time, words fail me and I can only nod and smile at her before moving on to the last person.
Jane.
She opened up her home to me in spite of everything. I don’t ever see us being friends, but I owe her my gratitude and will remain in her debt for the rest of my life. I part my lips to say thank you but Jane rolls her eyes and I clamp my jaw shut.
“Just go,” she says, looking away, “and keep my brother alive.”
Well, that was pleasantly awkward.
I nod and lift my cloak hood over my head. With a backwards glance at my best friend and mother, I follow the guys out of the cottage. Echo flies off Zander’s shoulder and into my arms as we walk down the path. I hug and kiss Echo, grateful for his affection.
“All things considered,” Zander says, “that went rather well.”
“You could’ve cut the tension with a knife,” I counter dryly.
He chuckles. “True. But one thing’s for sure, Jane’s starting to like you.”
I gawk at him. “Really? She could’ve fooled me.”
His arm falls around my waist. “Give her time. I think Echo’s glad to be back outside.”
Echo’s wings vibrate against my arm and one of his legs twitch like a dog as I rub his belly. Zander chuckles and boops him on the nose. Echo sneezes a puff of smoke that I fear will set the ground on fire. But then I remember his collar and how it’s helping to keep control of his magic. I still hate the idea of collaring him, which is why, when Zander isn’t around, I always take it off.
“Stay back,” Ambrose warns ahead of us. “There’s something dark nearby.”
“Is it a monster?” I ask, and Echo squeaks frantically in my ear, his fur standing on edge. “Echo seems to think it is. Perfect. Just what we need.”
“He wants to help us,” Pitch says, nodding at Echo. “Take the collar off and see what he does. If anything can fight off another dark creature of Zorya, it’s a Shade. Those things are lethal.”
“And if Echo fails,” Jonah adds with a grin, flexing his biceps, “we’ve always got these guns to fall back on. Never failed me yet.”
“Yeah, right,” Pitch grumbles, summoning a black fireball just in case.
I would laugh at Jonah if not for the monster about to kill us.
Putting Echo on the ground, I take off his collar and he immediately flies into the shadows. When we reach him, he’s growling at what can only be described as a furry stegosaurus with green jagged spikes running down its spine to the tip of its tail.
The creature roars and stomps its hooved-foot into the soil. Now that I know what Shades are capable of, I’m not surprised when Echo mimics the creature. He turns into a similar version only bigger and fluffier and bright pink.
Oh my gosh, he looks so adorable and yet terrifying at the same time.
Echo charges after the creature. That is when I see how considerably taller Echo is. He swipes his tail and the spikes attached to the end shoot out like daggers into the creature’s skull. It lets out a pained roar, shaking its own tail, but it isn’t as effective as Echo’s. Aw, diddums.
With a loud popping noise, Echo transforms into an enormous pink rabbit whose floppy ears brush the tip of the trees. I press a hand to my mouth to smother my giggle, but it escapes when Echo leans forward and eats the monster in one gulp. He sits back and lets out a deafening burp that sails around us like a gust of wind, lifting my hair. My giggle turns into aching laughter that hurts my stomach.
Transforming back into his original form, Echo flies back over and lands at our feet, looking positively delighted with himself. Zander bends down and scratches him on the head.
“It’s official. Pink is definitely Echo’s favourite colour,” he says.
Tears stream down my face from laughing so hard. I really needed this after everything that’s been going on. I feel as though a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. With Echo at my side, I pity any monster, god, or fae that stands in my way now.
“This will do for the night,” Zander suggests, patting Ambrose on the back. “Good find, man.”
“If there’s one thing I’m familiar with, it’s empty dark caves.”
The two of them grin at each other like long lost friends while Pitch merely glares at them. Jonah and Gage couldn’t care