“Where exactly did Ray fly him?” I arched a look at her. She was evading me on purpose, but at least she had the decency not to smile.
“I believe he dropped him in the middle of the lake.” She glanced away from my penetrating stare to gaze at her fingernails. “But, honestly, we had no other choice.” She began to fidget with the corner of the pillow. “I begged him not to break down the door and come in here. James tried to hold him back. Once we were in, I told him what was going on with you, since Juanita left a huge imprint of her spell for me to find, like a big ol’ witchy flare. I knew you were fine. But he kept pressuring me to wake you up. And if I’d tried to do that, it could’ve left your mind damaged, or worse, which is why Juanita had warned us away.” She blew out a frustrated breath. “I wasn’t willing to risk it, and everyone else agreed—except for him. So we did the only thing left to us. We dropped him in the lake.”
I wasn’t going to laugh or smile. What they did was harsh. “I heard him roar at one point during the astral trip,” I said. “But, honestly, you can’t blame him for being worried about me. The man loves me, and it’s, what, the millionth time he’s seen me near death?”
“The roaring part was tame, believe me,” she said, meeting my gaze for the first time. “It was the claws that were the problem. I mean, look at this place. It’s holding on by a thread!”
I glanced around. She was right. It was completely damaged. Not much was left that wasn’t shredded to bits and pieces. “You can fix this, right?” I asked.
“Well, yes,” she answered. “But that’s not the point! He was endangering you.”
I nodded to her while I called out to him in my mind. Rourke, are you there? I walked to the front window and opened the shade. I couldn’t see him. I’m back safe and sound. Where are you?
Swimming, he said curtly. And when I get back, I will annihilate anyone who gets in my way. He was furious and I couldn’t really blame him.
I’ll be here waiting.
He growled his response.
Tyler, I said, switching channels. I’m back, and if you know what’s good for you, stay out of Rourke’s way. Tell everyone to head back into the main house. We leave tomorrow to find Kayla’s brother at dawn, not a minute later. Find out as much as you can about where we’re going, what kind of a supe he is, and formulate a workable plan with everyone else. We’ll see you in the morning. Rourke wasn’t going to let me out of his sight, and once he got back, he wasn’t going to be fit for company. We all needed some downtime and Juanita was warding this place until sun up.
Got it, Tyler said. Jess, we had no choice but to intervene. He paused in mid-thought. I’m not sure dumping him in the lake was the best plan we’ve ever come up with, but it seemed like the only option at the time. Marcy was panicked about hurting you and he was forcing her to wake you up.
I’ll handle it from here, I replied. Just make sure to give him some space once he’s out. We’ve been on the road a long time, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to stop anytime soon. Let’s use this break to our advantage.
I hear you, sis. A break, even for a night, is a gift at this point.
Juanita has this entire place warded until dawn. Tell everyone. And make sure you tell Kayla we will help her. She won’t be happy we’re bunking here for the rest of the day and night. We’ll meet you outside just before dawn. I clicked off and turned to Marcy, who was waiting patiently for me to finish. “How come you stayed with me? Did you draw the short straw for babysitting duty?” I joked, settling myself on the couch across from her.
“Nope, I picked it willingly,” she answered smugly. “And babysitting, my aunt Betty’s ass. Being with you is like trying to keep track of a whirling dervish hell-bent on injuring herself. It takes all my considerable skill and talent to keep you alive and functioning. And what if that astral spell had backfired and you went into convulsions? What then, huh? You should be grateful I was here.”
“I am grateful,” I said as I lay my head back, trying to enjoy these two minutes alone with my friend, especially since we weren’t in any danger. “Your considerable talents have kept me alive. And I haven’t had a chance to say thank you properly for what you did for me back in the swamp. Without you, I wouldn’t have made it out alive. Juanita hinted that there were several outcomes that could’ve happened, but they didn’t. I’m crediting you for your spells and quick thinking.”