“James? Alive?” David asked. His lips cracked as he spoke.
“James is well,” Elizabeth said, leaning over to help him lift his head.
Bryn offered him a cup of water, and David took tiny, laborious sips through a straw until he could speak again. “See them?”
There was a moment of tense silence before Elizabeth answered. “They’ve gone. It’s time to end this.”
David settled back on his pillows. “Will they?” He cleared his burned throat. “What… See?”
“I see Shadows,” Elizabeth said. “Shadows and blood.”
David wanted to ask her if she saw the two of them together. If she saw any chance of a future. But he couldn’t form the words. And he couldn’t bear to hear the answer… or to make Liz give it to him. Not now. “Lie… with me?” he asked instead.
She didn’t hesitate. Even as her face crumpled, Elizabeth crawled into the bed beside him and wrapped her arms around him. He held her tight. His anchor and his dream. God. He’d been so lucky in this life.
The fire built once more. Agony grew in his chest and spilled out through his veins. But through it, he clung to her, breathing her in, feeling her skin, listening to her heartbeat.
He held on with everything he had. Before slowly sinking into hell once more.
ChapterTwenty-Four
James didn’t dare touchthe dagger.
His skin still itched and tingled, burning whenever the dagger was close. Touching it again would kill him. But someone had to dosomething.
He, Kay, and Zach dragged their Shadow net containing the ensnared raven further away from Gordon, managing to hold the stone dagger out of his reach. But, even from a distance, the blade seemed to pulse with a toxic power that somehow fed into Gordon’s strangely tangible Shadows.
James split his attention between the net, the dagger, fending off Gordon’s attack, and Riley as she spun her shield. Desperate terror flooded his veins as he fought to concentrate on everything all at the same time… and also look for some way to destroy the stone blade.
He couldn’t falter. He needed to think of something—anything—that could smash the dagger.
But before he could, Gordon and Diedre attacked again. A brutal Shadow storm pummeled his friends. Massive navy-and-charcoal hailstones flew, crashing into their exposed flesh, while wasps and hornets sped toward them in droves. And always, Gordon’s ravens swooped and slashed.
A new flock poured from Gordon’s fingers, diving straight for Riley, and James flung himself into their path, his left hand raised to form another shield.
He was overstretched. He had released too many strands of Shadow to completely control any of them. And the captured raven skittered across the floor dragging the blade as Gordon’s evil flock attacked the net, trying to free it.
Beside him, Zach and Kay stepped forward to stand at his sides, forming a living barrier to protect Emma and Riley at their backs. Together they wove a darker, heavier shield. Grunting, sweat sliding down their necks, they pushed back against Gordon and Diedre. Until, inch by inch, they gained ground.
Shadows boiled. Their Shadow wall churned as the unholy swarms battered it again and again. But they pushed until they couldn’t move any further. Gordon and Diedre blocked the exit, their combined power forming a formidable barrier. And Gordon’s dagger still lay—a heavy, malicious presence—beneath the crouching raven and the storm of battling Shadows, just out of reach.
Gordon stalked closer, sneering at the wall of Shadow between them. “You are children,” he hissed. “Did you really think you could defeat the most powerful Dru-vid in the world?” As he spoke, his Shadows crawled along the floor, seeping under the protective barrier and slowly lapping over the blade.
Their wall corroded and frayed everywhere his Shadows touched it, melting into a dark pool on the museum floor. Then the pool morphed, feeding the raven that clutched the blade, growing it into a massive ink-black monster. It wrapped its claws tighter over the dagger’s hilt, its beak open on a silent caw of triumph.
Kay grunted, spooling out even more Shadow ropes to twist and turn, imprisoning the raven even as it tried to fly. It spun for a moment before collapsing back down, still trapped. The raven had the blade, but Kay had the raven. “Yes,” she muttered, “we did think we would defeat you, Gordon. And we will. Because we have something you will never have… a family who loves each other.”
Gordon chuckled, running his eyes over their small group with amusement, barely bothering to glance at the roiling Shadows. He’d hardly broken a sweat. “Come, now, Kayleigh. You know this so-called family is a liability. Just like you know you’re going to lose.” His gaze grew sharper. “If you’d expected to survive, you would have brought your norm.”
“That’s not true,” Kay spat. “You won’t drive us apart with your lies. Not again.”
Gordon shrugged one shoulder, his Shadows still drifting like a dark mist along the floor, steadily feeding the growing raven. “Clearly you don’t mind if Riley suffers, though, do you? Or if Emma gets hurt. How does your triad feel about you risking their lovers?”
“It’s not like that.” James gathered his Shadows and added his strength to Kay’s while Zach did the same beside him, holding the raven captive even as it grew. They were a true triad. He trusted Kay and Zach with his life. And he knew without doubt that Kay would die to protect Riley and Emma.
Gordon’s ice-green eyes flashed as Shadows churned between them. “It’s not too late, James. Join me—bring me my dagger—and I’ll save Riley for you.” His voice lowered, taking on a heavy, lulling cadence. “You know I keep my promises. You are well. You can do this. Your mind is clear and focused. Do you hear me?”
James shuddered. He hated it. Hated everything about it. But that voice still hurt. “Fuck off,” he muttered, forcing the words out.
