The River (Book 3 of The Claiming Series)

Chapter Ten

After a not-as-awkward-as-I-thought-it-would-be dinner all together, everyone wanders off to do their own things before bedtime.

Agatha is letting me stay the night in Claire and Ally's shared bedroom on a little cot they use for guests. Eli will be sleeping in the living room on the couch. Lily and Adrian have been given their own bedroom that Agatha admits used to be where my parents slept when they lived here.

After putting my backpack down in Claire and Ally's room, I search for Eli. I wander into the living room where Helen sits alone, reading an old, crinkly book. She peers over the top to look at me. "He's out there," she says in a ragged voice, flashing me a sweet smile and nodding to the patio out the front door.

"Thank you," I say with a laugh.

I open the front door and immediately feel a rush of cool, damp air.

The rain is pouring now, drenching the grassy field and creating mud puddles galore across the property. It's raining so hard that I can't even see the woods beyond the fence anymore.

Eli sits on the porch bench, casting a hard stare at all the rain.

I close the front door and sit next to him.

"You okay?" I shout over the rain.

He shakes his head, surprising me. "What if I can't bring Lily and Adrian back?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Technically, I'll be next in line for the throne, but what if Adressa takes over during the confusion of Lily's disappearance? Would it have been better to keep her in New Athens?"

"No," I tell him. "I was warned that it was dangerous for her. We're doing the right thing."

Eli scoffs. "You and your blackouts."

His words feel like a bee sting. A prick that turns into a burning sensation. "I'm sorry?"

"Do you trust your blackouts over your own judgement? How much is even real?"

I shake my head, baffled. "Eli, where is this coming from?" I mean, he's always been skeptical of the part about Grayson, even after my mom admitted this place was real, and I don't think he believes that his advice is legitimate.

But up until now, he's always believed in me. I thought.

"We're putting our faith in a dead guy, Mave! I can't help but wonder if we're making a huge mistake."

I glare at him. "Why'd you even come if you thought this whole thing was stupid?"

"Because I don't want you to do this on your own! And you took my sister, for goodness's sake!"

I ball up my fists. I don't know where his anger is coming from, because it certainly wasn't here last night when he was telling me he loved me, kissing me, holding me until I fell asleep.

Is it seeing the farm in person that scares him?

Eli leans over, his elbows on his knees, and covers his face with his hands in frustration. "If we go back, and things get worse, I don't know what I'm going to do."

"You're going to blame me," I mutter.

He hears me, though.

"Of course, I'm going to blame you! This whole 'fantastic journey' you were so excited about may just be what causes Bayfell to take over if Adressa uses Lily's absence to her advantage. People could be forced into lives of misery because of your crazy 'ideas' that conveniently show up every time you pass out."