For a moment, his lips curled into a smile—and not a nice one. A glint appeared in his eyes again, giving him a menacing look that made me flinch. A shiver ran down my spine.
And then he turned and disappeared with Aidan following behind probably to escort him out. For the first time, I breathed out, relieved and happy to see Gael go.
"You okay?" Amber asked.
I nodded and straightened my back. A feeling of urgency grabbed hold of me, as though I knew I didn't have much time left to finish what I had started. "Let's go back to the library, shall we?"
Amber seemed taken aback but didn't comment as she accompanied me, then disappeared to get the others. I stared out the window at the woods stretching behind the house. The crow was there again, regarding me intently, its beak slightly open. And then the screeching in my head resumed.
Chapter 20
Gael still lingered at the back of my mind when I took my previous spot on the couch. Cass had returned and sat next to me, her hands clasped around mine, her green, cat-like eyes shining. "Thank you for everything," she said, grabbing me in a tight hug.
I nodded, not used to gratefulness and open displays of affection coming from strangers, but I figured Cass and I weren't quite strangers, more like acquaintances and hopefully friends very soon. I barely knew her, but there was something about her that made me want to keep her around.
"How's Dallas?" Amber asked.
"He's sleeping. Now that his soul's returned to his body, Dad has arranged for our best healers to get him back in shape in no time."
"That's awesome," I said. Amber nodded. I could see her relief.
Cass blew her nose and wiped a hand over her cheeks. "You've no idea how much your help means to me." I didn't want to point out I never offered my help. They had actually kidnapped me in order to make a deal. And the deal had been a tempting one. She could read my mind anyway, so I'm pretty sure she got the message loud and clear. I smiled and let her continue, "I promised you would get to see Theo if you helped Dallas. You kept your part of the bargain, and now it's time for me to keep mine."
I took a deep breath and shot Thrain a hopeful look. He smiled at me encouragingly, then nodded. "I'm ready," I said, meaning every word. Hundreds of thoughts raced through my mind. How would I see my sister? Would Amber summon her from the otherworld? Would Cass be opening a portal so I could peer in? Or would someone play vessel? Wringing my hands in my lap, I smiled at myself, happy to finally get to see, hear or feel my sister again. It meant the world to me.
Cass flicked her phone open and typed in some numbers. The air began to crackle as though charged with electricity. A moment later, I felt a pull on my left arm that hung over the couch.
"Chop chop. We only have a minute before this thing closes, and I can't guarantee it will open again any time soon." Cass grabbed my arm to pull me up. Her grip was gentle, slightly impatient, but not forceful. I wondered whether the resurrection of her mate meant she had lost her reaper abilities.
"Yep," Cass said, grinning. "Can't pretend I'm not happy. While it might be fun to fly to places, those wings on my back weighted a ton. Another week and I would've resembled a Pterosaurs." When she noticed my confused expression, she laughed. "Doesn't ring a bell? They're, like, big, winged dinosaurs. Fast and strong, and deadly." Thrain said she used to be bubbly prior to her transformation. I could certainly see that now as Cass kept chatting.
Aidan pinched her biceps, winking at me. "Don't worry, Cass. You're nowhere near." She slapped his hand away, smiling, then motioned me to follow. I stood and stepped through the portal into…sizzling heat.
A hot gust blew my hair into my face, reminding me of popping my hands into an oven to pull out a hot dish, except that the temperature here was so high I almost expected my skin to melt. Cass pointed at the cracking, black earth under our feet. The fissures were the size of my forearm with white steam rising out of them.
"Aw, can't believe I've missed this place," Cass said.
"Me too," Amber said. "I kinda liked our tiny house