I blinked. ‘Well, you were protecting me. It seemed only fair.’
‘You protected us from flame. Fire is one of our biggest vulnerabilities,’ Hanlon said grimly. ‘We all hate it. And we are grateful, all of us. Even Edda.’
‘Fuck You?’ I gaped.
Hanlon smirked. ‘She’s not thrilled that particular nickname has stuck.’
There was a knock and Amber walked in, looking pissed off. Upon seeing me awake, her eyes narrowed further. ‘You do realise that contact poison is poisonous on contact right? And giving CPR to someone you’ve splashed poison onto the face and lips is a monumentally stupid idea? You could havedied,Stacy.’
‘Yeah.’ I shrugged. ‘I was hoping it had worn off a bit. He wiped it off with his hands.’
‘And that’s all that saved you,’ she said in exasperation. ‘You didn’t get exposed to the full hit, just the trace elements, but even so it was touch and go for a while there. Your organs were shutting down by the time Krieg carried you in bellowing for help and terrifying half the hospital.’
I squeezed my fiancé’s hand. ‘All’s well that ends well. Troy is fine, the ogres are fine, Channing is fine, Kate is fine.’ A yawn overtook me, and then another thought flared with panic in my mind.
Loki?I reached out.LOKI!
He didn’trespond. I clawed at our bond, panic flooding me when I couldn’t feel a damned thing.
‘Loki?’ I said in panic to Robbie. ‘Where the fuck is Loki?’ I sat up and pulled back the sheets to stand.
‘Goddess bless!’ Amber exclaimed. ‘Get back into bed!’
‘No. I need to see my bird. Where the hell is my bird?’
‘He’s here,’ Robbie said, but his voice was reserved, measured, promising nothing. He reached into his jacket pocket and gently cradled the small white bird in his hand. My heart gave a solid thump to see my little friend so limp and wan.
‘Loki!’
‘Back into bed,’ Robbie ordered. ‘And then I’ll pass him to you.’
I hesitated for a moment before complying. When I was nestled safely against my pillows, Krieg handed me my caladrius. His tiny chest was moving, but his eyes were closed.
He needed me, needed my magic.
‘Get me to a portal,’ I said. ‘Now.’
‘Stacy,’ Robbie began.
‘NOW! Or he won’t make it. He needs my magic.’
I pulled back the sheet again and stood. There was a breeze around my nether regions, and I realised I was inone of those backless gowns, buck naked, arse out for all and sundry to see.
Hanlon gasped, and I realised my butt crack wasn’t all he could see. He could see my scars. The puckered ruin of my skin thanks to Jude fucking Jingo.
And I almost couldn’t bear it that the bastard had got away again.
He’d got away but I’d ruined his plans with the merpeople and disrupted his organisation. With his subsummation of Reed, he’d need a new second. He’d need to regroup. He’d be off licking his wounds, and I’d be honing my weapons in the meantime. He wouldn’t escape me again. I’d won this battle, and dammit, I’d win the war against anyone who waged it against me. Him, the Domini. And truly, I wasn’t sure if one meant the other in any event.
As I walked out of my hospital room, I paused mid-step. Elvira, McCaffrey, and a tired-looking Channing with Frost nuzzled suspiciously close were there. Bland was next to Laura, and beside him was Ji-ho.
‘What the hell is this?’ I snapped. ‘Social hour? Get back to work.’
McCaffrey straightened. ‘Told you she’d be fine.’ She looked at me. ‘Boss, don’t take this the wrong way, but you look like shit. Someone got it in for you?’
‘Yeah,’ I admitted. ‘It looks that way.’
‘We’d better crush them then,’ she said simply.
