The Ruby Circle
Page 44

He smiled good-naturedly, and we scurried around, gathering up things. Sydney had to call Jackie back, and since my hands were full, she handed Declan off to Rose. “Just rock him,” I said, seeing her panic.
Rose blanched but complied, earning laughter in return from Dimitri. “Rose Hathaway, notorious rebel, showing her maternal side.”
She stuck her tongue out at him. “Enjoy it while you can, comrade. This is as close as you’ll ever get to it.”
I nearly dropped my bag as a startling thought occurred to me. Olive had said she and Neil had been together before he’d been injected with spirit. That meant whatever had happened to bring about Declan’s conception had been the result of her being restored from being a Strigoi. Would that apply to Dimitri as well? Did that restoration only work on women? Rose and Dimitri were laughing now, joking because children were an impossible future for the two of them . . . but did they realize they might actually be capable of such a future? Did they want it?
You hold a lot of power over them, Aunt Tatiana whispered. Power to make or break their future happiness.
“Adrian?” asked Rose, seeing my astonished face. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” I said, slowly moving again. “Just trying to get used to all this.”
When we finally made our way out, with Declan in my arms once more, it was impossible to entirely avoid notice as we walked through the rest of the community. People were out and about, trying to recover from the terrible aftermath of the Strigoi attack. Most were too caught up in their own affairs, but a few saw me and wanted to talk to me—because I’d healed them.
“Thank you, thank you,” exclaimed Mallory the guard, hurrying up and catching my arm. “They told me how bad I was. I might not have survived if it wasn’t for what you did!”
If I hadn’t done it, would Olive still be alive? I wondered. But I smiled instead and stammered out how glad I was that Mallory was doing well. When she called for a couple of her friends who’d also been injured to come over, I quickly handed Declan back to Sydney. “You two stay out of sight,” I whispered. A baby and an ex-Alchemist were too memorable, and that was the last thing we needed right now.
Sydney complied, hastily getting away from my fan club and me, with Dimitri shadowing her. “Meet at the car,” he called back.
I nodded and then turned back to those I’d healed. I accepted their gratitude as graciously as I could, but all the while, I couldn’t shake the idea that Olive should have been among them. A few mentioned her, expressing how sad they were at her loss, but no one asked about the baby. When they finally dissipated, I thought I was free, but then another voice called my name. I turned and saw Lana working toward me.
“Damn shame about what happened here,” she said, her eyes filled with grief. She seemed to have aged years in the day I’d known her. “I wish it had been different.”
“Me too,” I said.
“Dimitri didn’t tell me what’s going on, but I’m respecting his wishes—and yours. I don’t know what all the secrecy’s about, but I saw Olive’s face when she was speaking to you, just before she passed.” Lana paused and ran a hand over her eyes. “Something was eating her up, that much was obvious, and she trusted you with it—and the baby. That’s good enough for me. I’m happy to help however you need.”
“Do it by forgetting we were here,” I said quietly. “Us and the baby.”
“Fair enough,” said Lana. She cleared her throat. “But I do have one uncomfortable question.”
Only one? asked Aunt Tatiana.
“What would you like done with the body?” Lana asked.
I started. It wasn’t anything I’d even thought about. Olive was gone. I’d literally seen the light of her aura go. That I’d be asked to deal with this hadn’t even crossed my mind.
“Um, what would you normally do?”
Lana shrugged. “We could have the body sent to her family for burial or cremation. Or to a place in Houghton, if you wanted it dealt with sooner. The Alchemist left some of that chemical behind. The one that dissolves bodies. Said we could use it if we needed to.”
My stomach lurched. The idea of Olive’s body undergoing what a Strigoi’s would was nauseating, especially after everything she’d gone through to redeem herself from that existence. And yet . . . I’d seen what that chemical could do. It would completely destroy what was left of Olive—destroy that she’d ever had a baby. I closed my eyes and felt the world sway around me.
“Adrian?” queried Lana. “You okay?”
I opened my eyes. “Use the chemical. It’s what she would’ve wanted.”
Lana arched an eyebrow at that, but I couldn’t elaborate. I couldn’t tell her that Olive wouldn’t have wanted to risk her body being sent to a funeral parlor or back to her family, where people would learn she’d given birth and ask questions. Olive had died to keep Declan a secret. This was another terrible part of that legacy.
“Okay,” said Lana. “And I meant what I said—I’ll keep this under wraps. My people will too. I’ll make sure it stays quiet. This group knows how to keep a secret.”
“Thank you. For everything.” I started to turn, but she caught my arm.
“Oh, what should I tell your uncle? He was asking about you.”
My uncle was no one I wanted to talk to—especially since I was sure he was someone who couldn’t keep a secret. I didn’t want him asking me about Olive or what would become of her son. “Don’t tell him anything,” I said. “Just that I left.”
Another long day of travel followed, made even more complicated by having an infant around who required feeding every two hours. We couldn’t get a flight out of Houghton, so Dimitri drove us to Minneapolis—with frequent stops along the way—until we could finally camp out at the airport there and catch a last-minute flight to LAX. Throughout all of this, Sydney and I split our attention between taking care of Declan and making contact with the people in Palm Springs. I verified that Neil had made it there, per our earlier arrangements, but I didn’t tell him anything that was going on, not about Olive or Declan. And until I spoke to him, I also had to keep Rose and Dimitri in the dark, as much as I hated it. I just didn’t feel they should know the truth before Neil did.