His eyes burned with the depth of his emotions. These moments of bliss might be all they ever had. Joy, hope, fear, and terror all roiled together. But whatever came next, at least she knew the truth—he loved her. And there was nothing he wouldn’t do to keep her safe.
ChapterFourteen
The stucco terracesloomed gray and dark as David looked up at Gordon’s opulent Belgravia townhouse. There was no doubt which was Gordon’s. Sticky black wards spread over it like spiders stretched out over an inky web.
The sky was lightening with the early dawn. Solstice was now only two days away. And he could make out Bryn, calm and stoic on his left, and Elizabeth, as beautiful as she’d ever been, standing on his right.
His best friend and the woman he should never have left flanked him. If he’d stayed, they would have been magnificent. A mixed triad unlike any that had formed in centuries. And he had broken it.
Would he ever get a chance to fix it? He didn’t know. All he could do now was follow Kay’s plan… and hope. Her strategy was direct and elegant, as he’d known it would be. God, he was so proud of her.
He was proud of all three of his almost-children as well as the extended family of bright, honorable men and women they were creating.
David focused on the black door ahead of them, gloomy and menacing at the top of the marble steps. All they had to do was knock and walk inside.
They would be outnumbered, but they had surprise on their side. And one simple task: keep the Council occupied while Kay and the others snuck in over the roof and tried to find Finn—assuming he had actually been stripped as Maeve had claimed, and, in that case, assuming he was still alive—and get the proof they needed.
If they failed, they would all soon be joining Finn as the first Dru-vid to be Shadow stripped in centuries. Or possibly fighting for their freedom from the inside of a Duine prison. And those were the best possible outcomes.
Even the thought of failure made his stomach clench.
Gordon was insane. He would do anything to become Archdderwydd. And perhaps even more terrifying, Gordon wanted Elizabeth. Yet they were about to walk right up and threaten him in his home.
David turned his gaze to the woman he’d loved for so many years. She was older now. Her hair was silver where once it was glossy dark chocolate. Fine smile lines had spread over her cheeks and clustered around her eyes. She was wearing a long black woolen coat over her dark trousers and shirt. No cherry red lipstick today. But she was even more magnificent than she’d been when she was young. She was strong, resilient, intelligent, and brave.
She slipped her hand into his, and he held it like the gift it was. He could count the number of times he’d touched her, and he remembered every precious moment. At least he’d finally told her how he felt. At long last, he’d admitted that he loved her.
Here, in the darkest moment, when the future of both the Dru-vid and the Duine lay in the balance, she was standing beside him. She humbled him. He bowed his head to press a gentle kiss to her forehead. “I love you, Elizabeth.”
She held his hand tighter, her eyes gleaming softly in the gray light. “David, I—” She hesitated, not yet ready to say the words back. It was a hesitation he had more than earned. It was up to him to make it right.
“Don’t say anything. We’ll talk when we get back.”
“I’m afraid,” she whispered. “I keep seeing…. I don’t even know what I’m seeing.”
“It’s okay. There’s nothing we can do to prepare any more than we have. All we can do is act.”
He bent, meaning to kiss her cheek this time, but she turned her head and met him with her lips. His Shadows roared out, circling her, claiming her, wanting to hold her close. And hers rose up to join them, twining with his in a joyous reunion.
Just for a moment, he was exactly where he needed to be.
Bryn cleared his throat with an amused chuckle, and David stepped back. This was not the time. But he didn’t let go of her hand.
He looked over at the man who had been like a brother to him. “Thank you, Bryn, for all you’ve done. I never told you how much your friendship has meant to me.”
Bryn gave him a swift smile full of wisdom and kindness. “We’ll be brothers again. And we’ll have much more time to cause trouble now you’ve put our young triad in charge.”
David nodded his agreement despite the surge of anxiety that thudded through him. Elizabeth knew he loved her. So did Kay and Zach. But James…. They hadn’t spoken.
He’d thought they had more time. And he’d wanted James to be well enough to truly hear him.
When Kay chose this morning for the attack on Gordon, he knew they had to talk. He’d said goodnight to Elizabeth and hurried to James’s room… but the door was locked, shadowy vines creeping through the keyhole. And he’d known not to disturb the conversation taking place behind it.
He’d left James and Riley to come to their own peace and, instead, made his way back to sit at the kitchen table and work on the plan with Kay. But then everything happened so quickly. There was no time to talk to James in the flurry of their departure or as they made their way to Belgrave. It was his one huge regret.
He’d reacted badly when he’d learned that James had taken Elizabeth. All he’d focused on was her—the woman he’d loved more than his own life, who he’d left to fall into danger—and his horror of the blood Shadows.
Thank God for Kay. For her uncompromising insistence that James could be saved. It was how he knew it was time to pass the mantel on to her. She would be a wonderful Custodian.
