“Any word from Vail?” I asked. Our mission had been vital, but it wasn’t the only one in play. The stakes were high on all fronts.
“Nothing,” she said. “Though we’ll see if that’s changed when we alert them that we’ve retrieved the Cross.”
I bit my lip, wondering if Sabine had been able to find my father. What had Nev and Ethan been doing? Was Nev risking himself by trying to find other wolves on patrol? Could he bring them over to our side?
So much depended on each piece falling into its place. With only one missing, we’d fail.
Connor had leaned over to whisper to Adne. She nodded and he cleared his throat, speaking to the rest of us.
“If you’ll excuse us, we’ll be taking that rest. See you in an hour.”
As they left, I heard a quiet growl and turned to see Ren starting after them.
I grabbed his arm. “Don’t you dare.”
“He’s taking advantage.” Ren was bristling, ready to attack.
“No, he isn’t.” I tugged Ren backward. “Trust me.”
He shot me a suspicious look but stopped trying to pull away from me.
“What are you going to do?” he asked. “Rest?”
“There’s no way,” I said, feeling the rush of my own heartbeat. “But I am going to change. I’ve been in these clothes for two days. Maybe a shower-”
He grinned and my cheeks flamed.
“Never mind.” I let go of his arms, backing up a few steps as images of Ren clad only in a towel flashed in my mind.
He laughed softly. “I’ll see you in an hour, Lily.”
I hated that I was still blushing, so I settled for growling at him. It only made him laugh harder.
“Am I the only one who’s hungry?” Mason rubbed his belly.
“You’ll find your friends Bryn and Ansel in the kitchen,” Anika said. “Tess should be with them.”
“In the kitchen?” Shay frowned. “Why?”
“After that incident with Logan we thought it best to keep him in one place.”
“So kitchen duty?” I asked.
“Washing dishes is punishment enough for someone who has been through what your brother has,” Anika said with a sad smile. “He can’t behave that way and be free here. But any one of us might have felt justified in such an attack if we’d been in his place.”
“I’m glad you see it that way.”
“The kitchen should keep him out of mischief,” Anika said.
“That’s where I’ll be, then,” Mason said. When he passed me, he leaned in, whispering, “Doesn’t she realize how many knives An could steal from the kitchen?”
I glanced over my shoulder to see Anika engrossed in conversation with Shay as he held out the blades for her inspection.
“I’ll walk out with you,” I said, taking Mason’s arm. I managed to keep myself from meeting Ren’s eyes again. I didn’t know what I’d find there and I wasn’t sure I was in any state of mind to handle it. Too many thoughts about our chances, the risks, and all the losses that had already happened were racing through my mind. The sort of thoughts that led to impulsive, irrational decisions. I needed to be steadier than that before this battle.
“You wanna come see Ansel and Bryn?” Mason asked, pausing by the staircase.
“I’ll be there soon,” I said. “But I really do need to get out of these clothes.”
“Yeah, you do.” Mason nodded. “I was just too polite to bring it up.”
“Thanks.” I punched him on the arm.
“See ya!” He pecked me on the cheek and bounded down the steps.
Weariness settled deep in my bones as I slipped into my room, letting the door close quietly behind me. I forced myself to change first, though the bed was calling my name. If I lay down, I might not get up before it was time to go. I used my shirt to rub as much grime and soot from my skin as I could. A shower would have been ideal, but I was too worried about time and a possible Ren ambush to return to the baths.
I’d just finished buckling my belt when a quiet knock sounded at the door.
“Who is it?” I called.
“Shay.”
A knot formed low in my belly. I’d been worried about Ren, but the sound of Shay’s voice drove all other thoughts away. His life was so focused on the fight to come. He was the key. He was the Scion. And now he had the Elemental Cross.
But he was knocking on my door, and he was still the boy I loved… wasn’t he?
“Come in.”
He came into the room, keeping his distance. “Can we talk?”
The knot in my stomach petrified, becoming a painful lump, heavy in my gut.
I nodded.
“I don’t mean to go all emo on you,” he said, “but I want you to know that you’re going to be okay. No matter what happens tonight.”
The rock-like sensation dissolved into surprise. “What?”
“You won’t be alone.” He walked toward me.
I stared at him, utterly perplexed. “I won’t be alone?”
“No.” He took my hands in his. “Ren and I…”
I snatched my hands away with a hiss. “Ren and you?”
“Uh… we-”
“You what?” I snarled.
“Well…” He swallowed, backing off as he saw my teeth sharpen. “We had a chance to talk.”
“Talk about what?”
“You… We thought that-”
“When were you and Ren talking about me?”
“They had us tied up together for a while.” He grabbed an armchair, shoving it between us like a fortification. “Mason took a nap… that was after he bit me.”
I strolled toward him, kneeling on the chair cushion while my fingers wrapped around its frame. “I’m listening.”
“After we stopped trying to get out of the rope, we argued for a while.”
“That’s a shocker.”
“Arguing about you led to talking.” He took another step back when my fingers pierced the chair’s upholstery.
“Go on.”
His eyes were wild. “Maybe I should just go-”
“Tell me, Shay.” It was more of a growl than a sentence.
“Listen, don’t be mad,” he said. “I hate to say it, but I think I may have been wrong about Ren.”
“Wrong how?”
He raked his fingers through his hair. “I still don’t like him, but I didn’t get how he felt about you.”
The fire of my rage was in danger of being outpaced by the fear that drove my pulse. How much had they talked about? What right did they have to talk about me at all?
“He’s been in love with you for… well, pretty much forever.”
“You believe he means that?” I lowered my gaze, blood thundering in my ears. I knew it was true, but for Shay to believe it
“I wish I didn’t,” he said quietly. “But yeah. He’s for real.”
We didn’t speak. Silence hovered around us thick as fog. Finally he sighed. “But I’m willing to accept that it’s a good thing for all of us.”
I looked at him sharply. “Why would you say that?”
“Because when I’m gone”-he took a deep breath-“I know he’ll be here to take care of you. He promised me
