Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
QUINN
I can’t exactly say my belly is filled, but I’m more sated than I was. I ate the small plate of fish quickly, but still not fast enough to avoid the bland and somewhat putrid flavour. If I hadn’t already decided to try hunting tomorrow, this would have been enough to cement that decision.
I turn for the exit of the dining hall and knock into something solid. The sudden collision has me stumbling sideways and I have to catch myself on the table. From the heat of the body alone, I can tell it’s a dragon, but very few of them would have reason to bump into me.
When I swing my gaze upwards and lock onto Petra’s narrowed eyes, my guess is proven right. “Did I do something to you or do you just get a kick out of knocking over injured men?” The hit to my pride is worth calling her out on her horseshit.
To my surprise, the hardness of her eyes softens with the heavy sigh she blows out. “No, I’m sorry. It’s not you.”
She’s apologizing ?
“I never thought I’d see the day where you apologized to me for anything.”
“Don’t get used to it. I still don’t like you.”
I laugh, because this is the Petra I’ve come to know. “Can’t say I’m your biggest fan, either. Speaking of which, I thought you’d be with Teagan.”
She rolls her eyes with a level of dramatics that only she can muster. “I was with Teagan—until your mate showed up.”
So that’s her problem. I should have known it was something like this, but she can’t exactly hold that against Abby. Teagan is her best friend, and the last time she saw her, she was dying. “She’s been worried.”
“And I haven’t?” she snaps, more angry than annoyed now.
“I didn’t say that. She’s your mate. You can talk to her from literally anywhere. An hour or two apart won’t kill you.”
She scoffs. “That’s easy for you to say when you and your mate both have legs.”
Her words give me pause and then all at once, I realize that I’m the asshole here. Even if she and Teagan are reunited, Teagan is still bound to the sea and there’s no telling how long she’ll be that way. So long as their worlds are kept apart, they’ll never truly be together. I can’t imagine being separated from Abby that way.
“You’re right. I should have realized. I know we haven’t had much opportunity to really be civil to one another, but I’m not always an arrogant prick. For the sake of our mates, can we at least try to be friends?”
She eyes my outstretched hand for a long moment before shaking it. “Fine, but I still don’t like you.”
She moves to walk away, but I call after her. “Petra? Hold on a second.”
She stops, but doesn’t turn back to me. “I agreed to try. That doesn’t mean I want to spend time with you.”
“I’m just wondering if you know where I’ll find Rhett.”
That gets her attention and has her turning back to me, eyes even more narrowed than before and arms crossed tightly against her chest. “What do you want with him? If this is about your sister—”
“It’s not,” I cut her off, raising my hands in front of me. “Gods, that’s the last thing I want to think about.” I hadn’t forgotten that Rhett thinks he’s my sister’s mate, but it’s a thought I actively avoid. It’s not that I don’t like the guy. He’s probably my favourite of the dragons, next to Merrick. But that doesn’t mean I want him—or anyone—putting their hands on my sister.
She studies my face as if she’ll see any trace of a lie there. After another long moment, she relaxes. “I saw Merrick in the hall, so he’s probably taking a turn with Jade. It was supposed to be me, but…”
“Teagan’s back. I get it.” She doesn’t have to explain herself to me. What’s happening with Jade can’t be easy for any of them. He may be an asshole most of the time, but they’re a family. Even Petra would care if he died. In her own way. “How’s he doing?”
She sighs and I don’t miss the absentminded tugs at the sleeve of her shirt. “I don’t understand how he survived it. He’s always been a lucky bastard, but he should be dead. Have you seen him yet?”
“I’ve been busy.” That’s putting it lightly. It’s hard enough being this far away from Abby. Visiting Jade wasn’t exactly a priority, even though it absolutely should be. He saved my life and set himself on fire to do it. Insatiable urges or not, I should at least see how he is.
She shifts her weight from one foot to the other. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her this uncomfortable. “There’s something…different about him.”
“Different?” Rhett didn’t say anything about that when we saw him briefly this morning. “Different how?”
“Just go see him and tell your mate to do the same.” Before I can pry further, Petra walks away from me with a dismissive wave of her hand.
On my way to look for Rhett, I reach out to Abby through the bond. ‘You doing okay?’ It’s not that I think she’s not, but whatever happened between her and Petra probably wasn’t pretty.
Her answer comes immediately, and with it a warmth that fills me. I will never get enough of her. ‘I’m fine. I’m with Teagan.’
