Page 28 (1/2)

He was such a big, strong warrior There was a ti could shake his confidence But then she had

As if her opinion mattered to him

"I could hear you at the hospital, you know," Laila said, delving into a subject they had previously avoided

"Really?" She’d alondered Had always hoped

"Yes, and you kept er than I wanted to stay Anytiht there to tug me back"

"That o"

The words were like a fist to the gut "Well, I’ll never regret holding on to you, La La I love you"

"And I love you, too" Laila’s sain in that situation, I want you to lether sister to do the saht there in thethe people behind the into them

"No," she said with a shake of her head "I won’t I’ll fight for you with every bit of ht?

She wanted to believe it, but he’d seeive her an hour a day, to teach her, to train her, and then he’d vanished for good, leaving her to believe he regretted showing her soto offer hieable She eak, defenseless and ignorant of the truth

Exasperated, Laila spread her ar a twenty-three-year-old girl to die of heart disease was practical? "Koldo says we have to--"

"Ugh Koldo this, and Koldo that" Laila anchored her hands on her too-tiny waist She’d gained weight since her release froh "He’s all you ever talk about any to you, el any ht He’s not an angel He’s a--"

"I know, I know, but it doesn’t matter If he’s so concerned with our health, where is he?" Her sister’s tone gentled as she added, "Why isn’t he here, giving me this information himself?"

Her shoulders drooped "I don’t know"

A mother pushed a stroller around theed at the end of Nicola’s earlobe In the background, a dog barked "He’s not a Sent One, whatever that is He’s a con man"

"I’ve seen him pop in and out of thin air"

"You’ve seen an illusion"

"Just wait until you meet him"

Laila tsked with ato sell you aour bills"

"So you think"

Nicola sed a sigh No le she’d tried, her sister had rejected all things Koldo She’d called Sent Ones "a romantic idea" She’d scoffed at the concept of demons

Frustration and upset had tried to take up residence inside of Nicola--neither of which she welcoh to her sister Laila’s life was in danger She needed saving, and Nicola would do whatever was necessary to save her

Laila shook her head, saying, "You only believe hio dreamy every time you talk about him"

"Do not"

"Do, too"

"Not!"

"Too!"

Laila dropped the e like the girls they used to be, before sickness and fear and loss had taken such a vicious toll But Laila sobered all too soon, too busy fighting for breath

Nicola picked up the box and tossed it in the nearest trash can, then reclaie her forward She’d one to the local coe and Laila had opted not to "waste what little tiotten a job at Estell&auotten sick Well, sicker After that, Laila had stopped painting and had started spending every free minute inside a doctor’s office or in bed

"I pro ht this second, no"