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A hand slipped into mine, and I glanced up to find Luca looking down at me. "We are all doing the best we can," he said quietly. "Give him a little space. We will get through this, one way or another."
Would we, though? Would I?
I grabbed the beef jerky and tossed it into the cart, then squeezed Luca's hand a little tighter and let him lead me down the next aisle.
The four of us met up again at the cash register. I glanced over Theo's face—he gave me a quick smile that didn't seem too forced—then focused on the cart Julian was unloading onto the counter.
"Is that…salt?" I raised an eyebrow. "I'm pretty sure those freeze-dried meals are already seasoned."
He lifted his brows in return. "You believe I'm purchasing a five-pound bag of salt to season our food?"
I shrugged.
"It's for the ritual."
"And the mealworms?" I wrinkled my nose.
"That's a treat for the chickens," he replied, ignoring my expression. "They've been through a lot today."
"As have we all," I sighed.
We crammed the tiny trunk of Luca's car as full as we could, then stuffed the remainder of our impromptu shopping spree into the backseat with Theo and me before pulling out onto the road.
"Where to?" Luca asked, stifling a yawn. He wasn't the only one struggling to stay awake. Even though the sun was already well over the horizon, I was pretty sure I was the only one who had gotten any sleep the night before, and even then, it hadn’t exactly been restful.
“Back up the mountain road,” Julian instructed. “Take the same turn-off you did to get to the cabin, but we’re going to go a little further.”
Luca nodded, covering his mouth with a hand as another yawn broke through.
“Both hands on the wheel,” Julian snapped, grasping the edge of his seat with one hand.
Luca shot him a look. “Just because you have not been in a car for decades does not mean I have forgotten how to drive.”
Theo muffled a snort as Julian opened his mouth to retort, but I interrupted before he got a chance.
"So, what happens when we arrive?"
“We sleep,” Julian said. “We’ll take shifts to keep you safe, but we will all need our strength for what’s to come.”
And what was to come, I wondered. Was this my last night on earth? Camping out on a mountain in Velarta as three guys took shifts to make sure I didn't kill myself before the ritual did it for me? Should I be calling my dad? Vanessa? What was a person supposed to do in a situation like this, other than panic?
I felt a hand on my brow, one finger smoothing away the wrinkle that must have creased it, and refocused my gaze on Theo.
"Whatever you're thinking, unicorn, stop it," he whispered.
I didn't bother to deny it, just sighed and rested my head on his shoulder.
"This is going to work," he said, moving his hand to stroke my hair. "And everything is going to be okay."
"How do you know?" I asked.
He glanced down at me with the cocky expression I'd seen on his face a million times. "I'm Theo," he told me. "I know everything. And I'm never wrong."
I smiled, closing my eyes and burrowing into his side. Any other time I'd never have let that comment pass. But just then, I decided to believe he was right.
35
"It's a cave," Theo said.
