Page 29 of After Midnight (Skye Druids #7)

Chapter Twenty-Five

Kurt let Sabryn tell Carlyle , Elias , and Finn what’d transpired at the cottage, then remained silent as he listened to the details of what had unfolded at the manor.

The experience of being with everyone was still new to him.

To be right in the middle of things instead of hearing about it after or when the Knights needed a way out of a situation.

But he still didn’t feel he had a right to voice his opinions.

“ Is the crack still there?” Sabryn asked.

Elias shrugged. “ Bronwyn slammed the door after we got Finn out.”

“ I was too focused on Finn to look,” Carlyle added.

Kurt slid his gaze to Finn , who kept his expression calm, but his hands were fisted tightly.

“ We need to know if it’s still open—” Sabryn began.

Carlyle nodded. “ We need Callum . We know.”

Kurt’s attention slid to Sabryn . Her body was tense. Some of that should have eased once she knew everyone was safe, but it hadn’t. She kept looking around as if checking to see if anybody was near. And he wasn’t the only one who noticed.

“ What is it?” Finn asked.

Sabryn waved away his words. “ It’s been a long night. I’ll be back.”

“ Where are you going?” Elias asked.

She halted and then looked back at the four of them. “ I need to see the room.”

“ Why would you go in there?” Finn demanded angrily as he surged to his feet.

Instead of answering, Sabryn walked out of the room.

Kurt looked at the others before everybody rose to follow her—even Finn , though it was evident he didn’t want to go near the room.

They reached the second floor and started down the hallway.

Kurt spotted Sabryn standing outside a door, her hand on the knob. She glanced at them.

“ Don’t !” Finn bellowed, right before she pushed it open.

Kurt raced to her, stumbling inside with Carlyle and Elias on his heels. She stood in the middle of the room, staring at the opposite wall and the large crack that ran diagonally from left to right.

“ Did you no’ hear us?” Elias asked furiously.

Carlyle grabbed her arm and hauled her out of the room. Kurt took one last look at the crack before pivoting and walking out, closing the door behind him. Sabryn yanked her arm from Carlyle and glared.

“ What is going on with you?” Carlyle demanded.

Her face shuttered. “ Nothing .”

“ You’re lying,” Finn replied.

Sabryn blew out a breath and motioned for them to follow her. Kurt wouldn’t be left out. He brought up the rear as they headed to Sabryn’s room. She opened the door and stood there until they were all inside. Then , she softly shut it and faced them.

On the drive to the manor, Kurt had been as worried as Sabryn about everyone. It had never dawned on him that something else might be wrong, but now, there was no denying it. Had the wind communicated something to her?

“ I’m leaving,” she announced.

There was a beat of silence as they let her words penetrate.

Elias was the first to speak. “ Do you mean the manor?”

“ Not just the manor,” Sabryn answered. “ I’m leaving Skye .”

Carlyle made a sound in the back of his throat. “ What the bloody hell are you talking about?”

“ I’m fine,” Finn told her. “ Look at me. I’m walking. The tattoos don’t even hurt.”

Her smile was sad as she turned to Finn . “ You’re okay this time. But what about next time?” She focused on Carlyle . “ And what if it’s you next?” Then she looked at Elias . “ Or you.”

Kurt waited for her to glance his way, but she didn’t. And that was like a knife to the heart.

“ We’ll deal with it,” Carlyle said.

Finn nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. “ Like we always do.”

“ You make it sound as if this is the first time one of us has gotten injured. We all know that isna true,” Elias argued.

Kurt asked, “ What’s really going on, Sabryn ?”

She drew in a deep breath and released it with a sigh. “ I believe what happened to Finn was a warning.”

“ From ?” Elias pressed.

“ Your sister.”

Kurt frowned as he thought back to the cottage. “ We didn’t speak to her.”

“ She spoke to me,” Sabryn admitted as she walked to the bench in front of the bed and sat.

Unease curdled his stomach. “ When ? What did she say?”

“ When we made a run for the SUV . You grabbed me when the wind knocked me off my feet.”

He frowned, thinking back to when it’d happened. “ I didn’t see her.”

“ You couldn’t have. You were holding on to the side of the house and focused on me.” Sabryn shrugged. “ Edie ordered me to leave. Said if I didn’t, I would die, but not before watching everyone I love perish.”

Fury ripped through Kurt . He could barely keep his anger in check when he said, “ I fucking knew something happened. Why didn’t you say anything?”

“ I’m saying something now,” she answered calmly.

Finn raked a hand through his hair. “ Maybe my head is still rattled from everything, but what the fek are you thinking? What will running away do?”

“ Why you, specifically?” Elias asked.

Kurt nodded. “ That’s my question, too.”

“ I don’t know.” Sabryn shrugged, showing her frustration. “ I didn’t get a chance to ask that.”

Carlyle blew out a breath and moved to sit beside her. “ We all know the risks anytime we go up against someone.”

“ We’ve had our victories, and we’ve been badly hurt. All in all, we’ve come out ahead. That kind of blessing runs out eventually.” Sabryn looked at each of them, her gaze lingering.

Finn pulled a face. “ So , you’re just giving up? Throwing up your hands and walking away because Edie threatened us? I don’t buy it.”

“ You don’t need to,” she replied softly.

Elias stalked to the window before turning and leaning a shoulder against the wall. “ I still want to know why she chose you.”

“ You’d have to ask her,” Sabryn said.

