“I don’t know what she did to you,” Asher says, “but Vlad pummelled her wards until they broke. I think he drew from your power to do it, and it—”
I sit up straighter when he cuts himself off. “What did it do to him?”
“I think it hurt him,” Asher says.
I swallow hard, blinking back a sudden rush of tears. My magic hurt him?Ihurt him? I’d never—not intentionally—but that doesn’t matter if he’s—
“Hey,” Asher says, and he reaches out to grab my hands. I jump in surprise, but he doesn’t let go. “Hey, it’s not your fault, okay? He was tired after, but he walked himself back and clearly got changed, so he’s just resting up. It’s not even noon. He’ll be awake by sundown. I know it.”
He doesn’t know it. None of us can know it. But his grip is tight and his voice is steady, so it’s hard not to believe him, either. I look at Quinn, who nods.
“He walked all the way here,” he says. “He was talking fine and everything. He’ll be okay.”
I let out a shaky breath. “Okay. Okay.” One brush along the bond tells me they’re probably right, at least as far as I can tell, too. His death magic reaches for mine, but I draw back. I can’t hurt him again.
I won’t.
“I should—” I jerk my hands out of Asher’s grip and get to my feet, then snatch up some clothes before I scurry into the bathroom. Asher and Quinn don’t leave, but then I don’t expect them to. Truth be told, I don’t want them to. Being alone while Vlad won’t wake is suddenly terrifying, and if something goes wrong, Asher might know what to do.
Nothing has changed once I emerge from the shower, and I sit on the bed again, this time next to Vlad’s hip. I take one of his hands and wrap it in my own. He might not be awake, but he should feel that. He should be able to hear that I’m close by.
“Do we have a new plan?” I ask.
Asher glances at Vlad, then sighs. “We really should call in the others. Eirian is far more powerful than we anticipated.”
“You think the Huntsman knew?”
“I believe he had some idea, yes. Usually, we are told to capture, return, or kill. Just getting a name… He wanted his suspicions confirmed.”
“And now he’s gone,” Quinn says glumly.
“For now.” Asher rests his ankle on his opposite knee and reaches for Quinn’s hand. “I fear whatever has drawn him to the Otherworld is even worse news. He would not leave for so long otherwise.”
“So who can we call?” I lean over and grab my phone, which has been helpfully set on the bedside table. “Do you think Maurice is any better?”
“I am sure he is better, but not that he is well.” Asher shakes his head. “We’ll call them after we’ve spoken to Vlad tonight. Jeremiah might be a better choice, but where Maurice likelywon’t bring Njáll, he will bring Paxton, and the more of us are located here, the more we have to lose.”
I put my phone back down and squeeze Vlad’s hand between my own. “So, now? What do we do now?”
“My least favourite part of the job,” Asher says with a sigh. “Now, we wait.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Vladimir
Grantislyingnextto me when I wake. He is not sleeping; he sits with his back to the headboard and is watching something on the TV that is mounted on the opposite wall.
No one else is here. My blessing reaches out, reacting to the threat we encountered the night before, but settles quickly when I realise we are alone.
“You’re awake!” Grant’s grin is both delighted and relieved, but although he twists his body towards me, he does not reach out and touch.
“Yes, I—” I clear my throat when my voice comes out hoarse and Grant twists again, this time away. He passes me a bottle of water and I drink half of it in one go. “Thank you. How are you feeling?”
“Me? I’mfine. How are you? I wasn’t sure if you—” He does reach for me then, and I let out a sigh when his hands cup my face. My blessing has healed most of the hurt, though I still feel tender somewhere deep inside. I cannot say I will not do it again. If Grant is in danger a second time, I will borrow as much of his power as necessary in order to keep him safe. “I wasn’t sure what I’d do if you didn’t wake up.”
“I am fine,” I say and place one of my hands over his. “You’re warm.”
He feels like he did when he came in during the day, but when I study his face, he does not appear as high on power as he did then. Grant flushes under my gaze, eyes darting to the window, then away.
