Page 6 of Cherish

He looks so insulted that we all crack up, which only insults him more.

On the plus side, the last of the tension dissipates just as the waitress comes to take our order.

Once she leaves, though, we all kind of stare at one another like we’re not sure what to say next. Until Hudson finally breaks the silence by asking, “So shall we talk about Mekhi dying?”

3

Great Minds

Think a Lot

His words hit like a slap, and the last of our levity falls away.

I expect everyone to rush to talk over one another with ideas, but instead we just sit in silence as the weight of what we have to do presses down on us all. I definitely feel it resting on me, making my shoulders slump and my stomach churn. How can I not, when Mekhi is dying and we need to come up with a plan to save him?

And not just any plan. A great plan—one that has more components than “storm the Shadow Queen’s castle and demand she cure Mekhi of the shadow poison.” And, equally important, we need a plan that everyone at this table is going to come back from.

I’ve already lost too many friends as it is. I’m not going to lose any more.

That includes Mekhi, who’s already been gone for what feels like a year, even if it’s only been five months.

“How much longer can Mekhi stay in Descent?” I ask. The Bloodletter had put him under as soon as we’d realized he’d been infected by shadow poison in the Trials, but I know there have been problems.

“We don’t know for sure, but not much longer. Weeks, not months,” Eden answers, and the words settle like an anvil on my chest. Even expecting the worst, I didn’t think it would bethisbad. “The Bloodletter says she’s already given him more elixir than any vampire in history, and still he keeps coming around every few days. Any more and”—she shrugs sadly—“the cure might be worse than the poison.”

Jaxon flinches at her words, at the reminder of just how precarious his friend’s grasp on life truly is right now, which only has my heart tightening more.

I know he blames himself for Mekhi’s situation and for the deaths of the other members of the Order. But now isn’t the time for blame. Right now, we need to focus on what’s directly in front of us: getting to the Shadow Realm and curing Mekhi. Everything else can wait.

Speaking of which—I realize with a jolt—something, or someone, is most definitely not right in front of me. And she definitely should be.

I turn to Flint, eyes wide. “Where’s Macy? I thought you guys were meeting up with her and coming together?”

Jaxon and Flint exchange a long look that has my stomach sinking. Because old habits die hard, and we’ve been through too much for me to ever take my cousin’s absence lightly.

“What’s wrong with Macy?” I ask even as I dig in my pocket for my phone with fingers that are suddenly shaking.

“Nothing’s wrong with her,” Jaxon assures me, placing a hand over mine before I can text her. “She just got kicked out of another school yesterday, and Foster and Rowena brought her back to live at the Witch Court with them. But she’s currently on house arrest.”

“House arrest?” Eden repeats with a smirk. “They don’t really think that’s going to work, do they?”

The others laugh, and if I wasn’t so worried about my cousin, I would, too. Macy’s had a really hard time these last few months since Katmere was destroyed and we found her mother at the Vampire Court. She’s now been kicked out of all three schools Uncle Finn has tried to put her in, and her magic has turned dark enough to have us all worried about her. And a little afraid—forher andofher—if I’m being honest.

“Who knows?” Flint leans back in his chair and pops one of Eden’s French fries into his mouth. “Apparently, Rowena has been bringing down the hammer since we got her out of that shithole.”

“So no Macy on this trip.” It sounds weird to say it out loud. “Which means we only have to pick up Remy and Izzy—”

“No Remy and Izzy, either, I’m afraid,” Jaxon interjects. “They can’t get away from Calder Academy.”

“Can’t get away, like they’re bogged down with schoolwork?” I ask, brows raised. “Or can’t get away, like they’re prisoners?”

It’s Hudson’s turn to raise a brow. “Surely it’s the former. Can you imagine any headmaster strong enough to hold my half sister against her will? Or Remy?”

It’s a good point—one that finally settles my racing heart. Well, that and the thumb Hudson is rubbing soothingly over my knuckles from across the table.

“So it’s just us, then?” I clarify, glancing from face to face. “Just the six of us?”

Jaxon leans forward, crossing his arms on the table. “I assure you I am more than capable of retrieving one little antidote from the Shadow Realm.”

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