Moving Objects

Chapter 19

I barged in without knocking and startled him and the woman sitting in his office, his secretary maybe, and started rambling.

"Princess Dragomir was ambushed, she and Guardian Castile are on their way here!"

Croft looked to me and the expression on my face must have given him proof because he looked to the woman and jerked his head to the side, a clear dismissal. She scurried out and I stepped closer while he asked me to explain further. I sat down and it poured out of me, but when I got to the part of Dimitri ordering them to leave him behind, my voice cracked.

Croft had a blank expression on his face, but he did live here at Court. He wasn't daft enough to ignore the gossip that went around because it would prove useful. He, like every other Guardian at Court, knew Dimitri and I were involved. His lip quirked downward a fraction before returning to its place and he picked up the phone.

The speakerphone rang through and when it picked up, Eddie's voice rang through.

"Croft."

"Castile, I have Hathaway here. She says there was a Strigoi attack?"

"Of course. Yes, there were a total of eight of them. I was able to get the Princess out of harm before Guardian Belikov ordered me to take the Princess to safety."

Croft looked to me and sympathy was faint on his face but he continued on. "How far are you?"

"Thirty minutes, twenty-five with good traffic."

"Good. We will meet you at the gate when you get here," Croft said before hanging up. It felt like hours until they got to Court, and I was pacing the floor in Croft's office, tears silently falling. He watched me carefully with a blank expression but by the fidgeting of his hands; he was waiting with bated breath too. The phone ringing on his desk made me stop and he picked it up, speaking quietly before hanging up, gesturing for me to follow. I was hot on his heels as we met Eddie and Lissa at the front door. Lissa's thoughts were loud and racing, but I couldn't hear exactly what she was thinking. All I could think about was the look on Eddie's face when he looked at me. I nodded in understanding as I wrapped my arms around Lissa, trying to comfort her but I needed the comfort too.

"I'm so sorry, Rose. I wanted to go back for him, but we couldn't," Lissa sobbed but I hushed her, squeezing her tightly.

"We will have Guardians go back to recover Belikov," Croft said to Lissa and I flinched. I didn't want to think that he was dead yet. I let Lissa go so that she could go and give her statement with Eddie, but Eddie stopped in front of me, handing me a bundle that I would know anywhere.

Dimitri's duster.

I swallowed the bile that rose in my throat and took the duster from him, folding it over my arms.

"I'll come and find you when I'm done," Eddie whispered as he squeezed my shoulder. I nodded and watched as the three walked away. I numbly walked back to my room and was surprised I got the door open before sitting down on the couch. I draped the duster over my lap and rested my elbows on my knees, holding my face in my hands.

The tears I had been holding back erupted as his smell overwhelmed me and I was gasping for air, clutching the jacket that I so often teased him about in my hands. A buzzing startled me, and I searched through the pockets of the duster, searching for the phone. I found it in the inside pocket and pulled it out, along with the bracelet I gave Dimitri when he left.

I looked at the screen and sobbed again before taking a deep breath and whipped my face. I took another breath and answered the phone.

"Hello."