Holy shit, it was Wyatt.
My friend appeared at the door, soaked from the downpour, shivering so hard I could tell his teeth were chattering. Another wave crashed over the pier, slamming right into Wyatt and throwing him against the glass like he was a piece of trash.
“Holy shit,” Aiden said in disbelief.
Skye gasped, moving forward and then stopping. Her silver eyes darted toward mine, and for the second time during this storm from hell, I instinctively knew what she wanted.
I threw shadows at the street lights, making them flicker on and off for just a few seconds, but that’s all Skye needed. In a blink, she’d teleported outside, grabbed hold of Wyatt, and come back inside.
Another wave crashed against the windows just as Skye reappeared inside. Wyatt, off balance, stumbled before he fell to his knees and coughed up some water. Skye’s hand twitched again, like she was going to pull water out of his lungs for him, but she stopped at the last second.
Wyatt gasped before looking up at me.
“It’s her,” he gasped. His eyes were wild, his skin flushed from being soaked.
“What?” I took a step toward him.
“It’s her. It’s Wilson,” he grabbed the back of a chair, pulling himself to stand just as Zephyr came into the café.
“Oh, great,” he snarked. “Go for a swim, Wy?”
“Not now,” Skye hissed. Zephyr shook his head, but his humor ebbed away as he took in the scene.
“Wilson?” Aiden asked, his face a little pale. “ReginaWilson?”
Both Skye and Zephyr, at the same moment, went preternaturally still.
I cringed.
“Wyatt,” I started.
“No,” he snapped. “No, Rafe, I…I swear to God, it was her. She was…she was withhim. I saw them before Carissa showed up.”
“You mean while youwaitedfor Carissa to show up,” Aiden muttered.
“Who was she with?” Skye asked quietly. Zephyr took a step to the side, closer to his sister. She was too still, her chest barely moving with her breaths.
“The Crusader,” Wyatt said.
Zephyr cursed viciously. Skye flicked her fingers, and all the blinds on the front windows slammed down, darkening the café even further and blocking any view from outside.
“Wyatt,” I said slowly. “Why would the Crusader be here? Whereeveryonewould recognize him?”
“He was here, though,” Aiden said. We all looked at him. He swallowed nervously. “There was supposed to be a gathering. Zephyr had a pamphlet.”
“Show him to us,” Zephyr demanded with a nod. “I want to see this fucker who thinks he can come here after what he did to us.”
I flashed the two of them an image of him from the night I met him. His too-nice suit, his soldier’s stance, the arrogant look in his eye.
Skye made a crazy sound, something between a gasp and a shriek.
Every man in the room reacted. Wyatt was halfway to his feet, even as he slipped on seawater, and through the dark of the room, I was ableto shadow-walk to her in a second flat. Zephyr grabbed her arm just as she began to tumble to the ground, and Aiden was on her a moment later, wrapping his arms around her middle to keep her upright.
“You know him?” Zephyr asked, breathless.
“I saw him,” Skye said, her voice shaky. “I…I spoke to him. He…”
She faltered again, her knees giving out. Aiden was holding her, though, so she only slumped slightly.