Kurt ran a hand over his mouth. “ She trapped us. If she wanted you gone, she could’ve killed you then. But she didn’t.”

“ Precisely ,” Carlyle said. “ That’s what we need to focus on.”

Finn walked to the chair near the hearth and lowered himself into it. “ What all did Edie say?”

“ I told you,” Sabryn said as she looked away.

Kurt shook his head. “ There’s more. You might as well tell us. We won’t stop until you do.”

“ Tell us all of it. Every word,” Elias pressed.

Sabryn rolled her eyes and rubbed her palms along the tops of her thighs. “ Edie said Kurt and I have to leave the isle and go our separate ways.”

“ And if we don’t, you’ll die after watching the rest of us be killed?” Kurt asked.

Her dark blue eyes met his. “ Yes .”

“ Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked in confusion. “ Especially since she added me into the ultimatum.”

She briefly leaned her head back before shrugging. “ I don’t know.”

But he did. She didn’t consider him part of the Knights . So , in her eyes, it didn’t matter what he did.

“ All I know is that she kept us there while something was happening here,” Sabryn said with a shrug.

“ If she wants you off the island, why not just kill you? Like Kurt said, she had both of you trapped,” Finn said.

Elias’s lips flattened. “ We’re missing something.”

“ It’s clear that Edie doesn’t want Kurt and Sabryn together.” Carlyle looked at each of them. “ That’s where the answer lies. Let’s figure out why.”

Sabryn surged to her feet. “ Don’t any of you get it? She threatened you, and to prove her reach, she hurt Finn . She got into the manor!”

“ She didna do anything,” Elias said.

Sabryn’s face tightened with anger. “ You know what I mean. It might not have been Edie herself, but it’s whatever gave her the added powers.”

“ Maybe we should have a chat with Edie ,” Finn suggested.

Elias wrinkled his nose. “ The last time Elodie and I tried to talk to her, it didna go well.”

“ You’re her brother. I’d listen to anyone before Parker ,” Kurt said.

Carlyle nodded in agreement. “ I think we should give it a try.”

“ No ,” Sabryn stated firmly.

Kurt dropped his arms and met her gaze. “ Aren’t you at all curious why we’ve been ordered to leave and go our separate ways?”

“ It’s obvious it came from Diana ,” she answered.

Kurt frowned and twisted his lips. “ You think Diana is mixed up in this?” He shook his head.

“ I’m not so sure. If she sent Parker to kill me, then she would’ve had Edie finish it.

We weren’t hurt. Even if you argue that the wards kept Edie out, she had ample opportunity to get us when we ran to the vehicle.

She didn’t. In fact, the wind died enough for us to make it. ”

“ If your mother isn’t involved, then this is coming from whatever is ruling Edie ,” Finn said.

Kurt raised a brow as he stared at Sabryn . “ I’m not going anywhere. If they want me off Skye , they’ll have to kill me.”

“ We’re stronger together,” Carlyle told her.

Finn got to his feet. “ We won’t have to face this alone. We have the rest of the group, too.”

“ Well ?” Elias asked her. “ What’s your decision? Are you going to walk away and leave this fight? Or are you going to dig in your heels and find out why they’ve targeted you and Kurt ?”

Sabryn closed her eyes and pressed her lips together. Then she took a deep breath and sat straighter as she lifted her lids. “ Don’t make me regret staying. I’ll never forgive any of you if something happens.”

“ It won’t. We’ll make sure of it,” Carlyle stated.

Kurt rubbed his hands together. “ Now that that’s taken care of, I need to find my little brother. I think it’s time we have a talk.”

“ We need to look for Edie , too,” Elias said.

Carlyle headed to the door. “ We have to fill the others in on what’s happened.”

“ You do that,” Finn told him. “ I’m going to see if they’ve located Callum . None of us is safe if the monster can break through the dimensions.”

They left, leaving Kurt alone with Sabryn . He waited until the others were down the hall before swinging his head to her. “ Why didn’t you tell me about Edie on the ride over?”

“ I already told you. I was worried about everyone here.”

He almost asked if Edie had really told her they needed to part ways, or if Sabryn had added that in to ensure he left.

He had hoped she might find it in her to forgive him, but that wouldn’t happen.

And he didn’t blame her. There was no need to wonder and worry now.

The truth was out, and he accepted the outcome.

She would never push him out of the Knights .

Using Edie to make him leave was understandable, even if it did bring him to his knees.

“ Is there something else?” Sabryn asked.

He’d gotten the time alone with her that he wanted, but he hadn’t said everything he needed to say. Fear had kept him silent. He’d had his chance, and he’d blown it. He needed to move on, especially since she apparently had.

“ No ,” he said and headed to the door.

There were no goodbyes or farewells. He couldn’t get the words past his lips, so he kept walking.

He paused when he reached the stairs, trying to remember where he had left his rucksack.

Kurt descended the steps and spotted his bag near the front door.

He heard voices coming from the front room as he walked toward it.

He recognized Elias’s as he told the others what had happened at the cottage.

Kurt stopped outside the open door and listened as everyone took turns talking and tossing around ideas.

He almost went inside, but it was better if he kept his distance.

His skills would be needed to fight this battle.

Afterward …? Well , he didn’t want to think about that.

After a moment, he forced himself to walk past the doors to grab his bag. There were plenty of unoccupied rooms in the manor. He would find one and set up there, once more withdrawing. Maybe that’s how it was always supposed to be.