Page 55 of Cherish

“Hmmm,” is her only response. Eventually, she adds, “Well, then perhaps this occasion is fortuitous for us all, for today you seek to save not only the life of your friend but also the life of someone I’ve helped protect for longer than I care to remember.”

“But the only other people we might help are the twins—” I gasp as understanding dawns. “One of them is here, isn’t she?”

“She is,” she agrees. “But I still haven’t decided if it’s wise to let you meet her and possibly get her hopes up.”

“We won’t hurt her,” I assure the witch, my mind racing at the possibility of talking to her. “But I would love a moment with her to discuss strategy—what she knows of her mother, her eagerness for a bargain, her sister.”

“Is that all?” Viola asks, and I’m not sure what she’s referring to, so I remain silent. Wherever this conversation is going, I need to let Viola take us there. There’s a long period of silence before she says, “Lorelei doesn’t know how to cure shadow poison.”

“I never said I needed her to,” I reply slowly, the wheels in my brain turning. Where have I heard that name before? Then I shrug and add, “Although that would have been nice.”

After another interminable pause, she says, “Yes, I think you should see exactly what—and who—is at risk if you fail.” And with that, Viola moves back toward the door, tossing over her shoulder, “Well? Are you coming, or am I just supposed to wait until you’re ready?”

“I—” My voice breaks, so I clear my throat and try again. “You’re going to take us to her?”

“I’m going to ask Lorelei if she wants to talk to you. If she does, fine. If she doesn’t…”

“We’ll leave her alone,” I tell her. “I promise.”

She nods, then opens the door and walks back into the room with my friends. She motions for Hudson to join us but tells Macy to remain there and watch over “our visitors.” Then we leave through another door and follow her down the hallway to a long, circular flight of stairs. She ushers us up it, then up three more flights as well.

Hudson shoots me a look, so I mouth,The Shadow Queen’s daughter.His brows shoot up, but he nods, taking the development in stride.

“We’re almost there,” Viola tells us as she guides us up what I’m pretty sure is the final flight of stairs. She doesn’t seem worried at all, but by the time we get to the top of the stairs, my senses are ultra-heightened, and I’m balanced on the balls of my feet. Not because I actually think there’s a problem but because everything about this situation sets my nerves on edge.

“It’s going to be okay,” Hudson murmurs as he presses a gentle hand against the small of my back.

At the top of the stairs is a narrow iron door. Viola waves a hand in front of it, her fingers moving in a pattern that reminds me of the safeguards at the Bloodletter’s cave, invisible magic put in place to keep unwanted visitors from wandering into her lair uninvited.

As I watch Viola weave the spell to undo the safeguards here, my heart beats faster and faster. There’s an oppressive heaviness in the air around us now. I try to ignore it, but it weighs on me, makes me feel like maybe this isn’t the best idea after all.

Makes me worry that I’m leading Hudson into some kind of trap.

I shift uneasily at the thought, wipe a surreptitious palm down the side of my jeans to dry it off. What if this is a mistake? What if—

“It’s okay.” Hudson rubs slow circles on my back as he murmurs softly in my ear, “It’s just the safeguards.”

The oppressive feeling gets worse, has my chest aching and my heart racing all over again. “I don’t—I can’t—”

“Almost there,” Viola murmurs. Her hands are moving faster now, the near-silent spell spilling from her lips at an astonishing rate.

As the heaviness gets so bad I can barely breathe, I lean into Hudson, who has managed to stay calm through all of this. But the moment my back touches his chest, I realize that he’s not as calm as he looks. He’s shaking slightly, and now that I realize it, I can feel it in the hand he still has pressed against me and the fingers that continue stroking soothing circles over my back.

“It’s the safeguards,” he murmurs again, moving closer until his chest is pressed against me. “They’re meant to make us feel like this.” He slides his hands around my waist, and at this point, I can’t tell whether it’s to lend comfort or to keep me from bolting.

And to be honest, I don’t really care. I sink into him, let the rich, spicy scent of him wrap around me like a blanket. And hold on to his words like the lifeline I know they’re meant to be.

This is not a panic attack, I tell myself as the feeling of doom grows more oppressive with every second that passes. It’s just part of the safeguards. They’re meant to make whoever tries to breach them feel like this, meant to make us want to turn around and run away as fast as we can.

Just the safeguards, I tell myself. Everything’s okay. Not a panic attack.

Even as I realize safeguard magic wouldn’t work on a gargoyle like me.

I take a deep breath, try to let it out slowly.

Still, the pressure gets worse and worse.

It’s a buzzing in my ears now.

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