“Boss says I should come with you for now. Keep you safe.”
I leaned over the seat and hugged her, pulling her tightly to me. The lump in my chest and throat came as a surprise. When had this river nymph become a friend that could bring me to tears just by being here?
At first, she didn’t react, but then she hugged me back. “You missed me.”
“I think I was afraid I would never see any of you again.” I whispered the fear. “That I was going to die alone.”
She patted my back and gave a burble from her gills. “Bah, that’s ridiculous. Too many people like you now. You’ll die with a bunch of us.”
I laughed and let her go, but I found myself hanging on to her webbed hand. She might be one of the most unusual friends I had, but in my heart, I knew she was the truest next to Robert.
Corb started the engine. “There is a cabin about four hours from here, not tied to any of us. Roderick gave me a key and said we could go there. It’s hidden from human eyes with several layers of spells cast on it.”
Making myself let go of Feish, I put my seat belt on as I studied him. “Seriously, you’d trust him?” I’d seen Crash shake hands with the council member, but even so. Shaking hands with the guy was one thing, and putting our lives in his hand was another.
“He’s one of those on your side, Bree,” Corb shifted into fourth gear as he powered up the muscle car, taking corners fast enough that a cop would pull him over.
I reached forward and put my hand on his resting on the stick shift. “Slow down.”
A shudder slid out of him, and he eased off. “Sorry, this is . . . This whole situation has me tense. I don’t like how fast they found you at Alan’s, how fast they were stringing you up.”
“Tell me about it,” Alan growled from the back seat. “And stop holding her hand.”
I looked down to see that Corb had indeed flipped his hand to lock his fingers with mine. I pulled away not because of Alan, but because . . . because I didn’t really know what I wanted with the two men in my life, and right then it was my last concern. I could figure out my love life once I was certain I was going to have a life. That had to be my top priority. Corb’s words sunk in, and I shook my head when I looked at the scenario he’d laid out.
“Go to the Hollows first. I think we need to see what Eammon knows.”
“Eammon isn’t aware of any of this.” Corb shot me a look. “You know the Hollows isn’t a well-respected group. I was in it as a cover to make sure they weren’t stronger than they were letting on. You know, a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
I did know that, but Eammon had mostly been upfront and honest with me, maybe more so than anyone else in the shadow world, and he’d been around the block a time or two. My gut was saying to go to the Hollows.
“Please, it won’t take long,” I said.
Corb sighed. “Okay, okay. I doubt that whoever is after you would think you’d go to Eammon anyway. It’s not like he’s actually going to be able to help. It’s a waste of time.”
I shook my head. “It’s not. Please, Corb. I think he can help.”
With a heavy sigh, he did as I asked, though he didn’t say another word along the way.
5
It didn’t take long with Corb driving, about twenty minutes to get to the Hollows, and only a little bit of muttering that he thought it was a waste of time. He pulled into the cemetery that hosted the training grounds, and I slid out of the car and strode toward the angel tomb that hid the entrance to their training room. The larger than life statue had a broken wing, not because the statue was broken but because it had been carved that way.
I put my hand on the marble base, and it warmed against my touch. A slight tingle made me snatch my fingers back. I rubbed my palms together and took a step away from the tomb, the feeling fading a little, sadness flooding through me from my fingertips instead. The sorrow of a lost soul.