Chapter 38 #2
“No, but I can try to do a little digging with the Elders? If it removes the spell, I’m sure they know about it.”
“Anything you can find would be helpful, but don’t do anything to put yourself at risk.”
“I was about to say the same to you.”
My lips pull into a small smile. “Who, me? At risk?”
Fiona laughs quietly. “What are you going to do about the gala?”
The ACFAC Gala at the Windsor is in less than two weeks. Penny told Laura and Stan she’d be home from Europe in time for the event, so she’ll have to go—hopefully with Ward’s or Deacon’s protection. I’m sure they’ll both be there, given Deacon’s spot on the Windsor board.
As for me…Who knows if I’ll even still have my sanity then.
“Forget the gala. What am I going to do about our dress appointments?” My mom’s been texting me nonstop to schedule a time for her, Nora, and me to get fitted for our gowns.
It’s the only gala-related errand I have no idea how to get out of.
“Punt as close to the event as possible,” Fiona says. “And hope we find you a way out before then.”
“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking too.”
“I’m sorry, Viv,” she sighs. “About all of this.”
“Me too.”
“I have to go, though. I’m drowning in catering orders and last-minute invites, and the Elders’ djinn went missing a few nights ago, so now I have to select a task force for that. I’m here if you need me. Stay safe.”
She hangs up before I can say a word. But my mind is reeling.
Years ago, my master wished for me to deliver to them something.
Something I cannot speak of…That was their first wish.
Their second, that I never allow another buyer to find said item.
That I guard its location with my life. With the full extent of my powers.
They never asked a third wish of me, to keep me as theirs for all time.
Nicco’s master was one of the Elders.
But why would the Elders go to such great lengths to keep the ring from ever being found? To work with a deviant to do so? Wouldn’t they want a way to remove a syrabraxa from someone? Unless there’s more to the ring than just removal of the spell…
When I open the bedroom door, Reid’s walking out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel.
It’s like I’ve stepped back in time. His chest is just as sculpted as it was that night I came here for stitches.
Though his hair is a bit longer, it still falls in loose brown curls that he shoves back with a broad hand.
Despite everything, my heart gives a heavy thump. It’s not quite longing, but maybe appreciation of his muscled form and boyish good looks. Maybe a desire for things to be how they once were.
He presses an easy kiss to the crown of my head as he moves past me into the bedroom to throw on his favorite navy Harker crew and track pants before wandering into the kitchen. “How’s Lisette?”
I shrug. “Overwhelmed. Worried about me.”
“Join the club.” He turns on the stove. “Eggs for dinner?”
It’s like a date I’d have with James. “Sure.”
Noises sound while he cooks, and I silently spin Hellion around in my palm. I debate telling him of my Elder epiphany but decide to sit on it for the night. It’s been a long day, and I need to get my head right. I’ll tell my friends first and see what they think.
“You never told me what happened with Nicco before Finn got him.”
Was he listening to my call? “All he told me was that the ring can remove my syrabraxa, but he didn’t have any leads on where to find it.”
Something flits across Reid’s face. There and gone. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” I hum. “We’ll find the ring.
Tomorrow Peter is going to ask Dawnmere about it.
And I have that book on Sumerian relics from the archives…
But I think we should start by going back to Simon and Son’s.
” I know odds are Finn has already disposed of Nicco, but if he somehow traded his freedom for the information on where I was, we could ask him for help. He’d at least owe us that much.
“You’re not going back into Astera, Viv.” He turns back to the sizzling-hot pan.
I cross my arms tightly. I was worried about this. “I’m not?”
“Of course not. This cottage is the only place you’re safe. I can go try to track down Nicco.”
“The Brood are looking for you too, Reid.”
When his eyes find mine again, it’s clear this isn’t an argument I’m going to win. “And if they find me, I’ll die. If they find you, half the city will.”
Defeat and exhaustion overtake me. “Fine.”
“Forgive me,” he says, placing a plate of fluffy scrambled eggs before me. “Haven’t made anything in a while.”
“No,” I tell him, staring up at the earnestness in his face. Searching for something but coming up empty. “This looks great.”
Later, when we crawl into bed, I allow Reid’s mouth to slant over mine, our chests pressing close, his heart beating desperately against my own. But when his hands skate up my sides, my stomach seizes. My throat grows tight.
“I’m so tired,” I whisper.
“Me too,” Reid says between kisses. He releases my mouth to press his lips to my brow and inhale. “I don’t think I got one good night of sleep while we were apart.”
And sure enough, Reid sleeps soundly, safely, wrapped around my body. His breaths are soft, his sheets heavy and clean. I try to keep my eyes shut even as unpleasant memories float behind my lids.
“You’re a fool,” Driscoll tells me between heaves for air. “Reid—” A cough seizes him. Blood spurts from his chest.
“Reid what?”
“He’s…He’s not—”
I turn from side to side and am still awake when the sun bleeds through the windows the next morning.