“I’m ready.”
Eldan led her out of the room, giving me a moment alone with Samael.
“I’ll be in there the whole time. I’ll keep you updated.”
I nodded, turning away to pace, and then I was in his arms, my head buried in his chest.
“Please Samael…”
“I swear to you, I won’t let her die.”
I swallowed around the lump of my throat. “Even I know you can’t control death.”
“The ferryman owes me a favor.”
I gaped at him, and he gently untangled himself from me, brushing his mouth against mine. “I need to go supervise.”
“Watch Gloria closely, just in case she decides to pull any dodgy tricks.”
He shook his head at me and strolled out of the room, leaving me to pace.
Focus on something else.
Like it or not, but if someone was planning to use a Spell of Three, the Mage Council needed to know about it. I fired off a quick text to Keigan and considered my duty done.
There was a whiteboard on one side of the room, and with nothing else to do, I crossed to it. Something had been niggling at the back of my brain for the last day, and I couldn’t put my finger on it. Maybe if I got my thoughts out, I’d be able to organize them.
“She’s under,”Samael’s voice was a comforting presence in my head.“Everything is looking good.”
“Thanks.”
I spent the next couple of hours pacing and updating my board with my thoughts. When the door opened, and my eyes met Samael’s, panic climbed up and ripped the breath from my lungs.
He instantly crossed the room, pulling me close. “She’s fine. Just resting. I thought you’d want to see her.”
“Oh God. They got it out?”
He nodded. “My people are examining it now.”
“Okay.” The feeling of the adrenaline draining away was enough to make me want to toss my cookies. I sat on the bed, leaned down, and shoved my head between my legs.
Samael stood silently next to me, slowly running a hand up and down my back until I collected myself enough to get to my feet.
Then he took my hand and led me down the corridor to my sister.
Eldan smiled at me as he wrote something on a chart. “She came through swimmingly. I’ve healed most of the damage already, but the healing will make her sleep for the next day or so.”
“Thank you.”
Evie looked young and very fragile in the large hospital bed against the white sheets. I turned at a knock on the door.
Liam. He gave me a crooked smile. “I just heard. Wondered if I could come check on her.”
“I’m sorry. She probably didn’t want to worry you. It all happened so fast, but we should’ve let you know.”
He shrugged, walking toward Evie and taking her other hand.
“I forget how delicate she is when she’s not awake and raising hell,” he smiled.
