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Mariang’s cheeks were still pink as we walked down the hall to our respective rooms. She couldn’t look at Finn and darted into her hotel room quickly with a “don’t ask about it” wave goodbye.
Finn’s grin was telling after we dropped Boston and Mariang at their room and traveled down to ours. “What happened when you took Mariang under the water? I’ve never seen her cheeks so red.”
Finn shrugged, but his impish smile couldn’t be masked. “What? I was breathing for her. It was an honest slip.”
I gaped up at him when the pieces slid into place. “You kissed her? You kissed a knocked-up, married woman? You kissed an Omen?” I shook my head at his bravado. “You’re one slippery fish, Finn.”
He held up his hand to declare his innocence as I swiped us into our room with my keycard. “It really was an accident, but boy, did that spook her. She spent nearly half the time we were down there apologizing and begging me not to say anything to Danny.”
“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll keep that promise. Danny’s not all that understanding.”
Finn couldn’t stop smiling. “I know. Two Omens, though. Who can say they’ve kissed two Omens?”
“Well, Danny, I guess. He’s the only one besides you.” Then I had to explain my awakening, and Danny’s errant kiss that had earned him a punch in the face. “It wasn’t exactly romantic, or two-way.” I gathered up fresh clothes and took a shower, coming out with wet hair and clean skin from the never-ending hot water and soap the hotel supplied us with. The thrum of the air conditioning unit distracted me while I flipped mindlessly through the channels on the television. I hadn’t watched TV in so long; I had no idea what any of the shows were, so I turned it off after only two minutes of channel surfing.
When Finn came out from washing up, I was already making myself comfortable on the bed, sitting against the headboard with the comforter tugged over my lap. “Tired already? It’s barely four o’clock in the afternoon.”
I tapped my temple. “Gotta try and stay out of Sama’s reach. Since Von’s not going to be there to protect my mind, it’s best I sleep when Sama’s not expecting it.”
Finn’s look was filled with pity as he studied my black eye. “I forgot about that.” He swore as he recalled we weren’t on a lovers’ vacation. “I don’t know how to keep him out of your head.”
“It wasn’t an issue when Von and I were together.” I tried to be matter-of-fact about everything to cover over my broken heart. My phone chirped, so I distracted myself with answering one of the dozens of texts Danny had sent while we were in the pool. No sooner had I pressed send to my “What crawled up your butthole” response to his “Where is everyone? Call me immediately” text did Danny see my activity and call. I rolled my eyes and answered, knowing it was best to let the guard dog do his thing than let him get himself all riled up. “What’s up, Danny?”
“What’s up? What’s up? I’ve been calling you all afternoon! And Mariang hasn’t been picking up either. I’m on my way to the hotel, is what’s up. Where have you been?”
“Oh, jeez. In the pool. Nowhere harrowing. Just going for a swim. Mariang’s probably in the shower. She’s alright.”
“Do you want news on Von or not?” Danny was hostile, which meant he was hungry, or just that he was awake and it was a normal day.
“Not.”
That stopped him short. “What do you mean? Of course you want to know what’s going on at the mansion.”
I threw out my hands as I cradled the phone in the crook of my shoulder. “Seriously? Why do you even ask?”
“You pick the oddest times to be stubborn. Sama’s been controlling Von.”
I laid back on the bed, staring up at the stucco ceiling. “I thought we already knew that.”
“We suspected, but we didn’t know. It probably started shortly after... you know, the incident.”
Somehow people calling it “the incident” made it all feel clinical. My daughter deserved to be remembered, so I didn’t skate over it for comfort’s sake. “Ah, you mean my daughter dying. Yes. I recall the incident.”
I could practically picture Danny flinching when I refused to PC the worst moment of my life. “Yes, well. The control gets stronger over time. We’re drawing out the poison now. Ezra and Kabayo, actually. They made me leave after my part.”
“What was your part?”
“Blood donor. Has to be family blood for the undoing.”
“Why’d they send you away after your part?”
Danny gulped audibly. “I’m not meant to see Von that way. No one should. He’s... It’s bad. I’ve got your ring here if you want it back. I didn’t show it to Von, so he doesn’t know you took it off. I thought you might want the chance to make an informed decision, now that you know it wasn’t him that slugged you.”
I swallowed, keeping my eyes on the ceiling. “Yeah. Thanks. I guess not telling Von I didn’t have faith in him is a good idea.”
“Hey, kid. Stop it. It’s got nothing to do with your faith in him. He punched you. You had every right to take off the ring. And you don’t have to take it back now. I just thought you’d like the option.”
“I do. Thanks.” I fished for a change of topic. “Any word from Mason yet?”
“No. He’s not with you?”
“Nope. And you know how you get anxious when you’re not with Mariang? I’m starting to get that same itch, being without one of my Reapers for this long.”
I could hear the frown in Danny’s reply. “That’s troubling. I’ll touch base with Ezra about that. Then I’ll do an extra lap around the hotel to make sure security’s in place.”
“Thanks. Can I go back to the mansion and see Von?”
“No way. Undoing magic like this involved a fair amount of torture. He wouldn’t want you to see him like that. You’re best where you are. Maybe I can take you back tomorrow, yeah? They seem to’ve caught it early on, so it’s not in him terribly deep.”
