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“Never is sure her brother is alive in his body, which means she’s going to have a hell of a time hurting him, even if she’s defending herself.”
A perfectly reasonable reaction given her devotion to her protecting the boy, though, not a terribly helpful one.
“So, we don’t let her near the shadow.”
He nodded, his expression grim. “And be careful with the kid, if it comes to it.”
Because even though a demon shadow was wreaking havoc inside her brother’s body, it didn’t mean she would ever forgive me if I killed him. Even to protect her.
“Wrap it up, boys, or we’re leaving without you,” Lily called from the other room.
We stared at each other for another beat, the unspoken understanding passing us between before Leo shook his head. “She’s not kidding.”
“Then we should get moving.”
The female tiger shifter was so different from the girl I’d known back on the island. She’d been young and vibrant back then. A little on the timid side for her kind and filled with the kind of reckless hope that only existed in youth.
Now, her boisterous nature had been replaced with a stoic silence, and her timidness was a thing of the past. That reckless hope, though? I couldn’t get a read on whether she still had any of that distinct magic flowing through her veins.
Following Leo out, I paused at the door and turned to take in the whole of Never’s room once more. I wanted to catalog everything about it, to memorize it so I could call it to mind anytime I needed a reminder of her. Just in case.
Three increasingly tight breaths later, I headed down the hall to find Leo standing in the open door leading out of the apartment.
“Time, Atlas. It’s all about time in this world.”
I jogged out of the room after him. Every realm revolved around time. Even ours.
An eternity and approximately seven heart attacks later, Never pulled her car up to a curb in a much older looking area of her city. A ways in front of us, the road was cordoned off with bright orange cones and strings of yellow tape. Uniformed men and women stood guard, keeping a gathering crowd at bay, and we all piled out of the car in silence.
What was there to say?
We needed to see the damage, and Never was leading the charge. She weaved through the crowd as we got closer, not so gently elbowing her way between people with me close on her heels. Lily was doing the same, combing through the throng at a different angle with Leo at her back. It didn’t take long to make our way to that flimsy tape, though when I caught sight of the reason for the commotion, I was tempted to haul Never to a stop and try to talk her into going straight back to her apartment.
Glass littered the ground in front of the bridal shop from the broken windows. Streaks of blood marred the antique white walls and stained the two dresses still hanging askew in view of the crowd. What I couldn’t see was where that blood had come from.
“Are you sure about this?” I whispered in Never’s ear. She shivered, and I reached up on instinct, wrapping gentle, supportive fingers around her upper arms. “Are you okay?”
She nodded before tipping her head toward the black door she’d mentioned on the harrowing drive. It was set back in the shadows, barely noticeable amongst the charm and character of the surrounding shops. Almost as though it was cloaked, like a person had to be looking for it to see it.
“We need to get in there,” she said over her shoulder.
That was where Lily and Leo came in. I caught Leo’s gaze resting on Never and me as he waited at the tape several paces away. We maneuvered as close to the door as we could manage, and on Never’s signal, Lily let out a wail of sorrow so convincing it tugged at my better side. It was all for the sake of distraction, but there was no way to fake that kind of heart wrenching sadness without experiencing the pain that came with the real thing.
Never stared for a beat too, concern creasing her brow. Leo moved in and made a show of trying to quiet the wailing woman, but the scene had precisely the effect we were hoping for without inciting panic. Two men in dark blue uniforms moved in, and everyone in the crowd was caught up in their dramatics.
I felt a tug on my sleeve and turned to follow Never under the tape.
The air in the dark alcove felt different from the air on the street. Cooler in a way that had nothing to do with lack of sunlight striking the area.
She reached for the handle but paused when she saw it was slick with blood. The concrete at our feet was spattered crimson as well. Which meant we were certainly on the right track.
I reached around her and grabbed the handle, twisting it before she could say anything. The door swung silently open onto a landing that stretched back all of two paces before a steep, dark staircase led straight up to another narrow landing.
Lovely, I thought sarcastically.
Never didn’t need any nudging or prodding after that, though I almost wished she did. I wiped the blood on my dark pants and followed, closing the door behind us. It left us navigating those steep steps by the light of the single dim fixture hanging at the top of the stairs.
“I would really feel better if you would let me lead,” I whispered.
