Page 69 of Witch Untold
Chapter Twenty-Two
It was almost four in the morning by the time I made it back to Grimswood sans Elijah. He’d opted to stay in Necro, claiming he had some business to attend to. I knew better than to waste my energy pressing him about it.
As much as I wanted to go straight to the cabin, the vial containing Sloane’s infected blood needed to be delivered to Anna. She wasn’t in her office, which wasn’t surprising considering the hour, and it hit me that I had no clue where the elder witch’s rooms were. The vial was too important to leave lying about. I’d have to leave it with The Elites. I could fill them in on Sloane’s condition too, put their minds at rest, and then I’d get back to my guys.
I knocked lightly, feeling awful for waking them at this time, but Jessie opened the door almost immediately. She was still fully dressed in her battle gear.
“It’s Cora,” she called over her shoulder.
She stepped aside to let me in. Shadows clung to the corners of the room, hugging the corona of light thrown by the freestanding lamp illuminating a cluster of sofas.
Poppy sat on the larger sofa, legs tucked to the side, mug clutched in her hand. She sat up straighter as I entered, her eyes asking me a question.
“Sloane’s alive.”
She exhaled sharply on a soft sob. “Oh, God. Oh, thank God.”
“She’s not out of the woods yet, but it looks like they’ll be able to help her.” I filled them in on what Mel and Micah had told me. “We just need to wait now. They’re doing all they can.” I looked from Poppy to Jessie. “I believe she’s going to be okay.”
I might be a realist, but I also believed in visualization, and right now I was visualizing Sloane back here with us, seated in her favorite spot on the sofa, fluffy-sock-covered feet propped up on the table.
She would be okay.
She’d be back.
A pang lanced through my chest. “She’ll be fine.”
“If she isn’t, then we’re fucked,” Jessie said. “There’s no way we can kill revenants without her.”
“Jess!” Poppy stared at her in horror. “Is that all you care about?”
Jessie’s dark eyes flashed with rage. “That’s our fucking purpose, Pops. It’s what we do, and we can’t do it without her. There are no more witches who can do the negation. If she dies, then the revenants are home free.”
“If she dies, then we lose our best friend,” Poppy snapped back. “That’s what we should be worrying about.” Her chest heaved with indignant rage.
“Yeah? And thinking like that gets us nowhere and nothing but pain.” Jess stood abruptly and stalked from the lounge, slamming the door to her room behind her.
Poppy slumped back in her seat, clutching at her bubble-gum hair with her fists. “Argh! She drives me insane.” She sat forward and covered her face with her hands. “I get it.” Her voice was muffled. “We all loved Brie, and fuck, it hurt to lose her, still hurts, but we can’t just stop caring about each other. We’re more than The Elites, we’re friends…we’re a family.”
I crouched in front of her and gently grasped her wrists, urging her to uncover her face.
She peered at me with teary eyes. “I can’t lose Sloane too, Cora. Brie, then Danny, and now Sloane. I can’t.”
“We won’t.” There was conviction in my tone that gave me confidence. “The Magiguard will find a way to save her. They have to find a way because Razor Smile is out there, and the possibility of more ice walkers is real. We need this drug, and they know it. It’s in their best interests to save her.”
I handed her the vial. “This is the blood Anna asked for to help track Razor Mouth. I couldn’t find her to give it to her.”
Poppy took it and clutched it in her fist. “Leave it with me. I’ll make sure she gets it. There is no way that fucker is getting away.”
“Let me know how I can help with the search.”
“No. You need to rest. You’ve already risked enough. You’re the anchor, and it’s time to be the anchor and stay safe.” She smiled wryly. “We’ll be headed into danger soon enough once Sloane is better. The glamour bracelets came in from the silent sisters. We have a raid to run on The Order. Humans to save, remember?”
Fuck, of course we did. We’d miss the Friday date we’d planned on raiding, but I doubted that would matter when we descended on The Order club as a group of adrenaline junkies perfect for revenants to feed off.
“Go get some rest,” Poppy said. “You’re gonna need it.”
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