My heart leapt in my chest. “Always and forever,” I whispered. “That has never changed. It never will.”
A small tremor ran through her as I moved on to her other hand. I was a greedy bastard, taking my sweet time wiping away any food remnants. But I was pushing my luck.
Giving her a smile I didn’t feel, I let go of her hand and picked up the plate and empty glass. It didn’t take me long to return to the table, but when I turned, she had her arms folded across her chest. She wasn’t clutching her knees anymore, but I wasn’t sure if that was an improvement.
I returned to the chair. Not much later, Poppy’s chin lowered, and her eyes closed. Her breathing evened out. The moment I was positive she was asleep, I got to my feet and grabbed the quilt. I turned back to her but didn’t take another step. She was leaning against the wall, her knees having slid a few inches away from her chest.
What if covering her with the quilt woke her?
My grip tightened as I stood there. I hadn’t been this uncertain since I was a young man. I stood there for minutes, my heart pounding and my vision blurring. Moving slowly, I gently laid the quilt over her shoulders the best I could.
She didn’t wake.
I silently backed up until I was near the door. Dragging the backs of my hands over my damp cheeks, I took a moment and then turned and quietly opened the door. Meeting Emil’s gaze, Iclosed the door behind me. “Keep your voice down,” I said, my hand still resting on the handle. “She’s sleeping.”
Emil’s grip on the broadsword at his hip loosened as he nodded.
“I need you to do two things for me,” I told him.
“Anything,” was his quick response.
“Get me a status on the Rev.”
“Won’t take too long to do that. I put the pieces in a cell not too far from here,” he said. “But the last time I checked, he was still in pieces.”
I frowned, not knowing how long it took a Rev to recover. “I also need you to find Millicent for me.”
Emil’s brows rose. “Okay.” He paused. “I’ll send Kieran down—”
“No,” I interrupted. “Send Delano to watch the door.”
He opened his mouth.
“Send Delano,” I repeated, opening the door again before Emil could say anything more.
My gaze immediately found Poppy. She hadn’t budged, and the quilt remained tossed over her shoulders. Wishing I could move her to the makeshift bed, I leaned against the door. The risk of waking her was too great.
I kept my eyes on her as I waited. Sometime later, I heard footsteps and hushed voices, before a knock not heard but felt came. Pushing away, I quickly slipped out into the hall.
Delano was there, his pale hair messy. I had no idea what time it was, but there was a good chance we’d woken him.
“Emil just swung by. He’s still looking for Millicent,” he informed me, glancing over my shoulder at the door. “But he wanted me to let you know the Rev is still in pieces.”
“Really?” I crossed my arms. “It’s been…what? Five days? No improvement?”
“Well, if you consider decay improvement. And the gods know I’ve never thought to say this, but…I do,” Delano replied. “So, there’s that.”
Surprise shot through me. “The fucker is decaying?”
Delano nodded. “Yeah, he appears irrevocably dead.”
Shock rippled through me as I stood there, wondering if I was so damn tired, I hadn’t heard him correctly.
Because what was being implied was impossible. Only draken blood killed a Revenant.
So, how didIkill one?
Satisfaction gleamed in Poppy’s crimson-streaked eyes as I rose from the chair and stalked toward her.
