Page 117 of The Seven Rings
She bore down, gave it everything she had. Sweat trickled down her face, down her spine. Her breath came in gasps and pants.
Clover looked at her, bright blue eyes full of warmth. “I won’t leave you. Don’t give up.”
“Won’t. Can’t.”
“There’s my Sonya,” Clover said with a smile.
And the cabinet righted.
“Shove that up your ass sideways, bitch.” Now Clover grinned. “She can’t kill me again, right? I can’t stay like all corporeal and everything. Takes it out of me, but you needed to see me so you’d fight.”
Clover lifted her fists in a boxing stance.
“She’ll crawl back in her hole now,” she continued as Sonya simply stood, stared. “But she’ll come back. Be ready. You’re not alone.”
“Clover.”
“I really can’t stay like this, but I just want to…”
When she wrapped around Sonya, Sonya felt the slim frame, the smooth skin. The warmth. She hugged back, hard.
“I have so many questions.”
“I don’t have a bunch of answers. Except, I liked you from the start. And then? I loved you. I love you. And well, shit, it’s a real bitch, you know, but I need you. We need you. Don’t give up.”
“I won’t. I just—”
But she faded away. Her scent lingered a moment longer, then that, too, faded.
As it did, the lights flashed on, the balcony doors swung open to the rain and wind.
And with a war cry, Cleo burst in the ballroom doors, Yoda and Pye with her.
“Sonya! I couldn’t get them open.” Running forward, Cleo shoved tables aside, and reaching Sonya, wrapped around her as Clover had.
“Did she hurt you? What happened? God, I couldn’t get in!”
“I’m okay.”
“You’re freezing!”
“It’s okay. It’s over, and I’m okay. She stockpiled enough energy to trap me in here.”
“I was about to text Trey, and the handle moved. It hadn’t budged, but all at once, I could open the doors.”
“We’ll text him in a minute anyway. How long was I stuck in here?”
Cleo’s hands moved over Sonya, still checking for anything that hurt.
“I don’t know exactly. I was just finishing cleaning my brushes, and, Sonya?”
Out of breath herself, Cleo pressed a hand to her drumming heart.
“I think it had to be Jack. I heard a voice, a boy’s voice, say, ‘Sonya needs help.’”
“Jack.”
“Yeah. Come on, let’s get out of here. You should sit down, have some water. Then you can tell me what happened.”
