Chapter Twenty-Six
I woke with a gasp. My heart was going a mile a minute. I tried to sit up, but Donovan brushed a hand over my forehead. “Shhh. Everything is fine. You’re safe.”
“What…” I didn’t even know what to ask. Last time I was awake, everything had hurt. The pain was gone now, but it was replaced with confusion. “What happened?”
“You’ve been asleep for the past ten days. It took a while to get you healed up, and I didn’t want you in pain.”
I relaxed back into the pillow and took a deep breath. There wasn’t anything to fight right now. That part was over. The bed under me was soft. The sheets and duvet were so comfy, I wanted to sink in for another year or so. I stretched, taking stock of everything. My arm had healed, correctly this time, and I was thankful not to have been awake for the whole re-breaking experience. Because that must have been terrible.
I wiggled my fingers, and they moved just how they were supposed to. My sides didn’t burn. I couldn’t smell even a hint of blood.
Donovan sat down beside me. He looked like a dream. His dark gray sweater made his light blue eyes stand out even more. “How are you feeling?”
“Surprisingly good. Hungry. But good. What happened with the pack?”
“It’s been busy. We did end up having the meeting, and a number of wolves are out on their asses. There may be more in the coming days, but Saoirse’s supporters are all gone.”
“What happened with Bhrunyz?”
Donovan reached for a small porcelain box on the bedside table. “It’s yours now.”
I lifted the lid. Inside was the brooch. Shaking my head, I pushed the box back at Donovan. “Nope. I want nothing to do with that thing.”
“Better you have it than someone else.”
That was true, but… I wanted to know Bhrunyz was locked away or dead and I didn’t want to think about him again. Not for a very, very, very long time. “The fey didn’t want it?”
“Ah. This is where we get to the fun bit,” Donovan grinned. “Not only is the brooch—and Bhrunyz—yours to use or not as you see fit, but the Lunar Queen herself owes you a debt.”
I sat up. “What?” That was a huge deal. People were usually indebted to the fey, not the other way around. And not with one of the most powerful fey queens. “Why on earth would she owe me a debt?”
“It appears that she was in violation of her promise to Lucas. Bhrunyz was meant to be locked away forever. She offered the debt to Lucas, but he passed it along to you. Since you were directly affected by the violation, he felt it was only right that you hold the debt. You can collect at any time.”
“But aren’t they going into hiding?” How could I call in a debt if they weren’t going to be around?
“The courts will disappear in the next week. We’ll have limited contact through designated meeting spots and mirrors, including my direct mirror to Helen. You’ll be able to contact her at any time.”
I had no idea what I’d ever need the Lunar Queen’s help for, but maybe I could use the debt to free Cosette? I’d have to text her. But either way, I was kind of shocked. “That’s pretty intense.”
“It is.” Donovan’s eyes flashed blue as he gripped my hand. “I thought you’d died.”
I swallowed. It had been pretty scary. For a moment down in Bhrunyz’s lair, I really thought I was going to die. It’d been really close. Much closer than I wanted to admit to Donovan. I don’t think he’d get over that. “It was pretty fucking scary.” I had a feeling Donovan wasn’t going to be the only one with nightmares now. “Thank you for what you did. I know killing Saoirse—”
“Don’t. It had to be done, and I blame myself. I haven’t been here. If I had…” He shook his head. “Maybe it was coming either way, but I bear a lot of the responsibility for this.”
“How’s Ian handling it?”
“Not well.” He looked away, and the sharp sting of betrayal he felt from his cousin ran through the bond. “He says that he didn’t know what she was up to, but he doesn’t believe my reasons for killing her were just.”
Pissed, I sat straight up. “What the hell? Is he for real?”
“Apparently.” Donovan got up and started pacing the room. “It’s as if the world went topsy-turvy. I didn’t know… I feel a right git. My negligence nearly got you killed. I’ll never forgive myself.”
“Don’t. You can’t blame yourself for other people’s actions.”
“Can’t I?” He stood at the foot of the bed, hands on his hips. “I can’t believe I had everything so wrong. I’m too old for this kind of thing to sneak up on me.”
I threw off the covers and slid to the end of the bed. “You made some mistakes. Sure. But you can’t take the full weight of this on your shoulders.”
“You didn’t see what I saw. My mate on the floor, half-dead at the hands of my pack. I should’ve stopped it. I should’ve known what was happening. I—”
“Stop!” I stood up, gripping his arms and giving him a little shake. “Stop it. You can’t know everything. Even you, the great, almighty Donovan. Sometimes people will surprise you, in good ways and bad.”
“Well consider me thoroughly surprised. I nearly lost everything.” He pulled me to sit on the bed again. “Sebastian was by a few days ago. He was sorry he missed you.”
Sebastian was his closest friend who was also in the Seven. Was Donovan actually considering leaving the Council? “Was he here because you’re leaving the Seven?”
