Chapter 9: Another Rival

When I woke again, sunset bled through the windows, painting the room orange.

I heard pages turning. When I shifted, Ethan was there in an instant, pressing his hand to my forehead.

"You’ve got a fever!"

"Why didn’t you drink milk this morning?"

My throat was raw, my body aching. I shook my head, couldn’t even muster the energy to answer.

Ethan just sighed, then picked me up.

He’d changed, no smoke clinging to him—meticulously attentive. He never smoked around me, not anymore.

"I don’t want to drink milk anymore!"

He set me in the back seat, car humming down the road. I forced the words out, even though my voice was shredded.

He shot me a look—half annoyed, half amused.

"You have to go against me on everything, don’t you?"

Maybe he was right. Maybe I just wanted to see if he’d finally give up.

I pressed myself against the door, staring out as neon flickered past. The city blurred, life moving on without me.

...

Ethan carried me inside. Someone was waiting on the couch.

She looked like me. Lily Monroe.

The second she saw Ethan, she leapt into his arms. He stood there, frozen, until she nuzzled his neck and whispered his name:

"Ethan, I’m back!"

...

I watched, arms folded.

"She said she’s back."

Ethan’s Adam’s apple bobbed. His voice was hoarse, barely there:

"You… you’re back!"

I’d never seen him so rattled. His eyes flicked to me, then back to her, like he was searching for something he’d lost a long time ago.