He assessed her with that wolflike gaze of his, then gave her a nod. If you need me, I’m here.
At that, she had to smile. She told him, I’ll always need you.
His face gentled, then Xavier called his attention back to the map.
Watching them, she came to an abrupt decision.
Come to think of it, she wasn’t going to wait for Gregoire to show Bailey to the library. Melly would already be there, waiting for her sister to arrive.
Sixteen
When she reached the library, she headed straight for the liquor cabinet.
She had been fantasizing about having a piña colada for a long time. She might not get the chance to have one for a while, but for now, she could at least knock back something. Her days and nights were fucked up anyway, and you know it was five o’clock somewhere, baby.
Choosing a decanter at random, she splashed a finger of amber liquid into a tumbler and tossed it back.
Cognac. Unless she missed her guess, a high-end Courvoisier.
That would do nicely. She poured herself another.
Quick footsteps sounded in the doorway. She turned as Bailey entered the room. Bailey wore jeans, a short-sleeved T-shirt, a denim vest and a gun in a waist holster. Her short, curly hair was tousled as usual, and her face was etched with stress.
Even though they were identical twins, to Melly, looking at Bailey had never been like looking in a mirror. They, of all people, knew quite well the characteristics that made them unique.
Bailey was a touch leaner, her face more angular. Melly was fit and active, but Bailey was driven to athleticism. She exceled at using several different weapons, whereas Melly was perfectly content to be merely competent.
Melly’s lips were fuller, her eyes a shade darker, and she had a dimple in one cheek that appeared whenever she laughed.
Still, when she looked at Bailey, she felt like she did when she looked at her mother. Whatever else had happened, Bailey had always been a fact of her existence. Melly had never known life without her. They had grown up together, had loved each other, played together and fought like cats and dogs.
As Melly regarded her twin now, pain and anger surged up so that she couldn’t speak.
Bailey’s expression lightened. She rushed forward to throw her arms around her.
Melly almost struck her in the breastbone with the flat of her hand to drive her back. Almost, but in spite of everything, she couldn’t bring herself to raise her hand against her sister.
Melly couldn’t return her hug either, so she stood stiffly in Bailey’s embrace.
“Thank the gods,” Bailey said in her ear. “I haven’t been able to eat or sleep. I’ve felt sick to my stomach for three days.”
Yes, Melly knew her sister loved her. That was why her emotions were in such a tangle.
Bailey pulled back and searched Melly’s face with a frown. Melly knew her expression had to be as stiff as the rest of her body.
After a hesitation, Bailey asked, “Are you all right?”
Melly said abruptly, “You need to know Julian and I are back together.”
All the confirmation she needed was there in her sister’s face. A combination of dismay and guilt darkened Bailey’s gaze. “How can you consider getting back with him? He treated you so badly when you broke up.”
Melly gave her a steady, cold look. “Well, he had reasons, didn’t he?”
Comprehension flashed across Bailey’s expression. Her gaze fell. She muttered, “I — I don’t know what to say.”
“Admitting the truth would have been nice,” said Melly, taking a step back. “Anytime, say, over the last twenty years. Of course it would have been so much better if you hadn’t done anything to begin with, but that water is long under the bridge, isn’t it?”
A dark flush of color washed over Bailey’s cheekbones, and wetness glittered in her eyes. “I wanted to tell you. I thought about telling you so many times. If I could have taken it back, I would have. It was a stupid thing to do.”
She bit out, “You think?”
“Ferion and I were hanging out, talking about all the shit that was going to happen if the Light Fae and the Nightkind demesnes came together. We cooked the whole thing up when we got drunk — and you wouldn’t listen whenever I tried to point out what an asshole Julian was, and how you deserved so much better than him… And I didn’t realize how much it was going to hurt you. I didn’t know how deeply you’d fallen in love with him. You’d only been together three months.”
“Bailey,” she interrupted sharply. The stream of words pouring out of Bailey’s mouth cut off. “I didn’t ask you for excuses or justification. The only thing I’m interested in hearing you say right now is I am really so fucking sorry. If you can’t do at least that much, we have nothing more to say to each other.”