“I’ll never be able to repay you.”
He told me I didn’t need to, in that strange way he communicated.
I turned to Eldan. “Can she be moved?”
“Not yet. We must wait until her neck and spine have healed enough.”
We waited for three hours, until Eldan declared Mere could be moved without causing further damage. I pulled her into my arms, trembling at the feel of her, warm and alive and mine.
* * *
Meredith
Something was tickling my nose.
I scrunched it up, annoyed. The tickling got worse, and I let out a groan.
“Mere?”
I knew that voice. And it sounded so sad, so lonely, I’d do anything to fix it.
I opened my eyes, meeting vibrant gold. Virtus stared at me.
Then he shifted aside, and Vas leaned over me.
“Is Jade okay?” I asked.
Disbelief flickered in his eyes. “She’s fine. Daimonion was luring me away from you. But he killed three of her neighbors. And the kids… They saw some of it. I should never have left you.”
“I’m the one with the ward, Vas. You had to go to her.”
“You left the apartment.”
“I know. I broke my promise. I’m sorry. But Amy has a kid, Vas…”
He shook his head. “You should’ve been safe. I should’ve thought about your people.”
I glanced around the room. From the floor-to-ceiling windows and the view outside, I was guessing we were in Vas’s rooms at the tower. I pushed my hair off my face. “The demon who was on my roof…”
“He didn’t make it.”
I hadn’t thought he would. He hadn’t seemed powerful enough from the glimpse I’d gotten of him. My chest tightened. “I’m sorry, Vas.” I swallowed, scared to ask my next question. “And Amy?”
“She’s okay. Upset about being used to lure you out.”
I leaned against Vas, weak with relief.
“You led Daimonion into redcap territory,” Vas murmured. “That’s cold, baby. I like it.”
I sighed against him. “I knew he didn’t know Durham all that well. It was my only chance at a distraction.”
A lot of them had died today, burned up by Daimonion’s fire. I wasn’t all that sad about it. Redcaps were depraved little creatures who killed innocents and dunked their caps in their blood. Unfortunately, I was going to have to play hostess to any who’d survived.
I’d worry about that later. For now, I attempted to sit up.
“Ow.”
“Be careful.” Vas helped me sit up as pain stabbed through my neck. On the bright side, I could feel my legs.
