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“They’ve asked me to keep quiet around him. The room is soundproofed, though the alarms ring through. He’s still not out of the woods, Elphyra. He could die. Or live. If he lives, there’s a chance he won’t wake up, or that he’ll have brain damage when he does wake.” Kyle leaned forward, a broken look on his face. “I love my brother. I don’t want to be King. I don’t want his spot. I want him to recover and…” He was wringing his hands and I reached out, taking one of them. I held it tight, letting him brace himself on me.
“I hesitate to ask, but what about your parents? Do you have any other siblings?”
“Our father was King, but he died from a heart attack. Our mother died of grief. It’s possible, you know—someone can die from heartbreak.” He leaned his elbows on his knees and pulled his hand back. “Faron dated a lot of women after his wife died…but he never talked about introducing any of them to me until he started talking about you.”
I hung my head, letting the tears come. “I’m afraid for him. I don’t know what to do—I want to help but I can’t do a thing.”
“You can hope. Right now, that’s all any of us can do,” he said. “Thank you, for crying for him. I can’t cry. In our Pack, the women cry for us. We’re a warrior race living in a time when we’re outdated. But we keep to our traditions.” Kyle straightened up. “Will you cry for him, for me?”
I gave him a gentle nod. It wasn’t the time to talk about men and women and gender roles. His brother needed me to help him through this. It was the one thing I could do for Faron and for Kyle.
“I promise, I’ll cry for him. And I’ll keep hope.”
“I’d better get back.” He stood, letting out a long sigh.
“Do you mind if I come visit?” I asked.
“Please, do. I’ll be here twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays at four, if you ever want to talk. And…thank you. I think my brother was…is? Falling in love with you.” And with that, he went back in the room, leaving me out in the hall.
* * *
The doctor wouldn’t letme in to see Bree—not until they’d fully examined her. “I suggest you go home and rest. I’ll have her call you,” Dr. Marston said. She shook her head. “Don’t be upset if she needs some time to process everything that’s gone on before she talks to anybody. She’s been through a lot, that I can tell you.”
I called Grams, who sent the town car to get me. As I entered the house, she was waiting for me, with pizza, cola, and ice cream.
“How’s your head?”
“Screaming. But…we saved Bran and Daisy, and Bree. Evan Taylor left a trail of damage in his wake, though.” I glanced at Grams. “Do you know any spells to target someone from a distance?”
Grams motioned for me to follow her. I walked into the kitchen and found the kittens playing in a soft-sided pen next to the table. Immediately, I dropped to my knees and lifted first Gem, then Silver, out of the pen and hugged them.
“I needed this,” I said, noticing that Fancypants was also in the pen. “Hey, what are you doing?”
“Getting to know them. I love them already,” he said, his eyes alight.
“I’m glad. I thought you might have fun with them.” I sighed, kissing Gem on the nose. “I’m sorry, little one. I haven’t had much time since I brought you home yesterday.”
“What did you mean about targeting someone?” Grams asked, setting the table. “Come, eat.”
I put the kittens back in the pen and, after Fancypants flew up and over to his chair, I zipped the cover closed. The kittens could see us through the mesh sides, but couldn’t get out. Sitting at the table, I let Grams serve me. She handed me a super-strength headache powder and I poured it in my soda, stirring it and drinking it down.
“What I meant…Evan’s hurt so many people, and if Faron dies, that will go up to murder. I’m not sure everything he did to Bree in the time he had her, but apparently it wasn’t good. I can’t talk to her until she decides to call me. The doctor warned me about pushing her. Evan hurt Bran, he hurt me…and you know how justice works.”
Grams considered the question. “Well, what wecando is a spell asking that justice be met full force. That he be visited by everything that he’s done to others. Any darker spells, I will not teach you.”
“Then, if that’s as strong as we can go, I want to go there.”
As we ate, I decompressed. It hit me that I wasn’t crying. I wasn’t feeling weak, though I felt like I’d been hit by a truck. I was changing, and I had Grams to thank for that. She was having an affect on me, and it was a good one.
I stared at the cats, then at Fancypants and Grams. My life had joy in it now. As my thoughts turned to Faron, I quickly pulled them away. Right now, I couldn’t handle one more painful moment. I needed to breathe. I needed to let go of all the darkness that had surrounded me in the past year.
But somewhere, in the depths of my mind, I heard the sound of bells. They were chiming, warning me that there were still challenges to come. Images of Bran and Faron flashed through my mind. The three of us weren’t done. And Bree—she would need me to be strong as well. As to where we were all going, I had no clue, but the future was on the move and nothing would hold it back.
“What are you thinking?” Grams asked.
I shrugged. “I don’t know,” I said, not wanting to burden her with all of my dark thoughts. Instead, I turned the conversation to the cats, and Fancypants chimed in, and we ate dinner as the summer sun faded into twilight, and my future drew another step closer with every passing moment.
* * *
