Total pages in book: 194
Estimated words: 187021 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 935(@200wpm)___ 748(@250wpm)___ 623(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 187021 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 935(@200wpm)___ 748(@250wpm)___ 623(@300wpm)
“A block around what?”
“What happened to my parents.”
“Ah,” he said slowly. He drew her to him and wrapped his arms around her. She rested her head against his chest, feeling the heat of him against her. She took a fortifying breath. “Take all the time you need. I’ll be here when you’re ready.”
Kierse nodded, uncertain if she’d ever be ready to face that, knowing it was the only way to get what she needed from her memories. A paradox that kept her up late into the night.
Chapter Forty-Five
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Gen asked as they hopped off the subway in Brooklyn, dressed to the nines for Nate and Maura’s engagement party.
Kierse had spent the time since her meeting with Dr. Carrión working on her memory fortifications. She wasn’t ready to face what happened with her parents. But she couldn’t sit around and do nothing, either. So she’d gone out and pickpocketed a few unsuspecting people to boost her reserves. But it didn’t help her mental capacity. She’d hit the wall, and the wall had hit back.
Thankfully, by tonight, Kierse was feeling herself again. Well enough for a quick stop before the festivities.
“Define good idea,” Kierse said.
“Won’t Lorcan know that you’re here?”
“Yes, but we’ve got that covered,” Kierse said. “Just stick to the plan.”
“I don’t like the plan,” Gen admitted.
Kierse huffed, tugging down the hem of her black mini dress. “It was your plan.”
“I know. This is why we let you plan things. You’re good at that part.”
“It’s fine. The whole thing is going to be fine.” Kierse winked at her. “Let Operation Jail Break commence.”
Gen laughed and followed her down the Brooklyn streets. Kierse clocked a few patrols on rooftops—not that the Druids needed them to give the boss a heads-up she was in their territory. The second she’d crossed the bridge into Brooklyn, she could feel Lorcan.
Now that she knew what this was between them, that pressure in her chest made perfect sense. It was like a fishhook caught against her breastbone, and she just needed to follow the string back to its owner to find Lorcan.
She pressed her hand against her chest. Not yet.
“You okay?” Gen asked.
“Yeah,” she lied.
Gen pursed her lips. “You can feel him?”
“Over there,” Kierse said, pointing vaguely in the direction of his headquarters. The direction they were circling toward.
“It’s that specific?”
“If I think about it,” she admitted.
“So he’ll be on us soon,” Gen realized.
“Guess we’ll have to be quicker.”
Gen sighed. Always finding Kierse’s propensity for danger unnerving. “Hurry.”
They rounded another corner before hitting their drop point. Niamh’s head appeared at the back entrance of a building, her burgundy hair up in a complicated braided twist. Her red-painted smile widened as she saw them.
“Hello, girls,” she said with a wink.
“Niamh,” Kierse said as she ducked inside.
Gen shot her a shy smile. “Hi.”
“My little acolyte,” Niamh said. “Never took you to be a rule breaker.”
“I make an exception for Ethan,” Gen said with her head lifted high.
“Then let’s get going.”
Kierse and Gen followed her through the labyrinth of Druid corridors—a bunch of empty office spaces and then closed apartment doors—before getting into more familiar territory.
“You might have to do some offensive work,” Niamh warned Gen. “As we get closer.”
Gen bit her lip. “You can’t?”
“Oh, I can. But I’d like to see how my pupil is progressing.”
“Offensive work?” Kierse asked. She glanced between Niamh and Gen in alarm. “What exactly are you teaching her?”
“You’ll see,” Niamh said with a smirk.
Gen muttered a few words to herself and took a deep breath as they continued forward. They were nearly to the barracks when a pair of Druid guards appeared in their way.
“Gen,” Niamh said.
But Gen had already moved in front before either of them could react to intruders. Her eyes were closed and she moved on instinct, sliding through dance-like steps as she got in close to the two guards.
“What the…?” the first man asked.
Gen touched her finger to his throat and whispered, “Sleep,” under her breath.
The woman next to him watched with wide eyes as she realized who she was dealing with. Kierse could see surrender in her eyes, but Gen wasn’t looking at her. She wasn’t looking at anything, in fact.
Then she clipped the girl in the kidneys and said, “Down.”
She only opened her eyes after they both collapsed to the ground. Kierse’s jaw was on the floor.
“What the fuck was that?” Kierse demanded.
“Healing,” Niamh said simply.
“That…doesn’t look like healing.”
“There are two sides to healing,” Gen said. Her eyes drifted to the pair of Druids with a frown, but she recited the words rote. “Sustaining the body and relieving the body. All life is a circle, an ouroboros, birth and life and death. You cannot learn only parts of the practice or else it stunts all growth.”
“Precisely,” Niamh said with pride in her voice.