Page 175 of By the Flames of Her Fury

“He would’ve left you.”

“I don’t think so. I really think he was just trying to get his family back. I want to be furious, and a part of me still is, but…” She shrugged. “It takes so much energy to wish bad things for someone. That’s all I’ve done for years.” Her head tilted back up to meet my gaze, and we both stopped moving. “I just want to be happy, Everett.”

I cupped her cheek. “Me too, sweetheart.” My lips brushed gently against hers, and I snaked an arm around her back, pulling her closer.

“Seriously, you two? Save it for the boat,” Tessa shouted from up ahead.

“As if we’re going to get any privacy on a boat,” I mumbled.

Vera wound her arms around my neck, nails scraping my scalp in a way that made my eyes flutter shut. “I have a few tricks up my sleeve.”

I kissed her once more, then turned toward the palace. We hadn’t even reached the entrance when the doors burst open. Odessa sprinted from the top of the stairs, her forest green dress trailing behind her.

“Vera!” she yelled, waving at the sky. “Vera, you did it!”

Vera ran to Odessa, the women embracing with joyous smiles. “I’m so glad you’re okay!” Vera exclaimed.

I rubbed my chest with the heel of my hand, my heart aching at the look on Vera’s face. In the months we’d been together before she left, I could count on one hand the number of times she’d truly smiled. She hadn’t let herself make friends the way she did now. She hadn’t let herself feel joy. But now she was brimming with it.

Kieran bounded down the steps after Odessa. I clapped him on the back, and he pulled me in for a surprising hug. “I thought we lost you, brother.”

“You almost did.” I released him. “But we pulled it off, like we always do. Thanks to Vera.” I tipped my head to her, who was inspecting Odessa’s arm, which was completely healed.

“Don’t sell yourself short, Ev,” Tessa piped up behind me, reaching to rest an elbow on my shoulder. “I’d be fish food if it weren’t for you. Well, shadow wraith you.”

Kieran glanced between the two of us. “I sense I missed a few things.”

“We’ll tell you all about it on the ride home, don’t worry,” Tessa said.

“What about the Elders?” Kieran asked.

“They’re dead. It’s over, Kieran,” I said.

He let out a breath, then patted my shoulder. “Well done, all of you.” Odessa called him over just then, and he nodded to us before walking away.

I caught Tessa by the arm before she could follow. “Listen, we haven’t had the chance to talk much, but I need to tell you something.”

She eyed me. “Did the shadow wraith leave little shadow wraith eggs inside of you?”

I rolled my eyes. “It’s about the night I was taken. You know how my dreamwalking isn’t always controllable, and I accidentally entered several dreams of people around me. Including yours.”

Tessa stilled, then cleared her throat. “Oh?”

“I’m sorry, Tessa. I wasn’t trying to intrude.” My brow pinched. “But I saw something. Your—your mother.”

“You saw that, did you?” She sighed. “Yeah, well, it was just a dream.”

“What happened to her?” I asked softly.

Tessa’s eyes shifted to the others, and she swallowed. “She’s sick. Has been for some time now. Lost her memory and basic functioning skills five years ago, things the Alchemists say they can’t heal. I’ve been taking care of her, when I can. I moved her to the East Shore shelter we set up last year.”

My eyes widened. “Why haven’t you told any of us about this?”

“It’s not your business.” She hastily shook her head. “That came out wrong. I mean, it’s not your responsibility. I don’t have any relatives. It’s just me and her. It’s my job to take care of her.”

I remembered asking her weeks ago why she wanted to come on this trip with us. “When you said sometimes you just need to get away, is this what you meant? You needed a break?”

She winced. “I know, it was selfish of me.”