Cameo and the Highwayman (Trilogy of Shadows Book 2) by Dawn McCullough-White Page A

able.”
    “Yes,” she said hopelessly. “If you’ve truly been with him for so many years, you must know why he does these things.”
    “No idea.”
    “There must be some purpose to gathering my sister’s remains.”
    “I’ve obtained lots of things for him. I don’t even know if he still has them.”
    “Then, is this all just a waste of my time? Just a painful trip back to when I watched my sister being killed? Is that why he needs her skeleton so much?”
    Edel threw his head back to rest against the archway and look into the clear night sky. “In my opinion, he’s an angry soul. There is no point or purpose beyond making others unhappy. He seems to feed on sorrow.”
    This was not exactly the big revelation that Cameo had been expecting. After hundreds of years of existing alongside another undead, she thought that Edel might’ve had a bigger idea than that one. Apparently, nothing had come to him. She sat there unimpressed, and the look on her face said as much.
    His face softened, and he smiled at her, “The last fifty years of my existence have been my happiest. It was extremely hard convincing myself I could leave, though, extremely hard. And even when I did escape him and return home, I had no idea he wouldn’t be able to follow me. I just had to leave him; I couldn’t take it anymore.”
    “Are you happy?”
    He glanced down, attempting to gain some control over his emotions, which were undoubtedly visible in his face. “Of course I’m happy. I’m so pleased that you would ask.”
    She raised an eyebrow. “You are?”
    “No one has asked me how I felt in a long time.”
    “Oh.” The realization of that statement sunk in slowly, and she had no idea what else to say. She knew he couldn’t possibly be happy. He didn’t seem happy. He seemed lonely, and a little odd, probably because he had been alone for so long.
    “I’m happy that you’re here now,” he said in answer to her thoughts. “Another undead. You are nearly immortal and different from any other zombie I have ever known.”
    “I am nearly immortal?” The sudden thought of it terrified her. “What do you mean? How do you know?”
    “I have seen many zombies. Although none quite like you, but I presume you will have that same lengthy life-expectancy.”
    She imagined herself like Chester, tottering around, mopping up spills, eating cake, lying around the apartment and keeping Edel company forever. She felt a surge of complete panic.
    “It wouldn’t be like that.”
    Cameo met his eyes, unimpressed. “When you say nearly immortal, what are you saying?”
    “Zombies aren’t vampires. They can’t heal themselves—well, apparently there are some exceptions to the rule—but in my experience, zombies continue on until there is nothing left.”
    “What, you mean until they disintegrate?”
    “Yes. They get brittle and parts just start to fall off until they collapse.”
    She rearranged her hair over that little bald patch self-consciously.
    “You’re different.”
    “Uh huh....”
    “You eat, and drink, and hold conversations.” He was at her side quickly, one hand in her hand, “And your skin is warm. Blood still flows in your veins. I have no idea how Haffef did it.”
    She pulled away from him, leaving her glove in his hand.
    “Oh.” Edel offered her the glove again, “Terribly sorry. I shouldn’t have .... That was presumptuous of me.”
    Cameo took the glove, now somewhat depressed. The real reason that he was holding her, or at least the main one, wasn’t so much that she was going to run back to Haffef and bring him to Edel, but that he wanted her to stay so that he would have company. She had no hope of being free again. She was going to disintegrate in that apartment.
    “And what would happen to you if you didn’t return to Haffef with Ivy’s bones? Have you considered that?”
    She looked up at him coldly.
    “He would kill you.”
    “Well, he hasn’t so far.”
    “What do you think would