needed some caffeine.

Dragging myself down the hall, I headed for the dining table, already looking forward to that daily cup of Nanna’s homegrown, old-fashioned steeped tea. Two things stopped me in my tracks.

My father sat at the dining table with my mother. I couldn’t remember them ever sitting at a table together. They’d divorced when I was two and barely managed to speak nicely to each other over the phone since, much less actually sit down to a meal together.

The other thing that made my muscles lock up was the realization that I’d never have Nanna’s homegrown tea again. At least not carefully measured out and steeped by her own hands.

“Hey, hon, how are you feeling?” Mom hopped up from her usual seat at the dining table and went into the kitchen to fix a plate of something I knew I wouldn’t be able to eat.

How did I feel? Like a traitorous, rule-breaking, lying murderer. “Fine,” I muttered, sinking into the chair next to Mom’s. Which left me facing Dad.

I caught myself staring at him. Seeing him at Nanna’s dining table was too weird.

Mom set a plate of nuked waffles in front of me. My stomach rolled over and threatened outright revolt as I stalled for time by cutting up the dripping, sticky plate of guilt into the tiniest pieces possible.

Mom sat down, clasped her hands on the table, then exchanged a look with Dad.

My instincts went on alert.

“Savannah, we need to speak with you,” she began.

My gaze shot to her face, then Dad’s. “Okay.”

“Your father and I have been talking,” Mom continued. “And we both feel that you should live with him for a while. At least until you graduate from high school.”

I stared at her, my brain scrambling to understand words I never thought I’d hear her say.

“Over the next year as your vampire side continues to develop, you are going to need me nearby to teach you how to recognize and control each new ability,” Dad said.

“Why can’t I just call you for advice?”

“This is not just your mother’s and my wishes. The council has also…requested that I stay near you during this crucial time.” Which wasn’t a surprise, considering they’d threatened before to require me to live with my father in order to balance out the “effects” of living with former Clann descendants all my life. “If the bloodlust increases in strength, a phone chat is not going to do much to help control you.”

“Control me? You really think I could become that big a threat to others?”

“It is possible, unless we are proactive in recognizing the signs leading up to such a situation and act quickly.”

I tried to imagine living with him, but it was hard. Until this weekend, I’d seen him only twice a year for an hour-long dinner, during which we’d both pretended to eat and care about each others’ lives. So I didn’t have much personal experience to support my imagination.

“And this is what you want, too?” I asked Mom, desperate for her to say no, that she wanted me to keep living with her. All my life, my family had consisted of Mom and Nanna and myself. Now Nanna was gone and they were talking about taking me away from Mom, too.