Page 51

EZRA

I grip Lysander’s unconscious body, not caring that I’m bleeding where he sliced me without meaning to. Today has been a dream turned nightmare. I press my lips to his forehead.

“Wake up, baby. Please.”

Someone kneels next to me, dripping water on the tile. Lysander’s sister. She touches his pulse, something I was — stupidly — not present enough to do. “He’s alive.”

I can’t think straight. “We have to get him to a hospital.”

“No — to The Sanctum.” Maddox appears out of nowhere. “I’ll drive.”

I don’t know how I get Lysander into the back of Maddox’s station wagon. I barely register the pool full of thick, brown sludge we leave behind. I don’t have a clue what I say to Lysander while he can’t hear me.

I can’t let myself think about losing him.

At The Sanctum, Elsabeth tries to help me carry Lysander inside. “Give him to me. You’re bleeding.”

I ignore her. I can’t let go of him.

“Who’s bleeding?” Fitzie demands, hurrying after us. The others must have followed pretty quick. “Jesus, Ezra. That looks bad!”

“I’m fine,” I growl.

“Take him to Syril’s office,” Orion says sharply. The flaming sword made of shadows flashes behind my eyes when I look at him. Was that his ur-form?

Inside Syril’s office, I lay Lysander on the expensive leather couch and kneel beside him. “Where’s Syril?”

“I’m here.” The others part to let them through. “Everyone out, please. Except Elsabeth.”

“And me.” I’m not going anywhere.

Syril sighs. “Very well. But stay out of my way.”

I step back from Lysander reluctantly. He’s so pale, so limp.

If I didn’t know he was breathing I’d be terrified.

No — I am terrified. I start to pace as Syril crouches next to him.

What if — what if the worst happens? All because they agreed to use him as bait.

And instead of running from the azeroths he stood and fought.

I rub my eyes, sudden exhaustion flowing into me thickly. My brave Lysander.

“He’ll be alright.”

I hurry back to his side. “Why isn’t he awake yet?”

“He’s healing. He needs to rest.” Syril stands. Their features are drawn. “You were all incredibly foolhardy — and lucky. Tell me the outcome was worthwhile.”

Elsabeth straightens. Her ur-form is gone now, and she looks so much like Lysander it makes my throat ache.

“We killed them with poisoned dragonstone. A handful may remain, scattered across the continent, but I will hunt them down with Ann’s help.”

Syril shakes their head. “A half-cocked idea. And you put my staff in danger to achieve it, as well as three humans.”

“A successful idea,” Elsabeth says curtly. “My brother knows as well as I that their destruction was imperative. Were we to die, they would slowly hunt down all monster kind, starting from the most powerful. Even if those like King Hellebore refused to acknowledge it.”

Syril sighs. “I see you listened to Cassandra. Well, I can’t say I ever disagreed with her. Where is Owyn Maddox?”

There’s a rap at the door. “This is for Ezra,” comes Maddox’s voice.

I tear my eyes away from Lysander to see him holding up a first aid kit.

“I’m fine,” I repeat.

“You’re getting blood on His Highness,” Maddox says dryly.

To my horror, he’s right. I hastily grab a cotton pad from him and wipe the smear of my own blood off Lysander’s shoulder. There are blue streaks up and down his arm, and my stomach turns when I realize that’s his blood. He must have been hit by the glass too.

I let Maddox sterilize and bandage the cuts on my arms — some are from the glass, but others are from Lysander’s thorns, which retracted the second he fell unconscious. Then I clean up Lysander’s arm. To my relief, they’re nothing but minor cuts.

“I’ll close The Sanctum for today,” Syril says.

“And give us some privacy, please,” says Elsabeth quietly.

The door clicks shut. Maddox lets out a sigh and sits back on his heels.

“You okay?” His hazy blue eyes search mine.

I shake my head. It’s all so surreal. “Worst goddamn birthday party I’ve had, and that’s saying something.”

Maddox chuckles. “Welcome to my life. You’ll get up tomorrow and it’ll be like nothing happened. Until the next crisis.”

A strange pop sounds behind me. “Perhaps there wouldn’t be so many crises if you humans weren’t involved,” rasps a deep, echoing voice.

Maddox winces.

I look up to see the big Watcher himself in the middle of Syril’s office. Shit. “If you’re here to drag me away again, you can go f?—”

“It’s alright, Ezra,” Maddox interrupts. “Humans will always be involved, big guy. You’re just gonna have to accept it. It’s the new world order.”

“There will be a reckoning for the trouble you’ve caused,” the Watcher growls. “We will have words . I’ve gone against the decree of the Protection Agency to keep you and the other humans safe. King Hellebore will be displeased.”

