“Dru?” Simone called, coming through the tree lines. One by one, she and the rest of my circle appeared behind Uncle Axel. “Dru, are you okay? What’s wrong? What are you holding?”
I didn’t answer. I looked at Magdalena. “Who…did this to you?”
“Dru, what are you talking about?” Tate questioned.
But I did not look away from Magdalena or the frown that was now on her lips, and the person’s side she did not leave—my uncle’s.
“Druella?” Uncle Axel called again, frowning. “You don’t look well. Come, let’s go home, okay? This is a lot for everyone.”
Once again, Magdalena shook her head no at me.
“Dru—”
“Theseus,” I whispered under my breath and then stepped farther away from them. Inhaling in deeply and gripping the book for dear life, I screamed his name, “Theseus!”
In a gust of wind, he arrived beside me, his hand gentle on my back.
“Druella, move!” Simone hollered, her hands already alive with blue lightning as she pulled back her bow at him. Not just her, but all of them, ready to do what we were trained to do—destroy him.
“I am here,” he whispered.
When I looked at him, he paid no attention to anything around us, so it gave me the strength not to, either.
“Get me out here, please.”
“Hold me tightly,” was all he said as he hugged me to him and took off so quickly I didn’t even see who it was that screamed my name.
It was like the wind and trees together screamed, “Druella!”
* * *
It was only noon.
I had gone to Greece, argued with a vampire queen, came back, lost my—lost someone important, seen the world burn, a ghost hunt down any creature in sight with flaming swords, and I’d exposed my betrayal to my coven…and it was only noon.
“Drink, my love,” Theseus whispered beside me, handing me a glass of water. But I didn’t have the energy to. I just wanted to hope that time would pass over me. I’d drifted in and out of sleep three times already, but still, time didn’t seem to be going any faster.
“Rest some more, then,” he said, putting the water on the bedside table and taking a seat on the floor right beside the bed in front of me.
I wanted to speak, but I was so tired yet not tired enough to close my eyes. I just watched the clock.
12:01
12:02
12:03
The minutes seemed like they lasted decades. Mortals were supposed to be the ones that fell asleep easily. However, no matter how hard he tried, Theseus didn’t seem to be able to keep his eyes open any longer. So, I watched him, hoping time would move faster, but it didn’t. It only made me jealous of how he could sleep so effortlessly, which was ridiculous.
I tried to roll over, but the moment I did was the moment I realized I was still holding the book. I want to let go, but I was terrified at the same time. I wanted to sleep to forget my fear, but I couldn’t do that, either. Sluggishly sitting up in the center of the bed, all of me was…was sad. My heart ached, and my eyes burned. Looking to the ceiling, I forced my pain back and tried to breathe.
Oh God, how my heart ached.
“Why did this happen?”
Because it was meant to happen, the soft, silvery voice of a woman spoke again.
I glanced back down at it in my hands.