I ended the call with Danny while Finn paced the floor, casting me intermittent glances. “You sure you want to try sleeping?” I could tell by the creases in his forehead that he was worried I would get dream raped on his watch.
I sat up against the headboard, weighing the pros and cons. “I guess I can hold off. Mainline some caffeine until Von’s himself again. Danny didn’t seem to think it would take more than a day or so. I can stay awake until then.”
Finn exhaled with relief. “Good. I honestly wasn’t sure what to do if Sama got in your head while you were asleep. I mean, it’s not as if I can tell by looking at you.”
“Well, how about we go visit Allie instead of hanging around in an empty room?”
“Sure. Can I drive?” Finn asked hopefully.
I cast him a withering look as I shoved on socks and shoes. “Not in this lifetime.”
Finn caught my eye with a note of sincerity I wasn’t expecting. “Well, then how about the next one, or the one where you’re a dragon, and Ollie’s a firefighter? Think I’ll make it into your life then?”
The corner of my mouth lifted with the levity I found absolutely precious. “You want to be in my next life with me?”
“Whenever you’ll have me, I’ll be there.”
I touched my heart, letting him know he brushed over my tender spots. “The next life, then. I think I played it a little safe this time around, so something with a little adventure.”
Finn snorted. “Sure. Because this life is so dull.”
“It’s settled. You can drive the getaway car if I decide to take up a career as a bank robber.”
Finn’s hand rested on the small of my back. “It’s a date.”
We caught Danny on the way out, where he surprised me by wrapping me in an awkward hug I could tell he wasn’t well-practiced in. He slipped the ring onto my finger, giving me a small smirk when it looked like he was the one proposing to me, instead of delivering his brother’s ring.
Finn dried my hair with his hand while I drove the car. He kept his hand in the tresses long after the need had passed. When I pulled into the hospital parking garage that I’d been to what seemed like a million times by now, Finn kept a hand affixed to me still. He tucked me into his side like he was the boyfriend, and I was the lucky girl on his arm. It was the most I could give him, and for the moment, it was enough.
Allie. Allie was my focus. She trumped the black eye, the Von drama, the Finn confusion and everything else.
I was expecting her quiet room with Ezra’s staple yellow daisies in the vase on the table. I was not expecting Graham to stand suddenly when we interrupted the one-way conversation, nor had I anticipated the bouquet of pink and yellow roses clutched in his hands. “Oh, um, hallo, October. Captain Finn.”
“Hey, Graham. I forgot I asked you to check in on her.”
Graham nodded, relieved. “Yes, you did. You asked me to come here, so I did.”
“And you brought Allie flowers? That’s thoughtful of you.”
“Seemed appropriate.”
I glanced to the book on the table. “You’re reading to her?”
“Just a biography of Margaret Thatcher. I didn’t know what she’d like, so I brought along what I’ve been reading. You want I should give you two some space?”
“Could you and Finn give me just a few minutes? I wanted to talk to Allie about some private stuff.” I cast my sweet brother a smile. “Thank you for reading to her. That’s above and beyond. You’re a good guy, Graham.”
Graham looked like he wanted to debate me on my slice of alone time with my sister, but finally consented. “Of course. Captain Finn, perhaps you and I can find a coffee machine. I’m starting to nod off.”
I waited until the two left and then started in on the nurse aspect of things. I checked her vitals, which hadn’t changed, and then tried a few non-traditional methods of waking her – i.e., shaking her, begging her to open her eyes, and poking her side in the way I knew she’d get annoyed by. “Allie, come on. I need you to open your eyes. I need you for so many things. I mean, what’s the point of having you back if you’re not actually back? Is Sama in your mind? If you could just let me know how to help you, I’ll do it!”
Twenty minutes of desperation gave way to me laying in the bed beside her, cuddled up the way I always did when life got too confusing or harrowing to go through alone. She used to welcome me into her bed or into her sleeping bag, and hold me while I confessed the things I didn’t understand and couldn’t fix. Allie would comb her dainty fingers through my hair and help me puzzle through the parts that didn’t make sense. Either we found a solution together, or I’d fall asleep in the safety of her arms.
Though she couldn’t brush her fingers through my hair anymore, I draped her arm across her body to rest on my ribs. It wasn’t perfect, but it was the best I would get. As much as she could be, Allie was there for me, and I was there for her. I told her all about the war inside of me I couldn’t make peace with – that Von was a great guy who occasionally did things I couldn’t reconcile. I told her about my black eye, and how much I hated Sama for turning something so beautiful against me. “I want to go down to Terraway myself and kill him with my bare hands, so I know the job’s good and done, but I know Ezra won’t let me down there again.”
Allie’s skin was so fragile, her face too thin. “I don’t like you unguarded here. Graham’s with you now, but what about when he goes to sleep?” I wasn’t sure if Von’s paranoia had rubbed off on me, or if I’d been through too much to have an unjaded view of the world. I closed my eyes and rested my forehead to my sister’s temple, wondering if she’d even recognize me when she opened her eyes. I’d changed so much; some days I barely recognized myself. “You know I’d give anything to get you back, right? Anything in the world to keep you safe.” I sighed, knowing what I had to do. “I’ll even put aside my pride to make sure no one snatches at you ever again. I love you, Allie. I’ll take care of you.”
I kissed my sister’s cheek before I sat up, knowing exactly where I needed to go tomorrow night.