I felt limp.
Steph was crying beside me, holding my hand. I couldn’t look at her.
‘I swear if you’re lying, I’ll kill you myself,’ Steph hissed at Phoenix through her tears.
‘I’m not lying. I’m the best person to heal her now and nothing I do can cause her any more harm.’
Phoenix lay me down gently and focused his power on me. I vaguely registered my burnt arms returning to their usual fair complexion.
‘Vi, honey, can we get you anything?’ Steph asked, her voice shaking.
I shook my head. ‘Just leave.’
She paused. I thought she was going to argue but then I heard her stand up.
‘We’ll be downstairs so just yell out if you need us.’
Footsteps moved towards the door and Phoenix started to walk out with her.
‘Phoenix?’ I said.
He stopped and turned back to me.
‘I need you to do something.’
He nodded. ‘Anything.’
‘Make it stop,’ was all I said. But he knew exactly what I meant.
His eyes looked so sad, so sorry. For me. ‘Violet, I don’t know if that’s …’ He dropped his head. ‘I’m already absorbing some.’
I couldn’t fathom that there could possibly be more that I wasn’t already experiencing.
‘Make it stop, Phoenix. You two decided to do this to me, but from now on, I’m in charge of what happens to me. If you want my help, turn it off, all of it. I need to think.’
Slowly, he stepped back towards me and, resigned, nodded. I felt my emotions slowly start to lift. Phoenix was working his power like a sponge, gradually soaking up all the pain, the loss, the anger, the grief until there was only a dribble left. For the first time since I had woken, I could think. I sat up.
Phoenix stumbled and fell to the edge of the bed.
‘Are you going to be okay?’ I asked, my tone bland.
He nodded, swallowing back the tears from experiencing my pain. I ignored him and, still wrapped in the towel, walked to the cupboard to take what I needed before returning to the bathroom. When I reappeared, I was dressed in a pair of black leggings and a leather jacket. I tied my hair back in a high ponytail and pulled on my black boots, ignoring my shaking hands.
Functioning on nothing more than some kind of disconnected robotic mode, I made my way downstairs, everyone watching me nervously. I paused when I passed Onyx.
‘Did you get the children to safety?’
He nodded. ‘We put them on a bus to the Academy.’
With that, I continued on down to the basement. Phoenix followed. I entered the weapons room and started making my selections. I strapped on weapons belts, securing grenades around my waist, knives at my thigh belts, and two katanas onto my back. I spun round, looking for more, and found Phoenix standing there, my dagger in his hand.
He held it out to me. ‘Thought you would want this.’
I took it from him. ‘I do.’
He leaned against the side bench. ‘Lilith can shield the area around her using wind as a force field. You’ll never get close enough to her to hurt her.’
I stared at him and waited.
‘I can,’ he finished.
I simply nodded. ‘Okay. Tell me what the plan is and don’t leave anything out,’ I warned.
Thirty minutes later, I sat outside the front of the cabin, backpack at my feet. Phoenix stood by the doorway, giving me my space. Everyone else was less considerate, pacing around me like wild animals.
‘This is ridiculous!’ Steph said. ‘You are not going back in there! We haven’t even had a chance to test out your silver blood – how can you be so sure that’s all you need?’
‘Steph is right, Violet,’ Salvatore said. His face was bruised from where he and Phoenix had fought.
‘It’s not open for discussion,’ I replied.
‘Especially if we hog-tie you until Griffin gets here,’ Dapper tried to argue.
‘I’m coming with you, Eden,’ Spence threw in.
I appreciated that he didn’t try to talk me out of it, but even so, I shook my head. ‘Not part of the plan.’
He folded his arms. ‘Don’t care. I’m coming. I’ll go invisible until the time is right.’
I shook my head stubbornly. No one else would be sacrificed. ‘No. Your glamour won’t hold around so many of them.’
He scoffed. ‘I’m strong enough and you know it. You’re not my keeper, Eden. I’m coming whether you like it or not. Same terms as always – I get dead, it’s on me.’
‘We could use him,’ Phoenix said quietly from his place by the door.
I wanted to argue and yet I found myself shrugging.
‘Promise you won’t make a move until I say,’ I demanded, glaring at Spence.
‘I can’t believe you guys are even discussing this! You can’t go after her alone, Vi!’ Steph shrieked.
We ignored her.
‘My word is gold. You know that, Eden,’ Spence said, not looking away from me.
That much was true. I sighed. ‘I need a phone.’
Phoenix passed me the same phone Lincoln had given him before we’d entered Lilith’s estate. I called Griffin.
‘Violet?’ he answered on the first ring.