Page 22 of Morning's Light

Elon came to stand beside her. “I wanted to tell you, I’ve been taking care of the shop. Called Johan in for a few extra shifts, and got that one girl, what’s-her-face, Olivia. The one you’ve called in to temp a few times.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m glad you’re okay.”

“It was just a little accident. I’ll be back to work in no time. Speaking of which, why aren’t you there right now?” She looked at the floor instead of at him.

“I told you, I got it covered,” he said. “You could have died.”

It was true. Aisanna shivered with the knowledge. And remembered the face in her backseat. Waiting for her. Calling to her.

If she didn’t know any better, she’d say Elon was angry about it. “Next time you might not be so lucky.”

Aisanna let her hand rest on her shoulder, fingers grabbing hold of her hair. “There’s nothing you can do about it.”

“I can make sure you’re comfortable while you recover, at least.” Elon smacked his head. “I have flowers for you in the car. I should have brought them inside. They’re probably icicles by now.”

Her smile disappeared as quickly as it came. She needed to solve her problems. To make them go far away before people like Elon got hurt. People who were determined to give their care and time even when it wasn’t necessary.

She would keep Darkness where it belonged, before it came for her again. Before it came for Elon. She hated believing it was real, believing it wasn’t just some nightmare where she could snap her fingers and wake up, problem solved. There was no easy solution for what she faced. She’d seen the consequences of the fraying veil with her own eyes.

Her limbs still shook.

“Did you get the flowers from the store?” she asked him.

Elon ducked his head in a jerky movement that was the opposite of graceful. “Maybe.”

“I’ll give you the employee discount. Put it on your tab.” When he chuckled, she continued with “Thank you. It’s the thought that counts.”

They spent the next fifteen minutes chatting about work before Aisanna knew the limits of the visit were pushed, exhaustion turning her limbs into lead. Not to mention her parents would be home any minute and she would rather avoid any awkwardness. She pushed Elon out the door with promises to keep him posted on her progress, then breathed a sigh of relief.

The big orders were filled, while lesser orders were pushed further down the schedule. He had it covered, she thought with a laugh. She would have never thought it under normal circumstances. It helped knowing he could handle the responsibility if something happened to her. When something happened to her, she corrected.

Aisanna used her time with him to get her head out of a pit of self-pity and focus. It was more difficult than before when she’d had all her brain cells and used them for other things. The only conclusion she came to worth any weight was that she needed to talk to her sisters in private. Without Varvara and Thorvald hanging over her like they expected her to shatter.

She called Astix. As angry as Aisanna was about the accident, she knew she couldn’t do this alone. She trusted her sisters. Neither one of them would look at her like she was a raving lunatic when she voiced her concerns. Especially not after what had happened between the three of them last time. She remembered waking up after the kidnapping, the ropes digging deep into her skin, and a pale, towering madman with the power to kill.

Aisanna shook her head to banish the image. She forced her fingers to send the text message, the big guns of her magic allocated toward healing her broken body. If Astix believed they would win, then they needed to believe it, too.

Thirty minutes later, Astix pulled up right on time in Leo’s black Lincoln Town Car. “Hurry up! Get in!” she called through the open window.

Aisanna stood on the curb, staring at it for the longest time. “I wanted a place where we could talk. Not an escort to the funeral parlor.”

Astix caught her expression and grinned unrepentantly. “We can’t talk on the back of my motorcycle, can we? Unless you’ve suddenly developed telepathy. In which case, stay out of my head. There are certain things in there you’re better off not seeing.”

“Heaven help us if I develop the ability to read minds. I’d need to be committed.” She opened the door and slid into the front seat. Within seconds they were down the road, the engine purring and windshield wipers ticking away against the steady rain.

Despite the comfortable heated leather, Aisanna shifted. She still felt like crap no matter how she twisted her body.

“The accident?” Astix asked.

Aisanna shot her an irritated look. “I don’t want to talk about it. I have bruises in places I didn’t know existed and none of them are healing quickly enough. My magic took care of the worst of the damage. Think how bad off I would be if I didn’t have healing abilities. Mom and Dad are practically shoving food down my throat to help the process. Mom’s done what she can but it’s not enough.”

“We’re going to get that bitch.” Astix tightened her grip on the wheel. “No matter how strong she gets, we’re getting stronger, too.”

“What if we don’t get to her in time?”

“Then we find the one person who can.”

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