\u201cI hate this waiting,\u201d Neve whispered, hugging her arms around herself as we sat together by the fire.\u00a0 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\u2019d taken to wash away the grime of the road.\u00a0 \u201cI hate it so much.\u00a0 I\u2019ve done so much of it over the years and it never stops being terrifying, never stops hurting so much.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019ll be fine,\u201d I said with conviction I didn\u2019t quite feel.\u00a0 \u201cJac and J.T. know what to do for him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were so long on the road after it happened.\u201d\u00a0 She shook her head slightly, looking at Cameron.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2014I\u2019m surprised he\u2019s still alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe cleaned and packed the wounds as soon as we could,\u201d he said quietly.\u00a0 \u201cAnd his power was up when the Dirae<\/i> hit him.\u00a0 I could feel it, like electricity over my skin when I touched him.\u00a0 Maybe it helped.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Neve\u2019s gaze flicked toward me and I shrugged slightly.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019d know better than I,\u201d I said softly.\u00a0 \u201cThis is your wheelhouse, not mine.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wish it was,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cThey always left me behind to wait and hope.\u00a0 Teague would know.\u00a0 Phelan himself would know.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got no idea.\u00a0 I\u2019m as in the dark as you are.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cameron wrapped his arm around her and tugged her close.\u00a0 Neve leaned into his chest, her eyes sliding shut as she sighed.\u00a0 I chewed my lip, resting my cheek against Thom\u2019s head for a moment.<\/p>\n
He can\u2019t die, the idiot.\u00a0 We need him.\u00a0 His cousin needs him.\u00a0 We all need him.<\/i>\u00a0 I pressed one hand against my belly with a slight shiver.\u00a0 He needs to be here for everything that\u2019s coming.\u00a0 I\u2019ve seen him too many times for him to die now.<\/i><\/p>\n
Things could change, though.\u00a0 My visions hadn\u2019t always come true.\u00a0 There were things that I\u2019d seen that hadn\u2019t come to pass, might never come to pass.\u00a0 What if all of my visions with Phelan in them were like that?<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019ll be fine,\u201d Cameron said quietly. \u00a0\u201cYou\u2019ll see.\u00a0 Worrying about it isn\u2019t going to help anyone.\u00a0 Jacqueline and J.T. are doing what they need to do to help him.\u00a0 He\u2019ll be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Neve looked at him, biting her lip.\u00a0 \u201cHow do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause he\u2019s too damned stubborn for us to lose him now.\u00a0 He\u2019s not going to let her win.\u201d<\/p>\n
He meant the Hecate.\u00a0 I shivered again.\u00a0 Thom stirred, lifting his head from my shoulder and blinking blearily.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo we\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know anything yet,\u201d I told him.\u00a0 \u201cStill waiting.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMm.\u201d\u00a0 Thom closed his eyes and settled his head against my shoulder again.\u00a0 \u201cDon\u2019t worry,\u201d he said, then echoed Cameron\u2019s words.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019ll be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know?\u201d I asked, feeling queasy d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu.\u00a0 First Cameron and Neve, now Thom and I.\u00a0 What the hell is going on today?<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I\u2019ve seen it,\u201d Thom said, his voice heavy with sleep.\u00a0 \u201cAnd I know that what I\u2019ve seen this time is going to come true.\u201d<\/p>\n
I wanted to ask him how, but I didn\u2019t.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cI hate this waiting,\u201d Neve whispered, hugging her arms around herself as we sat together by the fire.\u00a0 Thom had fallen asleep against my shoulder as we sat and waited for word on Phelan and Cameron looked set to join … Continue reading