She nodded solemnly. ‘I’ll run like my ass is on fire.’ After a beat she added, her voice now less sure, ‘Vi?’
I met her eyes and, seeing how they glistened, sat down beside her. ‘He’ll be okay, Steph. Zoe will be by his side and they’re a great team. They’ll have each other’s backs and they’ll be on high ground.’
She nodded, a tear slipping down her cheek. ‘I know. It’s just … it feels like I’m so close to happiness and everything I’ve ever wanted. I’m scared.’
I pulled her towards me, my arms encircling her protectively. ‘Me too,’ I told her, holding tightly until finally Steph sniffed and said, ‘And he looks so damn delicious in a tuxedo.’
Relieved to hear the familiar sass in her voice I grinned and sat back. ‘More importantly, tell me about your dress.’
CHaPteR tHIRty-two
‘Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.’
Abraham Lincoln
apart from a moderate storm pattern, the weather stations showed no hint of the impending natural disaster – evidence that Sammael wanted to keep his intentions hidden from both humans and exiles. When the hurricane hit, no one would be ready and despite our attempts to notify the right people and arrange an evacuation of the city, we were getting nowhere fast.
‘We have no proof,’ the conductors pointed out again. ‘We have people in power but they cannot arrange for an entire city to be cleared on no notice with no verification. And on top of that, we’re out of time.’
I glared at the Grigori pair, hating how they appeared so unaffected, but Lincoln listened calmly and sent them on their way. When he looked at me and registered my frustration he simply said: ‘We pick our battles. It’s a conductor’s job to look at it objectively. Our best hope is to concentrate the official resources we can draw on to evacuate as many of the surrounding suburbs as we can. Within the city now, people’s best chance for survival will be to stay in their homes.’
I dropped into the chair beside him. ‘I’m scared,’ I whispered in a rare admission.
‘I know.’ He turned and knelt beside my chair, his hand going to my face. ‘I wish you could see what I see when I look at you. The warrior you have grown into. How strong you are both inside and out.’ The corner of his mouth lifted. ‘How beautiful.’
‘I don’t know that beauty is going to help us here,’ I said, even though the compliment sure hadn’t hurt.
‘I don’t just see the beauty on the outside, Vi. I see all of you, and you’re luminous.’
Before I could respond, Zoe barrelled into the room. ‘Linc, we’re running out of room up there!’
We both stood. ‘What do you mean?’ I asked.
She huffed, out of breath but with a tinge of excitement in her eyes. ‘Come and take a look for yourself,’ she said, turning tail and heading for the upper deck.
With a quick glance at one another – part intrigue and part disappointment that our brief moment together had been so, well, brief – we followed.
The sight that met us was staggering. Hundreds upon hundreds of Grigori covered the large deck of the navy vessel. Steph stood on a podium flanked by navy guys who looked more miffed than anyone else as she called out orders, sending Grigori this way and that as she, along with Gray and the conductors, allocated newcomers to groups.
Lincoln and I stood, holding hands in the midst of the chaos. ‘How many?’ I asked Zoe, who was looking around wildly.
‘Almost two thousand, last I heard,’ she said, before darting off.
‘Look,’ Lincoln said, pointing to the helipad, where a Black Hawk chopper had just touched down and Josephine, followed by Drenson, Adele, Seth, Decima, Hakon and Valerie were offloading. I beamed when I saw the last person to step off the helicopter. He had the same dusty brown hair, though for the first time it looked in need of a trim, and was wearing one of his usual navy button-down shirts and tidy black pants, which, despite his recent travels, looked freshly pressed. But, as always, it was his light grey eyes that drew me in and had me exhaling with relief to see him.
Griffin.
The Assembly members moved right into the fray, a number of senior Grigori quickly closing ranks around them, and I knew it wouldn’t take long for Josephine to assume control. The question was: would that be the best thing?
Lincoln started to walk in their direction, but instead of following him I felt a pull behind me and I turned to look back over my shoulder. Phoenix stood at the bow of the vessel, hands in his pockets, looking out to the river as the sun highlighted the streaks of silver and opal in his hair. I was overcome by his loneliness. Phoenix’s shoulders stiffened and I knew he had sensed me, but he didn’t turn.
Lincoln gently took my arm, pulling me back in his direction. ‘You can’t give him what he wants, Vi, but that doesn’t mean you’re to blame for his sadness.’
I bit my lip and nodded. ‘I know,’ I said.