Page 263 of Lodestar

Troy, who’d grown steadily more stony throughout this conversation, ground out, “I don’t want to talk about this.”

“The things you freakin’ learn about people,” D muttered, shaking her head in surprise. “Anyway, we need to get going just in case a host of Sparrows come flocking once they realize we’re not dead and their dudes are.”

“I don’t want to go,” Lyra wailed, clutching desperately at Troy.

Troy’s gaze collided with mine and I appeased, “We wish neither of you any harm, Troy. If anything, we came here to help.”

“Sounds like you helped Ovianar,” Troy rumbled.

“You don’t know what happened there,” I spat.

O's passing was going to be an open wound for a very long time andnow,barely an hour after I got the news, wasn’t the moment to be shoving it in my face.

“I know that you left her to fend for herself because if you hadn’t, she wouldn’t be dead.”

The guilt—fuck, the guilt had me leaning back into Conor for support.

As he always seemed to, he gave me that without any question, without any hesitation.

His hand, still on my hip, was a gentle pressure, and I whispered, “I-I didn’t think…”

“You don’t, do you, Lodestar? That’s your problem. Youdon’tthink.”

“That’s enough,” Conor snapped. “We did let Ovianar down. I accept that. We shouldn’t have left her unprotected, and that’s on us, but we’re trying to do the opposite here and you giving us shit is just wasting time and putting you and your daughter in danger.

“If you can’t see that, then you’re the one with the problem. Let’s stop what happened to Ovianar from happening to you.”

Her nostrils flared but she dipped her chin in reluctant agreement.

“Go and get packed,” D prompted. “We have no way of knowing when/if you can return.”

Lyra started sobbing again at that, keying us into the fact she was absorbing shit she shouldn’t be listening to at her age.

Clucking her tongue, Troy soothed her as she escaped to a bedroom. Inside, I heard the sounds of doors opening and drawers rattling and banging as if suitcases were being dropped onto the floor.

Turning to them both, I rasped, “We did let Ovianar down.”

Conor graced me with a sharp nod. “We did.”

Dead To Me sighed. “Wish I could disagree, but I can’t.”

My heart hurt. Literally hurt. Ovianar and I hadn’t been the best of friends, but she’d been there for me when I needed her and I’d failed to do the same. Failed in the most basic act of friendship.

“Is Minerva in danger?” D asked, watching as Conor squatted down to double-check the cameras on Troy’s estate then dug around in his pocket, which rustled with every tweak of his fingers.

Only fuck knew what he kept in there along with the dozen packets of candy he had in storage ‘just in case the world tasted too bitter’ for me.

At that moment, I could have drowned in sugar and it wouldn’t have been enough.

“Could be,” I muttered. “We should get someone to help her. She has the Four Horsemen as backup…”

“Once they learn Ovianar is dead, they’re going to be pissed and I’m sure they’ll help her out,” D agreed. “But I think Reggie is there, isn’t she?”

I rubbed my brow. “I don’t know. I haven’t kept in touch with the old crowd as much as you.”

“Want me to see if she’s in London and if she can help?”

“Thanks, D. I’d appreciate it.”

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