As curious as I am about how Roman ended up with this place, I can’t deny it’s really fucking lucky he has it. There’s nowhere else we could’ve gone that’d be big enough for all of us—Dmitri, Roman, Asher, myself, Elliot, and Maddy. And it’s in Oregon, just outside Portland and only a few hours from school, so we can get back for the semester quickly when the time comes.
Yeah, we had to bring Maddy here too. She had nowhere else to go. Not when her sister…
Well.
My gaze shifts back down to Elliot’s sleeping form. Her gorgeous brunette hair spills over her shoulders in soft waves, and the brown eyes that always make me think of melted chocolate are hidden behind her lids.
She doesn’t move, doesn’t speak, doesn’t show any sign at all that she’s heard me.
Same as it’s been all summer.
My smile fades from my face. I’ve tried to keep things light and cheerful—joking around with her and teasing her just like I’d do if she was awake. I figure maybe she can hear us somehow, in spite of her coma. She has to, right?
Fuck. It’s hard not to lose hope.
Dmitri’s been skulking around the house, acting way moodier than usual—which is saying something. We’ve all been trying literally everything and anything we can think of in case it wakes her up. We’ve had the best healers brought in, thanks to Roman’s money and connections. They’ve given us various potions and enchanted objects to try, but none of it’s fucking worked.
Maddy’s busted up as hell about it. I can’t blame the poor kid. Asher’s gentle with her, and I try to cheer her up as much as I can. We’ve driven into town a few times to go to the movies and get ice cream, that kind of thing—just to get out of the house for a little while.
She’s a real good kid, which I know has a lot to do with Elliot, who basically raised her after their mom died. And she’s only five years younger than I am, so I guess I shouldn’t call her a kid, but she still seems young. I remember when I was nineteen; I thought I was so mature. Ha. Now I know better.
I squeeze Elliot’s hand again. “You gotta come back, Sin,” I whisper, kissing her knuckles. “Come back to us. Maddy needs you. We need you.”
My heart feels like it’s had a pile of bricks sitting on it all summer. Damn it, I knew I cared about her. How could I not? But now that she’s stuck like this—in okay health physically, or so the healers tell us, but not waking up—I get more nervous every day, and I’m realizing just how much I fucking care.
Several pairs of footsteps sound in the hallway. A moment later, Dmitri pushes the door open and comes in, Roman and Asher behind him.
“How is she?” Asher asks. He hasn’t seen her in a few days, and I can hear the urgency in his voice.
I shrug, keeping my hold on her hand. Her skin is soft and warm, and sometimes I need to touch her just to remind myself she’s still alive. “Same as when you left.”
“We got the potion,” Roman says, pulling a glass vial from his pocket.
“Well, thank fuck.” My lips tilt up, and for the first time all day, the grin sticks. “Who’d you have to sell your soul to for that?”
“I just promised them Dmitri.” Roman jerks his chin at the dark-haired mage beside him, a slight smirk on his face.
Dmitri rolls his eyes. “Don’t be jealous, honey,” he mocks. “Just because I flirted with her a little—”
“Is it the real deal?” I interrupt. Normally, I’m all for banter, but…
Bricks.
Heart.
Roman nods. “If it isn’t, I’m going to make some people’s lives very unpleasant.”
Dmitri flashes a feral kind of smile, as if to say I’ll help.
This potion we’ve been trying to hunt down is super hard to make, so finding someone who can do it for us has been hard. It’s an extra-strong potion for breaking curses, and we’re pretty damn sure that’s what we need for Elliot. Her body’s healed all right, although she took a scary as hell beating from that fuckwad, Johnson. But she’s stayed unconscious for weeks now—which the healers tell us indicates magical interference.
I’m just glad we got it. It’s been tearing me up inside to watch her like this; every day it hurts a little worse. I haven’t known Elliot all