Thom squeezed me tighter and I exhaled a shaky breath as I buried my face against his neck, reveling in the warmth of his embrace.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll find a way,\u201d he said quietly, as if he could hear what I was thinking. \u201cWe\u2019ll be ready, come what may.\u201d<\/p>\n
Phelan took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. I twisted to look at him, watching a troubled expression creep across his features.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy sister is still out there,\u201d he said after a few long moments of silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t think she\u2019s…\u201d my voice trailed away. Phelan smiled faintly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWest? No. East, I think, still. Time will tell. She\u2019ll come looking. That\u2019s the way she is.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNeve and Cameron found us,\u201d J.T. said. \u201cI\u2019m sure she will, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe,\u201d Phelan agreed softly. \u201cI have to hope.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019ll find us,\u201d I said with a conviction I didn\u2019t really feel. He needed to hear those words, though. Somehow, I knew that he needed them.<\/p>\n
Phelan just nodded, then shrugged. \u201cCome what may. So what are we going to do about whatever\u2019s going to come from the west?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShouldn\u2019t you be answering that question?\u201d J.T. turned away from the barrow and started to climb the slope back toward the shattered garden and rubble of what used to be lecture halls and the library. \u201cYou\u2019re the expert here, Phelan.\u201d<\/p>\n
The once-druid snorted humorlessly. \u201cWe\u2019d all like to think that, wouldn\u2019t we?\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him and he shrugged.<\/p>\n
\u201cI only know what I know, le\u00e1nnan<\/em>, and I sure as hell don\u2019t know everything. We\u2019ll find a way to keep everyone here safe as best we can, but we can\u2019t do much more than that.\u201d<\/p>\n The best we can, huh?<\/em> I gently disengaged from Thom\u2019s embrace.<\/p>\n \u201cI guess we\u2019d better get back to work,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n I turned and followed J.T. up the hill.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Thom squeezed me tighter and I exhaled a shaky breath as I buried my face against his neck, reveling in the warmth of his embrace. \u201cWe\u2019ll find a way,\u201d he said quietly, as if he could hear what I was … Continue reading