AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I took a deep breath—and then my arms came around him, and we were hugging for the first time since I was a kid.
“Shewillmake it,” I said.
“Yes,” he said.
* * *
Watching Mila die, then burying her was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
In the week that followed, I refused to leave her side for more than an hour at a time. When I did leave, I left Daisy and Diesel watching over her grave.
My father came and went. With Tomas missing and me out of commission, he had to put in facetime at the Syndicate. But my mother stayed for the entire seven days. At times, she would sit with me, make sure I was eating and talk about nothing much.
A tropical storm blew in from the south. The canopy was no match for it. I barely noticed the wind and rain, except to pull off my jacket and put on the dry clothes Mom brought me when she saw I was soaked to the skin.
Midway through the week, Lougenia took a turn sitting with me. I apologized for doubting her loyalty, but she said she understood.
“The evidence against me was bad,” she said. “What else could you do?”
I shook my head. “I told Lieutenant Mraz it was impossible. But I couldn’t take the chance.”
She patted my hand. “Stop worrying yourself. It’s okay. Now eat.” She handed me a steak sandwich. “Your Mila’s going to need you when she breaks out of that grave.”
I looked at the sandwich as if it were something foreign, but I made myself eat every bite, and then downed a glass of blood-wine as well.
A short time after Lougenia returned to the house, Airi appeared on the cliff with superhuman speed. She thrust a cell phone at me. “You need to take this.”
“Later.” I brushed her hand away.
“It’s Zaquiel,” she said.
My gaze snapped up to her face.
“No,” she said, seemingly reading my mind. “No one else knows. Zaquiel said he’d talk only to you.”
I nodded. “Good. Keep it that way, okay?”
“Of course.”
I clicked my fingers at the wolfdogs, ordering them to stay with Mila, and strode with the phone to the edge of the cliff. “Zaq. Where are you? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
Relief swamped me. But—“Then where thehellare you? Father’s been look—”
He blew out a breath. “Shut up and listen. I don’t have much time—they could trace this call any second. We’ve been on the run for the past week.”
We?“Who’s we?” I demanded.
“Listen, damn it. The short version is I was kidnapped by the slayers.”
“We know. But who’s we? And where are you now?”
“I can’t tell you. Not over the phone.” There was an odd scraping sound. “Fuck. I have to go.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “Tell Father to call off the hunt. I’ll be in touch. And bro?”
“What?”
“You and Rafe be careful. They’re gunning for all three of us. Whoever’s behind this wants to bring Father to his knees.”
