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“Savvy . . .” She saw Hale say her name more than heard it. He came to her and swept her into his arms in a crushing embrace. She leaned into him and closed her eyes. Her throat burned. She couldn’t think. It was all too much.
Kristina was dead? Dead?
She’d thought she was spent of emotion. But the feel of Hale’s arms around her sent up a well of tears. “My sister . . .” she said.
“I know.” His voice rumbled in his chest, a comforting feeling.
And then the tears spilled over, and she clung to him, letting them silently fall onto his shirt collar.
CHAPTER 20
Catherine woke up as if she’d had an undisturbed night’s sleep, blinked several times, and said, “I can’t see.”
Ravinia, whose chin had dipped to her chest for a moment, snapped awake, her mother’s journal sliding to the floor. “Let me turn on a light.” She quickly got up and walked to the light switch, pressing the toggle.
The room flooded with light, but Catherine blinked and blinked. “Ravinia?”
Ravinia walked to the edge of the bed. “I’m right here.”
“I can’t see you.”
Ravinia stared down at her aunt, whose blue eyes were focused somewhere far away, searching. “What’s wrong?”
“Where am I?” Then, “It smells like a hospital.”
“I need to get the doctor.”
“No, don’t leave,” Catherine ordered. “Please.”
Ravinia regarded her with worry. “But if you can’t see . . .”
“It’s probably temporary,” she said. “What happened?”
“I don’t really know. You were out at the gate, talking to Earl, and then you never came back. Why can’t you see? What do you mean, it’s probably temporary?”
“It’s happened before. Where’s Isadora?”
“At the lodge.” Ravinia quickly brought her aunt up to date on the events of the night before, finishing with, “Earl brought me here with his son, Rand. He went back to Siren Song last night to get Isadora, but he hasn’t shown up again. Nobody wanted Isadora to leave. That’s why I’m here instead,” she added a bit uncomfortably.
“Isadora should stay with them,” Catherine said.
“Yeah, well . . .” Ravinia cleared her throat. “Why did Earl come to Siren Song?”
“Why didn’t he bring Ophelia?”
“Because I’m the one who went over the wall for help!” Ravinia snapped. “What the hell happened? Why can’t you see?” She heard the hysterical note in her voice and clamped it down. She wanted to wring Catherine’s neck. If they had a phone or could drive or . . .
“Sometimes stress brings it on,” her aunt said, but there was something evasive in her tone.
“Did you know Ophelia has a disposable cell phone?” Ravinia asked. “She called nine-one-one while I was out looking for help. She may have saved your life.”
Catherine shook her head, seeming a bit overwhelmed.
“Why did Earl come by?” Ravinia asked again. Though he was the lodge’s all-around handyman, he rarely came at night. In fact, though he was the only man allowed inside the gates, she couldn’t remember a time he’d ever stayed past evening.
“We had some business to take care of.”
“Oh, business. That’
