“Just… get some rest.” Dropping my gaze, I grab the sheet and my clothes and head for the door, desperate to get as far away from that room as possible. Away fromhim.
Baz follows me out, closing the door behind him, leaving Doc to deal with Ani’s post-realm mood swings.
“You okay?” Baz asks, holding up the sheet while I get into my T-shirt and underwear. No one else is around, but I appreciate the gesture nevertheless, especially since I feel like Ani just stripped me to the core.
“Thanks,” I say, taking the sheet and wrapping it around myself. “I’m okay. Just a little rattled, I guess.”
Baz scrutinizes my face, then shakes his head, pulling me in for a soft hug. He’s trembling, I realize, unable to hide his anger.
“You’re pissed at him,” I say.
“After the way he talked to you? I wanted to put him through the wall.” He pulls back, gazing into my eyes, his face tight with concern. “Didn’t you?”
“No,” I answer honestly. “I can’t be mad at him, Baz. Not after what he’s been through.”
I close my eyes, burying my face against his chest.
The dream realm changed Baz. It changed Kirin. It changed all of us. I was a fool to think Ani would come through it unscathed, especially considering how long he was trapped there.
“He’ll be okay,” Baz says, rubbing my back. “Just give him some time.”
I nod, but I can’t bring myself to share his optimism. I can’t explain it, but this just feels different. Maybe it’s because Ani was always so happy and warm, our Sun Arcana. But hearing those cruel words fall from his mouth, seeing the look of disgust in his eyes,feelingthe repulsion in his energy…
I’ll never forget it.
I glance back at the bedroom door as a new feeling blooms in my chest, hot and prickly.
Guilt.
Because whoever I just shared myself with in there, in all the hot, delicious ways that set my body and soul on fire?
Itwasn’tAni. It just looked like him.
Twenty-Nine
BAZ
She skipped lunch again. That was the first clue. I was willing to let it slide the day after the world started burning and Ani arose from the dead, talking all that nonsense. But by the fourth skipped lunch, I’m starting to get worried.
She manages to avoid me by sticking with the other witches most of the afternoon, the whole lot of them concocting some scheme that probably involves lots of booze and cackling. But then, just after sunset, I find her alone in her bedroom, sitting on the bed, staring down at a Tarot card.
“Messages from Mom?” I ask gently, sitting down beside her.
“No, I pulled this one myself. I was hoping to get some advice.”
“I’m no Dr. Phil, but something tells me your needs aren’t being met in that department.” I smile, but Stevie’s clearly in no mood for jokes tonight. “What’s going on, Little Bird?”
A long, heavy sigh floats from her lips, and when she looks up at me again, her eyes are shiny with tears. “Ani. That’s what’s going on.”
“Stevie, the other night…” I shove a hand through my hair, not sure how to word this. I know what Iwantthe answer to be, but if it’s anything other than a firmhell no, we’re going to have a serious problem on our hands. “Did Ani hurt you? Physically?”
“What? No, it wasn’t anything like that. He just… He wasn’t himself, Baz. And I’m not talking about him being tired or messed up after his ordeal. This is… something else.”
“What do you mean?”
She tells me about their reunion, about some of the things he said to her, the changes in his demeanor. “At first I was into it, you know? But then I had that vision, and he just… He reacted badly. I tried to tell him about it, and… Well, you guys heard what happened.”
I nod, brushing a lock of her hair over her shoulder, my hand lingering on her back.
