Together, my foot and fist struck the barn door and knocked it off the top hinge. It rattled but held its place. “Damn it, Sabree, the person I thought I had become died that day.” My eyes burned with pent-up frustration ready to erupt. “I’ve lost more than that. The law’s after me, and to top it off, the Fallen will probably persecute me for destroying the journal never mind the anti-vamp serum. No one will have it, not us, not Wayde, not the Fallen.”
“Compared to your burdens, my woes seem trivial.” Sabree bowed his head slightly. “My apologies.”
“Aren’t you just a wee bit upset?” I leaned away from him and relaxed my stance.
“Surprised, somewhat disappointed, yet relieved. In my humble opinion, the serum meant nothing but trouble. The Fallen would suffer if it fell into the wrong hands. You made the right decision.”
“Okay, I’ll lose the attitude, but don’t expect it to happen overnight. Got to blame someone for the mess we’re in until I find out why Ariane and I were dumped into this world of lies.” The horse nudged my arm. “Look, let’s settle this later. I'm going for a ride.”
“Good, use the time to contemplate. But before you go, I need to know… don’t you even care about Ariane? Do you know if she’s okay?” Sabree slid his fingers through the mare’s mane. The horse nudged him in return. “It’s not like you. What if she needs us?”
“She’s safe and that’s all you need to know.” I folded my arms over my chest. My standoffish gesture ended his urge to badger me for more information.
“Perhaps I should mist to Marblemount. Investigate her whereabouts myself.” The horse nibbled Sabree’s sleeve in response.
“Whatever, Sabree.” I eased myself onto the horse’s back and ducked low as she pranced toward the open door. “Hold your horses, woman.”
“Enjoy the ride.” Sabree slapped the mare’s rump. Horse and rider took off into a canter.
Amongst the Fallen Page 36
