“Shadow—”
Gritting my teeth, I tell him, “Don’t call me that.”
“We have to get you somewhere else. A building with iron in it would work. Either up high or down below. It’ll throw the soldiers off your scent and then we—”
I cut him off right there. “There is no we. I told you, Nine. I’m done. Go. Leave me the hell alone. You don’t have to keep on pretending that you care what happens to me.”
Nine blinks. “I’m not pretending.”
He only cares because he feels like he’s repaying the woman I never got the chance to meet.
“My mom told you to protect me, right?” That’s what Rys said. “You said the Light Fae didn’t have the power to wipe the debt clear. Do I?”
“You don’t know what you’re saying.”
Maybe I don’t. “Yes or no?”
“I’m supposed to help you. I’ve accepted my duty. It took me years to understand, but this is what I’m supposed to be doing. Don’t do this. Not now, Shadow. Not when I know the soldiers are after you.”
So that’s a yes, then. Okay. “Nine, consider your debt paid in full.”
His silver eyes flash. I can’t tell if it’s in annoyance, anger, or relief, but a dark shadow passes across his face as his glowing eyes light up his beautiful features. He dips his right hand into the pocket of his jacket, pulling out the same rock he showed Rys. When he opens his hand, I see the rock—and I notice that his hand is almost completely healed.
“I’ll go because you’ve asked me to, not because I consider the debt closed. I’m still clinging to the bargain, Shadow. I won’t return this yet.”
His rock? What the hell do I want with his rock?
“Whatever. Just go.”
He nods. “If you need me, call me. I’ll return to you as soon as I can.”
I turn my back on him. It’s tough, seeing Nine so defeated. My whole life, he was my knight in the shadows. My guardian. My protector. If this is the last time I see him, it’s a shitty way to go out.
But I can’t do this. I wasn’t kidding when I said I’m done.
“Yeah, well, don’t hold your breath.”
There’s no answer from behind me.
I glance over my shoulder.
Nine’s already gone.
I spend my first night on the outside inside of a mausoleum.
I’ve got nowhere else to go. My first instinct was to find a way back to Black Pine and I figure out way too late that I let my trip home slip through my fingers when I forced Nine to leave.
And, sure, he might think I have this skill to shade-walk, but I’m just starting to fully accept the powers of the fae after six years of pretending they don’t exist. Even though I obviously moved out of my room at the asylum, it’s going to take me a minute to figure out how that happened.
Madelaine is buried here in Acorn Falls, a well-to-do little nook of a town about a city or two over from Black Pine. This is where the Everetts used to live before they moved more than six hours away. I lived here with them for close to two years, before the accident and the hearings and the decision that I should be kept inside of the residential ward at Black Pine until I was twenty-one.
I should know where I am and how to get back. I don’t. Besides, it’s the middle of the night. What can I do? I’m not gonna be able to stay here long-term, but there’s no harm in staying over until morning. If I start wandering in the dark, I’ll end up even more lost.
At least, that’s what I convince myself as I start looking for a place to hide.
My instincts lead me to the old mausoleum that shielded me from the rain the last time I was here. The Richardsons’ mausoleum is big and wide. Not too long after I sent Nine away, the caretaker left. It’s just me here now. Maybe I can hide on the backside of the big mausoleum and get some sleep. I’m already exhausted. I’ll never make it ‘til tomorrow if I don’t get some real shut-eye now.
For once, luck’s on my side. After I stumble over mounds of earth and silent graves, I see that the door is cracked open, almost as if someone has been expecting me. A thick piece of wood is wedged between the stone wall and the door, leaving just enough space for a slim person to slip inside.