Page 11 of After Midnight (Skye Druids #7)

Chapter Nine

“ You’re no’ listening, Sabryn ,” Elias said.

She folded her jeans and set them on the bed. On her way back to the closet, she glanced at the boys standing in the doorway. “ I heard you just fine.”

“ Obviously , you didn’t if you’re still packing,” Finn replied.

Carlyle moved to stand in her way. “ Kurt is leaving. He’s probably gone already.”

“ I heard you.” She looked at Elias . “ And you.” Her gaze moved to Finn . “ And you. All six times you told me.”

Carlyle’s brow furrowed into deep grooves. “ Yet you’re still gathering your things.”

“ I need a few days.”

“ That shouldn’t require all your clothes,” Finn retorted.

Sabryn walked around Carlyle to grab the last pair of jeans before returning to the bed, where she had folded her other clothes. “ I need a few days,” she repeated.

“ Parker is still out there. What you need to do is stay where you’re protected,” Elias said.

She chuckled and shook her head. “ You three act like I’m going to do something stupid. You know me better than that.”

“ Look , we all knew Sab — I mean, Kurt —was hiding something. Why else give us the name Saber , keep most of our communication via text, and disguise his voice?” Finn asked. “ We knew it. And we all accepted it. Even you.”

Sabryn stilled before slowly setting aside the jeans to face the three men who had become her brothers.

As an only child, she hadn’t known how desperate she was for siblings until she’d met them.

She looked at each man before nodding. “ You’re right.

We did accept him. We even sat around trying to figure out who he could be.

Hell , Finn , you once said Saber might be a woman. ”

“ I did,” Finn admitted with a crooked grin.

“ Had anyone else come to the door, we would’ve been excited to finally discover the face of the fifth Knight .

” Sabryn swallowed, her throat feeling tight.

“ For all of you, that’s exactly what happened.

But not for me. I can’t…” She searched for words.

Finally , she shrugged helplessly. “ I can’t do anything with him around. ”

Carlyle drew in a deep breath and then slowly released it. “ He knows everything about us. We can’t just send him away.”

“ The fek we can’t,” Finn said angrily. “ Sabryn has been on the ground with us, fighting by our side. If anyone should go, it’s him.”

Elias leaned his shoulder against the doorjamb and stuffed his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. “ Sabryn , you’re the glue to all of this. You were here from the verra beginning. All of us would lay down our lives for you.”

She looked away and blinked rapidly to keep the tears away.

She shouldn’t need to hear those words—the bond between them was strong—yet she did.

Because Kurt knew as well as she did. He might not have been on the ground fighting with them, but he had pulled his weight in other areas.

He’d fit in with them so easily. And that hurt the most. That he belonged .

Because he was a Knight . Why couldn’t it have been anyone else but him?

“ You’re hurting, and we want to help,” Elias continued. “ Saying that, Carlyle’s right. Kurt knows too much. We can no’ just let him go to his family or the London Druids . They’ll get everything from him, even though I doona think he’ll give up those details easily.”

She sniffed and met Elias’s blue eyes. “ I’ve already thought of that.” Kinda of. In between bouts of rage, screaming into her pillow, and crying, there had been moments of relative sanity where she could look at things objectively. “ Regardless of what happens, I can’t—and won’t—be around him.”

“ Understood ,” Elias replied softly.

Carlyle dipped his chin.

“ I’ll go with you,” Finn said.

Sabryn took his hand in hers and squeezed. “ Thank you, but I’d prefer to be alone.”

“ Where are you going?” Carlyle asked.

She returned to the bed and began putting everything into her small rolling suitcase.

She’d flown into Heathrow with her carry-on and two big suitcases.

Given how often they moved, it had only taken a few months to pare things down.

Her closet had once overflowed with clothes—some that she never even wore.

Now , she made a capsule wardrobe look maximalist. So much had changed.

Yet so much had stayed the same.

“ I’m not sure yet,” she answered.

“ Mum has plenty of room,” Elias offered.

Sabryn shook her head and zipped up the suitcase. “ Your mother has her freedom after decades of incarceration for a murder she didn’t commit. I’m not about to intrude on that.”

“ It’s a big house,” Elias said. “ Really big. She’ll never see you.”

Finn chimed in with, “ It’s also heavily warded. It’s not the manor, but it’s close.”

“ We’d feel better if you were somewhere safe,” Carlyle added.

They wouldn’t relent, but neither would she. She faced the boys. “ Emily needs her time to get acclimated to normal life. End of discussion. Plus , I don’t need anyone looking after me.”

“ Maybe no’, but it takes time to ward a house,” Elias pointed out.

Carlyle raised his brows. “ Maybe not. There’s the other Emilie .”

“ Jasper’s mom. Of course,” Finn said. “ It’s a great alternative if you’re dead set on leaving right this minute.” He side-eyed the luggage. “ Which you are.”

Elias crossed his arms over his chest, looking very pleased with himself. “ Your choice. Emily with a y or Emilie with an ie.”

“ Fine . Emilie with an ie. You’re all assholes,” Sabryn said and broke into a smile. “ But I love you.”

Elias pulled her into an embrace first. Carlyle was next, and then Finn . She hugged each of them tightly.

“ I’ll drive you,” Finn said as she released her.

She started to reply when Carlyle tsked. “ We’re not asking,” he stated.

Sabryn rolled her eyes at their protectiveness but did it to hide the fact that she was tearing up again.

Elias grabbed her suitcase, and they walked into the hall and down the stairs.

She wasn’t smiling, but she felt lighter than she had since Kurt’s arrival.

Putting distance between them was the only way for her to get through this.

As for the rest? Well , she’d face that once the threat from Parker had been dealt with.

