Page 130 of Winterfall Destiny

“The others? How are they—?” I begin.

One voice shouts Andrei’s name loudly and interrupts my question with an answer.

Dorian.

Tobias involved Dorian again? Great.

“You should wait here,” I say to Andrei.

“I’m not skulking in your room like a kid,” he retorts, then fights a smile. “As if any of them would dare attack me.”

“Andrei. Drop this attitude. Nobody will find what happened funny.”

I push past him, heading downstairs, taking the steps two at a time.

“You’re a fucking liar, Whitlock,” shouts Dorian.

I burst into the conservatory where Dorian’s in Tobias’s face, fury rolling from him. Jamie sits on a wicker chair stemming the bleeding on his finger, Ash beside him, both silent.

My wobbly legs almost give way. They’re all here. Safe. Ignoring the confrontation, I go to Jamie and sit, then touch his pale face. “Are you hurt?”

“No. But I’ve a bloody big headache.” His lips seal in a thin line. “What the hell was the arsehole thinking?” I kiss and hug him, and he smiles. “I’m okay, Maeve.”

“Ash? Are you alright?” I ask, leaning around, scanning him for injuries too.

He nods, but he’s stony faced.

“Do you know who is not alright, Maeve?” interrupts a furious Dorian, his blue eyes marred by black.

“Andrei.”

“No. Me! The lying bastard sent me a message that he’d found Gabriella.” My eyes widen at an unflustered Tobias. “I get to the catacombs, find a load of hysterical kids, and these three running out. Out. No Gabriella.”

“Oh!” I bite away a smile at Tobias’s smart trick. I should’ve known as soon as I saw Jamie’s finger. “You used blood runes.”

“This is the second time in two days, mate.” Dorian jabs a finger into Tobias’s chest. “I am not amused.”

Tobias regards him for a moment. “Yesterday, I told you I thought Gabriella might be inside the catacombs. You chose to come.”

With a growl, Dorian turns away and stomps into the kitchen.

“You asked Dorian to help with leaving the scene?” I ask. “That was quick thinking.”

“No. He would’ve told us to sort out our own mess. I asked Dorian for help with Gabriella.” Tobias smiles ruefully. “The mayhem in the catacombs stopped anybody challenging us since we were lost in the chaos, but asking for back up seemed sensible in case the situation changed.”

“You’re lucky I didn’t turn around straightaway and leave you there!” Dorian shouts from the kitchen.

Jamie drags his other hand through his hair, mussed from constantly doing this. “Where’s Andrei? What the fuck happened?”

“He brought me back here. That’s all. Andrei’s upstairs.” I pause. “How bad was everything in the tunnels when you left?”

“Art tried to calm what was happening,” says Ash. “Jamie found Tobias who then had to wipe Art’s mind, thanks to Andrei.”

“Not many of the recruits ran towards the entrance since they’re hemia. They burrowed further into the catacombs,” says Jamie. “Getting out wasn’t too hard.”

Again, Tobias scoffs. “Good thing I got a hold on Art’s mind before he disappeared completely.”

I throw a look at Dorian. “I hope you didn’t kill him.”

---