“I lost the male I love,” she mumbled even though he hadn’t been talking to her. “I lost him before I ever got to tell him how I feel.”
And that was the last thing she remembered.
At Luchas House, Nate was lounging next to Elyn on the sofa. His laptop was open on her—well, lap, as it were—and she was searching a names database of the species. Across the way, up on the TV mounted over the fireplace, Stranger Things, season two, was playing.
As Elyn shut the computer sharply, he looked over. “Nothing?”
She didn’t answer. She just stared at the floor.
When he breathed in and smelled fresh rain, he frowned and sat up. “Elyn, you’re crying.”
She put her hands to her face. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry . . . I’m sorry . . .”
“What? Tell me. Tell me what’s going on.”
With a shudder, she seemed to try to pull herself together. And when she looked at him next, her silver eyes glittered in a way that made him sit back.
The light in them was . . . shimmering. Like they were basins of illumination, rather than anything conventional that the female simply looked out of.
“I’ve lied to you,” she said quietly. “I haven’t . . .”
“What.”
“I don’t belong here.”
“Luchas House is meant to help people just like you—”
“No, that’s not what I mean.”
“Caldwell, then?”
“This present time. This was all a mistake. A huge mistake.”
Elyn put the laptop aside and got up. Pacing around, she looked into the kitchen.
“We’re alone,” he said roughly. “You can talk freely. Shuli and the others won’t be back for another half hour.”
“I’m sorry, Nate.”
Her words were spoken absently, as if she were unaware he was still in the room. As if she were unaware of where exactly she was.
“I have to go,” she blurted.
“Go where.”
“Out for a walk. I can’t stay inside right now—I need some air.”
“I’ll come with you.”
“No, I have to be alone. I won’t go far, I swear unto you.”
With rough kicks, she pushed her feet into the boots she’d been given by the Luchas House staff, and then she walked to the front of the house. After a moment, he heard the door open and close quietly.
“Shit.”
Nate looked around, and wondered if he should call the social worker. She was due back along with Shuli and two potential boarders to the house. They’d gone to stock up the cupboards and the fridge.
Anxious and unsure what the hell to do, he pulled his laptop over. Signing in, he went into the search function. He told himself he was violating her privacy, but he couldn’t stop himself. Something was up. Something . . . had probably been up the whole time. He was just a simp, though, and he worried that he—
The name she had searched came up right away because she hadn’t closed out the database.
Sahvage.
Sahvage was the name she had looked for.
• • •
Back at the Brotherhood’s training center, Rehvenge pushed his way out of the office and strode down to the clinic. There were a lot of people gathered outside one of the exam rooms, and no one was saying much. Then again, there were a lot of injuries, all kinds of bumps, bruises, and welts marking the faces of the Brothers and other fighters.
“Jesus, you guys got tore up,” he remarked.
Their grids registered one by one for him, and the sorrow was so overwhelming that even though he was a symphath and had sociopathic tendencies, it was impossible not to sink into the suffering.
Well, and then there was the fact that these were his people. His community. His . . . family.
The door opened and Vishous stepped out. “Smoke inhalation. But she’s going to come through. She’s conscious and we’re trying to get her to stay, but she’s insisting that she wants to go home.”
“I thought her house burned down,” Rhage said as he rolled his bandaged shoulder.
“’Nother one. There’s a cottage somewhere.”
“What happened to Sahvage?” Rehv asked.
V lit up a hand-rolled and on the exhale said, “He saved the day—night, whatever. That female in there said the brother somehow came back from a catastrophic neck injury, locked onto the demon, and dragged her right back into an inferno. They died together in the fire.”
“Fuck,” someone said. “Guess he wasn’t a warlock after all.”
“And the Book was with them,” V concluded.
“Thank God.” Butch made the sign of the cross. “We don’t have to worry about either of them anymore.”
Rehv glanced to the exam room door. “Is it okay for me to go talk to her? I won’t upset her or anything.”
“It’s okay with me.” V took another drag. “There’s no medical restrictions, and anyway, Ehlena’s in there right now.”
Rehv pushed his way into the exam room. The instant he saw his shellan, he felt his body respond, and his female smiled from over at the sink where she was washing her hands.