Page 93 of Martyr
Saint throws his arm around my shoulders. “And she means to say thank you, but also you should’ve brought one of us in case we needed to saveyourass from a burning building.”
I nod vigorously. “Yeah. That.”
He laughs. “Okay. Fine. I deserve that.”
“Let’s clear off the road,” Kade says. “Get in the truck in case we need to leave in a hurry.”
I exchange a glance with Reese and Saint. The last time we were all pressed together in his truck… Well, it led to some understandings between us.
Reese gets in the driver’s seat, and Saint circles to the passenger side.
I look at Kade. “What about you?”
He gestures to the bed. “Gonna set this up on the roof of the cab. Don’t worry about me.”
Well… that’s silly. I suck my lower lip between my teeth, and I don’t move. Not until Kade stops what he’s doing and hops down from the bed of the truck. He lands right in front of me.
He reaches out and runs his finger along my trapped lower lip. I release it slowly, and he exhales.
“I will worry about you,” I say to him. “Okay?”
His dark gaze burns, and he visibly swallows. “Okay.”
40ARTEMIS
“All things considered,I think Lyssa should come back.”
I’m met with blank stares. It might be the time—we woke everyone up to have this conversation after we finished with the Cyclopes in West Falls. All I want is to fall into bed. Literally, any bed. But the sun is rising, and I don’t see that happening for a while yet.
“What?” I spread my arms. “We have a plan to take out Ouranos. We have dealt with a good chunk of the Cyclopes, and you guys said you’d take over weeding out the rest.”
Jace nods slowly, but he still doesn’t seem convinced.
I face Kade. “What will Ouranos do if he gets in contact with Gabriel?”
“Use what happened on Isle of Paradise against us,” he says.
“Exactly. We talked about this. We planned for this. We knew that Ouranos had spies at the trauma center. Gabriel doesn’t visit, but he does check up on her a few times a year. All that to say, he doesn’t know what happened, and that isexactlythe thing Ouranos will exploit.” I rub my hands together. “Come on, guys. You know I’m right.”
Kora clears her throat. Her guys all look at her, but none seem surprised that she has something to say. She holds Wolfe’s hand on her thigh, and she meets my gaze.
“You are right,” she says. “If he gets in Gabriel’s head, the only way to proveourside isn’t a lie or a manipulation is to show him the truth. The only truth: she’s alive and awake.”
I narrow my eyes. “I’m sensing abut.”
“But…” Her cheeks pinken. “I love Sterling Falls, and it’s still dangerous. With where she is in her therapy, is itwiseto remove her from that environment?”
“We can get her anyone she needs,” Kade says. “Physical therapy. Speech. Occupational. The trauma center isn’t the be-all and end-all.”
“It might be setting her back being there,” I add quietly. “She was there up until she was torn away and sold to Terror. Since then, Terror is the last place she knew.”
“So is it a benefit to keep her somewhere familiar and safe, or a hindrance?” Reese seems more worried than anything. “I don’t know.”
I bite my cheek and try to stem my frustration. We’re at my brother’s house, seated around the dining room table once again. At least this time, Kade isn’t in zip ties. There are coffee mugs all around. Daniel is missing—he left for Bow & Arrow with Saint to get a jump on rewiring our security system.
The Cyclopes had cut a lot of wires, plus the sheriff’s office removed some hardware in their raid… Daniel offered an upgrade, complete with new cameras, internet, and alarms on the doors and windows.
Since Saint volunteered to go with him, his absence is loud, as well.
