Not in the real world. Not in my real life.
“You know I’m going to find a way to force you to let go of her soul,” I said.
“Oh, I’m counting on it.”
“I’ll use the scissors. Her soul is already damaged in your keeping. What’s another little tear?”
“Another little tear could kill her.”
“Yeah, well. Favors, gods, and all that.”
His smile tightened and his eyes narrowed. “I do love a challenge,” he murmured.
I knew he wasn’t talking about my sister’s soul. Or at least that wasn’t the only thing he was talking about.
I opened my mouth, and then…
…the world slipped, sweet as melted candy, the sky washing down in a tingling rush to pool at my feet. Everything was quiet, and in that silence, I felt Bathin’s arms around me, felt his presence like a blanket cloaking me, holding me near and precious.
And then his voice, soft, low. “Easy now. This step can be jarring.”
The world crashed and flashed and clattered. Too many sounds, too much color, so many scents coating my nose, my throat, my tongue, I felt like I was going to throw up.
“Myra, gods, are you all right?” That was color, candy, laughter and hope, with a ribbon of fear, dark and deep as hard licorice: Jean.
“Get the fuck away from her.” That was water and earth and sky, clean, raging storm and the salt birds calling through the cracks of a forest fire: Delaney.
“Asshole.” That was a paint stroke, a hard-ruled line, the cut of a saw, the hot metal strike of hammer on nail: Ryder.
I knew them, could sense them, but couldn’t see them. Until I could.
Jean and Delaney were both at my side, Jean pulling me out of Bathin’s arms, Delaney spinning to face him, an unbreakable wall between me and him.
Ryder, surprisingly, shoved in front of Delaney and hit Bathin with a hard right I hadn’t even seen coming.
Bathin hadn’t seen it coming either. He took it square on the jaw and stumbled to the side. “You ever take one of these sisters out of this town or this reality without their permission again, and I will unstring your bones and feed you to the dragon like spaghetti noodles. Understand?”
It was. Wow. I didn’t think I’d ever seen Ryder this angry unless it had something to do with Delaney’s safety. Although this did. Bathin was in possession of her soul. If he left, so did her soul.
Holy shit. He must have been terrified.
“It’s okay,” I said.
“Shh. You don’t have to defend that asshole,” Jean said.
“I’m not. It’s just. We’re okay. I’m okay. He didn’t do anything.”
Bathin rubbed his jaw and glared at Ryder. “That’s not entirely true.”
“He didn’t do anything to hurt me,” I amended.
Delaney pulled at Ryder’s arm. Probably a good thing because Ryder looked like he was just warming up and wanted to go another round. Maybe ten.
“Words, Bailey,” she said. “Then dragon chow.”
He looked like he didn’t want to listen, but dropped his clenched fists and stepped back. I noted he remained angled so he could reach Bathin before any of the rest of us.
Protective Ryder was a good look on him, and I had a quick moment to be happy that he and Delaney had finally stopped dancing around each other and had settled into a life together.
