Page 19 of After Midnight (Skye Druids #7)

Chapter Sixteen

When they reached the waiting room, Finn headed to Carlyle . She watched the two of them for a moment before making her way to Song and sitting beside her. It felt like it should be after midnight, but it was only early afternoon.

“ No luck with Parker ?” Song asked.

Sabryn shook her head. “ He wasn’t at the hotel. We decided to come back after talking to Rhona .”

“ Carlyle just hung up with her. You should return to the manor and rest. Carlyle and I will stay.”

It was the perfect excuse for her to leave. Why , then, didn’t she take it?

Another image of Kurt lying on the ground flashed in her mind. Sabryn squeezed her eyes shut, but there was no getting the picture out of her head. When she lifted her lids, she saw Carlyle in the chair across from her, scrutinizing her with his turquoise eyes.

“ The chief stopped by to say that a couple of plainclothes police are here, one stationed inside the CCU ,” Carlyle told her.

Before Sabryn could reply, Dr . Dunn entered and smiled a hello. “ I wanted to let you know that Mr . Barclay is still heavily sedated, but things have looked good the past few hours. We’ll keep him in the CCU for twenty-four hours at least.”

“ When can we see him?” Finn asked.

“ I’ll have a nurse come get you shortly,” the doctor said before walking away.

Carlyle and Finn shared smiles, their relief easing the tension in their faces. Sabryn was happy Kurt would live, but it didn’t solve the issue of his deception or what to do with him. She sat, debating options for the rest of the next hour until a nurse’s arrival pulled her out of her thoughts.

“ Only two at a time,” the woman informed them.

Carlyle stood and motioned at the rest of them. “ We’ll all go together, but two of us will remain outside the CCU .”

The nurse nodded in agreement, and then they followed her up to another floor and past many doors in the brightly lit hallway.

Sabryn gagged at the scents of sickness laced with antiseptic and the undertones of some artificial fragrance.

She concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other until they stopped.

She saw a large sign noting they had reached the CCU .

“ Only two of you,” the nurse reminded them.

Carlyle and Finn looked at her, waiting. Sabryn forced a smile and motioned for them to go ahead. Within moments, they were through the doors. She took a deep breath and leaned her shoulder against the wall before resting the side of her head on it.

“ Is it his duplicity you can’t forgive? Or the relationship that didn’t work out?” Song asked.

Sabryn looked into her friend’s dark eyes. “ Maybe a little of both.”

Song leaned back against the wall. “ That makes sense. Are you upset the boys seem to have…” She paused, seemingly searching for the word.

“ Forgiven him?” Sabryn offered. At Song’s nod, she shrugged. “ Maybe a little.”

Song grinned. “ That makes sense, too.”

“ I thought I had let go of the past.”

“ Sometimes , it’s the past that can’t let go of us.”

Sabryn grunted and shifted so they were shoulder-to-shoulder. “ I’d say it’s because there was no closure, but does one ever really get that?”

“ Depends on who you ask. But if you want that closure, now you have your chance.”

“ I don’t want to dredge up the past.”

Song ran her fingers through the length of her thick, black hair and glanced at her.

“ Please ,” Sabryn said. “ Say what you want to say. You’re one of us, which means you don’t have to hide anything.”

“ I’m not sure I should say it.”

Sabryn shrugged and crossed her arms. “ I can take it. Promise .”

“ All right. I was going to say there’s no dredging up the past when it seems to walk beside you at all times.”

My god. Was it that obvious to everyone except her? Why hadn’t the boys said anything? But they wouldn’t. They probably hadn’t noticed it. Or if they had, decided it would be better to keep silent about it.

“ I shouldn’t have said anything,” Song said.

Sabryn touched her arm. “ No , no. I’m glad you did. It shocked me, is all. I thought I hid it well.”

“ You do. So well, you didn’t even realize it.”

Sabryn leaned her head back and sighed. “ I’ve been such a fool. You’re right, though. Now is my chance to get some closure.”

“ Kurt wants to talk. He’s made that clear,” Song added.

“ I don’t think I want to hear what he has to say. But if I want him to listen, I need to extend the same courtesy.”

Song leaned over and lowered her voice. “ I’ll get the boys away to give you some time.”

“ Now ? Kurt isn’t even awake.”

“ Maybe that’s the best time to do it. He won’t interrupt you, and you don’t have to hear him.”

Sabryn considered it. “ You have a good point.”

Song pulled out her mobile and sent a text. Within moments, Carlyle and Finn emerged.

“ Song needs some food,” Carlyle said. “ I didn’t even notice the time. Why don’t you come with us to get something to eat.”

Sabryn wrinkled her nose. “ I can’t eat now. Go ahead. I’ll stay.”

“ We won’t be long,” Finn promised.

After the three of them left, Sabryn entered the CCU and got directions from the nurses to Kurt’s room.

The CCU had a church-like quiet about it, broken only by the soft voices of those working there and the continuous beeping of monitors coming from the individual rooms. She didn’t look into the other rooms as she passed.

By the time she reached Kurt , her breathing was quick, harsh even to her ears.

Sabryn paused outside his room and stared at the ajar door.

Then , before she could change her mind, she slipped into the room.

Only to come to an immediate halt. The lights were dimmed, bringing attention to the brightly lit monitors recording his vitals. She barely saw them once her gaze landed on the bed and the large man lying so still and pale upon it.

Sabryn took a hesitant step forward. She dealt in magic. She knew how to shield herself and retaliate against it. But knives? Since when did a Druid resort to using such weapons? And why?

