Page 91 of Death Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Cal turned his head toward the dark edge of the parking lot, where the shield space still felt thick. Then he looked back at us, and for a moment the seriousness in his expression cut through everything else.

“I will keep carrying them,” he said. “I will continue until I turn to stone if I have to.”

Not a threat. Not drama. A statement of willingness.

My stomach tightened.

Because I could feel the egg bond tugging, and I could imagine Cal pushing himself into collapse while I drained myself trying to hold the baby safe.

And neither of those outcomes was acceptable.

Cal’s gaze locked on mine. “But we need a break. Dagna likely moved it anyway.”

Faith’s brows drew together. “You are calling this a break.”

Cal’s mouth tightened. “A pause. A regroup. We clear what we can, and then we hunt the relic where it is now, not where it was. I have to head to Scorchwood and transport the undead to the volcano. I’m sure Brutus is hunting them too, but I prefer to get as many as I can to the crater.”

Nishi nodded slowly, practical. “He is right. If the anchor moved, staying here wastes time.”

Eve looked as if she wanted to argue, but then her eyes flicked toward the hospital entrance. Toward the lights. Toward the people inside who were still trying to survive a normal night that had turned into a nightmare.

Her shoulders sagged a fraction. “We finish containment. Then we regroup.”

I pressed a hand to my ribs, feeling the pull of the bond, the quiet insistence of the baby’s life.

My voice came out rough. “We do not let her keep dictating our pace.”

Faith glanced at me. “Then we get smarter.”

Greyson closed his eyes briefly, breathing hard. “And we find a way through her shield without giving her warning.”

Tegan’s jaw clenched. “And we find the relic.”

Cal’s wings lifted again, preparing to take another load, but his eyes stayed on me. Protective. Concerned. Too close in a way my body still did not know how to ignore.

“Stay upright,” he murmured.

“I will,” I said.

It was not a promise I felt confident making.

But it was the only one I could give.

Because the baby was counting on it.

And because somewhere in Ravenholde, Dagna was smiling, sure she had moved the pieces faster than we could chase them.

I intended to prove her wrong.

CHAPTER 13

Cal left with a grim sort of purpose, wings folded tight behind his back, his skin catching the hospital floodlights in dull flashes.

“I will round up those in Scorchwood and take them to the volcano,” he said, voice deep, like the plan was already carved into him. “The crater is the safest holding point until we find the relic.”

Faith watched him with narrowed eyes. “You have limited time.”

Cal nodded once. “Dawn is close.”