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He sighed, lowering our hands together and twining his fingers through mine. “I…don't have any answers right now. It's a lot to take in, and I don't know how I feel. But I'm not going to make you choose between us, okay?"
I blinked tear-filled eyes at him and gave a jerky nod, terrified that if I opened my mouth, he'd take it back.
"I want you to be happy.” He squeezed my hand. “It’s important to me. And…whatever happens, we’ll figure it out together. It’s going to be okay.”
I pulled in a shaky breath. I'd been so sure he would hate me, would feel like I'd betrayed him. I still wasn't sure I didn't feel that way.
Theo gave a low laugh. "Two guys in one day, River? Your dad would be scandalized."
I choked on a gasp. "Oh my God, Theo. Ew."
He snorted, and I clutched his hand tighter. Relief swirled through me like a drug, making me feel dazed and heavy with exhaustion.
"So," he said. "Tell me the rest. Did you find anything in the books? Did you even look at the books? What did Luca say about the ring?"
I gave a slow nod, trying not to think about how weird this was, how nothing at all that had happened to me in the past few days had turned out at all like I'd expected. "Yeah, about that. Luca has a plan."
20
That night, I slept dreamlessly, exhaustion turning my limbs to lead, and I woke up with clean sheets and no sign of any night time escapades.
"You okay?" Vanessa said, yawning. "I feel like I've barely seen you."
"Whose fault is that?" I mumbled into my pillow.
"Hey, you're the one sneaking in after one in the morning," Vanessa pointed out. "At least you knew who I was going home with."
I snorted. "Home, or to another dorm room?"
"I'll have you know that Irina owns a condo block," Vanessa said primly. "Her family's very wealthy. Are you going to get up, or what?"
I waved a hand at her without rolling over. "What," I said. "I'm taking another day off. I already emailed Blanton."
"Okay," Vanessa said, "now I know something's wrong with you. Extra vacation days? You?"
"I know how to relax," I said defensively, pulling the blanket over my head. "And now I'm going to do exactly that and go back to sleep. Go away."
She blew a raspberry at me, but a few minutes later, I felt her pat my hip. Her footsteps retreated, and I heard the door close softly behind her.
Once I was sure she was out of the room, I pushed the covers away and sat up. Luca would be here in an hour, and because it had been so late when I’d come in, I hadn't started packing. Plus, I didn't want Vanessa to know I'd be away until after I was gone. I'd asked Dr. Blanton for three days off, and she'd replied immediately: Of course - take all the time you need. Take care of yourself. I was grateful for the response, but it did make me wonder exactly what people had been saying when I wasn't around.
I dragged my carry-on suitcase out from under the bed and began stuffing things into it: underwear, shirts, bras, my toothbrush. I was normally very organized when packing, but for some reason, my brain didn't want to stay on task. I zipped and unzipped the suitcase at least three times before I was finally ready to go.
And just in time, too—at that moment, my phone started ringing. Thinking it was Luca, I grabbed for my belongings before reaching to answer it. But the caller ID said Theo.
"I'm downstairs," he said, by way of greeting.
I peeked through the window at the parking lot. Sure enough, there he was, leaning on his rental car with his phone at his ear. He waved up at me. "Hi."
"I thought you were meeting with Neath this morning," I said, stuffing my feet into my boots. "Hang on, I'm coming down."
I wrangled my suitcase down the stairs; he met me at the door, eyebrows raised.
"Are you going for a day trip or the rest of the year?" he asked, reaching for the bag and lifting it easily over the threshold.
I glared. "Sorry if I don't know what to bring on a road trip to meet an exorcist," I said crossly, and immediately regretted it when I saw the look on his face.
"Jesus, River," he said, dismay evident in his expression.