Her feet moved of their own volition, bringing her closer to the bed.

Kurt’s hospital gown was opened to the front, revealing his chest and the bandages covering his wound.

Her eyes lingered on the Celtic warding tattoo on the right side of his chest. The covers were pulled up to his wound, and his arms lay outside the blanket, an IV line taped to his forearm.

Sabryn lifted her gaze and saw the oxygen tube.

She stared at his face, waiting for his eyes to open, but the only movement was the steady rise and fall of his chest. She had come in to say her piece, but now that she stood beside him, the words wouldn’t come.

She and Saber had had thousands of conversations.

And she’d never had an inkling that she might know him.

Kurt hadn’t revealed anything to make her suspicious.

But he had gone to great lengths to keep his identity hidden.

But why? And why work with the Knights ?

The Saber she had come to know didn’t mesh with the Kurt she knew from DC .

He and Parker had fit in easily with the political crowd, those who seemed enthralled with the money and rank the brothers brought.

It hadn’t been a hoax, either. The Barclays were extremely wealthy, and both Kurt and Parker had lived that lifestyle.

Yet in the quiet of her apartment when it was just the two of them, Kurt had shown her another side of himself.

The one who loved eating ice cream out of the carton and preferred sweats to a suit.

The man who liked to grow his own herbs and cook his own food.

The man who would rather visit the corner pizza place than any Michelin -star restaurant.

He’d been two different people back then, and she hadn’t been bothered by it.

Yet now, it agitated her. Was this more about her than anything Kurt did or didn’t do?

The last thing she wanted to do was look closer and find out, but she required answers.

She didn’t want to cart her past around anymore.

She wished to release the weight and move on.

And while it was easier to keep things as they were, she forced herself to delve into the why .

The answer came quick and hard.

She had trusted Saber . He had portrayed himself as a friend—someone who would always be there for the Knights .

And he had delivered on everything. She’d spent sleepless nights texting with him.

Both had shied away from talking about their pasts, and she had been glad for it.

Now , she wished she had pushed to see what he might have said.

Saber wasn’t some hacker hiding from the law or nefarious individuals wanting revenge. He was her ex-lover, who had broken her heart and then walked out of her life without a goodbye.

“ Which one of you is the real Kurt ?” she whispered. “ The wealthy Brit , wining and dining me? The guy who loved to thrift shop in ripped sweats? Or the hacker who hid away and saved our asses more times than I can count? Or are you the man being hounded by his family? I wonder if you even know.”

Emotion surged, clogging her throat and making it difficult to talk. “ Why did you leave me?”

She lowered her eyes to the hand closest to hers and reached out her pinky to touch him.

Just before her finger brushed the back of his hand, her phone vibrated.

Sabryn jerked away from him and pulled out her mobile.

The number was blocked. She shot Kurt another glance before striding from the room and answering the call.

“ I’m surprised you picked up.”

The sound of Parker’s voice chilled her blood. Sabryn glanced around the hallway and kept her voice low as she asked, “ Where are you? I’d like to have a little chat.”

“ I bet you would,” he said with a chuckle. “ Don’t bother looking. You’ll never find me.”

“ I’m pretty resourceful.”

“ Not without your trusty hacker doing your bidding.”

Sabryn saw the Exit sign and hurried into the stairwell for privacy. “ You always were a little shit, but I never figured you for a murderer.”

“ You shared Kurt’s bed for three months. That doesn’t make you an expert on him, me, or our family, so don’t bother trying.”

His comment hit home. “ Why are you calling?”

A ferry horn sounded through the phone. “ I wish I could’ve seen your face when you found Kurt on the ground. I won’t bother asking if he’s dead. You wouldn’t tell me the truth.”

“ Oh , I’d be delighted to tell you. How about we meet up somewhere?”

He laughed softly. “ Are you that eager to die?”

“ Who says I’ll be the one dying?”

“ You chose the wrong side of this quarrel.”

She snorted and rolled her eyes. “ I choose the side of good, of right. And I will every time.”

“ Don’t think I’ve forgotten how you said one of your ancestors was from Skye . Tell me, do you believe that will make the Druids accept you? Is that why you’re so keen on dying for them?”

“ You must not have gotten enough hugs as a child.”

“ Did Kurt tell you the real reason we were in DC ?”

The question made her freeze. Dread tightened her chest, making it difficult to breathe. She knew she should hang up. That everything Parker said would be a lie. And yet, she stayed on the line.

“ I didn’t figure he’d tell you that the London Druids singled out your family,” Parker said. “ We were sent to see which of us you’d fall for. Everything we said and did was to gain your favor.”

Sabryn reached for something—anything—with her free hand to keep from falling. She ended up stumbling into the wall as the pit in her stomach grew.

“ You went right for him.” Parker sniggered. “ We had a bet, you know. To see which of us could get you into bed first. We both intended to have you.”

She closed her eyes and bent over, gagging.

“ You were the one who got us close to your father.”

Sabryn’s legs gave out. She crumpled to the floor, shaking her head in denial.

“ Kurt never deviated from orders. Until you. You must have been an amazing shag for him to refuse to finish the mission. I was the one who had to step in. Granted , it wasn’t my finest hour, but I got the job done. Your father never even saw it coming.”

She was rocking back and forth now, tears coursing down her face.

“ All because he wouldn’t work with London .” Parker tsked. “ He had his chance. He could’ve ensured his family’s protection for generations. I just thought you had a right to know the kind of man you’ve been working with all these years.”

The line went dead, and the phone tumbled from her slack fingers. Parker’s words rang in her head.