Chapter 110

MALACHI I t’s a strange feeling—the deterioration—and nothing at all like I expected it to feel. I expected to grow weaker over time as I wasted away to nothing, but thus far, it seems the worst symptom is extreme fatigue which makes us feel weak and lethargic. Something we are all unaccustomed to. The onset of the deterioration was sudden, and while not unexpected, the timing sucks balls. Ophelia needs us. Alexandros needs us to find a way to bring him back from the netherworld. Even after feeding exclusively from Ophelia for the past five days, our symptoms show no sign of improving. As she shows no sign of illness, we can only assume it is our worst fear—the deterioration has taken hold a lot more quickly than we hoped it would. Ophelia and I lie on the sofa together in the den, her head on my chest while I curl a thick strand of her hair between my fingers. I had hopes for at least a couple more years with our girl, but it seems it wasn’t meant to be. Axl and Xavier lie on the oppo