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“Just go!” Bernadette whispered. She shoved us into the corner of the room that would be hidden from view when the door opened. “Wait for me to close the door behind me, and then go out the window!”
Before we could argue, Bernadette had flung herself forward and, still clutching at her head with one hand, she flung out the other and lifted the latch on the door. She then pulled the door toward us, shielding us from the view of the astonished group on the other side, before stumbling out to meet them.
“Bernadette! What in heaven’s name…?” Ostara’s voice was shrill with fury, a shrillness that was instantly muffled as Bernadette pulled the door closed behind her.
“What do we do?” Eva whispered.
“Exactly what she said to do!” Nova hissed back and tiptoed across the room to the desk. She climbed carefully onto it and, with slightly shaking fingers, released the catch on the window, and lifted the sash. She looked back at us where we stood, still frozen. “Stay if you want to, but I’m bailing, and I will deny to my dying day any knowledge of how the three of you got in here. So unless you want to get charged with breaking and entering…”
We didn’t need any further persuading. One by one we climbed up behind Nova, who was already hoisting her slim frame through the window. Outside in the main library, Bernadette was explaining her presence. I could hear snatches of her tremulous voice.
“…only wanted some privacy while I researched a new painting. I must have dozed off, and a dream startled me awake…”
Nova landed cat-like in the mulch behind the hydrangea bush below and gestured frantically for us to follow. Zale went next, landing slightly less gracefully, but still managing to stay on his feet. Eva turned to me.
“Do you—”
“Just go!”
She slid through the window and, with a muttered oath, dropped to the ground. Zale and Nova reached out to steady her, and then all three looked up at me. I got through the window okay, but as I tried to jump, the cuff on my jeans snagged on a creeping vine, and I tumbled forward, arms flailing, not a chance in hell of landing on my feet.
“Oh shit!” Zale muttered, and all three of them hurried forward to help break my fall. I twisted around at the last moment and managed to take the brunt of the fall on my tailbone. Zale and Eva both caught my arms and held them, which helped prevent me from hitting too hard. Still, as they helped me to my feet, I was wincing.
“Are you okay? That looked—” Zale hesitated.
“Clumsy? Uncoordinated?” Nova suggested.
Zale shrugged. “I was gonna say ‘painful,’ but…”
“Can we stop wasting time and get out of here before we get caught? Just because we made it out the window doesn’t mean they won’t still spot us!”
We hid ourselves more completely in the hydrangea bush and waited. After what felt like forever but was probably only a minute or two, the front door to the house opened, and we watched as Persi stormed out and down the steps. A moment later, Bernadette flew out after her.
“Persephone, wait!”
Persi rounded on her. “Did you know about this? This Covenant thing?”
Bernadette hesitated a moment, then nodded. “I’ve heard the Conclave speak of it before.”
“And you didn’t think that might be information I was entitled to?” Persi asked.
Bernadette lowered her head, abashed.
“Look, Bernadette, I just don’t think we should start this all up again.”
Bernadette looked up suddenly. “All what?”
“This! Us!” Persi cried, gesturing back and forth between the two of them. “It didn’t end well last time, or the time before that… or any damn time! And I… I never should have invited you over. I was messed up about my mom, and drunk if I’m being totally honest, and I… I should have remembered how quickly this gets complicated.”
All the blood drained from Bernadette’s face. “No! You can’t—” She swallowed the rest of her sentence and tried to compose herself. Then she stepped toward Persi, reached out, and took her hand. “You’ve had a very stressful week. Don’t make any rash decisions, okay?”
Persi sighed. “B, you are a rash decision. One rash decision after another.”
Bernadette lifted Persi’s hand to her face. “I mean, a rash decision to end things. You’ve liked having me around the past few days, don’t you?”
“That’s not the point. We always—”
“It’s been a nice distraction, hasn’t it?”