‘I heard. Petra’s pretty pissed at you.’
I can almost feel her shrug. ‘Oh, well.’ The warmth that comes with her words chills ever so slightly. ‘Are you coming back soon? The sun has almost set.’
She doesn’t have to elaborate. Ever since she had that vision of Void when we were in the cave together the night her body was marked with golden vines and flowers, she’s been uncomfortable in the dark. And understandably so. She shared that vision with me, and even the taste of Void’s shadow as it filled my throat was enough to give me nightmares.
‘I’ll be there in about a half hour. There’s something I need to take care of first.’
The healer’s quadrant is empty, save for two sleeping sirens still recovering from whatever injuries they received during the battles. There’s no sign of Rhett, so I move for the room where Jade is being held. If he’s not here, then I’ll just go back to Abby. This can wait, but I’m not sure when I’ll have a better opportunity to catch him alone. With Marein’s underwater city being all but empty while the sirens mourn the loss of their dead, I have a real chance to speak to Rhett without anyone overhearing.
Before I can even step fully into the room, Rhett’s voice snaps through the dimness. “I said I’m fine!”
“I didn’t say you weren’t.” He’s in the pool of water and I can just make out from the glow of algae that his back is to me. I can’t see Jade from this angle, but I’m here for Rhett, anyway.
He looks over his shoulder as I move deeper into the room, and he visibly relaxes. “Oh, you’re not Merrick.”
“I’m not, and something tells me that’s a good thing.”
“As long as you’re not here to yell at me for something, then you’re already better company.”
“Do I want to know?”
“No. I wouldn’t tell you, anyway. I can’t talk about it.”
Right. The blood thing. Unless Rhett wants to end up like Jade, he can’t disobey an order. Whatever’s going on, Merrick has sworn him to silence. “I came to ask you something, but it has nothing to do with Merrick. I know Jade lied to me about the veil wraiths.”
There’s a shift in the air and Rhett’s discomfort is palpable. “He didn’t lie. He just…”
“He told me I had a year to live. It’s less than that.” I’m not asking. I already know I’m right. I can feel it in my bones, and in the weight of the phantom sword swinging above my head on a rope that gets more and more frayed with every day that passes.
“Most likely.” There’s defeat in his voice.
“I would have died on that beach had Jade not intervened.” I have to steady myself because this is what I came here for, and it might just be one of the hardest questions I’ve ever had to ask. “But that doesn’t mean he saved me. Does it?”
Rhett is quiet for a long moment, his back still turned to me. There’s a rigidness to it that wasn’t there before and if I wasn’t already certain that I wouldn’t like this answer, I am now. “Jade and I grew up hearing the same stories, but none of them were about what happens if someone intervenes. Someone here might know more. Maybe you should ask around.”
“That might be difficult.”
He turns his head in my direction, glancing my way over his shoulder. “Why?” His eyes widen. “You haven’t told Abby.”
“No—and neither will you.”
He shakes his head vehemently. “She saved my life. You can’t just drop this on me and then expect me to forget about it. I can’t lie to her.”
“I’m not asking you to. I’m just asking you not to mention it. If she comes to you with questions, do whatever you want.”
“She’s not going to ask me if she doesn’t know what’s going on.”
“Exactly.”
He shakes his head again, this time spinning fully to face me. As he moves, so does the body he’s helping to keep afloat. “You shouldn’t keep this from her.”
I want to tell him why I have to. I don’t want to keep secrets from her, but she can’t handle the thought of losing me again. Not right now when the pain of last night is so fresh. She’s terrified and I’m not about to add to that burden, at least not until I understand exactly what’s happening to me and find out how to stop it.
I open my mouth to tell him, but no sound comes out. My throat is suddenly dry, and I’m unable to shift my gaze from Jade. This is the first time I’ve seen him clearly since entering this room, and Petra was right.
He’s… Different.
“What is happening to him?” The question floats on a breath laced in fear. He didn’t look like this last night and although I’m no expert on what someone with severe burns across their entire body should look like, I’m willing to bet just about anything that it isn’t this.
“We don’t know. Neither do the healers. They think this is just how he’s healing.”
“You call that healing ?” I mean to take a closer look, but my legs are frozen in place. If Jade recovers from this, he’s never going to be the same.
“You need to tell Abby.”
I don’t know if he means about Jade or the wraiths or both, but the same question applies: How the fuck am I going to explain this to her?