He couldn’t seem to find the words, but it turned out he didn’t need to. River understood what he was trying to say.
“Someone else got hurt?”
“Yeah. A human.” His voice was rough. “She died.”
“Gods above. I’m sorry, Nik.”
He rubbed his temples as visions of Isobel’s body flashed through his eyes. They’d brought her out of the castle, and she would have a full military funeral at the end of the week.
“Me, too.” He sucked in a ragged breath. “I needed to hear your voice.” He needed to remember that there was something good waiting for him at home.
She exhaled softly. “It means a lot that you thought of me.”
“I think about you every single day,” he replied immediately. There wasn’t an hour that passed when she wasn’t on his mind.
River’s breath hitched, and it sounded like she had something she wanted to say, before an urgent beeping came from the other end of the phone. “Damn. I have to go, Nik. I… I’ll see you at the bonding. I have something I want to talk to you about.”
“Sure thing, little storm. We can talk about whatever you want. I can’t wait to see you.”
If there was anything Isobel’s death had taught him, it was that life was short. No one was guaranteed another day, let alone another minute.
He wouldn’t miss the bonding for the world.
CHAPTER 26
All Power and Grace
“These are the wrong napkins.” Tertia’s voice was low, but there was no masking the disapproval in her tone. Any kindness she’d shown on the day Cyrus had been alert was long gone.
Even though her mother’s ire wasn’t directed at her, River winced from where she stood at the ballroom entrance. River had been back in her childhood home for less than twenty-four hours, and it was already too much.
Thank the gods, she wasn’t planning on being here for long. Ryker and Brynleigh’s bonding ceremony was tomorrow, and she would be heading home at the end of the week. She’d worked overtime all last week, trading shifts with Ember to make this work.
River had barely had time to breathe over the past few weeks, let alone think. Work had been incredibly busy.
When she returned to the hospital after the Winter Solstice, Doctor Collins had allowed her to go back to the operating room. She’d participated in several life-saving surgeries since then, and even though she was tired, she was also happy.
River couldn’t help her father—his condition was reportedly stable, although he hadn’t been awake again—but she could help her patients. Saving lives was her calling, and she rarely felt better than when she was armed with a scalpel.
“I asked for ivory napkins.” Tertia’s voice was quiet and direct, and River’s heart palpitated as she hugged her arms around herself. “Ivory.”
River really didn’t think the color scheme was that big of a deal, but apparently, her mother was not of the same mind.
Waving a napkin in the air, the Representative stepped closer to Annalise and Tyma, two fae servants who’d worked at Waterborn House since before River was born. They were carrying stacks of napkins as high as their heads, and to their eternal credit, neither of them flinched in the face of Tertia’s fury.
To be fair, they were probably used to it.
“Even a child would be able to see that these are light taupe.” Tertia threw the napkin on the nearest circular table and turned back to Annalise and Tyma. Her posture was rigid, and there was no mistaking the absolute fury in her gaze. “You willfixthis. The tablecloths are ivory. The invitations are ivory. The gods-damned napkins willalsobe ivory. Is that understood?”
You love your brother deeply, River reminded herself as she stared past her mother to the vampire-safe blackout curtains covering the windows.This is for Ryker.
The gods only knew, she’d never put herself through helping Tertia plan a party if it wasn’t for him.
Annalise dipped her head, murmuring, “Yes, Representative Waterborn. I’ll contact the supplier and make sure this mistake is rectified immediately.”
“Good.” Tertia spun on her three-inch heels and marchedtowards the entrance. “River.” Had her tone gotten colder, or was that River’s imagination? “Come with me.”
Arguing with her mother would be futile. Although River would prefer to be literally anywhere else—even being yelled at by Doctor Collins was better than this—she followed Tertia into the hall.