They sat around the table in Max’s stylish apartment, waiting for Renata to finish her phone call. Malachi looked around warily.
“You live well, Max.”
The scribe crossed his tattooed arms and smiled. “I’ve never been very comfortable with the communal life. I serve my scribe house, but that doesn’t mean that other… projects do not interest me.”
Rhys said, “Max has always been an excellent gambler.”
“And investor.” He shrugged. “Sometimes interesting opportunities present themselves. I’d be a fool not to take advantage of them.”
“This is all very interesting, but why can’t Renata just tell us where Ava is? We know Sarihöfn was compromised. Surely Renata knows where they would take her.”
“That was a surprise to her. I can tell you that much. She’d not checked her messages for a few days as we were busy. She’s contacting Sari right now. They have a system, and I’m not privy to it. No scribe is.”
Rhys said, “They’re very cautious.”
“They’ve managed to stay hidden for over two hundred years. Of course they’re cautious.”
“Have you ever been there?” Malachi asked. “To this haven where Ava was?”
“No. And I’ve no idea how to find it. She couldn’t tell me if she wanted to. Which she doesn’t.”
Rhys shifted in his seat. “Renata doesn’t seem like your average Irina.”
“She’s not.”
“What does she do?”
Renata walked into the dining room, phone still in her hand. “Whatever I want to, scribe.” She looked at Max. “I left her a message with this number. May I keep this phone for a while?”
“Of course.”
She sat down, plainly staring at Malachi.
“How?” she finally asked. “Max said he saw you die.”
“We don’t know,” Malachi said. “Her magic. I don’t remember much.”
“I’ve seen her do many things,” Renata said. “None of them close to bringing someone back to life.”
Rhys said, “Maybe she didn’t know she was doing it.”
“Obviously.” Renata rolled her eyes at Rhys. “She thinks he’s dead.”
“Well, I’m not.”
“The question is,” Max broke in. “How are we going to tell her that you’re not dead without her going into shock?”
“Would she think it’s a trick?” Renata asked. “Not that any of us would be that cruel, but she’s going to have a hard time accepting it.”
“Maybe not as hard as we think,” Rhys said. “They’ve been dream walking.”
“I know they have!” Renata said. “They’ve been giving her a hard time about sleeping so much. They think she’s depressed. Of course, we all thought they were only dreams. There was no way of knowing he was actually… you know.”
“Alive?” Malachi said. “Is it that hard to say?”
“It’s that hard to believe, and I am not your mate.”
What was she, exactly? Malachi looked between Renata and Max. There was clearly some intimacy there, but Malachi was too weary to try to decode it.
“When will they be here?” He sighed. “I just want to see her. We can sort out what to say later. I just… I need to see her, Renata.”
Her hand slid across the table and enveloped his. Malachi chanced a look at Max, who had his eyes locked on Renata’s hand, clearly displeased.
Oh yes. There was something there.
“I cannot imagine what the two of you have been going through,” she said. “But we will make it right. You will be together again. I imagine with the message I left Sari, they will be here by tomorrow. Then you will see your Ava again.”
“Thank you,” Malachi said. “I know this is all hard to fathom.”
She smiled, lifting a hand to tug on the front of his hair. “You’re a miracle. Her miracle.”
“I hope she thinks the same.”
Rhys went back to the Oslo house to let Lang know what was happening. Malachi stayed in the spare bedroom at Max’s. Renata had given Sari that address. When Ava came to the city, she would meet them there.
Malachi tried to sleep, but his dreams troubled him. He was once again walking through a dark forest. Ava was nowhere in sight, and she no longer called for him. In fact, the air was dead silent. No birds sang. It was as if all life had left the place. He walked through the shadows, softly calling for her, but she did not answer.
When he woke, he stared at the ceiling, wondering what it meant. From the beginning, his dreams of her had kept him sane. Was she simply not sleeping? Had she withdrawn? Was that even possible between mates?
It was early morning, but the moon was still out. He stared into the blackness outside Max’s flat, ignoring the city lights and looking at the stars. A soft knock came at the front door, and he sat bolt upright in bed.
His heart raced, but the only voice he heard was unfamiliar. And male.
Malachi threw on a shirt and walked to the door. Cracking it open, he saw an Irin couple standing in the entry way. The woman was embracing Renata, the man was shaking hands with Max.
Damien. This must be the Watcher they spoke of. He was imposing. Commanding. His presence filled the room, and keen eyes swept the apartment. Malachi opened the door a few more inches and watched as Damien finally saw him.
Shock. Grief. Disbelief. Awe. The emotions flickered through his eyes though his expression did not change. “Impossible,” he whispered.
“Not impossible,” said Max. “He’s here. It’s him.”
Malachi stepped into the room and saw Sari watching him.
“It’s him. It’s…” She grabbed for her mate’s hand. “Damien?”
“Yes.” The first hint of emotion hit Damien’s voice. “It looks like him. Brother?”
Malachi approached. “It’s me, Damien.”
An exclamation of praise in the Old Language, and then Damien walked to him, grabbing his shoulders in a tight embrace. All taciturn soldier forgotten, he hugged Malachi as a brother.
“Praise heaven! I don’t know how this is possible,” Damien choked out. “It’s you. Your voice— It’s truly you. How?”
Max said, “We don’t know. Evren thinks it’s Ava’s power. That she somehow brought him back.”
“I heard her,” Malachi said quietly. “In the Old Language. She called me to come back to her. And… I did.”
He heard Sari say, “She can project her visions. Can she actually will them to be?” Her voice bordered between awe and fear.
Damien slapped Malachi on the back and stepped back, wiping his eyes. “No miracle like this would occur without the will of the Creator himself. Who are we to question this, milá?”
Sari was still eyeing him with some suspicion. “This will be a shock to her.”
Damien nodded. “We will be cautious. But this could not have come at a better time. She has been drawing away. She bought plane tickets to London on her phone.”
“What?” Max said. “London?”
“Her father is there. I think she was planning to go to him. Not that I’d have allowed it, of course.”
Malachi bristled at Damien’s tone, even though he knew the watcher was guarding his mate. “Where is Ava?” he asked. “Is she with you?”
“Heaven, no,” Sari said. “We needed to make sure Renata hadn’t lost her mind first. She’s at Lang’s house. She was happy to see Brooke there.”
“And Rhys,” Damien added. “Though we warned him not to say anything about you yet.”
Sari said, “I think she and Orsala were going to get some sleep. Neither was able to rest in the car.”
“So you know she was planning to escape to London, yet you left her in an overwhelmed scribe house with only a few guards?” Max asked. “That seems… prudent.”
Malachi walked to the door, grabbing for his jacket. “Take me there.”