Page 210 of The Robin on the Oak Throne

“Graves,” she said, gripping the knife hard between her hands. “I think I’m ready to see that last memory.”

That didn’t seem to be the reaction he’d expected. “Now?”

“If we have time. I know the heist is tomorrow andKingston is here…and everything could go wrong.”

He stopped her with a kiss. “We have time.”

“Should we go to the library?”

“I think we can do it right here,” he said, gesturing to the bed.

“Okay,” she said as she settled into the pillows. Graves sat next to her, his hand reaching for hers and squeezing.

“Whenever you’re ready.”

She swallowed. It was time. Time to find out what happened to her parents after the spell was put on her. Her hands shook slightly at the thought, but there was no use holding back any longer. She needed the truth.

“Ready,” she said and lifted her absorption.

“Let’s start in the hallway,” Graves’s silky voice said.

She swallowed and pushed forward to the point right before they reached the doorway.

“7016,” her mother said.

Kierse leaned into the memory. Cillian Ryan had taken her memories from her for the spell.

“7018.”

She just needed topush through. If she knew what had happened, then maybe she’d have the answers she needed to be able to move on. She wanted to find out what happened to her parents. She wanted to know so much more than this…

“Next one.”

Kierse pressed against the crack in the memory, smelled the lemon and pine, saw the crossed swords warding. All she had to do was walk into that room.

It wouldn’t bring her parents back. Nothing could bring them back.

But she wanted answers. It wasn’t too much to ask.

The memory gave, and she seemed to slip right through it like jelly and then past it. They were back in the tiny apartment. It was so like the night that the wisps had shown up to their place in Scotland. The wardings were failing.

“I thought we had more time!” Shannon cried. “Take Kierse and run.”

“What about you?” Adair asked.

“He’s here for me.”

“Mum!” Kierse cried, rushing for her mother.

Shannon bent down and pulled her into her arms. “Listen, love, you have to go with Daddy, okay?” She wrapped Kierse’s little fingers around the wren necklace at her throat. “This was given to me by my mum. It’s a wren, you know that?”

“Yes,” Kierse said through tears.

“My mum always said that wrens sang open the doors to faerie. That one day a wren would take us home,” Shannon said, wiping the tears from Kierse’s eyes. “So hold onto this and it will take you home, too.”

“Okay, Mum,” she whispered.

“Adair.”

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