“Why not?”
“Wait until I’ve found the oleander,” he explained. “If you go up there and Hunter finds you first, then you’re handing him the win on a golden platter.”
I wanted to argue, but there was no point. Archer made a compelling case. As much as I wanted to be back up in Elysia to search through Mabel’s house, I couldn’t guarantee that Hunter wouldn’t find me. And if it wasn’t Hunter, it could be Mabel or Tobias or anyone who sided with him. If they found me and used my gift, then it was over before we even had a chance.
“Stay here,” Archer ordered. “I’ll be back with news when I have some.”
He left no room for discussion before he wrapped his aura around him and disappeared from the spot.
“Please, duck,” Cass whispered.
I looked at him and took in the heartbreak on his face. “I’m sorry.”
“You’re not planning to listen to Archer, are you?” Andreas asked. “It would be too much to ask you to wait here.”
I swallowed, thankful that the gears were finally turning in my brain. “Andreas, you can ask me for my success in all this. I’ll let you do it. I’ll let you use my gift.”
He raised his hands defensively. “I cannot do that.”
“Why not? If you ask to use my gift, then we can go straight back to Elysia and help Archer. Help everyone.”
“Quentin, regardless of what side they are fighting on, they are still my kin. The reason I came down here is to avoid being used in a way that could manipulate the outcome. There is a lot that rests on my soul from the last war we had. I won’t do it again.”
I nodded slowly. “Okay… okay.”
“What are you thinking?” Sophie asked.
I looked up at her. “I need you to do me a favour.”
“Anything you need, Quentin.”
“I need you to pray to me. Pray for success.” I was already pulling my phone out of my pocket as I turned to Andreas. “And I need you to take me back to the Life Sciences building.”
“Why?” Cass asked.
“Because I need help, a lot of it, and that’s the best place to start.”
For all Gareth’s faults, he’d clearly taken on board what I had said to him earlier. A single phone call to him had pushed him to action, and now we stood in one of the lecture theatres at the Life Sciences building, watching as tired colleagues filed in. Weary and anxious, they filled the seats, all curious to why they had been summoned in the early hours of the morning.
“How much longer do you want to wait?” Gareth asked me, surveying our crowd.
“Just a little longer.”
The door opened, and Charlie stepped into the room with a crease between her brows. She scanned the space before spotting me and headed over.
“I’ll leave you two to talk,” Gareth said, giving her a curt nod and walking over to his seat.
“Hi,” I greeted her awkwardly. “Thank you for coming.”
Charlie stayed silent for a moment before she pulled me into a hug. I sank into the embrace and a rush of warm tears filledmy eyes. Blinking quickly, I rid myself of them and squeezed her back.
“I thought this might have something to do with you,” she said quietly. “Are you in trouble?”
“Something like that.” The laugh that bubbled out of me was laced with nerves. “I’m sorry that it couldn’t wait until a more sociable hour.”
She blew out a breath and smiled. “Who needs beauty sleep, anyway?”
This time, my laugh was a genuine one. But it died away, and I took in Charlie as a wave of guilt hit me. “I should have been helping you with wedding plans.”