As they reached the main floor, she had her cell at her ear, calling Emilie . Sabryn got two steps when Rhona walked out of the library and faced them.

“ Hello ?” Emilie answered.

Sabryn’s heart sank as Rhona looked directly at her. “ Hi , Emilie . I need to call you back in a moment. Sorry . Something just came up.”

“ Of course. It’s not like I’m going anywhere,” Jasper’s mom said with a laugh. “ Talk soon.”

The line went dead.

Sabryn tucked her phone in her back pocket as Elias set her luggage down.

“ Would you four please join us?” Rhona asked, holding her arm out toward the library.

Us . Did that mean Kurt was in there? Sabryn could excuse herself from the meeting, from dealing with Parker , from all of it.

But Parker and the threat he’d brought to the isle had nothing to do with what Kurt had done to her.

This went beyond her pain and resentment.

It was about protecting Skye and its inhabitants—both those with magic and those without.

It was the very reason the Knights had come to the isle.

How could she turn her back on that now?

Sabryn was the first to walk into the library.

A quick, furtive glance showed her the only other person in the room was Balladyn , who stood near the fireplace.

She walked to the window and waited as Finn , Carlyle , and Elias followed her.

Bronwyn , Song , Elodie , Scott , and Filip joined them within seconds.

Rhona entered last, closing the doors behind her.

Sabryn sagged against the windowsill, relieved that Kurt wasn’t there.

Rhona walked to stand in front of the hearth and faced everyone. “ We’ve located Parker .”

“ I take that to mean we’re going to escort him off the isle,” Filip said.

Balladyn grunted. “ Eventually . We have another plan.”

“ It’s fairly simple,” Rhona continued. “ I’ve already shared it with my deputies so they can spread the word to the other Druids on Skye . I’ve also alerted Theo . He and Ferne are getting the specifics to the rest of our group, who will then move into place.”

Scott put his hands on the back of the chair Elodie sat in.

“ Are we sure we should devote all our resources to this? Doona get me wrong. I know it’s important, but we still have two other pillars to find, not to mention closing the rip in the dimensions.

As well as The Grey and the monster inside it. Oh , and my dad.”

“ Believe me, I’m all too aware of everything you mentioned.

No one is giving up looking for Luke , and we never will.

But after Thomas and the London Druids worked so hard to grab Carlyle , Parker and his Druids are a danger we must contain swiftly.

If something else comes up, we’ll divert as needed,” Rhona explained.

Scott nodded, appeased.

“ What’s the plan? I can safely say we’re ready to show our strength against Parker ,” Bronwyn said.

Rhona clasped her hands in front of her. “ Like I said, it will be really easy. Parker is here to go after Sabryn to draw out Kurt . We’re going to give him what he wants. Sort of. Kurt and Sabryn will have a confrontation to draw out Parker .”

Sabryn couldn’t breathe as Rhona’s words penetrated. She tried to draw in another breath as every eye in the room focused on her.

“ I don’t know,” Carlyle began, a frown forming.

Rhona quickly spoke before he could say more. “ It has to be believable, and I think Sabryn and Kurt will ensure it is. The quicker we get this done, the faster we can move on to other matters.”

“ It’s a small group of Druids . Can’t we take them on ourselves?” Elodie asked.

Song shook her head. “ If the London Druids are here, it’s because they were ordered to be. The moment they return home, they will be killed to ensure they can’t taint anyone in case they’ve turned. They have nothing to lose.”

“ So , they’re here to kill Kurt ?” Filip asked.

Rhona hesitated a moment before saying, “ He doesn’t think so.”

“ That doesn’t make sense,” Song replied. “ His family is part of the London Druids . He is part of them. Not only did he go against them, but he’s also now on Skye .”

Balladyn said, “ Carlyle went against them, too. They didn’t kill him.”

“ That’s because my psychotic father is leading them,” Carlyle said.

Rhona lifted a shoulder. “ We have reason to believe the Barclay family either has enough influence for Parker and Kurt to be forgiven, or they have other plans.”

“ I’m no’ doing this unless Sabryn agrees,” Elias stated.

Finn crossed his arms over his chest. “ Ditto .”

“ Count me in with them,” Carlyle said.

Rhona’s green eyes once more slid to Sabryn . “ You’re the only one who hasn’t said anything. What do you think?”

“ I think we have our hands full, and this is just one more thing to divide our attention and power.” If Sabryn set aside her aversion to Kurt , she understood Rhona’s reasoning.

It was a plan she’d probably come up with herself.

“ It doesn’t matter how detailed we are, though.

Nothing will go smoothly. I think the plan is shit.

But I also think it makes a lot of sense.

While every part of me objects to the thought of it, it has the best chance of success. ”

Understanding filled Rhona’s eyes before she looked at the others.

“ We’re doing this in town between the co-op and the Tea Talker .

We’ll divide up between the two with some of us inside the buildings, others on the roofs, and others stationed nearby.

Balladyn and I will be veiled next to Kurt and Sabryn .

” She paused. “ We’re not going to take this looming danger lightly.

The London Druids are here, and they’re not hiding this time.

We’ll do this smart and unified. And if we’re lucky, finish it tomorrow morning. ”

“ Fekking right, we will,” Finn said with a smile.

Everyone began talking among themselves. Thinking about escaping, Sabryn eyed the door but then spotted Rhona headed her way.

The Druid leader stopped before her. “ I know this will be hard for you.”

“ But it’s the best way. I get it.” Sabryn blew out a breath. “ I didn’t mean to snap at you.”

“ Aye , you did. And it’s okay. Kurt will remain at my place until this is finished.” She lowered her voice and said, “ Tomorrow morning is your time to say everything you never got to say to him. It’s a chance few of us get. Use it.”