“I didn’t recognize the Wraith. It wasn’t one of yourShamans.”
Stellan spit out the last word like it left a bad taste in his mouth.
“There are more Tuathans out there?” Archer asked.
Rolling his eyes, Stellan tried to shuffle. “Of course, there’s more out there. Not everyone decided to stick around and protect the royal family.”
“Where are they then?” Cade asked.
“I know you just found you’re technically Tuathan, but we’re not built with an internal radar for each other,” Stellan replied through gritted teeth. “I don’t know.”
Before the tension could splinter further, a voice cut through the ruins.
“Found them.”
Bridget breathed a sigh of relief when the sounds of Finn’s voice broke the heated stare between Cade and Stellan. For someone who claimed Cade used to be his best friend, Stellan was acting extremely prickly with him. Through a maze of scattered debris, Finn led Castor and Marin over to them.
Stellan’s eyes lit up. He ran over to Marin and wrapped her up in a giant hug. Until that moment, Bridget realized she’d never seen a real smile onMarin’s face. Despite the pallid color of her skin and frail countenance, she glowed. Finn’s grin distracted her from the reunion. Bridget returned it and wrapped her arms around him.
“Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes,” he said.
Archer rapped a finger on his forearm. “No cast?”
Finn blinked at him. “I broke my arm almost six months ago.”
Bridget couldn’t believe it. Archer actuallyblushed. Clearing his throat, he turned to the sweating Warlock behind him. “Castor, handsome as ever. It’s always a pleasure.”
“I can’t say the same about you.”
Beside her, Cade burst out laughing. Bridget tried to keep a straight face. Until she noticed Cassia’s disgusted stare.
“Seriously, what the hell happened to your hair?”
With a frown on his face, Cade’s hand instinctively went to the white ends. Bridget raised a brow. “Did you not experience the same magical explosion we did right after we passed through the gate?”
“No, we did,” Finn said. “It was not fun. It knocked out Marin for a solid five months. Cade for about a day. I’m guessing it was because they were closest to the blast.”
“Something like that,” Marin replied. She opened her mouth to say something, but her knees gave out. She fell into Stellan’s chest. “Before anyone says anything, I’m fine. I can see it on your faces. I just need to rest.”
Bridget crossed her arms and glared at Castor. “Do you ever check your email? Or answer your phone?”
“What are you talking about?” Castor frowned.
“I called practically every Bardot office I could find listed on the internet and tried to get in touch with you. I didn’t think it was safe to use my real name, but—”
Castor’s mouth fell open. “You’rethe stalker?”
Bridget punched Finn on the arm when he started laughing. Before she could explain further, Marin fell over again.
Jaw clenched, Stellan picked her up and cradled her to his chest. “We need to go.Now.”
Cade grabbed Bridget’s hand. “Nylah and Delphine are probably wondering where we are,” he said.
And Alexia. What in the world were they going to do with her? Cade didn’t know about Nylah’sconditionyet. If that was even the right word for it. Alexia would be lucky to not end up in the dungeon again, especially when he found out they would need to leave for Andarre as soon as possible to cure her. Bridget’s head spun. Wordlessly, she let Cade pull her in the right direction. There was time, she told herself. As long as they were together, things would be okay.
Before the trees disappeared out of sight, Bridget glanced one more time at the Elder Woods. She could have sworn she saw blue eyes and dark hair peeking at her through the trees.
Chapter eighteen
