Caged by Damnation (Caged #2)(70)

Aidan broke the silence and I shot him a grateful look. "If I'm going to be backup, maybe I shouldn't know the details. Savannah can fill me in if I'm needed, but it's better for me to be in the dark in case the enemy captures me."

Nicolai nodded and Aidan vacated the room, making me wish I had an excuse to leave as well.

"It's Calla, right?" She nodded. "I'll guard from a distance and you should stay close to get anyone who makes it past me.”

"Sounds solid to me. Where do we go if we need to make a getaway?"

Nicolai shrugged, as if there were no alternative. "We stay on the run."

"Um, I know a place." They looked at me, but I could see that Nicolai didn't expect much. "When my parents died, I inherited everything. We sold the house recently, but kept the lodge. Only Maye and I know of it, and it's in my mother's maiden name." I worried at my lower lip, uncomfortable under Nicolai's examining gaze. "It's not a fortified castle, but it's a good place to lay low. I've never been there, but I know where it is."

"Where?" Nicolai demanded and I decided that I was going to have to invest in a book about politeness.

"Green Lake, Wisconsin. It's secluded on the lake and there is only supposed to be a tiny town nearby."

Calla touched my hand gently. "You're sure that Maye is the only one who knows its whereabouts?"

I nodded. Inevitably, my thoughts went to my parents and their hobby. I hoped we wouldn't find evidence that they had left behind. Given their preference for sacrifices, it was possible that the place might be inhabited by a few vengeful spirits, or bodily remains. The thought make me queasy.

"Fine." Nicolai waved me away. "Go see your friends. We can work out the rest without you." The dismissal grated on me. It's true that I didn't want to go to the meeting in the first place, but I had a right to choose when I wanted to leave.

Reaching my room in record time, I discovered Maye sitting on my bed. "Maye!"

I scrambled towards her, nearly knocking her off the bed with my excitement. She laughed at my antics, pulling me to her side, and I curled up with her.

Maye rested her head against mine. "When I awoke in your hospital room and you were gone, it killed me inside. Darling, you and Ash are my life."

I cast my head downward, ashamed.

She lifted my chin, brushed my hair behind my ears, and looked at my face.

"I'm sorry, Maye. Really, I am. Did you have trouble getting out?"

Her stare was disapproving, noting the change in the flow of the conversation, how I was steering it away from my reproachful behavior. "Josephine came to visit you. We located Liam's mother after we exited the compound and grouped together, searching for you kids. What were you thinking, wandering around alone after being poisoned?"

"I wanted to find Izzy. You looked so peaceful that I didn't want to wake you."

Maye's expression changed to one of understanding. "I see. You should have told me first, but given all that has happened since..." She sighed. "It seems petty to focus on that. I'm glad you're all safe."

"For how long? Those demons were after me; they'll come again and everyone should be far away from me when they do." My eyes flooded with unshed tears, my heart felt like it was tearing in two and all I could think was that I wanted to hold onto Maye until I was safe again. I needed her to tell me that everything would be okay and that we would always have one another.

"May I interrupt?" Josephine was standing in the doorway. We made room for her on the bed. It was a tight fit, but I didn't mind. "Have you been having visions?" she asked with a knowing look. "I thought as much; portents are in the air. It would be wise to pay attention to them. They might save your life."

Maye stood to stretch her legs and grabbed a book from her oversized wristlet. She preferred the miniature version of a purse to the real deal. "Here, Diamante said that this is about Izzy."

I pushed it away. "You should give it to her. She deserves to know about herself before the rest of us."

Maye nodded. "I will give it to her in the morning."

"Well, this is rather depressing. Here we find that all of our loved ones are safe and instead of celebrating, we're moping about!" Josephine's tone took on a teasing tone, as she looked up at Maye. "What did you think of Maloc? He has his eye on you." She waggled her eyebrows.

Maye's lips pursed in a disapproving frown. "Oh, quiet. I'm much too old to concern myself with men. I have no use for one."

"I can think of a few uses," I said, smiling.

Maye narrowed her eyes at me and groaned. "Now, Josephine, you're making a bad impression on Savannah. I don't want to hear any more of it. He was simply being a gentleman."

"It's just fun to tease you," I giggled, hiding beneath the covers when she tried to hug me to death, only coming up for air when I heard Maye and Josephine go back to their conversation.

Josephine sent me a conspiratorial look, a silent communication to help her antagonize Maye. Watching them bicker like an old married couple made me feel lighter. I was used to this; it was a piece of home.

Moments later my room was overrun by Willow and Izzy, pronouncing the downstairs as a silent tomb and telling us that the tunnels had become a bachelor's den. Ash and Liam had taken to the tunnels with most of the Draconians and were keeping Griffin company.