“I will. I love you.” Kay’s words were full of conviction and poignant enough that Riley’s eyes prickled.
Riley busied herself with weaving her hair into a tight braid, giving them their privacy. Thank God she didn’t have to go through another painful goodbye with James. They would be facing this battle side by side.
The sound of footsteps caught her attention, and she turned to see Elizabeth striding down the stairs. Her silver-gray hair was pulled back in a messy bun, her face was pale, and her eyes were rimmed in red, but it was still easy to see the same steel in her spine that Kay had. This was a woman who had already fought multiple battles and was still standing.
“Kayleigh,Cariad,” Elizabeth said as she made her way to their small group. “Are you ready?”
All of their gazes fell on the blade Kay carried. Gordon would follow the dagger, so the dagger had to come with them.
It was nestled on a towel and bound with Shadows. It had been rinsed in the pool of vervain and cleaned of David’s blood, and yet it was still somehow deeply wrong. Even with all her strength, Kay seemed weighed down by it.
For a moment, they all stared at it, and Riley wondered if everyone else had the same concerns. The knife was the bait… but if they lost it to Gordon, all they’d already sacrificed would be in vain.
Kay looked around their group. “Anyone disagree with this plan?”
The silence stretched. It wasn’t going to be easy, but it was the best—only—plan they had.
“Right.” Kay flicked the towel over to cover the blade and then shoved it into a battered leather sling bag she slipped over her shoulder and across her chest before wrapping the whole bundle in a dense veil of Shadows.
Whether it was because the blade was free of the wards, or something else entirely that disturbed him, Riley didn’t know, but a second later they all heard a rough whimper echoing down the stairwell. They stopped moving, all heads turning to look up toward the higher floor where David’s room was.
A beat passed, and Riley almost started to relax, but then he started to scream.
It was a heartrending noise of such agony that Riley was already moving before she realized that Kay had caught her arm, holding her still.
“I need to get to him—” she started. He was her patient. But more than that, he was in pain. She never left a person in pain. Ever.
“I’ve got this,” Ethan reassured them. He pressed a quick kiss to Kay’s lips and then turned to run up the stairs two at a time.
“It’s up to you, Riley,” Kay said, loosening her grip. “Ethan knows what he’s doing, as does Bryn. But you’re welcome to stay here if that’s what you want.”
Riley looked up the stairs in the direction of the anguished cries. It wasn’t her nature to walk away from someone in distress. And the torment in his voice made it hard to think.
Beside her, James’s Shadows swirled agitatedly, and she didn’t know whether he was relieved or dismayed that she might stay behind.
“What do you think?” she asked him.
James’s jaw clenched, and his eyes flicked toward Zach for a second as if looking for advice. But then he shook his head slowly. “I think it’s up to you.” As he spoke, he slipped his hand into hers, silently supporting whatever decision she made.
Riley let out a long slow breath, reminding herself that Ethan and Bryn were more than capable. And she was needed in the battle against Gordon.
James needed her.
She met Kay’s eyes. “I’m coming with you.”
“Thank you.” Kay reached out to grip her other hand, just for a moment. “We will be glad to have you with us.”
“Be careful,Cariad,” Elizabeth murmured before kissing Kay on the cheek. “Be careful, all of you.” Then she turned to jog back up the stairs toward the heartbreaking noises above.
Kay swallowed heavily, but she didn’t call Ethan or Elizabeth back.
James was stiff and tense beside her, and Riley sent him a wave of gentle Shadows. She wished she could do more than merely watch as the people she had grown to care for whispered their goodbyes.
“Let’s go.” Kay strode toward the door, and they all followed, jaws clenched and Shadows vibrating with tension.
David screamed again, and Riley shuddered, fighting against every instinct that wanted her to run toward her patient.
James’s fingers tightened on hers. “He’ll be okay,” he whispered.
