I steady Leigh’s hand in mine. “It’s going to be okay.”
She just shakes her head, unable to speak.
How could I forget I’m no longer a Blade? My wedding is tomorrow. The rift and missing boy are critical, but I trained Soter for exactly this kind of crisis. If I don’t trust him to handle it, what does that say about me as his mentor?
That I’m too obsessed with work to comfort my distressed fiancée when she needs me most.
“All you need to do, Wilder, is figure out if this wedding is still happening or not in light of this situation,” Soter says, stealing my attention from Leigh.
“Of course it is,” I snap.
Soter grunts. “Then you aren’t going anywhere except to bed. We can handle it from here. Wendy shouldn’t have shown this footage to you until after we solved the case anyway.” He says that last bit pointedly to Wendy, who narrows her eyes at him.
I glare. Soter’s right about Leigh being my focus, but he doesn’t need to be such a dick about it.
“We tell no one about this,” Janus announces.
“Respectfully, don’t the people deserve to know?” Isolde responds from her seat on the couch.
Janus jabs her with a glare. “If word gets out, we know someone in this room leaked it.”
“We should get moving,” Soter says. “Team up?—”
“Wilder, will you please help?” Jax asks, desperation in his tone. “We could use you.”
Expectant eyes turn to me, waiting, but my attention is on Leigh. She’s staring at a family portrait. Her brother is in it. Her eyes water, and my chest tightens. She needs me now more than ever, and I’m a piece of shit for not prioritizing her before.
“Handle it without me.” Each word is akin to swallowing glass.
Soter nods.
Anguish twists in my gut. My hands itch for action, for purpose—for the familiar comfort of doing what I’ve trained todo. But this is the right decision. Someone needs to stay behind with Leigh, and that someone is me. I’ve made my choice.
“Go now,” I tell them. “We’ll wait for your updates.”
Isolde glances down at her party dress. “I need to change.”
Wendy nods. “Quickly.”
Sol, Soter, and Ry leave.
Janus approaches Leigh cautiously. “Tomorrow is a big day. You need to be ready. Rest.”
“But that boy… Fynn.” Her voice cracks, and so does my heart.
“The Blades will find him,” I reassure her.
Leigh winces. It’s a struggle for her to prioritize herself. “Okay.”
Janus leads Leigh toward the door. “I’ll send your mother up to be with you.”
“I’ll go with her,” I tell Janus.
“You shouldn’t see the bride the night before the wedding,” Leigh argues.
My jaw tightens. Circumstances are different for us. She’s hurting.
When Commander Wendy steps out to take a call, Jaxson approaches me. Leigh leaves without looking back, too caught up in her thoughts.
