“Is your girl still mad at me?”

He merely wagged his tail again, though the action was less energetic than before. What he wouldn’t give for this dog to talk.

When Lace came back and slid onto the stool beside him with a plate of food, Darien asked her, “Have you heard from the others?”

“Not yet.” She sighed. “I tried calling Ivy, but it went straight to her voicemail. I tried Roman, Max, Tanner, Travis, Kylar, Asp…”

His brow creased. “Nothing from any of them?”

She shook her head and bit into her toast.

“What about tracking them?” Arthur asked.

She swallowed before responding. “I tried. I couldn’t see them. You might have to do it,” she said to Darien. He would—right away. Depending on where they were, they might be too far for Lace, who had less experience with tracking than Darien, to pick up on.

“Give them time,” Arthur said as he claimed the spot beside Lace, considerably less food and no meat on his plate. “Cell service was already terrible when we were there. It might have spread beyond the city. Let’s not jump to the worst conclusions just yet.” He sipped his tea.

They ate in silence for several minutes while Bandit terrorized Cinder in the living room. Sprawled across the back of the couch in a stream of sunlight, the cat looked down at Bandit with disdain. A fluffy queen on her throne.

When he bounced onto the couch, she hissed and swiped a paw, sending him bounding backward.

‘Take a hint, or you’re going to get scratched,’Darien warned.

To Lace he said, “How’s Jack?”

“Sulking,” she replied. “And rightfully so.”

Hedidhave every right to sulk. Darien felt like a jerk for taking him away from Ivy, but Ivy had wanted him safe. And after everything Darien had done behind his sister’s back, he wasn’t about to get on her bad side even further by siding with her husband. He owed his loyalty to Ivy first.

The whole time Darien sat at the island, Singer didn’t move from his spot by his leg, the dog’s head resting against his knee. At leasthestill seemed to like him, even if Loren didn’t. He’d prefer the one without fur, but considering a Familiar was closely bonded with their person, he took it as a reassurance that he could still earn Loren’s forgiveness.

Turned out, earning her forgiveness would take longer than he thought. Because Loren slept through breakfast, lunch. Hours dragged by, and still she slept.

He didn’t disturb her. But he might have said more than one prayer to multiple gods that her inability to wake up didn’t mean anything bad.

59

The Wanderer

ARBOR, STATE OF KER

The bedsat the Wanderer were lumpy and uncomfortable, the blankets scratchy. But Shay slept like she had never slept before.

By the time she awoke, it was half past one in the afternoon.

She lifted her head and scanned the dark, quiet room. Outside, the sun was stifled with clouds. Normal clouds whose only threat was a sprinkling of rain.

Paxton was still asleep. Roman wasn’t in here, the bathroom empty and unlit.

‘He went to find food,’said a quiet female voice.

It took Shay a moment to locate Sayagul. The dragon was cozied up with Paxton, her shining green eyes barely visible beneath the blanket she was tucked under.

“Do they offer a complimentary breakfast here?” Shay whispered.

‘No.’Not surprising, given everything else about this place.‘He had to cross the street. He asked me to keep watch.’

Shay rubbed her gritty eyes. “How did Roman do during the night?” she asked around a yawn. She’d worried about him when they had gone to bed without a lamp on. There was only one light in here, and it was affixed to the ceiling. None of them, not even Roman, had wanted to sleep with it on.

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