Page 84 of Veiled Yearning

All I can do is jerk my head in a silent acknowledgement. I’m afraid if I try to reply, I’ll snap at her too, and I know Chiara wouldn’t want that. She’d be disappointed in me.

“Chiara,” I murmur against her hair. “I need you. Please. Come back to me.”

This fear. It’s suffocating. I’m in a black cave, and the walls are all collapsing.

“What happened?” Titus comes rushing down the stairs and makes a beeline for me. His normally calm voice is taut with worry.

“She won’t wake up.” I shift Chiara in my arms again, pleading silently with her to move. “It was too much. You need to heal her. Please.”

Titus gazes at her, his brow pulling down in a deep V. “I’ll try, Gavril. My blood heals wounds, and I don’t know that she’s—”

“Try it,” I bark at him. “Just do it. Do anything.”

“Gavril,” Frederick starts, his tone low and soothing. “Ethan and Ivy are on the way here. They’ll help too. We’ll figure this out.”

“Let’s lay her down,” Titus suggests. “I’ll give her some of my blood. Hopefully, it will—”

“Hopefully?” My voice rises dangerously. “Not hopefully. Fix her.”

More footsteps come down the stairs, this time bringing Ethan and Ivy. “I’m sorry,” Ivy blurts. “We got held up by a Custodian on the way here. Is Chiara—”

“She needs help,” I roar, the last vestiges of my control about to break.

“Gavril.” Frederick touches my shoulder. “Calm down.”

I spin to face him, my lips baring in a snarl. “Don’t tell me to calm down. Chiara saved us, and now—”

“Gav.”

The sound is so soft, it doesn’t register at first.

Then a bit louder, though still a whisper. “Gavril.”

I drop my gaze and meet Chiara’s deep brown eyes. Awake. Alert. Looking back at me.

“Chiara.” Her name is a relieved groan. “You’re back.”

Her forehead wrinkles as confusion washes over her face. “What happened?”

“You wouldn’t wake up.” I hug her to me, feeling as close to tears as I’ve ever been. “You scared me.”

Chiara bites her lip. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.” Her fingers clutch at my shirt. “Is he—”

“Yes. He’s dead.” It’s said with grim satisfaction. “You did it, gorgeous. You were incredible.”

She lifts her head from my shoulder to glance around the room. Tiny lines form between her brows. “Is everyone… are they okay?”

Frederick answers her question. “Yes.” He smiles. “I got word from Knight. Everyone survived. All the major injuries have been healed.”

“And the Custodians?”

“All dead or captured.” Larkin enters the basement, looking more relaxed than I’ve ever seen him. Blood is splattered across his clothes, and he holds a crimson streaked dagger in one hand. He walks over to us, and meets Chiara’s questioning gaze. “We had most of them well in hand before you took out Nicolas. And after, the few Custodians left were more than eager to surrender.”

Ivy speaks up. “Will you keep them alive? The last of the Custodians?”

Larkin glances at Frederick, then me, and we each give him a tiny nod. “Yes,” he says. “For now, at least.”

“I think you can help with that.” Frederick turns to Ivy, and he gives her a long look. “If you could… question the remaining Custodians, and find out if they know how to destroy the Veil… it would be incredibly helpful to us.”

---