Scythe & Sparrow (The Ruinous Love Trilogy, #3)(87)

Lachlan enters the room and we break our silent exchange. “I’ll do what I can to stop the bleeding now and get him to the vet,” Fionn says as Lachlan passes him a set of clippers. Fionn doesn’t delay, turning them on to shave Bentley’s thick fur and reveal the extent of the damage. “Do you have any idea where Lark could be?”

“No,” Lachlan says as his gaze pans around the room. It seems to snag on something lying next to a broken lamp on the floor. When he strides away, I follow, watching as he picks up a phone from the floor. He looks at the screen. And a heartbeat later, a bereft, soul-shattering scream fills the room. Lachlan breaks apart right before my eyes. He tosses the phone on the couch and buries his head in his hands as though he could crush the anguish right out of his skull.

We’re losing time.

Bentley whines behind me as I wrap a hand around Lachlan’s arm and squeeze. He looks down, tears shining at his lash line. “Think. There’s got to be something. Something weird. Something out of place.”

Lachlan takes a deep breath. Presses his eyes closed. The crease between his brows deepens before it suddenly smooths. His gaze snaps to mine. “Across the street. He was across the fucking street.”

Lachlan pivots on his heel and strides toward the door. I don’t even think about it. I’m not yet sure what conclusions Lachlan has drawn. Or who we’re after. Or how dangerous they might be. But I know Lark is out there somewhere. And Lachlan is on to something, a trail that starts across the street. So I just follow. I make my declaration. I’m going to go too.

“Rose, don’t,” Fionn says. His voice breaks on those two words and it stops me as though I’ve hit a wall. “Please.”

Time grinds to a halt. I turn. The sight of him grips what’s left of my heart. He’s so beautiful. So broken, kneeling on the floor with his palm on Bentley’s side, his hands covered in blood. My pulse surges. Any doubt that’s left behind is washed away by the current humming in my veins. “Lark is my girl,” I say. “I’m going to get her back.”




“But—”

“I love you, Fionn Kane.”

The panic on his face is wiped clean, replaced with shock. It’s as though he can’t make my words fit into any reality that lies before us. His lips part, but nothing comes out. And I realize, I don’t need him to say anything at all. I know how I feel. And it’s still enough magic to be real, even on its own.

I take a step backward, and I give him a smile that fades as quickly as it appears. “Save the dog or this asshat will kill you,” I say.

And then I turn away.

I don’t look at Lachlan as I pass him, reaching behind my back to pull the hunting blade from its sheath.

I don’t know what trials I’m about to face. But I do know one thing as I feel the weight of this last secret lift from my soul.

The show can’t start until you jump.





BATTLEGROUNDS


Fionn



My brother stares at me, his face a study in pain.

I feel like I’m struggling to break the surface and take a breath. I’m still drowning in Rose’s declaration. I love you, Fionn Kane, her voice echoes in my mind. Her words didn’t just slip into the world. They crashed into me. They swept clean the sediment of the other life that’s been crumbling in my grip from the first moment we met. It was like a break between two realities. The man I’ve been trying to be. The one I am. The one who is hopelessly in love with Rose Evans. The one who would do anything for her, even tear out his heart.

Lachlan watches me like he’s expecting something. Like despite how much pain he must be feeling, he still has room in his heart to feel pity. Maybe disappointment.

I swallow. “Keep her safe,” I say, my voice threatening to close around the words.

“I will. I promise.” With one decisive nod, Lachlan turns away and jogs after Rose.

I turn my attention back to Bentley, wiping my eyes with my blood-spattered sleeve. “Okay, my guy. Please don’t bite my hand off,” I say as I press my knee to his neck in case he tries to thrash. “You’re not going to like this.”

I find the source of the bleed and start a vascular ligation figure-eight suture. It’s messy. With a sewing needle and a pair of scissors and a very unhappy, unsedated dog, I’ve got my work cut out for me. But I manage to get the nicked artery closed off in a few moments that feel hours long. As soon as the stitch is pulled tight, I toss the needle on the floor and heave the dog into my arms, heading through the open door.

“You need to stop eating so much bacon. You must weigh a hundred and fifty pounds.” Bentley’s responding grumble becomes a whine as I jostle him on our way down the stairs. It’s a sound that catches in my chest like a barb every single time I hear it. “And that’s the reason I never entertained vet school. I’m sorry, buddy.”

We’re nearing the bottom of the stairs when I hear Lachlan’s voice outside, followed by Rose’s clipped reply. I was so busy patching up the bleed in Bentley’s side that I didn’t consider the possibility that Rose would still be within reach. And now that’s the only thing that matters. To reach her in time.

I hurry my steps. I need to see her face. She told me she loves me. And I was so shocked not just by her words, but by everything they unlocked, that I made the worst mistake of my life.