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My throat closed up. “You couldn’t have saved me from this.”
“I don’t like that I can’t save you,” he whispered.
My fingers grazed a blistered welt on the back of his leg, where the burns were the worst. He winced.
I pulled away instantly. “I’m sorry. I don’t want you to hurt, either.”
He turned and took my hands in his, then kissed them. “I don’t mind how it feels. All I want is to hold you close.”
I tilted my head up and kissed him. “We can do that.”
Neither of us said anything as we climbed into the shower together to wash the mud and blood off our bodies. We didn’t have the energy left to speak. I gently rubbed soap over Lucas’s bloody wounds. He closed his eyes, like the cold water felt good against his burns. Lucas helped me wash the mud from my hair. He ran the suds down my arms, and he stilled when he felt the ring on my finger.
“I keep forgetting you agreed to marry me,” he whispered.
I tilted my head up to look into his green eyes. “I’d have married you at the gallows.”
We finished cleaning up, and I rubbed ointment over Lucas’s wounds and bandaged the ones that were still bleeding. We dressed in bath robes we found in the closet, then tossed our wet clothes into the washing machine down the hall.
Something clinked in the kitchen, and we followed the sound to find Chloe, Onyx, and Talia sitting at the table sipping on tea. Grammy stood at the stove, brewing a fresh batch. The others must’ve been outside, digging Everly’s grave. I choked up all over again.
“Here, have some tea,” Grammy said. Even though her voice came out soft, it still felt too loud. She handed Lucas and me each a teacup. We sat at the table and began sipping on the healing herbs.
Nobody spoke for a long time. Eventually, the others came in from outside.
“Is it done?” Grammy asked Verla softly.
Verla spoke in a sad whisper. “Yes.”
I saw the dirt on her hands and looked away. I couldn’t believe that Everly was gone. I didn’t want to believe it.
Once they finished cleaning up, we all gathered in the kitchen.
I cleared my throat. “Thank you all for being there for us today. You stood up to the priestesses for us. This night would’ve turned out differently without you.”
Talia gazed into her teacup. “I’m afraid we made things worse by involving Stella.”
“No,” I argued. “There were a lot of people who weren’t convinced until Stella spoke up. You helped convince them.”
“But it was because of her that the judge ordered your torture,” Talia said.
Lucas shook his head. “That wasn’t your fault. I saw Leto cast some sort of spell. Stella vanished because of him. He’s the one who made us look bad.”
Miles wore a thoughtful expression. “That must be why I can’t see her anymore. When she vanished in the courtroom, I completely lost contact with her.”
Professor Warren furrowed his brow. “A demon would have to be very powerful to influence spirits. He must be more powerful than we thought.”
“Which is another reason to get out of town as soon as possible,” Verla said. “You won your trial. You’ll live for now, but the coven won’t let you stay. It won’t be long before they find a reason to hold another execution.”
“We’ll give ourselves twenty-four hours,” Lucas suggested.
Verla glared at him. “That is the exact suggestion that got us into trouble the last time. We should leave now.”
“You can’t expect us to leave without making preparations,” Lucas argued. “We don’t know how long we’ll be gone. If we’re leaving for good, everyone deserves a chance to say goodbye to their families. We’re not leaving our cats behind, either. That’s non-negotiable.”
Verla sighed. “You better hope that your verdict protects you for that long. We’ll meet back here in twenty-four hours. Don’t be late.”
Verla offered us her guest room, because Lucas and I were in no shape to go anywhere.
