it only makes me care for her more. My brother was her guard, in the worst place in existence, and she still managed to see the goodness in him.
Whatever happened from here, I swear to myself that I will get Blaise and Hecate to the surface, even if afterwards I have to come back for my brother. Even if I have stay in the Underworld with my brother. But I stay quiet, hiding my thoughts from the others, and watching as Hecate’s gaze moves from mine to Blaise.
At last, he speaks. “But if we turn around,” Blaise begins softly, “and he is with us, we will lose him forever. If Hecate led him out once before, but Orion and I are this time, and we go back, then none of us can ever try to save him again.”
Blaise’s words make complete sense. So why don’t they make me feel any better?
“I can’t just leave him behind.” Hecate is breathing so hard that I’m worried she’s going to start hyperventilating.
I don’t know what I’m doing when I wrap her in my arms, but I say, “He’s behind us. I can feel him. Can’t you?”
She’s tense in my arms.
“I can feel him,” I say again, whispering it into her hair. “I can feel that he’s coming for us in my heart.”
Slowly, she looks up. Some of the tears have escaped and tracked down her cheeks. “That’s what he said about you. He was always so sure you were coming to rescue us. And he was right, so maybe you are too.”
I hold her for a while, and she slowly relaxes. My gaze meets Blaise’s. I expect him to look jealous, or even to look left out. But I’m pleasantly surprised when he just looks relieved, like he’s glad someone else can truly understand what it’s like to be scared that we aren’t rescuing the person we love. And for some reason, this moment alone makes me feel like this thing between us is really possible.
As long as Andros is with us.
Without him, the string that ties us together might unravel. Then, I don’t know what we’d be left with. Definitely a mess. Definitely a strange connection. But also impossible heartbreak.
Hecate finally pulls back and draws her thin shoulders up, all evidence of her tears gone. “So, something evil is coming for us? Well, we’re going to be ready for it. And when we emerge on the surface, we’ll all be together.”
She straightens her spine, then strides toward the exit to the gardens.
Blaise and I exchange a smile, then follow after her. Yes, we should probably just be worried and sad right now. And there is some of that at the back of the mind, but Hecate brings something out in me. A need to be brave and take care of her, but also a need to hope for the best. And, I suspect, it brings out the same for Blaise.
This strange witch...she is good for us.
So, we follow her. Because what else can we do?
20
Hecate
Time is strange in the tunnels. I truly have no idea how many days have passed, but we’ve slept for three days. The two guys take turns guarding us at night, just in case. I always plan to take my turn, but I pretty much just collapse after we eat each night. I don’t know if it’s because I’m exercising for the first time in years, or if it’s the baby, but I’m so tired most of the time that it hurts, from my sore feet to my very soul.
I feel guilty when I find the guys awake before me each morning and always consider telling them about the baby, but something always stops me. Some part of me knows it’ll change something between us, and that’s the last thing I want when I’m enjoying being with them so much.
So I keep pushing as hard as I can and keep my secret to myself, and my men keep making the journey as easy on me as possible. Any time I slip, one of them is there to keep me steady. Any time I’m hungry, one of them is there with food. Orion smiles more and more, and I find him a constant and strong presence, while Blaise always manages to make me laugh.
The trip isn’t easy by any means, but the good company makes it easier. And the slight prickling every so often along my spine made me hope that Andros is right there with us, watching as