The Weaver's Source

Chapter 93

Grigore simply nodded just as new steps were heard. Jen came rushing down, her face full of hope until she saw No-Tongue. She made a strange strangled noise, her face paling with pain and shock. Instantly I was pulling myself away from Grigore and gently bundling her into the lounge, pulling her away from No-Tongue corpse and Remus' broken expression. She didn't fight me, just numbly let me wheel her to a chair and hurriedly shut the door. She didn't need to see that.

I didn't say anything as I sat beside her, gazing at her expression as it twisted with misery.

"Is No-Tongue okay?" Jen asked me desperately.

I swallowed and said nothing. Instantly she burst into tears, almost screaming. Not knowing what to say, I simply wrapped an arm about her and pulled her into a hug, trying to comfort her a little against the agony she felt. She slung to me, crying into my shoulder until eventually she just stopped, her body spent and mind numb.

"Everyone is going to die." Jen said mechanically. "Olive and Mary are dead. No-Tongue is. Mother nearly died." She dug her fingers into my back as a new wave of grief came. "I've practically killed Rhye."Jen pulled away from me sharply, her eyes on me, wide with regret and sorrow. "I didn't know. I thought she was okay and I could finally get those horrible chains off of her. She was her, confused and brave." She said desperately, begging me to believe her. "I may not have been close to her and I may have been a little jealous but I loved her. She was my sister."

"I know." I replied softly. "No one thinks you did it on purpose."

She turned away and squeezed her eyes shut. "I just want this to stop."

"Remus will figure it out."

Jen frowned with sadness. "How can he when No-Tongue is dead? They were two halves. They were brothers. I could see how tied they were and they'd never be apart for long. Uncle is weak now No-Tongue is dead. There's no way he can stop this."

I bit my lip with worry churning, remembering how many times Grigore struggled to fight alone and how close he had come to dying because he had no one there to watch his back. The vampire coven was powerful and this male was formidable. Without No-Tongue, Remus was at his weakest and his resolve was at its lowest.

I didn't respond. I only sat with her, letting her lean against me as she talked and talked, rambling about nothing until finally she fell asleep.

*

I sat alone with Lynda as the fire burned. She was sleeping but there was some colour to her skin now. The doctor had been to check the wounds and left feeling confident she would scar but live. It had warmed Wilson but Remus had remained as dead inside as ever.

With No-Tongue cleaned, Wilson and Remus had taken him out of the city to be burned in a small pyre. Jen had gone with them, leaving Grigore and I to care for Lynda, Lorry and Nanat.

For the afternoon the youngsters had remained sombre. They played a little but mostly they sat in silence, curled up on the small bed opposite their mother's, listening to me read to them as they drank warm milk. Eventually they fell asleep and I covered them up in thick blankets, watching over them sadly.

But in the lull of activity, my thoughts constantly returned to Grigore. I thought of his hands, his touch, his dark lusting eyes. It made me shiver with embarrassment and a strong desire for it again, but shyly began to realise he never said he loved me, only that he knew I loved him. I knew he viewed me as his, he stated it so clearly and had loved me thoroughly, but I wanted to know. I wanted to hear him say it, to truly know how he felt, and it made me feel stupid in the midst of Remus' family's pain.

I blushed when I tasted Grigore and heard the door open, not looking at him as he came to stand beside me. Shyness burned through me, memories of last night flashing through my mind.