“Oh, words .” Maddox shoots me a conspiratorial look. “King Hellebore is always displeased about something.”

In a flash, the Watcher scoops Maddox off his feet and throws him over his shoulder. “One human is trouble enough.”

Pop!

Then there were three.

I look at Elsabeth. She looks back.

She’s so similar to him, her slender face the same aristocratic shape and her eyes the same startling shade. But her gaze is guarded and calculating, where Lysander was an open book to me from the start.

We both stand at the same time. “I can —”

“I’ll leave you —”

I stop. “Let’s just both stay with him.”

I might be his — boyfriend, lover, whatever we call it. His Ezra . But she’s his sister. He’s known her for all three hundred years of his life. I barely even rate.

Elsabeth nods slowly. “Very well, human.”

“Ezra.” I hold my hand out. “My name’s Ezra Pine.”

Tentatively, she takes it. “Elsabeth. But you know that already.”

“He’s told me.” Her grip is sure and firm, and she lets go quickly. “He missed you. A lot.”

Her lips turn down minutely and her gaze goes to Lysander’s prone form. “He’s stronger than he thinks, to bear all this alone.”

I sit back down, a smile tugging at my mouth. “Yeah. But he hasn’t been alone.”

Lysander doesn’t wake up the next day. Plato helps move him up to his room, and Elsabeth and I take turns keeping watch over him. I want to know the second he’s awake and I bet she feels the same.

When I’m not in Lysander’s room, I’m mostly in the study. It’s got a big, comfy armchair, and it’s full of books — all the books Lysander read while he had nothing else to do. No one bothers me, not even Syril or the Watchers, but I have no clue what happens now.

Do I get to stay in the monster world? And if I don’t… will Lysander and I be split up for good?

It’ll have to mean the end of us. It makes my heart ache, but I won’t give him a reason to break the rules again and face whatever punishment they decide to dole out. He’s had enough trouble in his life.

The door opening breaks me out of my glum thoughts. It’s Elsabeth.

“He’s awake.”

I scramble to my feet. “Thanks,” I gasp, hurrying past her.

Lysander is upright in his bed, looking tired but totally alive. His eyes light up when he sees me and he struggles to sit up. “Ezra!”

“Don’t get up.” I hurry to his side. “Are you okay? Does anything hurt?”

“Nothing hurts, I’m just exhausted. What happened to your arms?” His hands flutter over the bandages.

“They’re just cuts from the glass.”

“ Ezra ,” he says sternly, but his voice quavers. “Did I hurt you?”

“No, baby. Well, a little bit, but it’s okay.” I tug him to my chest and kiss the top of his head. “You were scared. Hell, I was scared. When you collapsed, I thought —”

I swallow back what I was about to say, which is too dark to bring into this room.

Lysander’s arms tighten around me. “The azeroth’s sigil was broken already, or things could have been worse.”

I fall silent, breathing him in.

He lifts his face. “I’m free. It feels so strange not to be trapped here anymore.”

My heart constricts in sudden, unreasonable worry. If he’s free, will he still want to spend time with me? I have no idea. But I also have no intention of trying to restrict him.

“You can live your life now. Do anything you want.”

“I — I have no idea what I want,” he admits, his brow twisting.

“You’ve got time to figure it out,” I reassure him.

His fingers tighten on my ribs. “Will you still be next to me?”

His eyes are clear and bright as a spring day. I could fall into them forever.

“I’ll be around for as long as you want.”

“Forever?” he asks softly. “Everyone says the only permanent vow a fairy is capable of is the King’s Oath. But not me. I want forever, Ezra.”

“Then you can have forever,” I promise, my heart pounding.

Fuck. Are we getting married?

“Good,” he says decisively. “Because I told Elsabeth I’m leaving the hotel and moving in with you. I want to wake up with you every morning. I want to be there when you need me, and when I need you.”

Warmth fills up my chest. I lean against the headboard next to him and his head drifts to my shoulder.

“Then I’m gonna ask Syril for my job back,” I say decisively.

It turns out I never lost the job. Syril didn’t take me off the payroll or make a single move to replace me.

“Are you sure you can’t see the future?” I demand as they hold up the familiar amulet.

“Not I. But I may know one or two monsters with a touch of foresight.” In their human form the knowing smirk is more evil mastermind than fond mentor, so I can’t totally bring myself to believe them.

“At the very least, I had every intention of welcoming you back eventually. Whether or not King Hellebore approved.”

I swallow, suddenly choked. “You took a big chance on me in the first place. I wouldn’t want to cause you trouble.”

Syril arches their brows. “I didn’t take a chance on you, Ezra. I simply opened the door for you to take a chance on us.”

I lift the amulet over my head, and when I open my eyes the world is right again.