Once in Magda’s room, Damion shut the door.
Kaelan laid Hero on the bed. Magda knelt next to him, running her fingers over his head, pleading with him to wake up.
But he didn’t respond.
“Can you heal him?” she asked Kaelan.
His gaze fell to the floor. “I tried.”
She rested her head on the bed next to Hero.
“Why did you do it, little Hero?” she whispered. “You heard something, didn’t you?”
“I can leave you . . .” Damion said.
“No,” she said, lifting her head, wiping the tears. She pushed up to her feet, hands open as she approached him.
He sighed wearily and submitted to her touch.
She kept it brief, sharing only that moment when she’d realized the Enneahedron was missing.
Damion’s hands fisted at his sides. “We have to tell—”
“No. We tell no one,” she said. “I want you to go back, check on Honey,” she said, stepping back from him, raising her eyebrow significantly.
Damion frowned. “You don’t think—”
“She landed right on top of me.”
“But why—?”
“It could’ve been anyone,” Kaelan said, sitting on the end of the bed next to Hero. “Zuriel. He had his hands all over you.”
“There were others too, when we fell,” she said.
“Damn it!” Damion spun, looking about as if wanting to hit something. “You can’t go before the Crown—”
“I will,” she cut in. “I have to.”
“But—”
“It’s too late. If I don’t appear now, after everything, I’ll be lucky to make it back to the human world. And I’m not convinced Lavana wouldn’t hunt me down anyway. I’m sure she’d like to have the rest of my daggers mounted on her belt.”
“How could this have happened?” Damion said. “You really think Honey—?”
“I don’t know what to think. Go back downstairs and see what you can find out.”
“What do you want me to do? Search her?”
“Give her a very thorough hug,” Magda said. “Make a pass at her if you have to, I don’t care. I can’t leave the house. Even if I could... what am I to do? Go knocking on everyone’s doors?”
Damion nodded and then headed for the door. He stopped with his hand on the knob.
“I’m sorry about your friend, Magda.”
When he was gone, she sank down on the other side of Hero, but her gaze was on Kaelan.
“Call your friend.”
