Endlessly (Paranormalcy 3)

Standing, I turned and saw Jack staring at both of us, confused.

"What did you do to him?" I screamed.

"I didn't do anything! He woke up and looked ready to kill me, business as usual, perfectly healthy. Then you turned the corner and it was lights out. "

"If you did anything. . . "

Jack raised both hands in the air. "Evie, I swear. "

I sat on the edge of the couch, Lend rolling slightly with my weight so his stomach was against my back.

Very funny, Universe.

Chapter Twenty

I NEED A LITTLE SPACE

I sighed, knocking my head against my knees in time to my heartbeat. He had to wake up again. He had to. I'd been sitting here next to him for the last fifteen hours straight, eating on the floor, not even daring to go to sleep myself in case he woke again and I missed it.

A light hand came down on my shoulder. "Evie, you need some rest. "

I looked blearily at Arianna. "What if he wakes up?"

"I'll sit here with him. If he so much as flutters an eyelid, I'll come get you, okay?"

"I can sleep down here next to him. "

"You know you won't be able to; besides, it's too noisy. "

She had a point. Paranormals had been drifting in and out of the house. Vampires, werewolves, pretty much everyone that David knew through his underground organization had stopped by to offer help. The fact that it was night now actually increased traffic, due to the need for no sunlight and lots of secrecy. Besides David's friends, there were all the weird ones, like the dryad who I kept catching watching us through the window.

Then there was the dragon, whose strange high voice could be heard drifting through the trees, answered by the banshees singing phrases that made me want to throw myself off the nearest cliff, or dig a hole six feet under the ground and go to sleep not only for a few desperately needed hours but for forever.

Yeah. No rest to be had down here.

"Promise you'll come get me?"

She nodded and gave me a hand to stand up. I searched Lend's face for any hints that he was going to wake up soon, but still, always, there was nothing. Brushing my lips against his, I sighed and left the room, tromping up the stairs.

I'd barely gotten to the top when Arianna shouted. "Evie! Evie!"

I turned so fast I tripped, falling down the stairs and landing at the bottom in a bruised but happy heap. "Lend?"

"Evie?" he called, his voice still hoarse.

Laughing, I got up from the floor and ran around the corner into the family room.

Just in time to see his glamour drop back off as he collapsed again onto the couch.

"No!" I screamed, darting forward and grabbing his head in my hands. "Not again! Don't go back to sleep!"

I buried my face in his chest and curled his shirt in my fist. "Wake up, wake up, wake up. "

I heard Arianna's soft steps shuffling away, but then she paused. "Evie, leave the room. "

"What? Why? What if he wakes up again?"

"Just walk out of the room. Go to the kitchen or the stairs or somewhere. "