Page 233 of Sigils & Spells

Shaking her head, she pulled his sheets up over her nude form and sat back against the wall. For some reason, she was getting more and more upset. “Just do it.”

“Okay…” He needed to anyway, but why was she pushing for it?

Daniel leaned over and grabbed his cell phone from the nightstand, unplugging the charger and sitting up. He’d just used his thumb to unlock the screen when the device began to vibrate with a new call. Dylan.

Meeting Ravyn’s gaze, he accepted the call and hit speakerphone. “Hello?”

“Daniel, I—” Had his brother been crying? “Dan… She’s gone.”

His back went rigid. “Who? What are you talking about?”

“Mom. In her sleep. I-I found her this morning.”

He dropped the phone.

The room spun, and he would have toppled if Ravyn didn’t catch him and pull him forward toward his pillows.

“Daniel? Are you still there?”

He rubbed his eyes, moisture surprising him. He pulled his hand back and stared at the tears on his palm. “Y-yeah. I need a moment, Dylan. She was so healthy. I don’t understand.”

“Me either.” His brother sounded so small. His tough, barely-older brother. “Call me when you feel like talking. Penelope is coming over with her parents to help me figure out what needs to be done. She’s going to call family for me. I didn’t want anyone but me to tell you.”

Shit.“Okay. Yeah… Okay.”

He hung up, but laid there staring at the ceiling, unable to comprehend that news. The words had registered, but his mind hadn’t accepted it yet. His mother couldn’t be dead. “Ravyn…” His head started to throb, and he rubbed his temples. “How did you know I needed to call Dylan?”

“I…” Fear clearly contorted her features. She knew something, but that didn’t make sense. Ravyn had never met his family, and Sleepy Hollow was hours away. What could she know?

“I’m going to go take a shower.” And possibly vomit. “When I get back, whatever you’re hiding from me, you’re telling me.”

She nodded, eyes wide.

“And you’re not going to disappear again like last night?”

Ravyn shook her head. Then her gaze dropped to his phone. “Can I call Aoibhe to bring me clothes while you shower?”

How the hell had she lost her clothing? “You’re going to be explaining a lot when I return.” He unlocked his phone and handed it to her. “A hell of a lot.”

*.*.*.*.*

Ravyn foughtoff tears as Daniel left the room with a change of clothes and his toiletries. He was fighting his emotions, probably wanted to shower to purge them without her seeing as if she’d judge him for any of it. The man was hurting, and her secrets hurt him worse. How did she explain what she was to him without being blamed for his mother’s death?

Sniffling, she opened his contacts and scrolled. He didn’t have Aoibhe’s number—which kind of pleased her, though it was horribly inconvenient right now because she didn’t know it from memory. If she was in the dorm room, maybe she would answer Ravyn’s phone if she saw it was Daniel. Dialing her own cell phone, she waited…

No answer.

Not being a quitter, she called again. The call was accepted on the second ring this time.

“Daniel?” Aoibhe’s softly lilting voice asked over the receiver. “Is Ravyn not with you?”

“It’s me,” she said. “Can you bring some clothes for me to Daniel’s room. And…Gabe, though he will need to wait outside while I change.”

“You want me to bring Gabe?” Surprise and happiness warred in her friend’s tone. But now was not the time to let her think she wanted him there so they could make friendship bracelets are anything silly.

“Something happened. Daniel’s mother passed away last night.”

Silence met this statement. “Aye. I was afraid something like that had happened.”

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