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Elyse stared at Killian, one eyebrow raised as she awaited an answer. He shrugged and repeated, “Fine.”
Before Elyse could ask any follow up questions, Sera returned with a platter of open-faced sandwiches. Killian stood to grab one of the sandwiches and planned to take it back to his armchair to eat it, but Sera shot him a stern look.
“Eat at the table with us, like a gentleman,” she demanded.
Killian’s nostrils flared. He was going to comment that they didn’t deserve any sort of chivalry, having lied to and manipulated him, but he was nothing if not a gentleman, even to those who didn’t deserve it. So he sat.
No one spoke at first as they each tucked in to their sandwiches. It was strange how sitting around doing nothing but reading could work up such an appetite. Then Sera had to ruin the silence.
“Have you found anything?” she asked Elyse.
Elyse, having just taken a bite of sandwich, simply shook her head.
“Me neither,” Sera sighed.
Elyse swallowed and said, “You should take tomorrow off from researching. You have a business to run after all.”
Killian had wondered about that. They’d worked late into the night that past two days, leaving no time for Sera to see clients.
“No, this is much more important,” Sera said lightly, though her throat bobbed.
Elyse took another bite. This time, she didn’t wait to swallow as she insisted, mouth full of food, “Really, Sera. We’d understand if you needed a day, or even two.”
“No,” Sera answered, her voice too low to be casual. “I’m fine, really.” Her expression was serious, distant even. Something seemed to shift within her. She set her sandwich back on the plate and stared at it, her lip quivering slightly.
Elyse set her own sandwich down and focused all her attention on her friend. “Sera…” she began.
It was all the prodding Sera needed. Tears brimmed in her purple eyes, and her voice was barely a whisper. “I could have stopped it. I should have done more.”
“Oh, Sera,” Elyse crooned. In a second she was at Sera’s side, wrapping her arms around her friend.
Killian watched, feeling like an intruder. He wasn’t sure what to do. He wasn’t especially fond of the idea of consoling Sera, but the sadness in her eyes called out to him. He had felt the same way upon arriving at Prestowne, like it was somehow his fault. If he had gotten there faster, if he had notified the Guard, would anyone have been saved?
A sob racked Sera’s body, and Killian’s hand twitched. His instinct was to reach out to her and place a comforting hand on her shoulder, but he didn’t. Would she even want his comfort? Or would it be… unwanted? Taken as condescending? He kept to himself.
Elyse laid a hand on Sera’s cheek and turned her face toward her. “Look at me,” she demanded, stern but soft. “This is not your fault.”
Sera choked on a sob, but Elyse continued.
“You didn’t know if the visions were past or future—or if they were nothing at all.” She paused, taking a deep breath, then said bravely, “The truth is, even if you had known the visions would come true, even if you had figured out where to go, who knows if we could’ve stopped it?”
From the angle where he sat, Killian couldn’t see Elyse’s face, but he could hear the sorrow in her voice. “It’s true,” he added quietly. “We still don’t know how it happened. I doubt we would have been able to prevent their deaths.”
Sera nodded solemnly as she wiped a tear from her cheek. “You’re probably right,” she agreed.
“Of course we are,” Elyse said, smiling. “You aren’t the only one who gets to be right all the time.”
That earned a laugh from Sera, and Killian looked away. He hated that Elyse could be this way—kind and funny and wise. It was so much easier to think of her as cold and devious.
Knock-knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock-knock.
Killian, Sera, and Elyse all looked at each other with wide eyes as someone rapped at the front door—someone who knew the secret code.
“Manny?” Elyse asked, but Sera shook her head.
“I don’t think so,” she answered hesitantly. “He said he’d be busy all day.”
“Maybe it’s Jaime,” Elyse said as the sound of the front door opening echoed down the hallway.
