When I confirmed that only three of the four men had returned, I wasted no time jumping to my feet. I sprinted across the ivory stone pathway and into the grass. I met them where they tread and practically crashed into Sawyer’s body to slow my feet. My emotions swallowed me whole as I took inventory of who returned and then realized who was missing.
“Where is he?” I rasped out as I consumed their sorrow-filled expressions up close.
Sawyer's arm fell to his side, his Draemornian helmet clutched in his fist. “Let’s go inside. We can talk?—”
“Oh gods.” My hand smacked my chest, trying to conceal the pounding of my heart as it tried to break through my flesh.
“Maeve—”
“Is he dead?” My voice shuddered and cracked as I forced the sickening words to form. He couldn’t be dead. No. No.No.
Alleviation engulfed me when Kohen shook his sweaty hair out. “He’s not dead. Neither of them are dead.”
Pia finally met us, out of breath from attempting to catch up, her height making her strides much shorter than mine. Kohen pulled her into a hug, locking his hands behind her back as she nestled her face into the crook of his neck.
“I’m so glad you're okay,” she lovingly whispered. When she pulled away, her jaw compressed. “Where's Seb?”
“We will explain everything, but inside. I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say that we are exhausted and haven't slept in days.” Kade clipped his words and brushed past us, his heavy footsteps threatening to crack the stone he walked upon.
I freed Sawyer’s hands by taking his helmet then trailed along beside him, matching his fatigued pace. “Is he okay?”
“I don’t know.”
My insides clenched and twisted, wringing my panic out like a wet towel. “But he’s alive?”
“Last time Kohen saw him, yes.”
Thank the gods.
I was going to need a hell of an elaboration, but the solemness of Sawyer’s face forced me to ask, “Areyouokay?”
He pushed out a twinged breath, steering his weary gaze down at me. “We didn’t stick to the plan. We split up and we shouldn’t have. I would have stayed instead of him.”
My brow arched. I caught his arm and stopped his footsteps. “What are you talking about?”
“Seb and Kohen were caught trying to break into Beaumont’s office. They were going to wait there for him to return and then kill him.” He tried to shake out his sticky, dirty-blond hair, but it clung to the sweat on his forehead like honey. “Kohen createda distraction, but Beaumont recognized him. His guards seized him and Seb.”
My head rocked slowly to the side, my braid falling off my shoulder as confusion muddled my thoughts.
“But…but Kohen got away?”Kohen got free and Sebastian didn’t?That didn't make sense. Sebastian had gotten out of situationswayworse.
“Let’s go inside and sit down,” Sawyer urged once more, and I knew right there and then that there was something he wasn’t telling me.
My heart pounded the entire way to the common room where the guys filled us in on the absolute shit show that went down in Draemor. I quite literally thought I would pass out as I paced around the room, my good arm cradling the fragmented one.
When they had finished explaining, my unease disguised itself as anger?—
And I exploded.
“What's with that idiot sacrificing himself for me? First, he goes to Craterra tokeep me safe, and now he doesn’t even fight back to try to get out of Draemor? No offense to you, Kohen—I’m glad you’re safe. But what the fuck?”
“It wasn’t much of a fight, Maeve,” Kohen countered in Sebastian’s defense. “I have no doubt that he would have killed us both on the spot if we didn’t comply.”
“So what are we supposed to do?” Delani asked, slumping forward in her chair.
“We’re going to give him what he wants, obviously.” I ceased my pacing to turn to Pia. “I’m leaving tonight to go back to Draemor. I don’t care if it's a half-assed job, heal my arm.” The demand flew out of me almost as an ultimatum, as if her refusal to fulfill the request would result in something terrible.
“I return and suddenly you have a sense of humor?” Sawyer treaded towards me. He cupped his hands over my shouldersand pushed me down into a chair. “Sit down. Your pacing is stressing me out.”
