Epilogue

“Something’s wrong with Lila.” Ramsey burst into Adelaide’s room, barely bothering to knock.

“What?” Adelaide sat up and rubbed her eyes. “Why do you—?”

“I can feel it.”

Adelaide raised her eyebrows. “How—?”

“I don’t know,” Ramsey cut her off again. “But it’s not important right now. I think she’s hurt.”

Adelaide closed her eyes. She remembered back nine months earlier, days after Ellie and Alex’s wedding. The last time she’d seen her sister face-to-face…

* * *

“Are you sure about this?” Adelaide had asked.

Lila glanced at where her sister was perched on her bed, knees drawn up with her arms wrapped around them. “Yes, I’m sure,” Lila answered. She continued packing clothes into the suitcase. Her hands and voice remained steady.

“Is it that hard for you?” Adelaide’s voice trembled. The idea of not having her sister close by was far too painful to imagine.

“Ramsey’s emotions are overwhelming me, Delia. And my own are far too closely tied to him for me to be reasonable. I need…” Lila paused in her packing as she searched for the words.

“An emotional break?” Adelaide supplied for her.

Lila bit her lip. “Yeah.”

“So let me and Nate come with you,” Adelaide insisted.

Lila suppressed a deep sigh and raised a hand to her head. This was an argument the sisters had been having for weeks. Ever since Selene had allowed Adelaide to see that she and Griffin were te’sorthene and had shared that fact with the family. The emotions spilling off Ramsey had been slamming into Lila as if she were hitting a brick wall.

“What if Ramsey needs you?” Adelaide tried a different tack.

Lila lowered her hand and resuming her packing. “His emotions are all over the place right now, and I’m not trying to help him calm down. He can handle it. He doesn’t need me anymore.”

“So you’re going to leave. Just like that?”

“Just like that.”

“What if I told you the emotions you’re sensing aren’t final in terms of the relationships in the future?”

“What are you saying?”

Adelaide sighed. “I don’t know, honestly. The relationships I see are being clouded by something.”

“Then don’t tell me,” Lila advised.

A pulse of comfort came from her sister, soothing the near panic that was obscuring her thinking.

“I must go. This opportunity is too perfect to pass up. The Louisiana tribe is going to try to convince any Svatura out there that Maddox—not the Vyusher—is the danger. Maybe they can get the other tribes to call off their attacks,” Lila paused. “They need one of us. Those tribes will never trust a Vyusher. And Marcus believes that my gift in particular can be of use. Especially since he has a telepath in his group. I can help.”

“But if you can, then so can I. And so can Nate,” Adelaide insisted.

Lila moved around the end of the bed to sit beside her sister. “I know. But I could also use some time on my own. And helping Marcus, by myself…” She leaned forward and gave her a hug.

Adelaide gripped her tighter before she gave a shuddering sigh, relenting. “Okay. If it’s what you need, I understand. I’ll miss you. But I guess I get it.”

Lila gave her another squeeze and resumed packing. “I’ll miss you, too. But remember that between Griffin, Ellie, Oren, and Selene, not to mention those newfangled contraptions like cell phones and the internet, I’ll constantly be in touch.”

Lila placed the last items in her suitcase and took one final glance around the room they shared. She closed the lid and zipped it up. “That’s everything.”

The sisters regarded each other for a minute, unspoken support and grief and love and worry passing between them.

“Okay.” Lila nodded as she said, “Time to go then.”

* * *

Now Adelaide opened her eyes, pushing the memory of that day away and focusing on the present. On Ramsey.

“Do you know where she is?” he asked.

“I talked to her yesterday. She was in Brazil.”

Adelaide jumped out of bed and grabbed a robe out of the old-fashioned armoire in the corner. Together they headed for Selene’s room. “Again?”

“She and Marcus were meeting with the Svatura there. Still trying to convince them not to attack the Vyusher. Then something went wrong.” Ramsey’s jaw clenched.

“We don’t know that yet,” Adelaide insisted.

“Meet us in Selene’s room,” Griffin’s voice sounded in both their minds.

“Damn!” Ramsey swore.

Fear clawed at Adelaide’s stomach. Together they burst into Selene’s bedroom just as Charlotte popped in with Hugh and Lucy.

Griffin didn’t waste time. “Something’s happened to Lila.”

“Oh, God. What?” Lucy asked. Hugh took her trembling hand in his.

“We don’t know, yet. The whole damn Louisiana clan is missing. Sheila can’t locate them anywhere.”

“Is she alive?” Adelaide whispered.

“Yes.” Ramsey stated with such confidence that all eyes turned to him.

“How do you know?” Griffin asked.

Ramsey shook his head, jaw clenched. “I’m not sure, but I can feel her. She’s alive.” He looked at Hugh and Lucy. “I’ll find her.”

Lucy left Hugh’s side to stand in front of Ramsey. “I don’t know why you think you can, but if you really can feel my little girl, you bring her home. Do you hear me? Bring her home to me.”

Ramsey pulled Lucy into a big hug.

“I promise,” he whispered. “I’ll bring her home.”