him, but I don’t know how much that would help. Plus,
three of his swordsmen are standing nearby. Even if we were together still, I wouldn’t
touch him.
“Are you okay?” I ask instead.
“It’s a shallow wound, McKenzie. It will heal quickly.”
My gaze drops to his elbow. It’s still bleeding, but not enough to cause concern.
“That’s not what I meant,” I say. “Are you
okay
?”
He opens his mouth to say something, but then closes it again when he realizes what
I’m asking. I stop breathing because, if he says he’s not okay, that I’m hurting him
and that it’s painful to be around me, I don’t know what I’ll do. I can’t love him
like I did before, but I’d still do just about anything for him. I want him to be
happy.
Finally, the most miniscule of smiles breaks his expression. “I’m okay, McKenzie.
It’s…” He pauses, his gaze goesto the left as if searching for the right words. “It’s different…being around you
now. I still care for you. I still feel the need to protect you, and I don’t want
to hurt or worry you. But, yes, I am okay.”
Another smile, slightly bigger this time, and something inside me uncoils. I feel
a smile tug at the corner of my own mouth. This is going to work, us being around
each other. I don’t have to be careful around him or feel awkward or guilty. He’s
okay—
we’re
okay—and it’s the biggest relief in the world.
We start walking again, but less than a minute later, he says, “I need to speak with
Lena. You should reach the gate by nightfall. I’ll make sure it’s protected. You’ll
be okay.”
I can’t tell if that last part is a question or not. In the past, it would have been.
But then, in the past, he most likely would have stayed with me and sent another fae
to deliver his message.
“I’ll be fine,” I assure him.
His gaze moves from me to the three swordsmen trailing us—they’ll make sure I make
it safely to the gate—then, without any other farewell, Kyol opens a fissure and disappears.
It’s only after I blink the shadows from my vision that I realize I still have his
name-cord in my pocket.
SEVEN
I STEP OUT of the In-Between and into the Vegas suite I share with Shane. Kyol underestimated
the amount of time it took to reach the gate. It was closer to the middle of the night
before the fae and I arrived. Fortunately, the remnants didn’t show up. Maybe they
sent a scout who saw the thirty swordsmen and archers Kyol had sent to guard the gate.
That force would deter most fae.
It wouldn’t have deterred Aren, though.
If Aren were leading the remnants, he would have found a way to achieve his goal.
That was his specialty, attacking against the odds. He and Lena are having a tougher
time now that they’re on the defense.
After my fae escort leaves, I glance inside Shane’s room. I don’t see him sprawled
across his bed, so my best guess is he’s in the Realm, making himself useful. The
alarm clock on his nightstand says it’s just after 1 A.M . Thank God. I can take a nap and still have time to take my driver’s license and
Social Security card to Jenkins. He needs it by five o’clock tomorrow, but I don’t
want to wait until then. I need to mark that off my list today so I can concentrate
on finding Paige.
I fall into bed, too tired to do anything more than take off my shoes and socks and
unbelt the scabbard from around my waist. Twenty minutes later, though, I’m still
lying hereexhausted, but awake. My mind won’t shut off. I’m worried about Paige. The
tor’um
knew who she was. If I had any doubt the remnants had her, I don’t anymore.
Opening my eyes, I stare at the ceiling. I hope the remnants have let Paige see them.
I hope they’ve tried to explain things to her. But even if they haven’t, even if she
thinks she’s trapped in a bad dream or that she’s snapped, I can fix it. I’ll tell
her everything. King Atroth
three of his swordsmen are standing nearby. Even if we were together still, I wouldn’t
touch him.
“Are you okay?” I ask instead.
“It’s a shallow wound, McKenzie. It will heal quickly.”
My gaze drops to his elbow. It’s still bleeding, but not enough to cause concern.
“That’s not what I meant,” I say. “Are you
okay
?”
He opens his mouth to say something, but then closes it again when he realizes what
I’m asking. I stop breathing because, if he says he’s not okay, that I’m hurting him
and that it’s painful to be around me, I don’t know what I’ll do. I can’t love him
like I did before, but I’d still do just about anything for him. I want him to be
happy.
Finally, the most miniscule of smiles breaks his expression. “I’m okay, McKenzie.
It’s…” He pauses, his gaze goesto the left as if searching for the right words. “It’s different…being around you
now. I still care for you. I still feel the need to protect you, and I don’t want
to hurt or worry you. But, yes, I am okay.”
Another smile, slightly bigger this time, and something inside me uncoils. I feel
a smile tug at the corner of my own mouth. This is going to work, us being around
each other. I don’t have to be careful around him or feel awkward or guilty. He’s
okay—
we’re
okay—and it’s the biggest relief in the world.
We start walking again, but less than a minute later, he says, “I need to speak with
Lena. You should reach the gate by nightfall. I’ll make sure it’s protected. You’ll
be okay.”
I can’t tell if that last part is a question or not. In the past, it would have been.
But then, in the past, he most likely would have stayed with me and sent another fae
to deliver his message.
“I’ll be fine,” I assure him.
His gaze moves from me to the three swordsmen trailing us—they’ll make sure I make
it safely to the gate—then, without any other farewell, Kyol opens a fissure and disappears.
It’s only after I blink the shadows from my vision that I realize I still have his
name-cord in my pocket.
SEVEN
I STEP OUT of the In-Between and into the Vegas suite I share with Shane. Kyol underestimated
the amount of time it took to reach the gate. It was closer to the middle of the night
before the fae and I arrived. Fortunately, the remnants didn’t show up. Maybe they
sent a scout who saw the thirty swordsmen and archers Kyol had sent to guard the gate.
That force would deter most fae.
It wouldn’t have deterred Aren, though.
If Aren were leading the remnants, he would have found a way to achieve his goal.
That was his specialty, attacking against the odds. He and Lena are having a tougher
time now that they’re on the defense.
After my fae escort leaves, I glance inside Shane’s room. I don’t see him sprawled
across his bed, so my best guess is he’s in the Realm, making himself useful. The
alarm clock on his nightstand says it’s just after 1 A.M . Thank God. I can take a nap and still have time to take my driver’s license and
Social Security card to Jenkins. He needs it by five o’clock tomorrow, but I don’t
want to wait until then. I need to mark that off my list today so I can concentrate
on finding Paige.
I fall into bed, too tired to do anything more than take off my shoes and socks and
unbelt the scabbard from around my waist. Twenty minutes later, though, I’m still
lying hereexhausted, but awake. My mind won’t shut off. I’m worried about Paige. The
tor’um
knew who she was. If I had any doubt the remnants had her, I don’t anymore.
Opening my eyes, I stare at the ceiling. I hope the remnants have let Paige see them.
I hope they’ve tried to explain things to her. But even if they haven’t, even if she
thinks she’s trapped in a bad dream or that she’s snapped, I can fix it. I’ll tell
her everything. King Atroth
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