Page 70 of Grave Revelations

She slid her coat off, hanging it from the rack by the door, and moved into the room, coming to stand at the end of his bed. She pulled a chart from a clipboard and reviewed it.

“I’m just getting to know you a little better. I hope that’s okay with you,” she said, scanning his paperwork. “Looks like you’re stationary until after the surgery on Monday, so I’ll just get you anything you need until then and do my best to make you comfortable.”

Simon eyed her. “How are you with technical difficulties?”

She peered up from the paperwork, her cheeks rosy from the unseasonably cool weather. “Afraid that’s not my area,” she said, grinning at him.

“Maybe you could do me a favor and get me a pair of headphones?”

“Absolutely, Mr. Carey. Where might those be?”

He scanned the room. “There,” he said, pointing to a pair of headphones resting on a charger in the corner.

Hazel bustled over, asking, “Anything else right now?”

“No. Thank you.”

She left him, setting up her station at the dining table while he paired the headphones to his device. He slid them on, and Rebecca’s words blared to life in his ears.

“Have you had other lovers?”

“No.”

Bile rose in Simon’s throat. He was going to be sick. Pressing the button beside him, he waited for the heat crawling up his back to numb some of the pain.

“What other questions do you have?” Gabriel asked her.

“Why don’t you have fire magic?”

“I gave it up.”

“Why?”

“In exchange for the lives of the men in your line.”

Hazel waved a hand in front of Simon’s face. He slid the headphones down.

“Yes?” He bit the words out.

“Did you want this tea, or should I put it away for you?”

“Please leave it.” He pushed the headphones up over his ears.

“Where are we going?” Rebecca asked.

“To the lance. We need to open the box.”

“Brother, you can’t.”

Zophiel’s voice surprised him. The three of them were together, plotting something.

As their voices grew distant, he scrolled through camera feeds, following those that distorted and went dark until they reached the top of the stairs outside Rebecca’s room. He followed the feed inside, but it was black.

“You haven’t answered my last question,” Rebecca said. “Why the men? Why did you trade your gift for the men in my line, and who did you trade it to?”

Gabriel had gone silent, and Simon couldn’t see a thing. Were they together? In her room? In her bed?

Hazel’s face dipped in front of him again. He gave her a long look, but she tapped her ear unapologetically.

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