Rowan whines, too, and Grayson isn’t surprised to see him bump up under Winnie’s elbow and lick Ansel’s hand.
Maybe they’d consider a little stay in Nashville?
“Alright, I must go. What an adventure. Not since I was in the Gulag have I…” Sasha mutters as he unceremoniously takes his leave.
He pops his bald head back through the door to wave at Nimue and point at Grayson.
“You will see me at The Guild, before you return home, da?”
Grayson doesn’t commit, but Leo nods. “He’ll be there. Before we leave.”
And with that, the Healer disappears down the hall.
Smiling, Nimue rushes after her friend, who is zipping in and out of rooms, checking on the other children.
Grayson doesn’t tell Finn about the tiny bursts of blue light each time. It would be an impossible task to heal everyone, but Grayson likes Sasha more, knowing he’d expend his soul to give them all a boost.
Winnie sucks in a deep, hitching breath and rests her head on Ansel’s bed. Her lemony scent is sour with fear, making Grayson’s nose burn and his heart hurt for the young woman and her brother.
Nix approaches the bed, hauling Luca with him.
Grayson stays close enough that he can still run his hands up under the borrowed t-shirt that smells like winter, aiming to get at the silky skin underneath.
“Hey, I’m Nix, and this is Luca. Are you going to be okay?”
Lifting her head, she gets a good look at Nix—the ethereal beauty that he is—and her teary eyes go wide.
She shakes her head, compelled in the face of their angel to tell the whole truth.
“I don’t know. I lost my job today, and I needed it to keep our little place, and now I have to help Ansel get better, and I don’t know how we’re going to…What if they take him from me?”
She’s breathing heavily now, and it must have just hit her that she had been living in limbo—where Ansel might die—andhadn’t worried about much else. Now that he’s on the other side of that danger, she’s faced with living life.
“Will you let us help you?”
“What? No. Come on. You guys already did all this. That means everything.”
Nix touches her hand and Winnie’s face crumples.
She must see what Grayson knows is compassion and empathy on his soulmate’s face.
“Please. Everyone needs a helping hand sometimes. We would love to help you. I already have a few ideas about how maybe you can help us, too.”
“Really?” She sniffs and gives him a small smile. “Like…I could help you, and you help us?”
“I have this house that needs watching—it’s been empty for a while, but it needs a family to fill it up. There’s a good school nearby, and the neighbors are really nice.”
“A house?” Winnie’s face is baffled.
“Mmhmm. You’re going to love Mrs. Stavros—she makes the bestloukoum. But…how do you feel about marigolds?”
16
A Pillar Stands Bright (Leo)
If Leo has to drive this CR-V one more inch, he’s going to give someone, somewhere, a piece of his ever-lovin’ mind.
The morning that had started so perfectly had gone to shit—over and over, repeatedly, all day long.