“No. For something else, although we did talk of that.” He sighed. “After all this with Saoirse, I wonder if I should keep the pack. If they don’t want me, then why stay?” He grasped my hand, linking our fingers together. “It seems like a lot of work to fix. It’s something we’d have to do together, so we need to decide together.”
“Me? You want me to help decide?” I shook my head. “It’s really thoughtful that you’re including me, but I don’t know this pack. I don’t know what it could be if it were healthy. I’ve seen one very bad side of it. Honestly, I’d say ditch them, but that might not be fair.”
“No. It’s fair. So what do we do?”
He wanted me to decide this, too? “I have no clue.”
“I’ve an idea.” He turned on the bed, sitting crisscrossed. I mirrored him, and our knees touched. “We haven’t had time for dates or doing anything but racing around hunting witches, dealing with fey drama, and trying to figure out my pack. Let’s take the time now.”
Take the time? I liked the sound of that. We’d been going a mile a minute for the last couple of months, but take time for what exactly? “What do you mean?”
He smiled, and it was as if the room brightened. “I talked to the pack before I woke you. The next full moon is eight days away, and I’ve already cleaned house. I’m giving them that time to lick their wounds and talk amongst themselves. I’ve done what I can for now. I honestly don’t want to campaign for them when I don’t even know if I still want the job. So, the rest will be done at the full moon. Which means we have eight whole days. We’re taking a holiday.”
Warmth filled me as I thought about all the awesomeness of that word. “A holiday?”
“I nearly lost you. It’s going to take me some time to get over that. I’ve a need to have you all to myself for a bit.”
“But what about the pack?” I scooted away from him. “Do you think it’s okay to take time away when everything is so fragile here?”
“You were right. I don’t want to rule a pack from fear. If I stay on as Alpha, then that means leaving the Seven. They have to want me to stay. I’m not going to fight them anymore.” He grabbed my hand. “I’m old enough to know that you have to keep in mind what’s important. I forgot that in the rush to fulfill my job as Alpha and Council member. But things change. And to be honest, I’ve been doing the same thing for a long time. It took me a while to realize how tired of it all I was. This—” He waved a hand between us. “Is what life is about. Love. Family. I thought I had that in the pack.”
I felt horrible for him. He’d been betrayed not just by one pack member, but by everyone who’d allied with Saoirse and Vivian. They’d all come against him. “I’m sorry.”
He shook his head. “It’s not your fault.”
“No, but your pack…” I sighed. “You sure you’re okay leaving? Even if it costs you the pack?”
“Meredith. I’m not about being Alpha to a pack that hates me. It’s not the life I want. I’d like a family and some fun, which I’ve been sorely lacking. I didn’t realize how much until our chats while you were watching that God-awful American television.”
“Hey, now. You live with me, you live with my DVR.” I was quiet for a second. “What would you do with all your time if you weren’t the Alpha?”
“I’d still be with the Seven. So, that’d take up a good bit of time. But we could do whatever you want. I’ve had a bit of time to accumulate investments. We could travel. I know you fancied going to school for psychology. Right?”
I was a little speechless for a second. When I thought I was going to be cursed forever, I’d thought about going to college and getting a job like a human. I wasn’t fitting into the pack anymore, and it seemed like a good idea to explore my options. But I hadn’t told Donovan about my plans. “How did you know that?”
“A little fairy told me.”
I laughed. “Cosette will love that you called her a fairy.”
“I’m positively shaking in my boots.” He winked. “If you still want to pursue your studies, that’s grand, but I’m pretty open to suggestions. We’ve plenty of time to figure all that out.”
I nodded. I had one more question before I was ready to get my bag. “What happened to Vivian?”
“Ah. Now, there’s a story. Her madness was proven. That’s why Sebastian was here. We held a tribunal by the book, and her body was burned. She’s gone.”
God. I’d missed a lot while I was asleep. “I’m sorry. I’m sure that was hard.”
“I should’ve found a way to do it sooner. I let a mad wolf go free for too long. That’s something I’ll have to live with, but her death was just.” I started to say something, but he put a finger to my lips, stopping me. “No,” he said. “That’s enough of the heavy stuff for the moment. Let’s go. I don’t want to wait another minute. I’ve your bags ready. Everyone is out on a run. Let’s cut out before they get back.”
I looked around the room. “We can do that? Really? We can just go?”
“Aye. We can. And we are. Right now.”
He jumped off the bed, taking my hand and pulling me up with him. “Come on, a ghrá. Let’s have ourselves a wee holiday. I think we deserve it. Don’t you?”
I took a second to wrap my arms around him, resting my head in the crook of his neck and breathing his scent deep. He was my home, and no matter what we decided, I knew everything would be okay as long as we were together. “We’ve earned more than just a wee holiday, but that’ll do for now.”
Eight days in the country together sounded amazing. No pack or fey drama butting in. No beasts trying to kill me. Nothing but us. I fully intended to enjoy every second of it.