“I hate this waiting,” Neve whispered, hugging her arms around herself as we sat together by the fire. Thom had fallen asleep against my shoulder as we sat and waited for word on Phelan and Cameron looked set to join him as he sat on the ground next to Neve, his hair still damp from the bath he’d taken to wash away the grime of the road. “I hate it so much. I’ve done so much of it over the years and it never stops being terrifying, never stops hurting so much.”
“He’ll be fine,” I said with conviction I didn’t quite feel. “Jac and J.T. know what to do for him.”
“They were so long on the road after it happened.” She shook her head slightly, looking at Cameron. “I—I’m surprised he’s still alive.”
“We cleaned and packed the wounds as soon as we could,” he said quietly. “And his power was up when the Dirae hit him. I could feel it, like electricity over my skin when I touched him. Maybe it helped. I don’t know.”
Neve’s gaze flicked toward me and I shrugged slightly. “You’d know better than I,” I said softly. “This is your wheelhouse, not mine.”
“I wish it was,” she said. “They always left me behind to wait and hope. Teague would know. Phelan himself would know. I’ve got no idea. I’m as in the dark as you are.”
Cameron wrapped his arm around her and tugged her close. Neve leaned into his chest, her eyes sliding shut as she sighed. I chewed my lip, resting my cheek against Thom’s head for a moment.
He can’t die, the idiot. We need him. His cousin needs him. We all need him. I pressed one hand against my belly with a slight shiver. He needs to be here for everything that’s coming. I’ve seen him too many times for him to die now.
Things could change, though. My visions hadn’t always come true. There were things that I’d seen that hadn’t come to pass, might never come to pass. What if all of my visions with Phelan in them were like that?
“He’ll be fine,” Cameron said quietly. “You’ll see. Worrying about it isn’t going to help anyone. Jacqueline and J.T. are doing what they need to do to help him. He’ll be fine.”
Neve looked at him, biting her lip. “How do you know?”
“Because he’s too damned stubborn for us to lose him now. He’s not going to let her win.”
He meant the Hecate. I shivered again. Thom stirred, lifting his head from my shoulder and blinking blearily.
“Do we…?”
“We don’t know anything yet,” I told him. “Still waiting.”
“Mm.” Thom closed his eyes and settled his head against my shoulder again. “Don’t worry,” he said, then echoed Cameron’s words. “He’ll be fine.”
“How do you know?” I asked, feeling queasy déjà vu. First Cameron and Neve, now Thom and I. What the hell is going on today?
“Because I’ve seen it,” Thom said, his voice heavy with sleep. “And I know that what I’ve seen this time is going to come true.”
I wanted to ask him how, but I didn’t. I just rested my cheek against his hair and stared across the fire at Neve and Cameron as Thom went back to sleep and we resumed the long, silent wait for Jacqueline or J.T. to arrive.
I’m glad Thom faced and accepted his “seeing” abilities. If you don’t you start thinking you are going mad. I “saw” things all the time. Felt things others didn’t. At 28 years old, I was told I had native in my family. As I explored further, I came to understand the things I was seeing and feeling.
Like the group of survivors you have created…I too had to face the truths in my life.
Thanks for another update.
and if you celebrate Christmas..Have a Merry Christmas. Enjoy family and friends. Life can be very fleeting.