in an attempt to starve the demon out. Hadn’t done any good.
Delmare gave a sigh. Her lips twisted into a frown as she said, “Ethan, you’re a dumb ass.”
“I fully accept that.” I stared at the floor. That they were even accepting me back into the group was honorable of them, after my behavior last semester. I didn’t deserve to have friends.
“But that doesn’t mean you aren’t our dumb ass,” Delmare rushed to say. “You made a mistake. A big one. But we forgive you for it.”
“Has she?” My voice came out in a rasp. I was all but half a man.
Odette played with her hands uncomfortably. “We haven’t talked to Emma much,” Odette confessed. “She spent some time back in Detroit for the summer, at some big skating camp. She wanted to be alone.”
The little wolf was running away from her problems. Something I desperately wished I could do.
It was at that point the door opened behind me. I turned. I felt a physical punch to
the gut as a familiar and beloved smell hit my nostrils, making my instincts go insane and my wolf to howl in longing.
The sight of her red hair cascading down her shoulders was enough to make tears well in my eyes. Her green eyes sparked against the yellow light. Her beautiful body was inches in proximity to mine, driving me mad with want.
I could feel the demon physically retreat at her presence. My shoulders grew lighter, and the glow of my magic warmed in my chest. It was like if she was around, the demon had no power.
Emma’s mouth bobbed at my appearance. “Ethan.” Her tone was very surprised.
“Hello, onawilke.” I gave a soft smile, and gods, it felt like pulling a sword out of my heart. That one little movement was worse than any torture illusion the best fae sorceress could put on me. I wanted my suffering to end now.
Emma’s form was stiff and cautious. There were a few more lines by her eyes then there had been last semester— she’d been worried. And grieving, perhaps, though I didn’t permit myself to hope that much.
She stared for a moment longer before she moved to Odette’s side. Odette reached out a hand and took Emma’s. She squeezed it, and Emma gave a grateful smile in thanks.
Stefan glanced between Emma and I before taking the lead. “Well, now that we’re all here, we should talk about the crystals,” he began. “We know that the portal to Edinmyre is shut, and if we don’t use the crystals to open it up again permanently, the fae are going to turn to literal dust. We have two stones, but four of them are still out there. Do we have any leads on where the next one is?”
The only sound that could be heard was the ticking of the clock, before Odette spoke up. “Theo’s family went traveling to Germany and Norway. I went with them,” she offered. “We looked, but not a thing.”
“A holiday with Theo, hm?” Kiara teased, while Theo’s cheeks turned pink. “And how was that?”
Odette shrugged. “I always go on vacation with them every summer. What’s the big deal?”
Theo’s face soured. Clearly, their relationship hadn’t progressed further— though the point must’ve soared over Odette’s head, because she bounced in place and smiled.
“My mother and I took a backpacking trip around Poland, before I went back to Detroit,” Emma said softly. “There are quite a few fae ruins there. I looked, but didn’t find anything.”
My stomach jolted when she spoke, giving me a wave of nausea. By the gods, even her voice was painful to listen to. It wrenched agony from within me, peeling my heart away layer by layer.
I did my best not to let it show on my face, though I’m sure my true intentions showed. Emma’s eyes flickered to me before settling forward.
“Us either,” Kiara said with a sigh. “My mother has an extensive library on fae lore, with thousands of books, and I didn’t find a single clue on the Crystals of Harmony. Alexei stayed in Dolinska, but that was a dead end, too.”
“I surveyed all the historical sites. It was interesting and I learned a lot, but they didn’t get me anywhere,” Alexei said.
“What about you two?” Theo asked Stefan and Delmare. “Surely there must be one clue.”
Delmare shook her head. “We traveled all over France. If there was a hint of the crystals, we would’ve unearthed it.”
“Sure you weren’t too busy honeymooning in Paris to concentrate on the stones?”