Devils Roses 05 - Death

glance at Aleks and then Aimee. They aren’t together. Their body chemistry is comfortable and friendly, but not in a romantic way.
    "Shane?" I'm scared to ask.
    Aimee looks down and my heart breaks a little for her.
    Dorian rolls his eyes again, "He's on team Marcus."
    The name brings with it million memories. Mostly bad ones. "Hanna?" I whisper.
    Sam pulls back from me and looks sickened, "She's normal still."
    I grimace, "Normal?"
    He nods, "Her Siren thing hasn’t hit yet and her monster never took over. She's normal. No death and no drama."
    I feel sad for Sam. I know he loved her.
    "You alright?"
    He shakes his head, "No. I miss her."
    I know the price of everything Ari and I did but I can't be sorry. The lost love in his eyes reminds me of something.
    "Oliver? Where is he?"
    Dorian's eyes burn, "He's with your dad still. Everything is where it was. Oliver's been wiped. He doesn’t remember you. We needed it this way. He needs to see Jonathan for he what he is on his own. He needs to find his own way here."
    I nod, "Okay. Well won't we go get my brother?" I look around, "Where are my sisters?"
    The smell catches my nose and I smile. Lydia's. It's like the years of me not being here have caught up with me. I feel weepy. I wipe my tear filled eyes and glance at Aimee, "How does she handle this?"
    Aimee shakes her head, "I can't imagine."
    "Where is she?"
    "With Lucas and Ben. We've been watching Jonathan's. Taking turns. It's Ari and the wolves this week."
    I sigh, "I just wish this was over. I wish things could be normal."
    Dorian laughs and walks out of the room. Loud clicking heels come in from the hallway to the stairs. Lorri storms in. She gives me a once over, "Where's Abbey?"
    I frown, "What? Why?"
    Lorri raises an eyebrow and looks around the kitchen, "Where's Dorian?"
    I feel lost, "He just left."
    Her face turns grim, "I bet he did." She growls and then she's gone.
    I look at Aleks and Aimee confusedly, "What was that?"
    Aleks shakes his head, "I don’t know. It's the look she gets when she's about to eat someone."
    I grimace, "She doesn’t like eat them eat them does she? That’s freakin sick."
    He nods blankly, "She eats them. Chews pieces of meat off the bones."
    I shiver in horror, "Damn dude."
    Aimee looks at me and purses her lips, "Wanna get ready? I think we leave in a bit. We need to catch Shane. We're using him as bait so Jonathan will snatch you from the alley like he did last time."
    I smirk, "You remember that?"
    She shakes her blonde head, "No. I don’t remember anything." Her eyes are filled with dread. My fingers start to spark.
    "You wanna?"
    Her grey eyes flash a response but she doesn’t give in to the desires. She shakes her head, "It's better this way."
    I gulp, I'm still afraid of her. I know I'm stronger but she is the death for us all. She can kill everything except Aleks. I don’t believe her that it's better. I believe she is upset and confused. I can feel the difference between me before remembering and now. I felt so lost and confused. Déjà vu constantly and odd flashes of memory plagued me. I feel like I've been reborn and aged a million years right now. She has lost both the loves of her life to the Ari do-over. It makes me sad.
    "So what's up with Shane?"
    She looks distraught and shakes her head, "He's different now." She leaves the kitchen.
    I glance at Aleks who shrugs, "She almost ate him and he was dying, so Marcus turned him to save him. He figured it would kill Aimee and we'd never stop Jonathan if she killed him. It seemed like a good choice but she's been pretty upset."
    "For two years?"
    Aleks clears his throat and glances down the hallway, "He lives like Marcus does. Very comfortable with the whole drinking human blood thing. He purposely finds bad humans and drains them. It's pretty gross. At any rate, tonight Aimee is asking him to meet her in the alley. Everything is where it was last time when Jonathan snatched you."
    "Except Giselle isn’t the lord of the vampires and Hanna isn’t here and Aimee isn’t quite as badass as she was last time."
    He shrugs, "You got me this time and Sam."
    I smile, "Yes we do." I can't help but smile like a goof. The both of them have an intense impact on me.
    I turn, when suddenly I hear the boots again accompanied by my sister's cries. My heart leaps.
    Lorri is dragging her through the kitchen, "Where is he?"
    Abbey is bawling and fighting.
    I jump at her but Lorri swats me like I'm nothing.
    "Lorri let her go.