“Yes,” I replied, closing my eyes as I melted back into his arms. “She did. Not that it matters, but I think she’d want you toacknowledge it. Not because she needs to hear it from you, but because you, Arwyn, need to believe that you are worthy of what she has said.”
He was silent for a moment, festering in his own mind. I had no way of knowing how he took it, and began to worry that it wasn’t the helpful offering my mum had intended. Arwyn continued to cry, holding on to me for comfort, whilst lost to himself. It could’ve been seconds, minutes or longer, but when he finally spoke I felt all the pent-up tension leave my body in an instant.
“I believe her,” Arwyn said, focusing his eyes back on me. “I do.”
If I could’ve stayed in this position for the rest of my life, I would have. But, as the adrenaline left me, I found myself thinking of another detail I’d missed. My heart skipped a beat, my senses growing alert.
“Where are we, Arwyn?” I asked.
He cleared his cheeks with the back of his hand. “In the underground base run by the dismantled Coven. Somewhere beneath London.”
Relief was short-lived. “Romy?”
“Close. She hasn’t left Kai’s side since we?—”
“Take me to them,” I commanded, already standing up on numb legs.
Arwyn didn’t need to tell me that Kai was dying. Of course, I already knew that. Instead, he called out for someone to bring me clothes, and a door to our right opened. I was right; people had been listening. The nurses I’d seen had been witches all along, and one of them came out and handed me a plain set of trousers and top, with white trainers.
“Thank you,” I said, rushing to get changed in front of so many watching eyes. Slowly, the corridor began to fill. I was toobusy fumbling with the laces of the trainers to notice when the clapping began.
I stopped what I was doing, looking up to find so many watching eyes on me, faces beaming with smiles. Every single witch cheered. I looked to Arwyn for answers, to find that he was joining them. Clapping, cheering. A chorus of noise that overwhelmed me. Part of me wanted to demand that they all bloody stopped, but there was another part of me that knew this moment was needed.
“Hector Briar, witch-kind is forever in your debt,” Arwyn said, his muscles straining as he continued to clap. “You’ve saved us in ways that we won’t even know yet.”
“Not just me.” I stood slowly, feeling misplaced. “Kai too. And you, Romy. Verena. We all did it. Us, together, the true meaning of a coven.”
Which was exactly why I needed to get to Kai. Hekate had promised me something, and I needed to see if she was truly as trustworthy as I wanted to believe.
“Kai,” I repeated to Arwyn, drowning out the applause, finding myself not worthy of accepting it alone. “Take me to him.Now.”
51
ARWYN
My heart jolted as I pushed through the double doors leading to the infirmary to find Romy slouched over Kai. At first glance, I thought the worst had come. But when the sound of the door banging open alerted Romy, it was both her and Kai that looked around.
Hector pushed past me, panting with wild eyes. “You’re alive.”
“Yup,” Kai groaned as he sat up, eyeing Hector from toe to head. “So are you.”
“I am.”
I cleared my throat, flexing my hands at my sides. “He is very much alive.”
Romy got to standing, hand straying on the bed whilst I could tell from her body language she wanted to run over to Hector and embrace him. She swept her red-rimmed eyes from Kai, to Hector and back again. As she did, the most beautiful and familiar smile lifted at the corners of her mouth.
“So it’s done then. It’s over, right?”
Hector started to laugh, mixed with more tears of relief. “Yes. I think so.”
Kai flopped back on the bed, hand pressed over his brow. “I nevereverwant to go through that again. Like ever.”
“Snap.” Hector walked to his bedside, and took Kai’s hand in his. “How was she?”
“Who?” Romy snapped.
I stood and watched it all unfold at the door. There was a loud part of me that wanted to join in, to close the space I had set between us and enjoy the moment. But the quiet part, which seemed more demanding, had me in its control.
