“You had reason to believe that, too,” he says from the spot in my neck. “You were not used to shifters yet. Besides, he can say whatever he wants, but he wasn’t in his best shape for a while. I thought he was going down, too.”
That scares me. Apollo was closer to death than he made me believe, and itwasbecause of me. Grinding my jaw, I put that problem aside and focus on Ren. “So, that’s it. We both agree there was reason to believe both Apollo and Mei had died.”
Ren pulls back, his eyes meeting mine. The corners of his mouth pull down, and I want to kiss the pain away. I want to take it all and absorb it, just like I do with the shadow. Gods, I hate seeing him like this.
“I left my sister behind, Cass,” he murmurs. “She was taken by the Collector. I can’t bear thinking of what she’s been through these past years. Captured and forced to slave away for that monster.”
And I could have done something. I could have called out, asked her to join us. She could have escaped with Tristan and me.
Cupping his jaw, I press our foreheads together. “We’ll get her back. I promise, Ren. I promise we’re getting her back.”
He squeezes my hips. “I know. But it won’t change the past two years. It won’t change the pain she’s been through.”
“I know, but there’s nothing we can do about that. What we can do is rescue her, and make her feel at home. Help her heal.”
Ren quiets, holding me close. He presses his nose to my cheek, down my jaw, rubbing our faces together. I wonder what he’s doing, but I don’t ask. I give him a moment, hugging him close, stroking his hair. My heart squeezes — I wish I could do more. I wish I could help him.
More steps make the floorboards creak. I don’t raise my head to see who it is — they’re heavy enough to tell me it’s Apollo. He approaches in silence, then takes the chair I used earlier. He cocks his head, arching an eyebrow. I press my lips together, hoping he’ll wordlessly understand.
Apollo looks at Ren, then leans forward, elbows on his knees. “Is this about your sister?”
Ren nods, pulling back to meet the dragon shifter’s eyes. “I hate how I abandoned her. How I could have done something.”
“You couldn’t,” Apollo cuts in. “I’ve been hunting the Collector for years, remember? Nothing would have changed. You wouldn’t have made a difference.”
Gods, that’s rough. “Apollo,” I call out, pressing a hand to Ren’s face. “You don’t need to say it like that. He’s already feeling guilty.”
“I know,” Apollo goes on. “But guilt won’t change a thing either. Your sister will need you when she comes back, and she’ll need a hundred percent of you. You can’t half-ass the rescue, and you can’t half-ass helping her because of guilt.” He swallows. “Been there, Ren. I lost people I was supposed to protect. The Collector has been my focus for years, and how many have been kidnapped by him under my nose?” His face is unreadable as he shakes his head. “I’ve felt guilty, so guilty it stopped me from doing anything else, and that doesn’t help. The present is what matters. Being stuck in the past and what could have gone differently won’t save anyone.”
Apollo’s words are borderline rude, but I can’t deny the power in them. As a police officer, I imagine he’s saved and lost people before, and that he’s been through this several times over. To have the Collector within his reach and see him escape must have been awful.
Apollo reaches out and grips Ren’s shoulder. “We have a lot in front of us. You have to save your sister and protect your mate. Put down the Collector. There’s too much going on. Don’t carry this weight. Or at least don’t carry it alone.”
My heart swells with affection. I smile at him and he curls the corner of his lip back. Ren releases a huge breath and straightens his spine. From the look on his face, Apollo’s words helped more than the dragon can imagine. I open my mouth to tell Ren he can count on us any time when more steps approach.
This time, they’re thundering, heavy steps, making the house shake.
I lift my eyes as my heartbeat races. What’s happening? Is something going on?
Tristan bursts into the library, his eyes huge, and he skids to a halt just as he sees us. His hip reaches the edge of a table, and the object almost topples legs up. Tristan doesn’t seem to notice. No, he looks too shocked for that. Worry eats my chest and I get to my feet, waiting for him to explain.
Tristan takes a breath. “Something’s happening to Oreo.”
CHAPTER25
CASSANDRA
He couldn’t be more generalist than that. My heart races as we make our way across the house and up the stairs, to the garden on the roof. My thighs scream by the time we get there, a pang of pain thrusting between my ribs. Gods, I need to get in shape. This whole running is not my thing.
Giulia sits on a bench, Trevor to her side with a book in hand. They seem unfazed by whatever happened, and I half-expect Oreo to be hurt, bleeding, or something worse. I comb the place with my gaze, looking for the black-furred body.
And I find him sitting next to Giulia on the bench, tail wagging the moment he sees me. Relief washes over my body for a moment, then I see what got Tristan worried.
It would have gotten me worried too.
Oreo has a third eye. Right above the other two, on the center of his forehead, blinking in time with the others. I skid to a halt, stumbling until I catch my balance on Tristan. My jaw drops.
“What the fuck?” Apollo voices for all of us.