Warrior (Relentless #4)(75)

“Our hearts are heavy with sorrow today as we come together to say good-bye to Sara Grey, who was called home into our Lord’s embrace. When we lose a child, it’s natural for us to question why God would take someone young –”

Pain pricked my chest, and I rubbed the spot over my heart as I tuned out the priest’s voice. I didn’t know why I had come here, why I would torment myself this way. Watching people gather in a memorial service for someone I knew was alive was senseless.

But I couldn’t turn away. Sara’s uncle and friends were inside the church, mourning her. I’d watched Nate arrive with Roland and Judith, and it tore at me to see the grief on their faces. I think I stayed because I didn’t want them to suffer alone.

The priest stopped talking, and I heard someone else take the mic. I could tell by the voice that she was young, most likely one of Sara’s classmates. She spoke for a few minutes, and then someone else started talking. We had a custom like this among my people, where friends and family of a fallen warrior would take turns celebrating the warrior’s life. Perhaps we were not as different from humans as I’d thought.

The music began again, and people poured slowly from the church. Nate appeared first, accompanied by Judith and Maxwell. He sat in his chair just outside the door, and people stopped to pay their condolences as they filed out. It looked like the entire pack had shown up, along with most of Sara’s school.

Roland and Peter emerged with a young man in a black biker jacket. The man’s dark blond hair fell to his shoulders, but it didn’t hide the raw grief on his face.

Who was he? A friend? A relative? Or someone who’d been more than a friend to her? The emotions he showed were not those of simple friendship. This man cared about her deeply.

At the bottom of the church steps, the three of them stopped to talk, and Roland laid his hand on the other man’s shoulder. The blond man nodded and walked to a classic Harley sitting alone at the end of the parking lot. He straddled the bike and just sat there, his head hung and his shoulders shaking. After a few minutes, he wiped his eyes with his sleeve and drove off.

I looked at the church again as Chris appeared in the doorway. He spoke briefly to Nate before he continued down the steps. Chris believed me when I said Sara was alive, but he’d felt he should be at the service since he was her family. Tristan decided not to come to the service. He said he couldn’t bear to watch Sara’s friends and family grieve her when she was still alive.

Chris looked my way as he walked to his bike, but he didn’t come over. I think he knew the last thing I wanted in that moment was company.

I stood there a few minutes longer, watching the church empty of mourners. When the last strains of organ music filled the air, I turned and walked away.





*


The wharf was deserted when I started my stroll down to the end of it. No doubt it was because of the cold wind that formed little whitecaps on the water and buffeted the waterfront.

I didn’t mind the cold; in fact, I welcomed it because it let me have this spot to myself. Of all the places in New Hastings, this was where I felt closest to Sara. I could see why she loved it here. I’d never been a sentimental person, but lately I found myself looking at things and seeing them through her eyes. She’d probably laugh if she could hear my thoughts now.

I turned my back on the water and faced the waterfront where a handful of people went about their business. Life here had settled back into its normal quiet routine in the three weeks since Sara disappeared. Erik’s team was back in Boston, trying to track down the sudden flow of the demon drug heffion into the city. A few days ago, Tristan had finally called back the extra unit he’d sent to help with the search for Sara. Only Chris and I stayed in Maine, and he split his time between here and Portland.

From my vantage point, I could see Sara’s building at the end of the waterfront. Nate and I had gotten to know each other in recent weeks, and I’d grown to admire and respect him. We talked about his days in the military before his injury and his transition to a much quieter life in New Hastings. He’d confided in me how he’d been scared to death when Sara came to live with him after her father was killed. He’d had no idea how to raise a child, but he’d never regretted his decision. It was easy to see where Sara got her courage and compassion.

I stuck my hands in my pockets and started walking back the way I’d come. When I reached the waterfront, I turned right toward my hotel, but changed my mind and came about. I felt oddly restless, even more than usual, and I didn’t want to spend the next few hours holed up in my hotel room.

I checked the time on my phone as I walked toward Nate’s. He had invited me to dinner, but that was two hours away. He was doing a bit better lately, but he still looked like he wasn’t sure what to do with his life now. Maybe I’d drop by early and –

My Mori fluttered.

The air left my lungs, and I froze mid-stride. Not a minute had gone by since that day on the cliff that I hadn’t longed to feel that sensation again. But when the heart wants something so bad, the mind will play tricks on you.

I took another step.

Nothing.

Two more steps.

My Mori shifted and pressed forward. Solmi?

My heart began to race. In seconds, I stood outside Nate’s door, my hand on the knob. I opened the door and inhaled sharply as her essence surrounded me, filling the empty place inside me.