Page 457 of Eight of Swords, Part Two

Riley doesn’t much care either way, he’s just calculating what additional blood might be shed when Céliane returns. He has no idea if she’s even hurt.

‘OK.’ He looks at him. ‘You stay with me, all right?’

‘Why?’

‘Because.’

Softly, Lachlan says, ‘I’ll stay with you.’

‘Good.’

Vasily comes inside. ‘Riley,’ he says, remarkably composed, all things considered. ‘This is my friend, Savannah.’

The woman beside him is pale beneath streaks of dirt and blood, her fine, aristocratic features carrying an echo of Julian around the eyes.

Riley has never seen her in the flesh. The memories no longer belong to him, yet recognition remains in the hollow they left behind.

Savannah Alderwyck.

‘Riley Harker.’ She offers her hand.

Riley takes it. ‘The backup’s yours?’

‘I only wish I had come sooner.’

‘No, I appreciate it.’

‘Lachlan,’ she says, looking up at him. Her eyes go wide. She must have already seen him, but maybe not up close. ‘My God,’ she whispers.

‘He’s fine,’ Riley says, with no clue why. What a stupid thing to say. He’s fine. Like he just needs a nap and a shower. Like he’s not an actual monster standing there with talons and teeth and red fucking eyes.

She doesn’t seem afraid though.

‘Don’t worry. I’ve seen worse, believe it or not.’

Riley doesn’t care enough to ask.

‘We should get you cleaned up,’ she says to him.

But Lachlan shakes his head. ‘I’m staying with Harker.’

‘Riley,’ Vasily says, and the touch of his voice shaping Riley’s name makes the bond between them vibrate like a taut string pulled, like a tin can telephone across oceans. ‘What do you want us to do?’

Outside, it’s still pitch black.

Pouring rain.

Hours from sunrise.

No Kade to sit in the upstairs window and watch it with.

Riley locks away what he can, shoulders what he can’t.

‘Let’s save as many as we can.’

CHAPTER FORTY

The Cold Room is still underwater, so there’s nowhere to keep Kade except his bedroom, which is where Lachlan put him after bringing him down from the roof. Riley hasn’t seen the extent of the damage up there yet, but Cole has already told him the Watch is partially destroyed.