Page 89 of Unveil

Benoit’s hand is frozen mid-knock. He’s soaked to the bone in a jacket, green tee, and black cargo pants, his black hair plastered to his forehead. But that lopsided smile I’ve known all my life is still there.

“Hiya, Lu.”

“Benny!” I half-whisper, half-squeal, leaping at him and knocking the wind out of him.

“Oof,” he laughs, catching me like always. Then he squeezes tight, saying into my hair, “Been worried about you,cher.”

Tears of relief spring to my eyes at the warm familiarity of his hug. His embrace feels like home in a way nothing else has since this nightmare began. He’s family and safety. If he’s here, my father and rescue can’t be too far behind. A few tears slip out as he lets me go and gasps.

“Holy shit, what happened to you?” He holds my hands as he steps back to look at me, brows furrowed. “You’re covered in scratches and more bruises than that time you and Lucy tried pole dancing. And yourSwan Lakecostume is holding on by a feather and a thread. Literally.”

I glance down at the ripped tutu and nearly-featherless bodice, then try a smirk to downplay his concern. Benoit would have a heart attack if he knew all the details.

“I’m okay. That pole hurt worse, I promise. Orion and I… took a tumble down a waterfall or two.”

“You…” His eyes bug out. “Youwhat?”

I wave him off. “I’ll tell you everything on the ride home. How long have you been following us? Since before the graveyard? IknewI saw something. I figured it was an animal or one of the superstitions in the woods he talks about?—”

“Wait, wait, what graveyard?”

“Whitby Rose, obviously. That’s where you found me right? You tracked us there? How did you find us? Were we loud? I tried walking quietly like Orion said, but it’s hard and?—

“Luna, slow down, will ya? It’s been a while since you’ve talked this fast. I’ve forgotten how to keep up.” He massages his temple and jerks his thumb over his shoulder.

“When a few of us shadows found the tracker from Orion’s car way down the riverbank, we spread out, with me sticking to the river. This cabin was the first sign of humanity, and there weren’t anyDeliverancebanjos playing in the trees, so…” He gives himself a flourish ending in a slight bow. “Here I am!”

“Deliverance? Really?” I cross my arms. “That was offensive, Benoit.”

His shoulders lift in an innocent shrug, smile mocking. “How about I stop being offensive as soon as these assholes quit fighting over you, yeah? Anyway, enough chitchat. We need to get this show on the road.”

He takes my hand, pulls his phone out with the other, and swipes until my dad’s caller ID pops up. Then he hands it to me.

“Here, call him and tell him we’re on the way. He was on the other side of the mountain when we split up, so it’ll take him a while to come grab us. I slid down this ravine during the storm, but if we move now, with the weather letting up again, we can maybe make it out the same way I came. Hopefully he’ll be there by the time we get to the main road.”

My brain takes a second to catch up. “Wait…”

“It’s not exactly a smooth trip back along the river.” He grimaces at the stormy sky. “Does it always rain this much up here?”

He tugs me forward, but I tug back. “Wait. What about Orion?”

His expression darkens. “You mean Fury? Don’t worry. He’s a dead man. Sol will start hunting him the second you call to tell him you’re safe.”

He gestures to the phone like he’ll make the call for me, but I snatch it out of his reach.

“No!”

“What the?—”

“You can’t hurt him. And we have to wait for him to come back. I don’t want to leave without him.”

The words slip out before I can stop them, and Benoit’s bewilderment and hurt register too late.

“You don’t… want to leave him? Luna, we’re here to save you,” he says slowly, the same tone he used the time I confessed to lifting a gun off a cop. “You okay,cher? If this is one of those I-fell-in-love-with-my-stalker Stockholm-y things, let me help you out. Hekidnappedyou. Killed a guy behind Masque?—”

“No, he?—”

He did that for me, hovers on my tongue, but I swallow my words this time. If anything would make Benoit think I’ve fallen for my captor, it’d be that.