Total pages in book: 149
Estimated words: 142050 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 710(@200wpm)___ 568(@250wpm)___ 474(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 142050 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 710(@200wpm)___ 568(@250wpm)___ 474(@300wpm)
“I can’t… be with Dev, Granmahmen. I never should have started this with him. He’s not… who I thought he was.”
“Are you sure about that? My child, do you not remember what I told you about him?”
Lyric wiped her tears and remembered back to the last conversation she and her granmahmen had had. “You, ah, you said that everything will be all right in the end…”
“And if it’s not all right?”
When her granmahmen nodded for her to reply, she finished with: “Then it’s not the end. But I think you’re wrong. I think this is the end, this is how it ends. Maybe what’s right is just supposed to be painful in my case.”
“And I believe you should listen to your elder.” Her granmahmen smiled some more—and then looked down sharply. “Oh, it appears he is about to prove me right. How nice that he has exactly the magic you not only were looking for, but that you need in this moment. Alas, all that is for you to discover and do with what you will, though. You always have freedom of choice, my dear.”
The vision began to recede and fade away. “Know that I love you, very much. Tell everybody I say hello!”
On that note, the spirit of her granmahmen disappeared.
Lyric looked at the knob—
A sudden bolt went through her, and she glanced down. Through the cloud cover at her feet, she could suddenly see a keyhole view of everything that was happening in that apartment of Dev’s: She was lying where she had slumped to the floor after the gunshot, Rhamp and Doc Jane by her head, the Brotherhood all around her.
Some kind of injection had just been given to her. Clearly, that was the reason for the revival she was abruptly feeling, the connection with her body having been lost, but now reestablished… such that she could, if she wanted, follow the signal back to be reunited with her physical form.
Thus rejoining her family and friends, all of whom were looking absolutely heartbroken and horrified.
Instantly, she recalled the promise she had made to her granmahmen on that deathbed.
It was because of that vow, and for the people she loved, that she returned.
Not Dev.
Whatever he was.
Their end had occurred, and now it was up to her to make things “okay.”
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
The following evening arrived with flurries, but oddly warmer temperatures. Not that anyone in the training center knew about either.
“It was a miracle.”
As Blay spoke up, Qhuinn looked over at his hellren. His most favorite redhead on the planet was sitting beside him in the break room, the pair of them holding hands while they’d stared up at a muted TV screen and tracked absolutely nothing about the marathon of the old school The Resident episodes.
“It was.” He lifted Blay’s wrist to his mouth and pressed a kiss to the veins there. “Doc Jane said she’d never seen anything like it. Guess that shot of epinephrine really worked.”
“You know something, I’m not sure… if I can take much more.” Blay laughed on a short exhale. “Even if it’s good news, my heart needs a break from shocks.”
Nodding his head, Qhuinn kept the rest of his thoughts to himself. There were a lot of questions to be answered, main among them what his daughter and son had been doing in the apartment—although clearly it was owned by that human Lyric had apparently been dating. When he’d pressed Rhamp for details, he’d gotten stonewalled, and he was very certain his son knew all kinds of things he wasn’t talking about. But whatever. At this point, though, it was still one night at a time. Lyric had somehow survived her gunshot wound, everybody was here safely, and there was only one urn of ashes to be picked up and brought home from the crematorium.
All things considered, Blay had it right. A miracle had been granted, and at least for now, they needed to just be grateful.
He glanced at the clock. “Let’s go check on her?”
When Blay nodded, they got up. There were all kinds of brothers sitting around, and everybody glanced over like they were looking to be given a job: Rhage was eating ice cream, of course, while Z strummed on a guitar. Vishous had two laptops open in front of him, while Tohr and Xcor were at his side like the pair were comparing notes with the guy. Meanwhile, Phury, Xhex, John Matthew, and Butch were playing gin rummy, while Payne and Wrath were down the hall, sparring in the gym. And on the far side of the room, Lassiter was stretched out on two stuffed chairs, the TV remote in his hand. The angel had been the one to pick the show for the binge watch—so really, the distraction could have been much, much worse.
Out in the corridor, Quinn looked down the way to the room Lyric was resting in. L.W., Shuli, and Rhamp had been outside her door all night and into the day, and he had no complaints about their loyalty. At the moment, though, one of the Three Musketeers was missing.