“Did they say what the runes were? Did you recognize them? Some sort of witchcraft, or—”
“Fae,” she whispers. “Dark fae. That’s as far as Auggie could tell. He took pictures, hoping Rook can figure it out. By then, I was too exhausted and freaked out to pay attention.”
I sense her heartbeat kicking up again, so I run my hand over her head and say softly, “Don’t worry, love. It’s over now. I’m taking you home. I’ll draw you a hot bath and fix you some herbal tea, if you’d like.”
Again, she falls silent.
Again, I want to hang Jude upside down by his tail and beat him like a fucking piñata.
I know it was important for her to be there tonight—she convinced me of that when she told me about her Tarot cards. I wasn’t thrilled with the idea, but ultimately, I hoped that seeing her attackers take their final breaths would give her some closure.
Jude and Augustine never should’ve let it go so far.
“Draegan?” she asks, her voice small and frightened, and when I turn and meet her gaze again, her eyes are wide with some new terror. “I think something’s wrong with me. I don’t know what it is, but carving those runes… I think it changed something inside me. Unlocked something that probably should’ve stayed behind bars.”
“Nothing is wrong with you,” I say. “Violence like that, no matter how deserving our victims… It takes something from us, Westlyn. What the others and I do… The things we…” I swallow the sudden tightness in my throat, centuries of pain and anguish and regret and guilt, every memory a blade that never dulls. “It’s not the sort of life I’deverwant for you.”
“But that’s the thing,” she whispers. “It didn’t take something from me.”
A flash of eerie, otherworldly light pulses through her eyes—so quickly I’d have missed it if I’d blinked.
“It… it gave something back.” She closes her eyes, and a chill slithers across the back of my neck, making the hairs stand on end. “Something I think I’ve been missing my entire life.”
I don’t know how to respond to that. Toanyof this—the runes, her temporary memory loss, the strange light in her eyes, all the things she’s feeling. Before I can evenattemptto find the right thing to say, she’s trembling again, her breathing heavy and uneven, her heart stuttering.
“Breathe, love,” I whisper, brushing my knuckles across her cheek. “Just breathe.”
“I’m trying,” she pants, “but I… I can’t catch my breath. I can’t… Draegan, I can’t breathe!”
“You can. Just focus on my touch. Right here, Miss Avery.” I lower my hand and press it to her abdomen. “Feel that?”
She grips my forearm with both hands. “Y-yes.”
“Good. I want you to take a few nice, deep breaths into your lower belly, as if you’re trying to breathe through my hand.”
She obeys, her stomach rising and falling beneath my touch, but it’s not enough. She’s still breathing too fast, her body trembling again, her heart rate skyrocketing.
Fucking Jude.
“There, there, love,” I say softly, fighting to keep my voice calm and steady. “The worst is over now, and whatever comes next, we’ll deal with it together, one step at a time. For now, I just need you to keep breathing. Keep focusing on my voice and my touch, and breathe. Can you do that for me?”
With another shuddering breath, she nods.
“Good girl.” I continue to stroke her stomach, keeping one hand on the wheel, my gaze darting from the highway to Westlyn and back again. “That’s it. Just breathe. You’re okay. See? Everything’s just fine.”
I’m not sure which of us I’m trying to convince.
Either way, I don’t think it’s working.
“You’re okay,” I say again.
“I… I don’t think I am.”
“Do I need to stop?”
“No!” Her grip on my forearm tightens. “Don’t stop! Please don’t stop touching me!”
My jaw clenches tight. “I meant thecar, Miss Avery. Do I need to stop the car and—”
