“Could you bring some hot tea?” I ask her softly. “Please?”
“Of course, my Lady.”
She nods and disappears immediately.
When she returns, she isn’t alone.
Mr. Mittens trots in at her heels, tail held high, indignation written all over his furry little face as if he has had quite enough of this entire day.
“Oh, thank God,” I murmur, reaching down to scoop him up. He head-butts my chin in approval and purrs loudly. I feel comforted by my cat—he provides a touch of home in the gothic grandeur of the Crimson Spires.
We settle on the loveseat by the fire, Hanna wrapped in a blanket, and me perched beside her with my cat purring like a tiny engine in my lap.
The tea smells like chamomile and something darker underneath—maybe clove or star anise. It warms my hands as I pass her a cup.
As she sips, color begins to return to Hanna’s cheeks. After a while, her shaking eases.
“I’m sorry I was so upset,” she says, staring into the fire. “It’s just… I feel like I’m getting sucked away somehow. It’s so weird… it’s like there’s less of me here than there was this morning.”
My heart drops into my shoes.
Less of her—what an awful thought!
I feel terrible, but I force my expression to stay calm.
“It’s been a hell of a day,” I say, giving her arm a squeeze. “Anyone would feel off after everything that’s happened.”
She nods, but her eyes don’t leave the dancing flames.
“I’ve sat with a lot of people at the end,” she says quietly. “I know what it feels like when someone is…slipping away. And this—” She presses a hand lightly to her forehead “—this feels too familiar.”
I swallow hard. I can’t freak out. I can’t let her see how terrified I am. But the idea that I’m losing her—that she feels herself going—is absolutely horrifying.
“You’re not going anywhere,” I say, with a lot more confidence than I feel. “Lucian is handling this. He’s already working on getting you home.”
I hope my voice doesn’t betray how badly I need that to be true. At least it doesn’t shake.
Hanna finally looks at me, her green eyes quizzical.
“You trust him,” she says. “You really do.”
It isn’t a question, but a statement of fact.
I hesitate for a minute, considering…then I nod.
“Yes, I do. ”
The truth of the words surprise me. Yes, I do trust Lucian. Even though he brought me here against my will, he’s been nothing but gentle and careful with me ever since. And he’s rescued me twice. Yes, I trust him.
Hanna exhales slowly and leans her head against my shoulder.
“Okay,” she murmurs. “Then I’ll trust him too.”
I wrap an arm around her and hold her, staring into the fire. Mr. Mittens settles himself, purring, between us.
Please let everything be okay, I think. Please let Lucian be able to fix this.
Because if he can’t?—
